Monthly archives: May 2019
Speak up Day today
Today marks our 4th Speak Up Day. Speak up Day is an opportunity for you to find out about the different ways to speak up and meet our Freedom to Speak up Guardians and other leaders, who will be out and about today talking to people about the importance of speaking up.
Our Trust has a strong track record in encouraging people to speak up and there are a range of ways that you can do this including talking to your manager, contacting a Trade Union rep, raising an incident, writing to our Heartbeat letters page, talking to a Trust specialist such as Counter-Fraud, ringing Safecall (our confidential whistleblowing line), or getting help from a Freedom to Speak up Guardian.
We would appreciate it if you could spare us a couple of minutes to complete our Speak up survey as will enable us to better create a speak up culture together.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TZ5C7Q5
All of our Speak up Guardians have received specialised training and are well placed to listen to issues and guide concerned colleagues on the best way to resolve those problems. This gives colleagues the avenue to be able to turn to Guardians if they want to talk about any issues they feel need addressing.
Find out how you can Speak up and who our Freedom to Speak up Guardians are in the attached poster Speak up guardians
Be sure to check out this short clip featuring Harpal Tiwana, Speak up Guardian talking about her role.
Heartbeat: Cardboard waste recycling – your support is required
Colleagues across the Trust are being encouraged to break down cardboard waste that is generated from deliveries before it goes off site to be recycled.
Heartbeat caught up with Dawn Hall, Waste and Decommissioning Manager who explained more. She said: “The recycling of the cardboard is not an issue in itself. 95 per cent of the Trust’s overall domestic waste, including cardboard, is recycled. The main issue is how we manage the collection, storage and disposal of cardboard.
“Inappropriate disposal of cardboard and the failure to flat-pack it properly, creates a number of issues. It presents a serious fire risk, as well as being unsightly.
Cardboard is also often being left in roll-cages rather than broken down, flattened and put into the green bins provided. Leaving boxes on top of bins creates problems for the safe disposal of other waste streams and impacts on waste collections.”
Cardboard packaging within the Trust has quadrupled over the past five years and it has become a constant struggle to maintain a relatively cardboard-free environment. Therefore, it’s important to recycle cardboard as efficiently as possible.
Cardboard is incredibly light and strong, but unless flat-packed it remains full of air. This makes it costly to dispose of. Even when flat-packed, an average 1110 litre bin holds just 40kg’s of cardboard.
A simple tool can be provided to help cut through any tape, enabling boxes to be flattened with minimal effort. To request one, please contact supplies on ext.4938.
For further information or assistance, please contact Dawn Hall, Waste and Decommissioning Manager at dawn.hall@nhs.net.
Heartbeat: Promoting patient independence in elderly care
Occupational Therapist, Francesca D’Souza and Physiotherapist, Hannah Jenns, along with other members of their team, are leading a patient enablement project that is helping elderly patients regain their mobility and independence as quickly as possible.
They started the enablement project to educate and empower nursing staff with new moving and handling skills. Hannah says: “The training for nurses and healthcare assistants is both theoretical and practical, to enhance their confidence when using specific pieces of equipment including patient turners and a sara stedy, in addition to adjusting crutches and walking aids to the correct height.
“At the end of their training, they are presented with a certificate for their CPD folders. Nurses and healthcare assistants have engaged really well with our training and although their roles are so busy, they recognise that investing time in getting elderly patients mobile as early as possible means that patients can do more for themselves, which is helpful all-round.”
There are many advantages for elderly patients. Francesca explains: “Helping patients become independent and maintain their daily routines is important for their recovery. Their length of stay in hospital is reduced and by getting them moving at an early stage, rehabilitation is not always needed.”
Here are some interesting statistics that demonstrate the issues Francesca and Hannah are aiming to tackle through the patient enablement project:
- We lose 17 per cent of our muscle mass if in bed for 72 hours
- The effects of bed rest can take over 60 days to recover from
- 13 per cent of people on bed rest for more than 24 hours suffer from deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- If someone is in bed for 13 days, they are 3 times more likely to get a chest infection
- The gut movement is 66 per cent slower when lying down
- Pressure sores can start to develop within 2 hours
Auditing is ongoing and patients are encouraged to mobilise as long as it’s safe to do so on the first day of admission to the ward.
Francesca continues: “Traditionally if nurses are unsure, they will wait for therapists to assess the patient. If this falls on a Friday evening, the patient may not be reviewed until Monday morning which could have a detrimental impact on their length of stay in hospital. The training is helping to eliminate such issues.
