Updates from the Board of Trustees
Dear Colleague,
Our Trustee Board meeting took place via Microsoft Teams on the 14th June 2021 and we had a packed agenda of discussion points and approvals. Prior to the main Board Meeting we also held the Annual General Meetings (AGMs) for the Hospice Charity and also our Shops Business to approve the accounts.
Before we commenced the Board sessions we were joined by our Patron, KiKi DeVille and her colleague, Angus Powell. Both KiKi and Angus are working on the amazing and unique ‘Keepsake Circle’ which is song writing with a group of bereaved Derian families. It was emotional to hear some of the first songs and as soon as we are able we will be sharing these with all of you. We are indebted to them for this unique offering to our families that truly demonstrates why we are Outstanding!
It was announced whilst we were in the Board that the 21st June target for reducing COVID restriction further was to be extended to the 19th July. I do not think this was a surprise to many of us, but of course it is very disappointing as we all hoped for normality to return. COVID is still a focus for the Board and the Senior Management Team (SMT) ensuring we maintain our COVID-Secure process and procedures. We ask everyone to continue to follow these for the maximum safety of our families and each other.
We discussed the continued restoration of our services and it is great to see that we are now operating the majority of activities. It is a credit to everyone at Derian House that we have managed to offer our support to our children, young people and families throughout this pandemic. We also learned that we now have many of our non-clinical teams back at the Hospice and they are enjoying seeing their colleagues again.
The Board reviewed and approved a number of important proposals at this meeting and I will summarise these below.
We are delighted to inform you that the Board approved a 2% salary increase which will be backdated to the 1st April 2021. The increase will be reflected in your July salary. As many of you will be aware, we usually follow the same uplift as given to NHS staff but this announcement has not yet been made. You may have seen in the press that the original proposal for the NHS is 1%, however, this is currently under review. We are keeping a close eye on the pay reviews within the NHS and should anything be agreed that exceeds the 2% we have agreed, we will further review our award.
One of the other proposals we approved stems from the feedback you have given in our staff surveys on our ECO strategy and carbon footprint. In light of those comments the SMT have engaged with a company, Planet Mark, who will work closely with us on reducing our carbon footprint to look after our planet. We are keen to involve every team in this work, so watch this space for details of how you can become involved.
We have also approved an SMT proposal to carry out a viability study to assess the need for a new regional wellbeing centre, led by Derian – very exciting times!!
Our new 2021-2024 headline Strategic Aims have now been agreed and David will share these with you very soon. The SMT will now work on the detail of these Aims which will drive our ambitions and plans for the coming three years. We have also agreed the wording on each Aim with punchier wording and a focus in the first Aim of Providing Outstanding Care. Our recent Needs Assessment has driven many of the Aims as this is the feedback received directly from our families. It is also representative of the wider commissioning community and what they need from Derian House.
The Board would like to thank everyone for their commitment, hard work, continued focus and support. Remember to look after yourselves and your families as we continue through these turbulent times.
Karen Swindley
Chair of Trustees