Monthly archives: April 2018

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 13 April

This week saw NHS wide celebrations for staff networks, as well as the final sessions of our Stepping Up programme for current and potential leaders from BME backgrounds.   Congratulations to everyone who took part.  Like any leadership endeavour the key is what happens next for individuals, and by late May I hope that our coaching and mentoring programmes, available to all Trust employees, are fully developed.  In May we launch our latest staff network, focusing peer support and energy on the needs of staff from an eastern European background.

On Wednesday we reached a milestone in the quality improvement journey being undertaken by our community and medical wards.  For the first time our feedback data showed that every single discharge of a patient bed to bed was rated as green by the receiving team. Keeping this standard up is our aim.  As medication anomalies are the single biggest fall down in our transfers, our hope is that electronic prescribing gives us a chance to improve.  In addition, because we have now agreed the so-called HIE link, we will have visibility of patient’s GP records, and their GPs can now see our records.  This is a big step forward in care integration.

Our listening into action event for the Consistency of Care programme again attracted over a hundred attendees, and I hope that those who came along felt listened to.  The tone of much of the event was really positive, with participants expressing a sense that over the last year they had improved team working, documentation and discharge.  Despite all our brilliant recruitment work, staffing is still an issue in half of our wards.  The event focused on what we could all do to embed current best practice in areas like discharge medication.  There were great ideas for teams to take forward.  Meanwhile Fiona Shorney, Chetan Varma and I need to conclude a decision process on how we identify, and then manageto , expected dates of discharge.  More of that in the future no doubt!

Part of the programme recognised that on Tuesday nationally we see the launch of the Chief Nurse for England’s campaign to tackle PJ Paralysis.  We know that spending nights and days with us reduces independence.  Now we need to focus on daytime activities and mobilisation which get patients agile and using ward facilities.  Of course if Midland Met is delayed then those facilities may need investment and that is part of a complex negotiation now with government.  At the same time a clinically led process is examining both the risks of two site acute working, and the realistic options to change that if we cannot get our single site open in 2020.

Ten days ago you know that we installed a new finance system, which is also the basis for our ordering of stock and non-stock items.  At both the Risk Management and Executive Quality Committees real concerns were raised about some elements of the implementation process.  The supplier, Oracle, are working with us to find remedies for the handful of issues we are facing.  There has been daily communication about how to address and escalate issues.  The prize for change is clear – good data and a slicker system – but like all changes we will find local issues and learn how to do better on changing how we work, not simply bemoaning the frustrations we face.  The same team in Trinity House have also been overseeing our year end accounts, so thank you for “doubling up”.  Whilst we have a £20m residual deficit, we will end the public sector year in surplus – I would guess one of less than three NHS Trusts in the region to do that. We have every opportunity to both invest and save, and we have over £25m of ideas that have been both equality and quality risk assessed.

I am pleased that the new Hallam Restaurant is back up and running after its major refit.  You will have seen that there are all sorts of ways to order and collect food now, fitting around your busy schedule.  Jane and her team are working hard to make our canteens responsive to your needs, and consistent with our values around the environment and local suppliers.  We are gradually improving some of the facilities on our so-called Retained Estate (buildings we will keep when Midland Met opens), and in coming weeks we will open our new Energy Centre to supply the residual city site, as well as firming up plans to create additional car parks, which I know will be widely welcomed.

As we enter the new public sector year, one more thank you from me on behalf of the Board.  The safety plan, our finances, and the regulatory success of teams like End of Life care, represent a good year for improvement. I know that the ask gets higher each year, and that many people are tired or frustrated.  But the plans being developed by clinical groups do span two years, so frontline teams can work with relative certainty about the future.

#hellomynameis….Toby

Hallam restaurant offering free tasters today

The Hallam Restaurant will be offering free tasters at lunchtime today.

The tasters include:

• Crispy chicken in sweet & sour sauce served with noodles
• Szcheuan beef in satay sauce served with noodles
• Vegetable Chinese curry served with noodles or rice

Colleagues within the Trust can also now order food through click and collect service via the Eat Well app.

Colleagues can download the app from the Apple App Store and the Google Playstore by searching for ‘Eat Well’.

Apple Appstore: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/eat-well-swbh/id1326126100

Google Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=menu.mmmlunch.eatwell&hl=en

Help us evaluate flu campaign

It’s important to the Trust that we get your feedback in regards to the flu campaign as this will allow us to improve the 2018/19 campaign.