“We’ve developed some fantastic relationships across multi-disciplinary teams as a result of the project and ward managers have been very supportive. We are always willing to help nursing staff with joint sessions if they require help with specific patients too.”
Stepping into spring prize draw winners
Please see list of winners stepping into spring prize draw.
Stepping into spring prize draw winners
If you are yet to claim your prize, please contact jatinder.sekhon@nhs.net.
Unity 28-Day Challenge – Day 3, Wonderful Wednesday
What did you learn from the Play System practice yesterday?
According to your ‘Unity – it’s all about U’ checklist, what do you still need to learn?
Talk to your colleagues, call the helpline on 2670 or check out the e-Coach for advice.
You can also click here to find out more about the 28-Day Challenge.
Hands on for Hand Hygiene
Infection control nurses are once again getting hands on with hand hygiene today reinforcing the message that clean hands save lives.
Hand Hygiene day promotes the importance of good hand hygiene in health care and in particular in stopping the incidence and spread of healthcare associated infections. And among the most important ways in which everyone can help do this is ensuring good hand hygiene.
This year the Infection Control Team are leading the way with an innovative SureWash training system which aims to train colleagues in proper hand wash technique through an augmented reality app.
Join the Infection Control Team at D11, D17, D19, D21, D25, and D26 to find out more about hand hygiene or to see the Surewash system in action.
Colleagues are advised to follow the 5 moments of hand washing:
- Before touching a patient
- Before clean/aseptic procedures
- After body fluid exposure/risk
- After touching a patient
- After touching patient surroundings
For more information on infection prevention and control, contact the team on ext. 5900.
Unity Favourite Fairs at all three sites: 1 May
It’s been a busy couple of days as many colleagues have already set up their favourites to make Unity much easier to use when it goes live. If you haven’t as yet then make sure you come along to one of the remaining sessions.
Tuesday’s session at Rowley Regis was a particular success, so two extra dates have been added – 1 May) and 10 May – both in training room 4. That means Favourite Fairs will be running across all three sites today.
Also, to help support colleagues who work night shifts, both sessions next Tuesday, at Sandwell and Rowley Regis, will be running from 7.30am-8pm.
Favourite Fairs are for everyone who will use Unity as part of their role. It will only take 20-40 minutes to set up your favourites – the elements of Unity you will use most. Don’t worry if you’re not sure about what to do as the Unity team will be there to lend a hand if you get stuck.
Please ensure you watch this video from David Carruthers, Medical Director, to explain how Favourite Fairs will help you get ready for Unity.
For more information on Favourite Fairs, including a full list of dates and what you can do in advance to prepare, please visit Connect or contact SWBH.informaticsnurses@nhs.net.
2020 London Marathon ballot: run for Your Trust Charity
The ballot for the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon is now open and will close at 5pm on Friday 3 May.
If you wish to take part in the marathon, why not raise funds for Your Trust Charity in the process. If successful, the charity can pay for your place should you choose to raise money for Your Trust Charity.
To enter the ballot, please follow the link below.
https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/how-to-enter/ballot-entry/
Heartbeat: Gynaecology suite improves environment for patients and colleagues
Open since February, the new gynaecology unit at Sandwell Hospital is seeing more patients and providing a more enhanced service than ever before.
The unit moved from Trinity House to a purposely renovated area within the out patients department. The purpose of the move was to enable colleagues to offer more sessions for patients including colposcopy, gynaecological surgical procedures suite, hysteroscopy, cystoscopy and general gynaecology.
Heartbeat caught up with Tiffany Jones, Colposcopy Lead Nurse who told us more about the move.
She said: “Moving into the new unit has been great for patients and colleagues. It is much brighter and a more welcoming environment. It also helps that we are now situated in the main out patients department of the hospital, making is easier for patients and visitors to find us.
“A real bonus for patients is that we are now able to offer a gynaecological surgical procedures suite through our two new minor surgical theatres. This means women do not have to have their procedures in a traditional theatre setting under general anaesthetic. Instead we can perform the procedures within the unit as minor operations using local anaesthetic.”
As the service grows there are plans to recruit more staff. The team works as a single service with colleagues at the gynaecology suite at the Birmingham Treatment Centre. “We are one team and frequently work cross site,” said Tiffany. “In the coming months our two suites look forward to working on a campaign to encourage colleagues and members of the public to attend their smear tests. We will share more once the plans have been finalised.”
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