A message from our chief executive, Ewen
As we come to the end of 2025, I want to reflect on the year and share my thanks for everything you’ve contributed to the Trust this year.
We’ve launched a new strategy, withstood enormous change inside and outside the Trust, and provided high quality care across our acute and community settings.
Compassionate care, healthier communities
One of the brilliant things about this place is the quality of care delivered by incredibly compassionate staff. It’s amazing and you can see the impact of that in a range of places.
It comes across in formal things, like national inpatient surveys, our performance data, whether we hit targets, etc. But it really comes across when talking to our patients.
I ran in to work recently and, as I was stretching in front of the hospital, I was chatting to a patient who wanted to talk about the amazing impact a single member of staff had had on his care over many years.
We should never take this for granted. There's a lot of bad press about the NHS but the fundamentals of the quality of care here, and the compassion with which it's delivered, is not something you see everywhere - and it has a huge impact on the communities we serve.
The people who work here, with our shared set of values, are the foundation of who we are today and what we’ll become in the future.
Our new strategy, ‘compassionate care, healthier communities’, sets out our plans for the next three years. It was developed with your help to ensure we focus on the things that matter the most.
The strategy is underpinned by five connected ambitions; high quality care, joined up services, empowered to improve, responsible with resources, and fit for tomorrow.
For each of the ambitions, we have three priority areas we will be progressing over the next three years. Each of the ambitions also sets out the key actions and our measures of impact.
Our long-term vision is for a healthier West Suffolk where compassionate care helps everyone to thrive.
To get there, we need to be an NHS provider that is trusted to provide high quality and timely care which improves the health of the communities we serve in West Suffolk and beyond.
All of this is underpinned by our FIRST values – Fairness, Inclusivity, Respect, Safety, and Teamwork.
These values are not just words; they are the foundation of our culture and the behaviours we expect from every individual across our organisation. And living these values is most important during times of uncertainty, adversity, and change.
This year we launched a campaign to tackle sexual harassment and abuse. Next year, you’ll see us reaffirm our commitment to being an anti-racist workplace. There’s so much more to do but I believe in taking meaningful action to build a culture that is welcoming to everyone.
Turning a corner
The progress we’ve made on our finances over the last year has been enormous. We genuinely were in a very difficult place back in the early part of the last financial year, heading towards a deficit that threatened the future of this organisation.
The way we’ve worked together to get things back under control is remarkable.
As well as the progress on financial recovery, you have delivered really significant improvements in waiting times for elective and emergency care for our patients. This is so important for our local population, and one of the reasons our league table position has improved so much through the year.
You’ve told me, and other leaders, that our communication hasn’t been good enough on some of the big decisions and that needs to improve. I’ve also heard your worries about morale and the impact of all this change.
I want to emphasise our commitment to you – even if it may not always feel like we’re considering the impact of our choices. The way in which we’ve met our targets, month after month, gives us back the opportunity to invest in your wellbeing, development, and ability to deliver care you can feel proud of.
We’ve definitely turned a corner and we can now see a clearer path towards becoming a sustainable organisation.
Why is that important? Well, if we want to continue to offer the fantastic services we do for the local population, we need to be sustainable for generations to come.
Once-in-a-generation opportunity
The new hospital may feel a distant prospect, but there's so much work being done to move things forward.
In January, the Government confirmed the building of a new hospital for West Suffolk would be in the first wave of projects expected to start building in 2027-28.
We’ve continued to work closely with the New Hospitals Programme team, who are overseeing this major capital programme, and have had the funding envelope confirmed.
We’ve reached a key stage in our journey towards the new hospital, with the completion of the 1:200 plans. These are detailed layouts that set the foundations for how our future hospital will function.
As we continue to refine the plans, we expect to be able to share designs with you early in the new year.
The contrast - for both staff and for patients - between this very old 1970s building and a state-of-the-art building is something we should all feel excited about. Providing and receiving care in a really high-quality environment will be a huge boost for everyone.
Thank you to everyone involved in this huge project, ensuring our staff, patients and community benefit from a new, fit for purpose hospital for generations to come.
Thank you
As we approach Christmas, I want to take the opportunity to express my appreciation for your exceptional dedication and compassion.
In every department and role, you offer care, comfort and reassurance to those who place their trust in our hospitals and community services in their most vulnerable moments.
Your professionalism, kindness and resilience embody the true spirit of service and we remain profoundly grateful for all that you do.
May the festive season bring you moments of peace, gentle rest and renewed strength.
Warmest wishes,
Ewen