Monthly archives: March 2020
Two day palliative care programme for non-malignant conditions: 8-9 July
We are hosting a two day palliative care programme for non-malignant conditions aimed at registered nurses to learn more about end of life care and take learning back to clinical areas. The two day programme will run on Wednesday 8 July – Thursday 9 July, 9am-4pm in the Postgraduate dining room at City Hospital.
Across the two days, the training will cover the below topics:
- Palliative care
- Learning disabilities
- Heart failure
- Neurology
- Liver disease
- Dementia and frailty
- Respiratory
- Spirituality
For more information please call 0121 507 3611 and ask to speak to Cath Morris.
To book yourself on to this course please email paulroberts6@nhs.net.
Free World Book Day 2020 event: 5 March
NHs colleagues are invited to celebrate World Book Day 2020 with My Friend Jen; the award winning children’s book series about sickle cell.
The day will mark the eagerly anticipated launch of the second book in the My Friend Jen series entitled: “The Check Up”.
This exciting and fun-filled afternoon will take place at the Hagley at Ibis Styles Hotel, 313 Hagley Road, Birmingham, B16 9LQ from 4pm – 7pm.
To find out more about the event please visit http://myfriendjen.co.uk/index.php/events-for-our-sickle-cell-books/ and register for your free tickets.
For more information about the author and host of this event click here.
Heartbeat: Kangaroo care – new-borns move in to brand new neonatal unit
After many months of hard work by the estates team, the neonatal unit at City Hospital sprung into life over Christmas as it welcomed its first newborns into the brand new refurbished unit.
After spending months in its temporary home in D16, the neonatal team were beaming with pride as they opened the doors to their unit and got to grips with their brand new facilities, all-purpose built and designed to care for some of the most poorly and vulnerable babies under our care.
To find out more about the new unit, Heartbeat caught up with Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Jenny Cadwallader-Hunt. She said: “The new unit is amazing, it has been a long time coming but the new facility is a welcome sight. Everything has been revamped from the floor to the ceiling.
“The best thing now is that we have a purpose-built high dependency unit for our most poorly babies. There is plenty of room between the six cots to care for the babies, as well for their parents to spend time with them without feeling cramped and claustrophobic. Importantly, the extra space between the cots now means that there is much less risk of transferring infections between the babies.”
Seven-week old twins, Harleen and Jasleen Kaur Sandhu along with their mom (Daljit Kaur) and dad (Gurpreet Sandhu) were the first patients to move to the unit.
Welcoming the new patients into the unit, Jenny explained the gargantuan task of transferring newborns and the innovative use of kangaroo care.
“Whilst you would think moving a tiny baby from one ward to another in a nice warm cot would be easy, you would be wrong. Moving a baby under the care of the neonatal team takes military precision, care and a keen eye for detail. We have to ensure that the baby stays warm and comfortable and this isn’t easy in the wind and rain in December.
“We can’t transfer them in the cots as we risk introducing infections into our new unit, instead, we use kangaroo care. Babies are carried by their parents, skin to skin as though they are in a kangaroo pouch. This keeps the temperature stable as well as building the bond between baby and parent.”
NHS 111 online to help with Coronavirus advice
NHS 111 has been rolled out into an online service, as well as the direct helpline and you can find it at https://111.nhs.uk/.
This move has been put in place in light of the present global situation regarding COVID-19, the coronavirus, which has seen demand for advice on the helpline dramatically increase over the last week. According to figures from NHS England more than 35,000 people used the site in a single day over the weekend to get help and advice.
“NHS staff are working round the clock to respond to the coronavirus outbreak,” Professor Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director told NHS England. “We know that 111 has come under pressure as people have understandably turned to the service for help, support and advice which is why we are ploughing in funding to increase staff available to field calls.”
Access to information about the coronavirus can be found on the NHS 111 website and also on gov.uk/coronavirus, where you can find the latest agreed advice from Public Health England.
Remember: You can help stop the spread of the disease with some very simple steps.
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, with a tissue or hand.
- Put used tissues in the bin immediately.
- Wash your hands afterwards and be fastidious about hand washing in general.
The Connect coronavirus page will continue to be updated with the latest news and guidance.
Latest edition of Heartbeat now online
The latest edition of Heartbeat is now available to view online.
This edition features the official naming of our new hospital, “Midland Metropolitan University
Hospital” as well as advice and guidance around coronavirus.
