Trust hails role of Human Resources ‘leader’ in roll-out of Covid vaccine

The Western Trust has today paid tribute to one of its board members for her role in organising and implementing an ‘extraordinary’ local vaccination programme.

Next week the local Trust will mark 12 months since the first pandemic patient was admitted to the South West Acute Hospital.

Over 200 patients have died in Altnagelvin Hospital and South West Acute Hospital since who had a Covid-19 diagnosis.

That has taken a ‘huge’ toll on families and staff who were with patients in their final moments, a Western Trust Board meeting was told.

Chief Executive Dr Anne Kilgallen said that in the midst of the dreadful challenges and trauma experienced, individuals and teams have grown and developed at pace.

Leaders have emerged at every level, and continue to do so, and Director of Human Resources Ann McConnell has played a big part in ‘sowing the seeds for this collective leadership’ well before pandemic, she added.

The meeting heard that there are 13,000 people who work for the Western Trust and service teams now that did not exist 12 months ago.

The Trust’s Covid Vaccination Teams continue to achieve ‘extraordinary levels of vaccine delivery’, by mobile teams in care homes, supported living facilities and day centres as well as in its three Mass Vaccination Centres.

To date, the teams have delivered over 60,000 vaccinations.

All Care Homes in the WHSCT area have had second doses delivered to original residents who were fit to have the vaccine.

In Supported Living facilities, the second dose programme is at an advanced stage.

The mobile vaccination teams have also delivered vaccines to users of Learning Disability Day Centres and Day Opportunities as well as to long stay mental health inpatients and plan to deliver to the homeless population in the coming weeks.

Dr Kilgallen said: “To successfully organise and deliver a public health programme of this scale and magnitude against a backdrop of uncertainties about supply, personnel and scope reflects the ingenuity, flexibility and problem-solving ability of a diverse team nurtured under Ann’s leadership.

“We have relied on the expertise of Ann and of her team, their technical expertise and their strong relationships with our Staff Side colleagues to help us navigate and support our staff.

“Those relationships have enabled us to respond to unprecedented challenges, always putting the care and support of our patients and service users at the forefront.

“Ann leaves a team and corporate service of which she can be hugely proud. No one person could have achieved what we have achieved in the last 12 months yet no one person can have been more central than Ann. Those of us who have worked with her know this.”

PROUD

Trust Chair Sam Pollock echoed those sentiments saying: “You’ve stayed calm and cool.  Your performance has just been superb, your support, your insight and way of managing people, bringing out the best in them is just awesome.

“Thank you Ann for everything you’ve done.

“The administration of the vaccine in Foyle Arena and other centres has been huge.  I’ve had loads of compliments passed on to the Trust.

“I’m proud of the Trust and the way we’ve administered the vaccine.

“We’re way ahead of other Trusts, who’ve struggled, it’s down to your foresight and ability to manage and I want to acknowledged that publicly and wish you well in your retirement, you deserve it.”

Speaking at her last Board meeting, Ann McConnell said it was a privilege to be part of the Trust Board having started out as a clerical officer.

“It’s something I’ve never taken for granted.  I’ve been really fortunate with the teams that I’ve had around me and the people supporting me,” she said.

“They all inspire me to do my best and that’s what I’ve done, I will leave the organisation knowing that I’ve done my best in all of the circumstances.

“I’m very proud of the vaccination programme even though it caused me many sleepless nights and more hours of my life than any job ever should.

“Getting it off the ground in the West was a really challenge because we didn’t have many people on the register wanting to be vaccinators.”

She continued: “But actually that programme has been one of the things I’ve been privileged to be part of because there aren’t many HR people who’ve run a service and now I feel like I have which has made a difference to patient’s lives.

“I want to thank you all very much, I have been stretched, challenged, and supported lots and I thank you all for that.

“I know you will be doing really important work rebuilding services for our population and there isn’t a more important job in the Western area so I wish you all the luck in the world.”