Monthly archives: March 2020
Headspace
Headspace is a science-backed app in mindfulness and meditation, providing unique tools and resources to help reduce stress, build resilience, and aid better sleep. More information and sign-up details…
Unmind
Unmind is a mental health platform that empowers staff to proactively improve their mental wellbeing. More information and sign-up details…
Heartbeat: Poo emoji cupcakes highlight skin damage in critical care patients
During early December (2019), critical care colleagues across the multi-disciplinary team were surprised with the offer of poo emoji cupcakes and a cake of the Bristol stool chart..
The tongue ‘n cheek treats were all in aid of an initiative to raise awareness of the breakdown of skin among patients in critical care. “Critical care patients are at increased risk of developing diarrhoea and this can result in skin breakdown,” Practice Development Practitioner, Pegeen Fisher told Heartbeat.
Data from incident reports indicates that the skin damage seen in critical care is most often caused by moisture or medical devices. The team launched various initiatives with the aim to reduce risks in those two areas.
“We used this initiative to launch several measures to address this issue,” added Pegeen. For example, the acute faecal incontinence with diarrhoea (AFID) protocol which is a regimen that patients will follow – hence the use of the Bristol stool chart cake and poo emoji cupcakes!
“We also introduced a resource that identifies measures that can be undertaken to reduce medical device related skin damage. For example, when non-invasive ventilation masks are used – the aim would be to ensure that the appropriate size is used and that the patient’s skin is assessed on a regular basis.
“Colleagues are also being urged to use barrier film applicators on moist skin in skin folds and trachy sites. We have also worked closely with the procurement team to ensure we are using appropriate incontinence products.”
All of these measures have been developed in response to a review of our clinical incidents around skin damage and targeting areas where potentially, patient care can be improved.
Pegeen said: “Wider literature suggests that our data is consistent with other critical care units, but we are still keen to reduce incidences of preventable harm where we can. Critical care patients are naturally very high risk of skin breakdown due to the nature of their acute illness, reduced perfusion, immobility and increased chance that they will develop diarrhoea.
“As critical care nurses this means we need to be extra vigilant around our preventative measures and identification of early signs of skin damage. Ongoing training is being cascaded across the critical care nursing team to provide updates around these initiatives, which have been introduced to support colleagues to reduce risks in these areas.”
Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 6 March
This time next week, Friday 13th, we have our next Quality Improvement Half Day. That is also the launch pad day for our GEMS. You may remember we have been putting in place a portfolio of changes and ideas designed to help make sure we have a whole organisational approach to learning. We called that programme welearn and launched it in June 2019. The poster contest is probably its most well known manifestation, but in coming weeks we will see learning from excellence go large, and other developments around Grand Rounds and Schwartz Rounds. GEMS are examples of learning that are valuable enough to be promoted by each of our directorates and worth sharing Trust wide. They are all about local teams having processes in place to think through what knowledge from error and from excellence and getting that leaning shared. Look out for loads more details in the run up to next week!
Yesterday the Trust’s Board held our latest meeting. The papers are always on our website. This time the meeting was at one of the largest Hindu temple complexes locally. About half of our Board meetings are away from our sites and reflect work with our local community or particular advocacy or interest groups. The meeting of course discussed workforce and funding issues for the year ahead. But the main focus was in two areas; the fantastic work done in our Trust by and with our volunteers, and the work done in education, in this case medical education, as we get ready for the new Aston Medical School to sit alongside our historic links with the University of Birmingham. Heartbeat tells you more about the latter (you can read the online edition here https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/news/latest-edition-of-heartbeat-now-online-february-2020/.
Three years ago we adopted plans to radically change our approach to volunteering. We want to bring younger people into our team, work alongside the third sector, and hugely grow our numbers and reach. I know often management is an exercise in structured disappointment, but I am delighted to report conspicuous success. We have quadrupled volunteer numbers. Exceeded our targets. And now we are shooting for a thousand local people working alongside us as volunteers, giving big or small amounts of time, working generally or specifically. This is a fantastic situation to be in, and one I am publicising to get your ideas flowing. The change has come about for lots of reasons, but one of those has been specific departmental leaders who have embraced this work, not as a pair of hands, but as part of the team, and a pair of eyes that often offers a fresh perspective. So, after yesterday’s celebration, let’s grow this further.
Coronavirus is a dominant subject now as the issues and risks grow. Thank you again to those colleagues working with our PODs, and to everyone involved this week in getting our community transport option up and running. We have some really clear communications on Connect and I won’t try and summarise them blithely here. All of us need to take this as an opportunity to practice our hand washing technique and make sure we are challenging one another to get this right. I now chair a weekly planning group thinking through how we would manage various scenarios in the weeks ahead as the situation escalates. It is really important we focus our efforts on symptoms not countries and take care with older and more vulnerable patients, where the risks involved are clearly larger. No one underestimated the difficulties to be faced and communicating the plans nationally or locally is not intended to overlook the challenges. At the same time, if we are to help to distinguish fact from fiction, we need to be clear that we are best placed to find a way to manage the emerging risks, and we will be doing that.
Gradually, we are making clearer I hope the scope and scale of Midland Met (get your headset on!?). As I have written here many times we want the hospital to help us provide great and safe care. We want her to be a symbol and a reason for change in our local community. But we also want her to be a civilised and calm place to work. Good design can help us with that. And so can ensuring that we have the right shops and facilities, and that we work to get music, art and other stimuli into the building and into how we work. I was pleased this week to have a chance to meet Amy Martin, our arts curator, who joins us on the Trust-wide arts committee. Part of the work being done through Amy and the team is to make sure by the time we open we have thriving relationships in place to make the University Hospital culturally vibrant, that means reflective of local talent and aspiration, but also a focus of inspiration to us in the work we do, and to our carers and visitors at very difficult times. The countdown is on for the new hospital so now is the time to make sure your ideas come to the fore. The arts committee will also help steer and decide on any naming conventions in the new hospital, so that we do try and find a way to reflect our history, but also so that we create a clinical building that makes sense to people using it for the first time.
