Massive thanks to our Northumberland Health Heroes as chief speaks of 'immense pride'

The message from Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, comes as the Northumberland Gazette pays tribute to our Health Heroes who are working tirelessly to treat people during the pandemic.

Sir James said: “These are extraordinary times for everyone working in the NHS and in the broader health and care system.

“I am immensely proud of how every single member of our Northumbria family is responding to the challenges we face now, and to those that lie ahead in the coming weeks and months.

“Our teams across Northumberland and North Tyneside are working incredibly hard, alongside our partners in primary care, local authorities, social care and nursing homes, as well as those caring for people in their own homes, to go above and beyond the call of duty to deal with the increasing demands on our services.

“I would like to say thank you to each and every one of them for the passion, commitment and dedication they continue to show for our patients. They are all heroes and credit to the NHS. All this is made possible by the support of other key workers in schools and the local supply chain and we will be forever grateful for their support.

“While we are well prepared to deal with this evolving situation, we fully recognise this brings additional stress and pressures for many staff. We are doing all we can to support staff at this time with initiatives to improve their health and well-being and suspending staff charges for car parking and meals in our canteens.

“As a trust and a wider health and care system, we have been blown away by the wealth of support our teams have received from local communities through initiatives such as #ClapForCarers and displaying rainbows and donations through our Bright charity.

“To know people are fully behind us and greatly value the care we’re collectively providing means an enormous amount to our teams and are a welcome boost during these unprecedented times. We are extremely grateful and would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support.”

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