Fit testing – ordering codes for masks from NHSSC
The ordering method and codes for masks has been updated.
With this in mind, please familiarise yourselves with the below update:
- 3M FFP3 masks are to be ordered from NHSSC using code BTP121 Boxes of 20. Cost £47.46 per box (includes VAT)
- Alpha Solway FFP3 can be ordered from NHSSC using code BWG069 box of 100 cost £342 per box (includes VAT)
- Alpha 3030v FFP3 can be ordered from NHSSC using code BWG070 box of 100 cost £334.80 per box (includes VAT)
When to wear a mask
Protective masks may be needed in situations where infections are airborne e.g. multi-drug resistant tuberculosis or other high-risk infections transmitted via the respiratory route.
Have you been fit tested?
Face fit testing is a method of checking that a tight fitting face piece matches the wearer’s facial features and seals adequately to their face. It will also help to identify unsuitable face pieces that should not be used.
For more information about fit testing face masks please call ext. 5900.
Job of the week: Nurse associate apprentice role
Are you currently a Band 2 or Band 3 nursing assistant /clinical support worker looking for a challenge and an opportunity to develop and progress your career within healthcare? Do you have an energy for looking after patients? Do you have experience in caring for others?
The Nursing Associate role bridge’s the gap between a support worker and a Registered Nurse, providing an exciting and dynamic workforce for future healthcare.
The training is a minimum of 2 years and is a generic programme leading to a Foundation Degree Apprenticeship as a Nursing Associate. The University costs for the programme are fully funded. It is a training programme that combines both academic and work-based learning in the physical, psychological and public health aspects of care from pre-conception to end of life.
The programme is structured around a number of clinical placements which will include:
- Adult, Mental Health, Child and Learning Disability
- At home, close to home and within the hospital
Throughout the programme the Nurse Associate Apprenticewill be employed at a Band 3. This will rise to a Band 4 once NMC registration is achieved.. The academic aspect of the programme will be delivered by either Birmingham City University or University of Wolverhampton. Nurse Associate Apprentices will work clinically for 30 hours and attend University for 7.5 hours per week.
To apply for this role please click here.
For further information or an informal chat please contact zoetaylor1@nhs.net.
Note: The assessment/interview dates are provisionally planned for 16 or 17 March.
International year of the nurse and the midwife: Alison Byrne
This year marks International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, a campaign by the World Health Organisation in honour of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.
Nurses and midwives play a vital role in providing health services in our workplace. They devote their lives to caring for mothers and children; giving lifesaving immunisations and health advice; looking after older people and generally meeting everyday essential health needs. They are often the first and only point of care in their communities. Throughout the year we will be highlighting some of our nurses, HCAs and midwives who are making a difference to our patients.
Today we feature Alison Byrne, FGM specialist midwife.
She’s the caring midwife who victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) receive help from when they are in need of treatment. Alison Byrne has been dedicated to the specialist FGM service since it was conceived in 2002 to treat and care for pregnant women within the West Midlands.
The mum-of-two joined Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust two years ago to develop the service further within the area and played a lead role in the opening of a new FGM clinic for non-pregnant women which will be run by the organisation.
Alison has also been recognised for her hard work around FGM, winning a Royal College of Midwives award.
Do you know a nurse, HCA or midwife who is gong above and beyond to deliver quality care? Contact the communications team swb-tr.SWBH-GM-Staff-Communications@nhs.net
Immunosuppressed colleagues and Covid-19
As the situation currently stands, the current advice regarding colleagues who are working who are themselves immunosuppressed, is that there is no change to practice for these individuals. The risk inside the hospital dealing with the general public is currently no higher than being in a community setting.
If any colleagues, including those who are immunosuppressed are to work with known positive cases they must wear appropriate PPE but there is currently no requirement for restrictions to practice regarding exposure to general patients.
This is a changing situation and therefore, we advise that colleagues continue to monitor the Trust advice issued through staff communications and on the connect page.
If you have a specific concern or query please ring occcupational health on ext. 3306.
TeamTalk briefing
TeamTalk, took place on Wednesday 26 February. Attendees were briefed on national and regional updates.
The learning from excellence topic was a presentation from the security team about working with people with mental health conditions.
If you were not able to make one of the sessions you can download a copy of the briefing presentation and the latest TeamTalk video from Toby Lewis, Chief Executive.
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