Monthly archives: August 2018
iCares scheme saves NHS millions
Featured on ITV.com
Monday 13 August
An innovative idea to treat people earlier for illnesses like flu and chest infections has led to patients in one area avoiding 17,000 nights in hospital and the NHS saving £7 million to be reinvested back into patient care.
The iCares system in Sandwell in the West Midlands flags people with long-term conditions who are at high risk of hospital admission to a team of 100 staff who make sure they are seen as early as possible.
Previously, patients were coping at home until in many cases they needed to be admitted to hospital.
But now patients or their carers can simply call a number if they need help and are assessed and then seen in as little as three hours by a team dedicated to hospital avoidance.
So far the scheme has reduced hospital admissions by 2,478 a year and 93% of patients who access the service stay in the community.
The move has also contributed to reduced lengths of stays in A&E, reduced lengths of stays in hospital from 10 days to seven days, and reduced readmission rates.
The team is made up of physios, occupational therapists, advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs), community matrons, nurses, speech and language therapists and many more.
The ACPs can dish out prescriptions to clear up infections and the team can organise extra equipment to help people manage safely at home.
The majority of people living in Sandwell have multiple long-term conditions, are likely to live their final 20 years in ill health and are likely to die younger, according to NHS England.
If patients develop urine infections, chest infections, flu, coughs, colds or cellulitis, it can lead to frailty and falls, resulting in less independence, swallowing problems, not eating and drinking enough and feeling unable to cope at home, as well as an increase in stress for both the patient and carers.
Ruth Williams, clinical directorate lead at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, set up the iCares scheme five years ago after realising how difficult it was for patients to navigate the system and the waste created by multiple teams.
She brought people from three teams under one roof and consolidated 16 different points of access to care and staff now work in neighbourhood teams, based on the patients’ locations.
“iCares is based on need and not diagnosis,” she said.
“If a patient has a long-term condition and develops an infection, for example it could stop them swallowing or walking and that would make them housebound and unable to cope at home.
“Previously, the small team of three people saw urgent cases as well as possible at home but the patients they couldn’t see were admitted to hospital.
“What we’ve done is make the system simpler: one phone number, everyone can ring and one team which works together and navigates the system for the patient, keeping 93% of urgent cases out of hospital.
“Most importantly of all, people only have to tell their story once.”
NHS England national clinical adviser for primary care, Dr Karen Kirkham, said: “As we develop a 10-year plan for the NHS it is innovative schemes like this that are showing how practical new ways of working can help patients live better lives and also deliver efficiencies for health organisations to reinvest.”
Heartbeat: Seeking your views about LGBT equality in our workplace
Colleagues are being urged to take a few minutes to complete a survey to gain a snap shot of how we all feel about LGBT equality and help our organisation make changes to improve our inclusive culture.
Our Trust became a member of Stonewall (an organisation that campaigns for the equality of LGBT people) almost two years ago. As part of our membership we take part in the Workplace Equality Index.
Heartbeat caught up with Stuart Young, Head of Equality and Inclusion and Chair of the LGBT Staff Network who explained more.
“I would encourage everyone to take part in this survey as it reflects the views of all colleagues regardless of whether they identify as LGBT or not. As members of Stonewall, our aim is to rank highly on the Stonewall Equality Index and the survey responses will go to our overall score.
“We joined Stonewall to demonstrate our commitment to LGBT issues. It provides a platform to benchmark ourselves against other organisations. We want to become the employer of choice for people who want to work and thrive in an inclusive organisation.
“It is really important to the Board that all colleagues are able to bring their whole selves to work and feel comfortable and confident to speak up and raise concerns.”
So what have been the benefits of being a member of Stonewall?
“There have been many,” says Stuart. “We have access to a dedicated advisor who has helped us develop a transsexual policy for colleagues and patients. We have also had support to review the equal opportunities policy.
“And some LGBT colleagues have benefitted from role model training which encourages them to be empowered and put themselves forward as champions for LGBT issues.”
The survey is completely anonymous and is available online until Friday 2 November. Please take a few minutes to give your feedback www.stonewall.org.uk/index-survey-2019 our unique four digit code for survey is 2089.
Nurses aid patients affected by burst water pipe
Featured in the Halesowen News
Monday 30 July
QUICK-thinking nurses and volunteers from a Black Country hospital trust came to the rescue of patients living near the burst water main near Burnt Tree Traffic Lights.
Staff from Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Rowley Regis Hospital, joined volunteers from the British Red Cross to take out vital supplies to residents affected by the incident on Friday (July 27).
South Staffs Water were sent to the scene of the burst main on the Birmingham New Road at about 5am on Friday morning, before workers fixed the issue later that day.
The affected section of the major Black Country road was closed for a number of hours after the burst sewage pipe left the street under a foot of waste water.
During the incident, which hit the water supply of homeowners in the surrounding area, volunteers dashed out to the homes of unwell patients who are under their community care, to top up their supply.
