Skip to content Skip to main menu Skip to utility menu

Monthly archives: September 2019

Speak Up Day: Manager drop in sessions

 

Manager drop in sessions

Managers across our sites are being encouraged to set aside some time to make themselves available for anyone in their team to come and talk to them if they have a concern. Speak to your manager to find out more about your local arrangements.

Our senior managers will also be holding drop in sessions; do drop by and Speak Up.

Sandwell

  • Amanda Geary, Group Director of Operations – Women’s & Child Health: 8am – 9am, W&CH offices, Ground floor, Trinity House
  • Sandra Kennelly and Rosie Auld, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians: 8.30am, Education Centre
  • Freedom to Speak Up Guardians Drop-in Session, 9.30am – 11.30am, Room 10, Education Centre
  • Dinah McLannahan, Acting Director of Finance – 9am-10am, 11am-11.30am, 12.30pm-1pm, Room 9, Trinity House
  • Ruth Wilkin, Director of Communications –  2pm – 3pm, 1st Floor Trust Headquarters
  • Marie Perry, Non-Executive Speak Up Lead, 11am – 12noon, Director of Communications Office, 1st floor, Trust HQ

Rowley

  • Nicky Taylor, Group Director of Nursing – Primary Care, Community & Therapies – 2pm – 3.30pm, Seminar Room

City

  • Alan Kenny, Director of Estates, Old Management Block 11am-12noon and 1pm – 2pm

How Unity will make a difference to you – cardiology

 

Unity will help us with the care of our patients. In this video, Stephanie Coates, matron for acute cardiac services, explains how Unity will make a difference in her area.

For more information about Unity, and what to expect during go-live, please visit Connect or email swbh.unity.queries@nhs.net.

 

 

 

Familiarise yourself with Unity SOPs

 

As we approach go-live of Unity colleagues are encouraged to make themselves aware of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for your service or job role. The SOPs explain how to perform certain elements of care when we go live with Unity. You can view these on Connect grouped by job role or service. Managers are encouraged to use handover and team meetings to make sure colleagues are familiar with the SOPs.

If you have concerns about Unity, please speak up to your group director, group director of nursing or group director of operations.

Enjoy complimentary tickets to the REP this autumn

 

The Birmingham REP are kindly offering Trust employees complimentary tickets for The Lovely Bones and Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of).

To book the complimentary tickets, simply visit https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/ and when booking the tickets quote “HELLOAUTUMN.” Alternatively, you can call the ticket box office on 0121 236 4455.

Note: The offer is only valid on bookings on the following dates:

  • 10 and 14 September – The Lovely Bones
  • 15 and 16 October – Pride and Prejudice

For more information regarding staff benefits, please contact amir.ali1@nhs.net.

Drug safety notice: Digoxin shortage

 

There is currently a UK supply issue with the licensed preparation of digoxin 250micrograms/1ml injection (2ml aps).

There is a supply issue with licensed digoxin 250micrograms/ml injection, with stock not expected until December. As an interim, the pharmacy team are sourcing an unlicensed preparation that is due in stock week commencing 30 September.

See Digoxin memo for details on managing the drug supply shortage in the interim.

For more information please contact the pharmacy department on ext. 5259.

Heartbeat: Family’s generous donation in memorial to colleague Julie Harris

 

On the hottest day of the year the sun was burning bright in the sky over Rowley Regis Hospital, inside however staff and relatives were celebrating a different ray of light in their lives – that of former colleague Julie Harris who passed away last year while under the care of the Palliative Care team at the age of 54.

Julie, who worked in domestic services, was a part of our organisation for 23 years and only left in June of 2018 due to her illness before passing away in August.

Since that time, the family has rallied together and hosted a charity night to raise money in support of the palliative care team, and as part of the lunch celebrating Julie they presented the team with a cheque for £3,900.

“She was a beautiful woman, and will be sorely missed,” Julie’s husband Malcolm Harris told the gathering in Rowley Regis Hospital’s Heart of Sandwell Day Hospice. “Julie would have appreciated this today. Because the team put so much into caring for Julie, we just wanted to give something back. It shortly would have been her 55th birthday and we’re trying to remember her as she would want to be remembered.”

Funds were raised with a charity night, spearheaded by Malcolm, Julie’s two daughters and Malcolm’s future son-in-law who was a part of the band that performed. Sales from the tickets went towards the fund and Malcolm told Heartbeat that the family hopes to repeat the show next year, again for the benefit of the connected palliative care service. “The care that Julie received from the palliative care team was marvellous. We felt it was right to give something back.” The funds that have been raised by the Harris family will go towards improvement works at the Day Hospice, which will include the addition of an extra therapy room and a counselling room as well as updates to facilities like the kitchen and garden areas. All of which will benefit other patients on the road Julie travelled in the years ahead.

Sue Law, Palliative Team Leader spoke to Heartbeat on the team’s amazement at the achievement.

“We really want to thank Malcolm and his family today for the fundraising they have done. At one of the most difficult times of their lives they have spent their time fundraising for us, and we are very, very grateful for that. I can’t tell you how overwhelmed we are as a team that people like Malcolm and his family would do that for us.”

Send us your Unity stories

 

The communications team will be out and about during Unity go-live, collecting pictures and videos from different departments, but if you think there’s something that we’ve missed then please get in touch. Whether it’s an example of good team work, supportive colleagues, or anything else of interest, just let us know.

Email swbh.comms@nhs.net with any stories you think we should cover and be sure to include as much information as possible.

 

Unity go-live fortnight – daily competition

 

The Unity go-live fortnight will be a demanding time for everyone in the Trust and it will be important to work together. If you notice anyone going the extra mile to help their colleagues with Unity please take the time to submit a shout-out via Connect.

Each day during the two weeks of go-live there will be a prize of £20 worth of Love to Shop vouchers on offer for the best shout out. The prize will be split equally between the person who submitted the shout-out and the person who received it.

 

 

Join our acute elderly care team – recruitment day: 12 September

 

Are you a nurse thinking of a new challenge? Are you about to qualify and can’t decide what area you want to work in? The acute elderly care wards may just be the place for you.

We are holding a recruitment day on Thursday 12 September at the Postgraduate Centre, City Hospital, 10am – 2.30pm.

We are looking for band 5 staff nurses who are hardworking, motivated and committed to the delivery of high quality care to our patients.

This is an exciting time in elderly care as our team are at the start of putting a focus on frailty, introducing competencies for our staff nurses with the Clinical Frailty Scale in mind and incorporating new training to challenge and enhance their skill sets. Frailty is a part of the NHS Long Term Plan and a subject that will become ever more important within our ageing population.

If you’re interested, pop in to see and speak with the team on the day, visit our wards and have an interview to potentially secure a position with the team.

You can find out more information about our staff nurse positions within elderly care by clicking here.

Alternatively call the following members of the team for more information:

  • Karen Birring, D11 – 01215074011
  • Vikki Howard, Lyndon 5 – 01215072833
  • Sam Walden, Lyndon 4 – 01215072781

Trial for new collection of journals

 

The SWB library and knowledge services has a trial for a new collection of journals focusing on nursing and midwifery.

Journals include both British Journal of Nursing and British Journal of Midwifery but also titles such as British Journal of Healthcare Management and British Journal of Hospital Medicine.

To see the full list available go to http://bit.ly/magtrial2019. Access to the journals is with an SWB OpenAthens account. To register visit https://openathens.nice.org.uk/or contact the Library at swbh.library@nhs.net.

Note: The trial will be running until 30 September.

← Older items Newer items →