Nursing leader is star guest speaker at Shropshire trust's AGM

Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, will be speaking at the Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust event, which will be available online, in a presentation to mark the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

The coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible for the organisation’s AGM to be held in its usual format.

It will now be broadcast live on the Microsoft Teams platform on November 5.

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Anyone wishing to watch will need to register for a Microsoft Teams account, which is free.

Leaders at Shropcom are keen to ensure that people can still observe and participate in the meeting as the trust reflects on the 2019/20 financial year.

The meeting will reflect on the impact Covid-19 has had on the organisation, and the way it has responded to the challenge.

But, with the AGM covering the period from April 2019 to March 2020, it will also be a chance to look back on a year that saw the trust rated good by the Care Quality Commission, and win national recognition for some of its services and for its Freedom to Speak Up work.

Nuala O’Kane, chair of the community trust, said: “The AGM is an important event in any organisation’s calendar, and it is no different for us at Shropcom.

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“This is a chance to share our story of the last financial year, and also to set out our vision for the months ahead.

"That vision has understandably been shifted by the impact of Covid, and we look forward to sharing some of that with you next month.

“I am delighted that we have found a way to make this meeting open to the public in the current climate.

"I would encourage anyone who is interested in our services to join us on Teams. You’ll be able to watch a number of interesting presentations, and to take advantage of the Q&A function on the site to ask any questions you may have about what you hear.”

As well as an opening from Nuala and a presentation from Andrea, the meeting will hear from David Stout, interim chief executive of Shropcom.

There will also be presentations from Steve Gregory, executive director of nursing and operations; and Ros Preen, director of finance and strategy.

David said: “I only joined the trust in March, right at the end of the financial year.

"The eight months since then have not been what I, or indeed anyone else, envisaged at the time – but I am proud of what we have achieved and what we continue to do to support our patients and our people.

“I look forward to telling some of that story at our AGM.

"It is a shame that people will not be able to join us in the room, but I am delighted that we can make use of the technology available to us in order to broadcast the meeting.

"I hope as many people as possible can join us.”