Ruth Williams, the trust’s clinical lead for primary care, community and therapies, said: “We were aware of our patients in the area who were without water due to the burst pipe, so we acted very quickly by sending out our community nurses and Red Cross volunteers to those homes.
“It meant that they were able ensure that those patients weren’t left dehydrated in the current heatwave, and ultimately being admitted to hospital.
“We are glad that we are able to help our patients in the community during their time in need.”
Fundraising thanks for lifesaving transplant
Featured in the Express & Star
Friday, July 27
L-R: Deputy Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Carol Goult, Michael Willis, and Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Joy Edis.[/caption]
A BRAVE Black Country great-grandfather who underwent a life-saving double lung transplant has raised thousands of pounds for the two hospitals where he was treated.
Michael Willis and his family hosted a formal fundraising dinner event on Saturday June 23 in Birmingham to celebrate his miracle survival from sarcoidosis, a rare condition that nearly turned his lungs into ‘stone’.
The proceeds will be split between Your Trust Charity, run by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals and the Royal Papworth Hospital, in Cambridge. Michael, aged 60, said: “It was a fantastic night and we raised nearly £5,000.
“Nearly 250 people came to the event and the support was overwhelming. I couldn’t thank my family, friends, and the fundraising teams from both hospitals enough, who had made the event such a success.
“I am here today all because of the dedicated clinicians, my family, friends, and especially the organ donor. And as a family, we feel that we now have the responsibility to continue to raise awareness of how organ donation can make such a difference, especially to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME).
“We know that on average, patients from BAME communities in England will wait a year longer for a kidney transplant than a white patient, due to the lack of suitable organs. We hope that by having our community together at the event, we are able to spread the word about the impact of organ donation on individuals and their family and encourage more people to become organ donors.”
Consultant respiratory physician Dr Arvind Rajasekaran from City Hospital, who cared for Michael, said: “It was my honour to be at the event that Michael and his wife, Patricia, organised.
“When Michael first came to us, he was very ill, he couldn’t walk very far and he relied on breathing machines most of the time. At that point, I decided that the only way that could save Michael was for him to have a double lung transplant. He was then referred to the Royal Papworth Hospital, where the team was able to find him a match. It’s such a privilege to see Michael walk about freely and enjoy his life.
“What he and his family are doing now, which is raising awareness of organ donation, is absolutely fantastic. They are making a real difference to the community and I hope more people will become donors after learning about Michael’s story.”
Amanda Winwood, Fundraising Manager at Your Trust Charity, said: “We are grateful to Michael and his family for organising the fundraising event to support our charity. All the proceeds will be divided between the two trusts’ charities and the money we receive will go towards the Respiratory team.
“We are also grateful to many organisations and community leaders who came along to show their support. We met with the Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Joy Edis and her deputy, Councillor Carol Goult at the event and they both expressed a keen interest in working with us in the future to promote organ donation.”
If you would like to sign up to become an organ donor, please visit https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk//register-to-donate/
To support Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s Your Trust Charity, please visit: https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/charity/ways-to-donate/
Michael’s thank-you dinner raises £5k through donor campaign
Featured in the Birmingham Mail
Monday 23 July.
A BRAVE Black Country great-grandfather who underwent a life-saving double lung transplant has raised thousands of pounds for the two hospitals where he was treated.
Michael Willis and his family hosted a formal fundraising dinner event on Saturday June 23 in Birmingham to celebrate his miracle survival from sarcoidosis, a rare condition that nearly turned his lungs into ‘stone’.
The proceeds will be split between Your Trust Charity, run by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals and the Royal Papworth Hospital, in Cambridge. Michael, aged 60, said: “It was a fantastic night and we raised nearly £5,000.
“Nearly 250 people came to the event and the support was overwhelming. I couldn’t thank my family, friends, and the fundraising teams from both hospitals enough, who had made the event such a success.
“I am here today all because of the dedicated clinicians, my family, friends, and especially the organ donor. And as a family, we feel that we now have the responsibility to continue to raise awareness of how organ donation can make such a difference, especially to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME).
“We know that on average, patients from BAME communities in England will wait a year longer for a kidney transplant than a white patient, due to the lack of suitable organs. We hope that by having our community together at the event, we are able to spread the word about the impact of organ donation on individuals and their family and encourage more people to become organ donors.”
Consultant respiratory physician Dr Arvind Rajasekaran from City Hospital, who cared for Michael, said: “It was my honour to be at the event that Michael and his wife, Patricia, organised.
“When Michael first came to us, he was very ill, he couldn’t walk very far and he relied on breathing machines most of the time. At that point, I decided that the only way that could save Michael was for him to have a double lung transplant. He was then referred to the Royal Papworth Hospital, where the team was able to find him a match. It’s such a privilege to see Michael walk about freely and enjoy his life.
