Monthly archives: August 2018
Star Awards 2018 – vote now
Have you voted for the 2018 Star Awards yet?
We’re asking you to help decide who should be the winner in four categories:
- Clinical Team of the Year (Adults)
- Clinical Team of the Year (Children)
- Employee of the Year
- Non-Clinical Team of the Year
The nominees have been selected by a panel of judges and it’s up to you to cast your vote to decide who should be the winner in each category.
Remember: you only have one vote so make it count!
The winners will be announced at the Star Awards ceremony on Friday 12 October at Villa Park.
Voting for these categories closes on 31 August.
Click here to visit the voting page.
Alternatively, you can download a Star Awards paper voting form.
Heartbeat: Retaining resilience – learning from incidents
Photo caption: L-R: Head of Operations and Resilience, Caroline Rennalls; Emergency Planning Officer, Phil Stirling and Director of Communications, Ruth Wilkin at the major incident practice in February[/caption]
Organisational resilience is key to ensuring we are prepared for any eventuality – from terrorist to cyber-attacks and floods to fires. Being on the frontline of the NHS, it is imperative that our organisation is able to provide the best possible care to our patients, even under the most pressurised situations.
Heartbeat spoke to Head of Operations and Resilience, Caroline Rennalls and Emergency Planning Officer, Phil Stirling to find out more about the measures in place to ensure we remain resilient.
“Each department has a business continuity plan (BCP),” said Caroline.
“This is specific to their area and is relevant for both clinical and non-clinical departments. It is a live document which can be updated at any time, but we are required to review it every year.”
Phil added: “The BCP outlines a range of scenarios and indicates the steps the department should take in order to continue their business as normal in the event of an incident occurring.”
The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) states that all NHS Trusts are required to have an emergency planning officer (EPO) and an accountable emergency officer (AEO).
“Our emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) group meets monthly and is chaired by Chief Operating Officer, Rachel Barlow, who is also our AEO,” said Caroline.
“The group is made up of both clinical and non-clinical colleagues.”
“We have also relaunched our Clinical Management of Mass Casualties group (CMMC),” said Phil.
“This is chaired by Critical Care Clinical Lead, Dr Nick Sherwood, who is our Trust clinical lead for emergency planning, preparedness and response. Each clinical group identifies consultant leads to sit on the CMMC group. Any issues which are identified at this group are then taken forward and discussed at the EPRR group.”
As well as having a robust governance structure in place, Caroline and Phil oversee a comprehensive training programme, which test our assumptions and processes, but also allows for colleagues to practice and learn in a safe environment.
“Every three years we host a multi-agent live major incident practice,” said Phil.
“Our last one took place in February this year at Sandwell Hospital and involved colleagues handling an influx of pretend causalities following the scenario of a shooting at New Square Shopping Centre.”
Caroline continued: “In addition to the live exercise, we host regular table top exercises, where we talk through a scenario and the steps that people would take. NHS England core standards state that we should do this twice a year, but we exceed that.
“We also hold tests of our communications twice a year and carry out monthly radio tests.”
Although there have been no major incidents declared in our organisation for the past few years, there have been a number of critical incidents and occasions when teams have had to revert to their business continuity plans.
Caroline and Phil told Heartbeat what some of these incidents have been and also explained the process in which the incidents are managed.
Phil said: “In the last couple of years we haven’t had to declare a major incident, but we have had a range of critical incidents. These have included flooding, loss of water, severe weather, generator loss, IT outages, a bomb threat and strikes.”
Caroline added: “The way we manage an incident is the same whether it is classed as critical or major.
“We are able to open an incident command centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week at any of our hospital sites.
“We use a command/control structure and we open two incident rooms – strategic and tactical. We have a strategic commander, a tactical commander and then operational commanders. It is through these commanders that we co-ordinate our response to the incident and then plan our recovery.
“Once the incident is stood down, it is important that we are able to learn from it. A hot debrief takes place as soon as possible and is then followed up with a cold debrief, which takes place within six weeks.
“Waiting six weeks allows colleagues to reflect on the incident and see if anything has changed, whether it’s back to normal or if it is now a new normal. The cold debriefs are open and transparent and we assess if any harm occurred as a result of the incident and identify any lessons learned. The findings of these debriefs are then reported back to the EPPR group.”