Click here to complete the flu evaluation survey.

The survey is completely anonymous and will only take a couple of minutes.

Occupational Health reduced capacity: 20 April

The Occupational Health and Wellbeing Services will be running at reduced capacity on Friday 20 April to attend the funeral service of former receptionist, Carol Berridge.

The service is being held at Sandwell Crematorium at 2:30pm.

For sharps and splash injury, please attend A&E and inform Occupational Health the following Monday.

Unity Dress Rehearsal

The Unity dress rehearsal will run from 9th – 27th April. During week 1 we will migrate patient data from the Lorenzo PAS and turn on interfaces between the systems. This techy work will ensure that Unity can work with all our existing systems. We’ve already tested this 4 times but this one is for real. During Monday the team migrated the data from the PAS and turned on the first interface. Things are going to plan.

Homeless patient pathway

Do you have a Homeless Patient on your Ward?

The Homeless Patient Pathway supports and safer discharges for homeless patients admitted to the Trust and cover City, Sandwell, Rowley Regis, and Leasowes Hospitals.

Patients who are identified as homeless are to be flagged on eBMS by setting the homeless flag as soon as possible.

For further information please contact Lead Nurse for Homeless People, Helen Taylor on 07580 677913 or by email at helen.taylor54@nhs.net.

Alternatively you can contact Housing Navigator, Louise Edwards on 07580 677884 or by email at louise.edwards@nhs.net.

Note: the service operates Monday – Friday, 9am–5pm only. For out of hours service you can contact Birmingham City Council Emergency Housing Duty Team on 0121 675 4806 or the Rough Sleepers Team for advice on 07483 981912.

Tell us your news – Heartbeat

In the next edition of Heartbeat, we will be launching a brand new page called Pulse: ‘The page where you tell us what’s happening in the heart of the hospital.’

• Is there a special occasion for a colleague in your department?
• Have you arranged a special event for patients and visitors?
• Have you got a new starter you want to welcome, or is someone leaving your team?

Then please let us know – this page will be all about you and sharing your good news.

Please e-mail photos and captions to emily.smith46@nhs.net

Please note that if you will be including pictures of patients, they will need to sign a photo consent form which can be obtained from the communications department.

We are looking forward to receiving your news.

Celebrate the NHS turning 70 with your stories

This year the NHS turns 70 on 5 July and to celebrate this important milestone, we would love for you to share your special memories of the Trust with us.

There are opportunities to tell your story on camera which will be published on our website and through our social media channels, broadcast, working with our colleagues in Sandwell Hospital Radio and in writing, where we’ll be publishing your story on our website.

We’re looking for your earliest memory of the NHS, or your recollections of working in a great team, or alongside a colleague who made work a joy.

You can also ask your family to take part by using your smartphone to record your child interviewing their grandparent about their memories of their service within the NHS. If you’ve got an aspiring child journalist at home, ask them if they’d like to debut to mark this occasion. Film clips should be filmed in landscape and only run for a few minutes. (We may edit the clips into one longer film, or create soundbites to push out through social media).

Alternatively, if you fondly remember a colleague who is no longer with us and you’d like to pay tribute to them, please get in touch and we can come out to record you.

We’re also looking for any old photographs of the Trust and colleagues which we can copy for an exhibition, and if you have any medical items from years gone by, that we could display for a short period please let us know.

If you would like to join the campaign, please click here to learn more about how to make and send your footage to the Communications team.

For more information get in touch with Vy Tran, Senior Communications Officer, through email at v.tran@nhs.net

We have formed an NHS70 group to co-ordinate all the activities planned for the year. If you’d like to join please email vanya.rogers@nhs.net.

Games and raffle event at Sandwell

We will be hosting a games and raffle event at Sandwell Hospital (near the main entrance) today (10 April) from 9.30am – 3pm to help raise funds for Your Trust Charity and Stroke Association.

For more information please contact Katie Parsons or Abida Bashir on 0121 507 6376.

Hallam restaurant reopening today

Hallam restaurant will be reopening today (Tuesday 10 April) following its recent refurbishment.

A limited amount of free tasters will be available on selection of dishes.

Colleagues within the Trust will also be able to order through click and collect service via the Eat Well app.

Colleagues can download the app from the Apple App Store and the Google Playstore by searching for ‘Eat Well’.

Apple Appstore: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/eat-well-swbh/id1326126100

Google Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=menu.mmmlunch.eatwell&hl=en