60 seconds with…Tris Mills
Tris Mills is the new director of nursing as Newham Hospital. Four weeks into his new role, we caught up with him to see how he’s getting on.
How has your first month in the role been?
“It’s been really busy, but really good. There’s been a lot of information to get my head around, and lots of new things to learn, but I’m enjoying it.
“One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is getting to meet my new colleagues. I’ve not managed to meet everyone yet, but I’ve been into a lot of the wards and have met lots of teams. It’s also been really nice to see some familiar faces in the cross-group meetings I’ve been to.
“Across the board, everyone has made me feel welcome and comfortable. From everyone in the executive team who’s provided invaluable support in helping me settle in and get up to speed, to the ward managers who’ve been so welcoming and engaging, it’s been great and really shows that Newham Hospital embodies our WeCare values.”
What have you been impressed by?
“Whenever I speak to colleagues across the hospital, I’m really impressed by how open and honest they are about what is and isn’t working. It shows me that people are proud of the improvements that have happened at Newham Hospital in recent years, but also that there’s a real appetite to do more to make it an even better hospital to work and receive care in. I’ve also been really impressed by everyone’s ‘can do’ attitude in terms of making improvements.
Where do you think there’s room to improve?
“One area where I think we can make improvements at Newham Hospital is in patient experience and engagement.
“To make changes to our services that really benefit patients, we have to hear from them about what is and isn’t working. The only way to do this is to engage with them – we have to ask them for their feedback, listen to it, and act on it. The pilot project we’re doing with Healthwatch Newham on patients’ experiences when they’re discharged from AAU is a good example of how we’re doing this well.
“By giving our patients a voice and making sure we have systems in place for them to share their views, I really believe we can make big improvements to the care we provide. And in turn, I believe this will help make the hospital an even better place to work. Staff and patient experience are so intertwined that we can’t put effort in to one and not the other. That’s why I think there’s also work to do around making our hospital an even better place to work – the latest staff survey results will be vital to ensuring we achieve this.”
What’s it like being back at Barts Health?
“It’s so good to be back working at Barts Health – I previously worked at Whipps Cross around six years ago. Making the move to be director of nursing at Newham Hospital felt like the right move for my career, but also right in that I was coming back to a trust that I really liked and had enjoyed working in.
“Having the support from the group, as well as the opportunity to learn from and work with people in the other hospitals is great. And, while I was prepping for my interview, I consistently heard lots of good things about the work being done at Newham Hospital, so it was kind of a no-brainer!
“The group has moved forwards in lots of ways since I last worked here, but there’s still opportunities to seize and challenges to overcome to make Barts Health – and Newham Hospital – an outstanding place to work and be treated. I can’t wait to take them on and play a part in helping us get there.”
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