Phil added: “We have recently introduced a new method of scheduling cold debriefs to ensure that they can happen within the six week timeframe. A session is now pencilled in the diary each month and should an incident occur it can be discussed at the time already allocated.”
Caroline concluded: “Learning from our incidents and ensuring we make the most of our regular training sessions is key to ensuring that we remain resilient as an organisation. We have made some real positive steps during the last year, but we will continue to look at ways we can improve and be prepared for whatever incident may come our way.”
Top 3 achievements
- The way in which we declare and notify people of an incident is much improved
- Execs and senior managers receive specialised training before going on the on-call rota and also now receive annual training
- Business continuity folders are in place in every department throughout the organisation
Top 3 things to work on
- We need to increase the amount of trained loggists that we can call on during an incident
- We need to further embed the business continuity plans to ensure that all colleagues have knowledge and understanding
- We need to ensure that action cards are ready for the roll out of the 7-2-4 element of Unity
Friendly cricket match vs. CCG: Sunday 2 September – need your support
Our Trust will once again be taking on Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG in the annual friendly cricket match and we’re inviting all colleagues to come along and support the team!
The cricket match is scheduled to run 1pm – 6pm at West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club, Sandwell Park, Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, B71 4JQ.
Food and children’s entertainment will also be available on the day for all to enjoy.
For more information please contact claredooley@nhs.net.
It’s Your Voice – have your say and be in with a chance to win one of three £50 shopping vouchers
The latest Your Voice survey is out now. Three respondents will get the benefit of vouchers worth £50, drawn from a hat. This will be done anonymously and any publicity will be your choice – just like the National Lottery. But you have to be in it to win it.
Please take a few moments to fill out the survey that gives you an opportunity to get your ideas heard and a greater say in decision making regarding changes that affect you.
Your feedback tells managers and leaders about what it is like to work here and what can be improved, and provides timely data about whether actions taken as a result are making a difference.
Changes made since the last survey include:
- Car parking – we are appointing a contractor to build multi-storey car parking facilities at Sandwell and City and have added staff car parking spaces at Rowley Regis Hospital.
- IT resilience issues – we continue to invest, have external experts working with us, and have delayed deploying Unity until we have more confidence in our systems. We have also prioritised training investment for our very hard working IT colleagues.
- Quicker and healthier food – we have improved our catering facilities – and the team have put in a new click and collect service and are providing new ranges of pre-prepared and freshly prepared foods, as well as more Halal options.
You will have received an email inviting you to take part in the survey. If you have not received an invitation please contact the communications team swbh.comms@nhs.net or complete the survey via this link www.myonlinesurvey.co.uk/SRXKAN.
Casual football every Tuesday
If you’re interested in playing some casual football every Tuesday, 6pm-7pm at Powerleague Aston, please contact craig.simpson@nhs.net.
Note: All ages and abilities are welcome.
Heartbeat: Diabetes team scoop national award for unique approach in treating diabetes
Our diabetes team have scooped a top award for improving patient care[/caption]
The DiCE (diabetes in community extension) project at our organisation received a top accolade at the Royal College of Physicians’ Excellence in Patient Care Awards.
Judges praised the team for their innovative approach in delivering the initiative, which sees the team working closely with GP practices to provide patient care closer to their home, as well as supporting the doctors to enhance their knowledge and skills.
Dr Parijat De, Consultant Physician and Clinical Lead for Diabetes, explained: “We deliver this project with strong support from Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group (SWB CCG).
“This model involves GPs identifying challenging cases where support from the diabetes specialists is needed. The diabetes team will then provide advice and management plans to patients at the surgery.
“The consultation sessions have been carried out in many forms, such as virtual clinics, joint consultation or communication through emails and over the telephone. The team was commissioned by the CCG to deliver the project to all 111 practices in Sandwell and West Birmingham in 2014.
“We have been leading an integrated community diabetes model for a while now. It is wonderful to note that we have been acknowledged yet again nationally for our DiCE model.”
There are more than 5,000 patients who have benefited from this model and 90 per cent of type 2 diabetes patients now receive care within the community. Before the DiCE model was launched, more than 50 percent of complex type 2 diabetes patients were referred to hospital and seen by consultants every three to six months.