Finally, but probably most importantly, yesterday I was at City to hand over this week’s Star of the Week Award. It was great to meet Kulbinder Sidhu, whose nominations had come from a trainee doctor, and many nursing colleagues. Going the extra mile is part of our promises, and a feature of PDRs and so on. However, what came across from the nominations was how normal and routine Kully has made her exceptional work as a healthcare assistant. She helped others to be ready last year when we created the new Respiratory Hub. She helped a family involved in a recent EMRT situation. Thank you Kully for your work. It was a pleasure to recognise the esteem you are held in by those you work alongside every day – apparently you are “constantly in motion”!
Heartbeat: Sandwell surgery team hit top three in the Midlands for care
Improvements to the quality of care of patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery at Sandwell Hospital has led to the department being consistently ranked in the top three within the West Midlands.
The team has been regularly inputting data into the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA), which compares figures from all hospitals providing emergency laparotomy in England – a procedure to investigate and treat abdominal emergencies such as perforation, obstruction or strangulated hernia.
As a result of the data being analysed, our team can then facilitate new initiatives, improving patient care and outcomes. The increase of recording the information also means the team is on course to receive a Best Practice Tariff (BPT) payment of £100,000.
Christopher Thompson, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Lead for Emergency General Surgery said: “The team is trying to improve how we are looking after emergency care patients because they are amongst the sickest people in our hospital.
By improving our data input and accuracy in recording findings we can re-focus our attention onto the care of these very sick patients.”
“The NELA proforma reminds us of what we should be doing and prompts the best care. Also, the BPT incentivised the care of patients with a predicted risk of death of between five to 10 per cent on the critical care unit (to bring emergency care into line with elective care) on the critical care unit. The critical care team are happy to accommodate these patients following a discussion of the best evidence and royal college recommendations.
“The BPT money is ring-fenced for the care of laparotomy patients. The target of the money isn’t decided but could potentially be used on the ward, in theatre or in critical care.”
TB management and control reviewed policy
Following a recent incident with regards to Tuberculosis (TB) acquisition we have reviewed and updated the TB policy.
Please also see isolation policy of management of patients with known or suspected infections in theatres by clicking here.
Curry quiz night to raise funds for cancer wellbeing and Your Trust Charity: 13 March
Join the cancer wellbeing service for a curry quiz night on Friday 13 March at Hallam Street Methodist Community Centre (Corner of Lewisham Street opposite Sandwell Hospital) from 5.30pm to raise funds for cancer wellbeing and Your Trust Charity.
The quiz will start at 6.15pm with tickets costing just £6.50 each (price includes entry and curry) and prizes will be available for the winning team. Ideally you need to form a team of 5-8 maximum or you can join you to a team on the evening.
Note: This a ticket only event so if you are interested please call 0121 507 2776 or email swbh.cancer-wellbeing@nhs.net for tickets and dietary requirements.
International Women’s Day 2020: 8 March
Sunday 8 March marks International Women’s Day 2020 which is especially important for our Trust as 78 per cent of our colleagues are female.
International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender balance.
This year’s theme is #EachforEqual which encourages challenge towards stereotypes, fighting bias, broadening perceptions, improving situations as well as celebrating women’s achievements.
Be sure to check out the short video featuring Dr Sarah Faloon, core medical trainee and Dr Sarb Clare, consultant physician in acute medicine talking about the importance of International Women’s Day and the recent Women’s Clinicians Network Conference they were part of.
https://youtu.be/nThNgiJ8AWU
To find out more about the Women’s Clinicians Network Conference please click here and go to page 9 of Heartbeat magazine to read the full article.
The next conference is due to take place on 8 July at City Hospital and is entitled ‘Survival Of The Fittest – Menopause Like Madonna’. For more information please contact sclare@nhs.net.
Star of the Week – Kulbinder Sidhu, HCA
Congratulations are in order for a HCA who has been praised far and wide for the amazing care and support she has been providing patients and colleagues.
Kulbinder Sidhu, Healthcare Assistant on the Respiratory Hub at City Hospital was nominated for the Star of the Week award by not just one colleague but by five in total, all of whom felt that her personable attitude, hard work and determination to do the best for her patients and colleagues made her a worthy nominee for the weekly award.
Nominating Kulbinder for the award, Sister Alice Sibanda wrote, “Kully has been a god send since the move from Sandwell to the new Respiratory Hub! She has kept the ward tidy, managed stock, worked really hard and managed all the new HCAs we have had, helping to orientate them to the ward. She has worked tirelessly including coming in on bank to make sure the ward is running smoothly. We cant thank her enough for her hard work and dedication to the ward.”
Sharing her experience of working with Kulbinder, Staff Nurse Alice Winter wrote, “I have recently started on the Respiratory Hub at City Hospital and Kulbinder has been invaluable. She has been there to show me where everything is, made me feel welcome and supported me in delivering patient care. She has made my first few weeks as a newly qualified much easier and she should know how appreciated she is!”
Well done Kulbinder!
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Stepping into spring – employee benefits and wellbeing day
The Trust will be hosting an employee benefits and wellbeing day on Wednesday 22 April in the memorial gardens at City Hospital from 11am–3pm.
The wellbeing day will introduce colleagues to a variety of health and wellbeing programmes and staff benefits available to them.
For more information please see Stepping into spring flyer 2020.
If you require any further information regarding staff benefits please contact amir.ali1@nhs.net.
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