Monthly archives: May 2018
iPM (Lorenzo) Outage for Server Patching Wednesday 16th May 05:00 to 06:30
There will be a short outage of iPM (Lorenzo) planned for the morning of Wednesday 25th April starting at 05:00 and completing by 06:30, 1.5 hours in total. During this time iPM (Lorenzo) will not be available.
This will have the following impacts:
Emergency Departments: Use Patient First as normal, use pre-numbered labels for NEW patients
Maternity: Use Badgernet Maternity as normal for mothers already admitted, new mothers will need to be captured on paper and retrospectively input, Babies entered onto Badgernet whilst iPM (Lorenzo) is unavailable will not get an RXK number, these will be queued and released when iPM (Lorenzo) available, poorly babies should be given a pre-numbered RXK label.
Wards: eBMS can be used for existing patients transfers and discharges, new patient admissions will not appear on eBMS boards until iPM (Lorenzo) is available again, patient tracker form should be used to track these patients.
Direct Admission Wards: Keep track of these using the patient tracker form.
Requests and Results (iCM): Can be done in iCM for existing patients, new patients will not be in iCM so these requests should be done on paper, urgent results will need to be telephoned as they may not be in iCM or CDA until iPM (Lorenzo) is available again.
Emergency Operations in Theatre: ORMIS will not be able to pull the patients details from iPM (Lorenzo), the information needs to be captured onto the data capture forms, and then entered into ORMIS when iPM (Lorenzo) is available again.
Any queries contact Sarah Cooke sarah.cooke@nhs.net
You Said We did
Our first Speak Up Day took place in September 2017 where over 1,000 colleagues made a promise to speak up if they saw an issue of concern relating to safety at work.
Teams were asked via our Hot Topics feedback system to share any issues of concern that had been raised and not yet resolved.
Executive directors took ownership over each issue and contacted the teams to discuss their concerns and the actions they would expect. Some issues raised were handled locally by the team and their managers as reported in the Hot Topics feedback.
Here are some of the outcomes:
| Issue raised | Outcome |
| Effectiveness of case note scanning | Most issues now resolved |
| Unfair annual leave processes in department | Arrangements reviewed openly and new process in place from 1 January 2018 |
| Uncertainty over oncology changes impacting on staffing | Oncology changes are now clear and patients for solid tumour oncology care are being transitioned to UHB or RWT up to end of February 2018. Regular communication with staff and patients. |
| Falls not being appropriately documented reported as incidents | Issue raised at senior nurse forum |
| Lack of feedback relating to incidents raised | Improved feedback mechanism to be in place locally |
| Inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour within a team | Chief Nurse meeting with team leader |
| Monitoring system for mandatory training | Mandatory training can be accepted from other organisations, new mandatory training system will be introduced in 2018 , CDA is being updated quickly reducing time delay in registering compliance. |
| Telephony outages | Telephone issues now resolved with ongoing monitoring |
| Concern about Unity in light of existing IT issues | Reassured and new urgent response service for callers if with patient |
| Catering facilities | New suppliers in place and click and collect service launching at City Hospital in January 2018 |
| Parking issues at Sandwell | More spaces now that Education Centre refurbishment is complete |
| IT system for wheelchair services | Discussed with CIO and reassured that right actions being progressed. |
| Pathology changes and staff communications | Communications shared with affected teams, via Pathology news and on Connect pages |
| Confidentiality of concerns / complaints | Reassurance that concerns raised are treated in confidence. We welcome people speaking up and respect right to anonymity. |
| Infection control over supply cages | Confirmed that NHS Supply Chain cages are single use and returned daily to NHS Supplies for industrial cleaning before re-use |
Meet Freedom to Speak Up Guardians
Our Freedom to Speak up Guardians are available all year round to hear your concerns.
These are the people who staff can turn to if they want to talk about issues they feel need addressing.
The Guardians have received specialised training and are well placed to listen to issues and guide concerned staff on the best way to resolve those problems. This in turn will provide better care for our patients.
Click here to find out more about your Freedom to Speak Up Guardians.
