I had intended this message to focus mainly on thanking the many NHS colleagues who were involved in caring for those killed and injured in the horrendous attack in Southport last week  – the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) crews who attended the scene, the receiving teams at Southport and Formby, Ormskirk, Alder Hey, Aintree, and Manchester Children’s Hospitals, as well as the many other colleagues in those trusts, Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and the North West region who helped coordinate the response.

The suffering of the people of Southport, and others touched by the violence there, is unfathomable. And it will inevitably take a toll on those NHS staff involved in the response; I know from my time at Guy’s and St Thomas’ how hard incidents like this can be for those treating victims and supporting families, but I can only imagine how much more affecting it has been for those treating children. We will make sure colleagues get any support they need – as we will for the people of Southport.

Sadly, the riots that followed in Southport, and then other towns and cities over the course of the week, also warrant – indeed they require -comment.

The deplorable violence, intimidation and thuggery we have seen – and particularly the arson attack on the hotel in Rotherham housing asylum seekers – can and should be lent no justification. It is fundamentally wrong, fundamentally un-British, and a source of deep shame.

But it is often in the worst of moments where the best of people can be seen.

The outpouring of solidarity in Southport, first for the families affected by the attack, and then for those whose homes, businesses and places of worship had been damaged by rioters.

The professionalism, too, of the NHS staff in Southport and elsewhere who are dealing with the consequences, and of course those in our police, fire and other services working to protect communities, restore order and fix the destruction caused.

It is they – not those rioting, and not those inciting and justifying violence from afar – who best represent our country, and British values – the values that led to the creation of the NHS and have sustained it since.

There are other things that have sustained the NHS, too. One of them is stoicism, that great British trait of carrying on through adversity. Another, importantly, is migration – people coming from across the globe to become vital colleagues, with almost 200 nationalities represented in the NHS workforce today.

So carrying on, and doing what needs to be done for the patients who need us, is what the NHS will do. It’s what our colleagues in the North West did after the attack in Southport. It’s what others have done and are doing now due to the riots – treating victims and perpetrators alike.

But we shouldn’t let dedication to duty disguise the fact that for many NHS workers, seeing this flare-up of racism will leave them feeling afraid and unwelcome.

To those colleagues, my message is simple: you are welcome, you are a valued member of our community, and that community should look after you.

And to those reading this in positions of leadership, my ask of you is equally simple: in your words, but more importantly in your actions, please ensure you are demonstrating that most British value of community, now more than ever. And specifically, show in your actions that when we say we have zero tolerance of racism towards our patients or colleagues, in whatever form it takes, we really mean it – even when it is difficult or uncomfortable.

Thank you.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive