Monthly archives: February 2018
Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 2 February 2018
Yesterday’s Trust board meeting had, as you would expect, much to reflect upon. The Board reiterated its commitment to the construction strategy for the Midland Metropolitan Hospital. The question now is how not whether the hospital is concluded. Recognising the disruption and distraction of these events, we confirmed that over the coming three months it is the deployment of our electronic patient record (Unity) that must be uppermost in our plans. Work on the Midland Met will be undertaken by a central corporate team but the success of Unity depends on us all.
Presently, and over coming weeks, over 400 digital champions will be trained in the new system. In the next months you will see dozens of new computers arrive and be installed on our sites alongside additional printers. The so-called Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which explain how the new system will change how we work, will be completed and signed off during February. This work builds towards a full dress rehearsal in April and the training of all Trust staff in the system during April and May. Unity is an exciting opportunity to improve care but the risks of an IT deployment are all too obvious in our organisation. All of us have a responsibility to ensure that we familiarise ourselves with the product and the changes in our work roles that this deployment necessitates.
At the same time the clinical leadership executive has reiterated the support for our new Aspiring to Excellence PDR system. Many hundreds of line managers have been trained in this approach which seeks to agree objectives for improvement with everyone in our organisation and to assess the potential of all colleagues for further professional development and leadership development. Between now and the middle of March all line managers need to book every employee in our organisation into an appraisal which must take place between 1 April and 30 June.
This is a significant undertaking of administration and time and you will recognise that it takes place at the same time as work on the Unity system. I hope you share my excitement about the new PDR approach which will provide among other benefits an opportunity to target training expenditure, which will continue to grow, at those colleagues who most need that support and development. If you have any concerns about the new system, or have yet to receive the training you need and don’t know how to get it, please contact either your area’s HR manager or Bethan Downing. The only staff group excluded from this programme are trainee doctors employed through Health Education West Midlands.
Look out for Hot Topics next week which is a fantastic opportunity to hear about key developments and changes coming in our organisation and also to give your feedback on proposals and ideas. I know that excitement is building across much of the Trust about the new Purple Point patient feedback system which will go live near our inpatient wards towards the end of the month. You’ll find much more information about that in the next issue of Heartbeat and in the communications bulletin over coming weeks. The opportunity to hear directly from patients, carers, friends and family, and to nip problems and issues in the bud at the right time is what we are trying to achieve in this project, in which there is considerable national interest. If you want to know more please contact Allison Binns or Kam Dhami in the first instance.
#hellomynameis….Toby
Want to maximise your childcare savings? Join the Edenred webinar
Join one of Edenred’s free webinars on 6, 7 or 8 February, and you can find out about all the childcare savings options available including:
- Childcare Vouchers
- Free childcare hours entitlement
- Tax-Free Childcare
You’ll also learn how to work out what’s best for your family, and why time is running out to save with Childcare Vouchers.
Edenred are hosting six webinars, just pick a time slot that suits you and join them to learn what’s available to help you combat the rising cost of childcare.
80 per cent of patient facing colleagues have had their flu jab
The week we have hit our 80 per cent target for herd immunity from flu.
Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune
If you still wish to have your vaccine, please contact occupational health on 3306 and they will be happy to arrange an appointment for you.
NHS Hero – Wanika Simpson
Our organisation is full of remarkable, motivated people, who give a lot to the communities we serve. Since 2014, we have been recognising our quiet heroes who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and do a wide variety of jobs across our Trust. Each week we shine a spotlight on one of those heroes, and following an interview by our press office the Sandwell Chronicle publishes these inspirational stories.
Today, the spotlight is on Wanika Simpson, a Healthcare Assistant currently working as co-ordinator for the advanced discharge planning (ADaPT) team at City Hospital.
A beaming smile is what you’re met with when you first meet Wanika. She delights in coming to work and absolutely enjoys helping patients and families who come through the acute medical unit (AMU).
“I have been doing this role for a few months and I feel so lucky to be part of the team,” she smiled. “I started working on AMU in 2011 as a healthcare assistant. I have always felt part of the team, my role, which involved morning washes, updating daily care records, doing the tea rounds and helping with general patient care, made me feel I was contributing to the patient’s journey to recovery.
“When I was approached to take on this position it came at a time when I was ready to take on a new challenge. I feel privileged to be part of the team that includes social services, an AMU nurse, lead dementia nurse, rapid response therapist and myself as the ADaPT co-ordinator.”
The ADaPT team work to ensure patients are reviewed within 24 hours of admission. In order to highlight patients that require advanced discharge planning, the team meet every week day at noon with huddles taking place simultaneously at City and Sandwell.
Wanika chairs the ADaPT huddles at City when she takes the team through all the admissions ensuring there is a plan in place for anyone who needs social care or safeguarding.
She added: “The ADaPT huddles take place after the board round on AMU. Everyone in the team has the opportunity to input with the aim of getting the right care and support for each patient.
“Some of our patients have complex medical and social care requirements, it is my responsibility to follow these patients through when they are admitted to the ward, to ensure they get the care they need right through to discharge.
“It helps to work in a multi-professional way as we can help each other to expedite a patient’s care; for instance if they need to go into a care home or require further support via the homeless team. I also make Making Every Contact Count (MECC) referrals for alcohol and smoking. I see my role as assisting the nursing team as they are able to have more time to care for the patients.