Have you made your pledge yet?
Last year hundreds of colleagues made their pledges promising to speak up.
If you would like to make a pledge or renew an existing one it you can do so here.
How confident are you to speak up?
As part of Speak Up Day the Trust are seeking information from colleagues in regards to how confident you feel about speaking up.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below:
Colleagues will also have the opportunity to complete a short survey in regards to speaking up.
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Respecting our colleagues – preparing for Ramadan
The dates of Ramadan change each year. This year Ramadan is expected to start between 15 and 16 May although this can vary slightly depending upon regional customs and when the new moon is first sighted. It lasts for 29-30 days and ends with the celebration of Eid-Ul-Fitr. The Islamic calendar is lunar, which means that days start at sunset.
What do people do during Ramadan?
Many Muslims will fast each day from sunrise to sunset. This includes not eating food, drinking liquids or smoking. It is common to have one meal known as the suhoor just before sunrise and an evening meal known as Iftar after sunset.
Ramadan is a time of prayer and self-reflection, where Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur’an.
Ramadan is also a time for charity-giving, which can involve both making donations and participating in charitable events.
Key workplace considerations during Ramadan
- Observing Ramadan may be noticeable (for example not eating at lunchtime) and so it is often sensible for employees to inform their managers of the fact they are fasting.
- Fasting may affect people in different ways (for example some people may understandably become a little irritable or slightly tired at times) and some understanding from managers and colleagues can be helpful.
- The effects of fasting may be felt most strongly in the afternoon so it can help to use the morning for meetings and intellectually challenging work, and perform routine tasks later. Also when Ramadan falls in the summer months it can be particularly challenging as the days are longer.
- Although breaks should be kept, a shorter lunch may make it easier for an employee to manage their workload if they wish to take time off to carry out additional prayer or worship.
- Colleagues may want to avoid offering food and drink to those who fast if sharing food with other colleagues, or eating during meetings.
- It can be helpful to avoid events etc. that all staff must attend during Ramadan as people may be fasting.
- In certain years, a considerable portion of annual leave may be used by employees wishing to observe the Ramadan rules. Where the leave timings can be accommodated, it is also important to ensure an employee has adequate leave days available for these needs.
- Awareness and understanding of Ramadan and other religious festivals can be aided by posting information on staff notice boards or newsletters etc.
- Ramadan may offer an opportunity for closer team relations and teamwork – for example by avoiding cakes / biscuits during a team meeting.
The Trust has a Muslim Liaison Group, made up of multi disciplinary colleagues, who are happy to work with any service to offer advice and support to prepare for Ramadan. You can contact them by emailing MISMATCH-swb-tr.SWBH-TEAM-MuslimLiaisonGroup@nhs.net
Today is Speak Up Day
Our second Speak Up Day will be held today across our Sandwell, City and Rowley sites to raise awareness of the different ways to speak up if you have concerns about safety at work.
- Sandwell – Hallam Restaurant Foyer
- City – Arches Café
- Rowley – Reception
Our new Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner will be hosting a meet and greet in D29 at City Hospital as part of Speak Up Day between 12pm-2pm.
Speak Up Day 2018 – 16 May
Our second Speak Up Day will be held tomorrow (Wednesday 16 May) across our Sandwell, City and Rowley sites to raise awareness of the different ways to speak up if you have concerns about safety at work.
- Sandwell – Hallam Restaurant Foyer
- City – Arches Café
- Rowley – Reception
Our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians will host drop-in sessions on the day where you will be able to talk to them in confidence.
Our new Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner will be hosting a meet and greet in D29 at City Hospital as part of Speak Up Day between 12pm-2pm.
Colleagues will also have the opportunity to complete a short survey in regards to speaking up.
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Sandwell gym closure: Tuesday 15 May
The gym at Sandwell Hospital will be closed on Tuesday 15 May for annual maintenance.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to the closure.
Coeliac Awareness Week
This week is Coeliac Awareness Week which aims to support and generate awareness of people who have Coeliac Disease.
Be sure to check out the Coeliac UK Awareness Week information sheet to find out more.
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