Following the success of the model, only 10 per cent of complex diabetes patients now need to be seen at the hospital.
Dr Vijay Bathla, who is a GP at Soho Road Health Centre, said: “Since receiving the support from the DiCE team, I feel much more confident when treating high risk patients in my clinic. In addition, when the consultants are present in the clinic, it really helps to improve the communication we have with our patients around the condition, giving them a better understanding of how to self-manage their diabetes.”
Heartbeat: Unity end user training now underway – are you booked?
The process to get nearly 5,500 of us trained in how to use Unity started on Monday 13 August and will run through to Friday 26 October.
Twenty four courses are on offer ranging from ‘inpatient HCA’ to ‘consultant and doctor’. However, with a huge number of colleagues to train over the next few months there is still over 2,000 of us who have not booked on to training.
The great thing is once you are trained, you can have access to the Unity Play System to enable you to keep your newly learned skills fresh, as well as practice in a safe environment and raise questions you might have.
Heartbeat caught up with Paula Gardner, Chief Nurse and executive lead for Unity training who explained more.
“Unity will affect each and every one of us, and will change how we work and look after our patients. Colleagues need to realise that these training sessions are mandatory and essential for their work. We all need to know how to use Unity to safely treat our patients, and therefore, colleagues are expected to attend training.
“We have now reached a stage where anyone not currently booked should do so as a matter of urgency. If colleagues have not booked on by Tuesday 28 August, all non-booked staff will be automatically booked on to appropriate training and required to attend those sessions as a reasonable management request.”
It is the responsibility of everyone to look at the training schedules on Connect and ensure they are booked on. There are plenty of dates available with spaces on each date. Line managers are asked to ensure their staff are aware of the dates, and that they are planning cover, backfill and sorting rosters, so please get yourself organised and liaise with your line manager. It is critical that you are booked on, and plan for the course location and travel time accordingly.
The great thing is once you are trained, you can have access to the Unity Play System to enable you to keep your newly learned skills fresh, as well as practice in a safe environment and raise questions you might have.
Colleague feedback about the training
We caught up with colleagues attending the first day of training on one of the inpatient therapy courses.
Principal Physio – Frail Elderly and Medicine, Suzanne Miles is already trained as a digital champion, she said: “The training has been a really helpful refresher on how the system works. It has been a logical and easy to follow set of training that has given me a lot of confidence ahead of go-live.”
Rotational Physiotherapist, Tom Mahoney is also a digital champion, he added: “The training has been really good. The more you get exposed to Unity the more used to it you get.”
Senior Occupational Therapist, Joanna O’Donoghue said: “I was anxious about coming on the training, but now that I’ve seen how Unity works I’m not so worried.”
Managers can book their teams onto the training via Connect. If you would like a member of the Unity team to come to your area to assist with the booking of your staff, please contact swbh.informaticsbookings@nhs.net with your availability and a contact number, and arrangements will be made at a suitable time for you. The team will also help with any queries regarding the training and the booking system.
Star Awards 2018 clinical team of the year (adults) – vote now
Have you voted for the Clinical Team of the Year(adults) yet?
This award recognises a team that has provided consistent, high quality care for adults whilst demonstrating best practice.
The shortlisted teams for clinical team of the year (adults) are:
- Occupational health
- Out of hours district nurses
- Theatres
Voting closes on Friday 31 August but you can submit your vote now online.
Click here to visit the voting page.
Alternatively, you can download a Star Awards paper voting form.
Drug shortages – Hydrocortisone injection and Menadiol Diphosphate tablets
There are currently shortages of Menadiol Diphosphate Tablets 10mg and Hydrocortisone 100 mg/mL (Efcortesol) injection until late October and late 2018 respectfully.
Please ensure you read the relevant memo sheets.
Hydrocortisone memo – August 2018
For more information please contact medicines information in the pharmacy department on ext. 5259.
Trust parking during the summer
Will all colleagues please be mindful that during the summer months there are no parking capacity issues meaning there are plenty of parking spaces available in the staff car parks.
With this in mind, please ensure you park in a marked bay on a staff car park and do not park on yellow or red lines, block fire exits or park on visitor car parks.
Failure to comply with the Trust parking policy may result in the issue of a parking charge notice.
Thank you for your co-operation.
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