“One case that particularly resonates is when a deaf lady came in with all her property. I tried to get to the bottom of why she had brought in all personal belongings, so I contacted her landlord. I also spoke to the homeless team who informed me she had been previously discharged from Rowley Regis Hospital to her new accommodation. It transpired that she didn’t like where she was living so she just took her things came to the hospital. After speaking to various services, I managed to get her into a temporary accommodation she was happy with.
“I think the ADaPT team are doing a brilliant job. It’s a great feeling to go home knowing you have helped someone. We are giving families piece of mind.”
Wanika is currently completing her NVQ level 2 in healthcare. She said: “I am so excited about completing the qualification; I would definitely like to learn and train more in order to develop my career.”
Wanika comes from a line of nurses and always knew she wanted to care for people when she got older. “I guess it was always going to be a natural progression for me. I love my job and look forward to coming in every day.”
In her spare time, Wanika loves to spend time with her two year old daughter. “My little girl is my life. We have fantastic girly times together – going for long walks, swimming and making fairy cakes!”
Talking of heroes, who is Wanika most inspired by? “My mom,” she said. “She is my inspiration and has always encouraged me to do better than her. I want to pass that on to my daughter too.”
World Cancer Day – 4 February
The Courtyard Cancer Information and Support Service is supporting World Cancer Day on Sunday 4 February.
We have a limited supply of Cancer Research UK Unity Bands for sale at the minimum donation price of £2.00.
Sunday’s event is being supported by a number of national charities including Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, as well as Clic Sargent and Morrison’s Supermarkets
Further details can be found at the following links:
https://www.uicc.org/what-we-do/convening/world-cancer-day
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/donate/world-cancer-day
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/get-involved/world-cancer-day-2018.html
LGBT History Month – the gay flag
February is LGBT History Month and our LGBT Staff Network are using this month to share an insight into the geography of LGBT history, looking at flags used to celebrate our identities
Today we highlight the Gay Flag: A person who is attracted to people of the same gender.
#LGBTHistory – claiming our past, celebrating our present and creating our future.
Raising awareness of alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse in Sandwell and Birmingham costs the NHS a staggering £72.1 million a year, new figures have revealed.
And around 300 patients are being seen every month at our hospitals, suffering from some form of alcohol abuse. The shocking statistics were released during Alcohol Awareness Week (November 13- 19).
Arlene Copland, Lead Alcohol Nurse, said: “We see a startling number of patients coming into our emergency departments who need help to control their alcohol intake.
“But what they don’t realise is drinking too much can lead to a number of serious health problems, such as liver disease, cancer, fertility issues, stomach ulcers, raised blood pressure, stroke and dementia.
“It’s important that everyone knows what their limits are. National guidelines recommend that both males and females do not drink more than 14 units per week.
“We work closely with local charities Swanswell, Change Grow and Live (CGL) to reduce admission to hospital due to alcohol abuse and provide support in outpatient settings. We are helping patients to reduce their intake or stop drinking alcohol completely.”
The theme for Alcohol Awareness Week centred around encouraging people to think about how drinking can also affect their family.
Our organisation worked with Swanswell and CGL to organise a number of activities at both Sandwell and City sites to raise awareness among patients, visitors and colleagues.
Arlene added: “During the week, we organised drinks tasting where people tried non-alcoholic cider and wine, there was a short quiz and visitors were able to try on special beer goggles which gave the same visual effect as when a person is drunk.
“Nearly 300 visitors came to our stands during the week and were really interested in learning about the impact of alcohol on their health and wellbeing.”
Shanique Sanderson, Staff Nurse on Lyndon 4, who visited the stand, said: “From talking to alcohol nurses, I have learned so much about what our patients go through to control their drinking. I don’t drink, but when I tried on the beer goggles, I was startled to find out what the world looks like when you’ve consumed alcohol.
“Campaigns like this are a fantastic way of raising awareness among our colleagues and of course visitors who come to our hospitals.”
Major Incident Exercise taking place on Sunday 4 February
A requirement of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 is a need for a wide ranging test of our emergency preparedness once every three years. Hence this coming Sunday (4 February) morning, we will be running a major incident exercise across Sandwell Hospital to ensure our plans are thoroughly tested.
If you have any enquiries please contact our Emergency Planning Lead, Phil Stirling through IVOR.
New revamped Single Improvement Methodology Training now available
The Single Improvement Methodology training is now open to all colleagues and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive
If you have improvement ideas, this course will help you and your team transform them into action.
[su_youtube_advanced url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM7If_SPPQY" showinfo="no" rel="no" https="yes" wmode="transparent" playsinline="yes"]Come and learn the why, what and how to deliver a successful project; from the small to the large; the principles don’t change!
The training has two modules which are undertaken on two separate days (1 and a half days all together)
You can book your training via the ESR electronic system. If you do not have access to book yourself on the course via ESR, speak to your manager who should be able to assist you.
If you would like more information contact the Improvement Team on swb-tr.SWBH-TEAM-TheImprovementTeam@nhs.net
Time to Talk Day 2018
Too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, worthless and ashamed. Time to Talk Day is a chance for all of us to be more open about mental health – to talk, to listen, to change lives. Wherever you are – at home, at work or up the top of a mountain! – have your conversation about mental health today.
Please remember you can also talk to our counselling service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call 0300 555 6006. If you would like to talk to someone in person, pleased call occupational health on extension 3306 and they will arrange an appointment for you.
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