“What he and his family are doing now, which is raising awareness of organ donation, is absolutely fantastic. They are making a real difference to the community and I hope more people will become donors after learning about Michael’s story.”
Amanda Winwood, Fundraising Manager at Your Trust Charity, said: “We are grateful to Michael and his family for organising the fundraising event to support our charity. All the proceeds will be divided between the two trusts’ charities and the money we receive will go towards the Respiratory team.
“We are also grateful to many organisations and community leaders who came along to show their support. We met with the Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Joy Edis and her deputy, Councillor Carol Goult at the event and they both expressed a keen interest in working with us in the future to promote organ donation.”
If you would like to sign up to become an organ donor, please visit https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk//register-to-donate/
To support Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s Your Trust Charity, please visit: https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/charity/ways-to-donate/
Colposcopy and gynaecology clinics move delayed until further notice
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the colposcopy and gynaecology clinics at Sandwell Hospital (which were initially moving to outpatients, first floor, OPD, 6A on 3 September) will still be operating from Alpha suite (formerly Women’s Health) at Sandwell Hopsital until further notice.
The clinics are awaiting a new move date to the main outpatients.
For more information about the move, please contact ext. 2930.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Have you or someone close been seriously affected by flu?
Our occupational health and wellbeing service are seeking volunteers who have or know someone who has been seriously affected by flu and would be happy to share their story.
They’re looking for volunteers to take part in a short film to talk about the effects the flu virus can have on ourselves, our loved ones, patients and colleagues all to help support the flu campaign.
If you’re an advocate of the flu vaccine and would like to take part, please contact tracylees@nhs.net.
Heartbeat: Special thanksgiving service to celebrate the NHS’s 70th birthday
L-R Rev Mary Causer, Chairman Richard Samuda, Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Joy Edis, and Rev Anne Stevenson[/caption]
A special thanksgiving service was held in Sandwell Hospital’s chapel to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS.
The event featured a question and answer session with Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner as well as prayers from Rev Mary Causer and a message from the Prime Minister, Theresa May.
Colleagues Jenny Porter, a research and development nurse, who has worked for the organisation for more than 30 years and Rose Butler, a nurse in the x-ray department, both spoke about their own experiences of the NHS.
During the 40 minute service, guests at the event, who included colleagues, visitors and patients, listened to the story of dedicated nurse Mary Cox, who was recently featured as an NHS Hero in the Sandwell Chronicle. The article was read out by Hindu Chaplain. Rakesh Bhatt and Glynnis Fenner, Head of Trust Bank.
The event was praised by the Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor Joy Edis, who was guest of honour at the service. Councillor Edis worked at the hospital as a domestic and rose up the ranks to become a manager for the service before she retired in 2012. She said: “It was an honour to be at this thanksgiving service to celebrate 70 years of the NHS at Sandwell Hospital.
“The event was very emotional for me, as I think of how people have dedicated their lives to the NHS, making sure everyone receives the care that they need.
“I would like to say thank you to all NHS staff for the wonderful work that they are doing.”
Patient Andrea Kerr, who also came along to the event, added: “I think the service was beautiful and touching. It’s important that we recognise the NHS and the great work that it does for patients. I believe, by attending this thanksgiving service, I showed my appreciation to the NHS, especially to the multidisciplinary teams at Sandwell Hospital, who have been looking after me.
“I would also like to add that the chaplaincy has been very supportive towards me. Rev Mary Causer and Rev Ann Stevenson have always been there for me when I need them the most. No words can express my gratitude to both of them for all the support that they have given me.”
Reverend Mary Causer, who organised the event, added: “I am delighted to see the event was welcomed by our colleagues, visitors and patients.
“The NHS is 70 years old, what a triumph for those who were passionate about people getting a fair deal for us when it came to our health. It is important that we remember those men and women who have served us over the years, to pray and thank God for all that he has done.
“I believe we achieved all that we set out to do, working in collaboration with the communications team, the volunteer service, Jenny Porter and of course the cake makers. They all helped the event flow really well.”
Update: IT issues experienced today at City Hospital
Dear colleague,
We apologise for the latest IT problem which occurred today at City Hospital. The network connection performance issues, which meant that some clinical and non-clinical systems could either not be accessed or were running slowly, are now resolved. The informatics and Executive team are working with our network provider to ensure there is no reoccurrence.
Thank you for your patience and resilience with this matter.
Best wishes
Rachel Barlow, Chief Operating Officer
David Carruthers, Medical Director
Samsung Galaxy S5 & S7 Mobile users at City Hospital
Please can colleagues who have a Samsung Galaxy S5 or S7 mobile phone which is connected to the Trust wifi at City Hospital please get in touch with the IT helpdesk. An issue has been identified by the IT team with users of these phones which needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
If you were using these mobile phones on Sunday 5 August or Thursday 9 August at City Hospital please contact the IT Helpdesk on ext 4050 and quote reference NIC-223131-X5M1D.
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