Georgina Ferry interviews Sam Foster, former Chief Nursing Officer (Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust), 22 March 2023.
Topics discussed include (00:00:31) early interest in nursing and healthcare, work in medical wards and intensive care units, interest in training and education, corporate roles; (00:02:11) management and leadership roles; (00:03:57) core Chief Nursing Officer role, role at Oxford; (00:10:00) work with Meghana Pandit relating to leading quality; (00:12:35) first awareness of COVID-19; (00:14:00) preparations at the hospital and mounting of a response; (00:15:22) NHS emergency preparedness response; (00:17:18) designated infectious diseases unit, operationalising Nightingale south-east; (00:24:57) intensive care work; (00:27:17) critical care capacity, proning teams; (00:33:10) intensive care shifts, impact on workforce; (00:35:00) burnout and PTSD amongst healthcare workers, measures implemented to support staff wellbeing; (00:40:27) participation in research around COVID-19, including trials taking place in intensive care; (00:42:35) delivery of first vaccines in late 2020 and early 2021, including setting up a vaccine hub; (00:46:56) media exposure; (00:50:40) personal threat from COVID-19, including doffing of PPE to work in COVID wards; (00:54:16) impact of the vaccine programme, vaccine mandates, anti-vaccination sentiments; (00:57:00) support of the executive, particularly relating to decision making processes; (00:58:16) lessons taken from a time of national emergency to be implemented in next role at the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
