Monthly archives: May 2020

Heartbeat: PET Scanner rolls in to City Hospital

No, it’s not a scanner for your dog, it’s the latest addition to the Imaging teams growing arsenal of cutting edge technology, the combined Positron Emission and Computerised Tomography Scanner.

Earlier this month the long awaited PET/CT scanner rolled in to view and parked itself outside the imaging department at City Hospital, the unassuming lorry hiding within it a scanner that is set to transform the offering of the imaging department.

Positron Emission Tomography Scanners are unique and innovative scanners that use a small amount of radioactive tracer material to diagnose, evaluate and treat a variety of diseases including cancer, heart disease and neurological amongst others.

To find out more about the new scanner, Heartbeat spoke to Bill Thomson, he said “What’s great about PET scanners is that they give us an insight in to changes within the body at a cellular level and so it’s one of the most useful diagnostic or treatment information available. This is a very important milestone for the nuclear medicine service our patients can receive.

Although operated by Alliance medical , our Imaging medical staff will authorise the PET/CT referrals. Also, there is potential for PET/CT reporting of the scans , and Alliance is going to install a dedicated PET/CT reporting station in nuclear medicine.

This will be an important aspect for future recruitment of Consultant staff, as well as allowing training in this modality for current trainees. “

To find out more about the PET/CT scanner, contact Consultant Physicist and Head of Physics and Nuclear Medicine Bill Thomson on email: Bill.thomson@nhs.net

Thrive by using our new mental wellbeing app

The mental health and wellbeing of colleagues is important and we want to ensure that everyone is able to get help when they need it.

As a result colleagues have exclusive access to the Thrive: Mental Wellbeing app, which is there for the prevention, screening and management of anxiety, depression and stress.

The app tackles common stressors such as sleep, bereavements, work issues and more. It also signposts to external support services – with users able to seek immediate help directly from the app.

To find out more about how Thrive can help you, and how to access it, click here.

You can also access the full range of health and wellbeing support on Connect.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 20 May

This is our seven days a week bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. Kindness remains the guiding principle of all the actions in our work to tackle the virus – kindness in how we look after patients, visitors, and one another.

 Mental wellbeing has been a consistent feature of the work we are doing to manage wisely during the pandemic and after it. This bulletin includes another part of our offer. Please consider taking it up. None of us have faced this situation before. It is unpredictable how we will feel, react and make sense of what is happening. This is another tool you can use to support yourself. It is anonymous and will be with us beyond COVID-19. The process for rolling out stress risk assessments is being finalised as well – but the Thrive App is a tool to help with your wellbeing. Even if you rarely use it you have not lost anything if you download it now…

Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)

1. Research “proud” on International Clinical Trials Day

Today is International Clinical Trials Day – and research has proved itself to be more important than ever during the COVID-19  pandemic.

The recruitment figures that are published each day show our work with the clinical teams in approaching patients to studies where patient consent is required. This is just the tip of the iceberg, we are currently reporting data on all of our patients who were/have been admitted and had a positive diagnosis of COVID-19.

Our portfolio of COVID-19 research continues to expand and we will be opening a study for ambulatory patients who attend the emergency department shortly. To find out which studies are open please visit the R&D Connect page.

The NIHR has a short FutureLearn course which explains why research is important and how we go about doing it. You can register here for the course.

In previous years on International Clinical Trials Day you would have seen the research team in the foyer, out and about, discussing the importance of research with patients and colleagues. This year has been a much quieter affair and our only displays have been on social media. Please help to spread the message by using #BePartofResearch, @NIHRresearch, @NIHRtakepart and @SWBH_RandD.

You can contact Gina Dutton or Dr Derek Connolly if you want to get involved in research.

2. Important information about travelling on public transport

There is now guidance from Transport for West Midlands (TFWM) on how to travel safely to and from work when using public transport. It is advised that you only use buses, trains and trams if you have no other alternative. Walk, cycle or drive if you can.

Services are operating across the region, but those using the facilities are urged to stay apart from other passengers, wear a face covering, and leave a sensible gap between you and the person in front.

Where possible, use contactless payments, and limit the surfaces you touch on board. For more guidance on social distancing when using public transport, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43sw-WSfpGg. TFWM has also enhanced cleaning regimes on all vehicles. For more information visit wmnetwork.co.uk

3.Thrive by using our new mental wellbeing app

The mental health and wellbeing of colleagues is important and we want to ensure that everyone is able to get help when they need it.

As a result colleagues have exclusive access to the Thrive: Mental Wellbeing  app, which is there for the prevention, screening and management of anxiety, depression and stress.

The app tackles common stressors such as sleep, bereavements, work issues and more. It also signposts to external support services – with users able to seek immediate help directly from the app.

To find out more about how Thrive can help you, and how to access it, click here.

You can also access the full range of health and wellbeing support on Connect.

4. It is important that all of us take annual leave

There is no annual leave ban in place at the Trust so everyone’s encouraged to take a break. Please have a think about your leave plans for July, August and September and try and confirm them with your line manager.

We want to put in place security of service supply so that patients who have been waiting for some time are able to be booked in for care. Numbers may not be huge but it is important any bookings we make are honoured. In July we will publish guidance on spreading leave over the period to March 2022. So we are encouraging everyone to make plans now for the summer. That helps your wellbeing and ensures we do right by our patients.

5. Patient swabbing pathway

Every admitted patient must be swabbed.

Over 790 of our patients who were COVID+ have now been discharged in to the community to recover and recuperate in the surroundings of their own home.

To ensure that we are able to safely admit patients and have a plan on their route through our hospitals and services we have devised the attached Patient Swabbing Pathway to illustrate the points at which patients will be swabbed and how they will be supported through our services. Patient Swabbing Pathway

Free access to bikes for colleagues

Sandwell Council is offering Trust colleagues free access to their bike fleet. The council’s public health team are working in partnership with Cycling UK to enable colleagues to have the opportunity to cycle to and from work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme is open to anyone who still needs to commute or travel for work on a regular basis during the lockdown.

To register your interest please email staffbike_pool@sandwell.gov.uk or call 07976 556676. For more details go to www.sandwellbikehire.com.

International Clinical Trials Day

Today (Wednesday 20 May) marks International Clinical Trials Day. In previous years you would have seen the research team in the foyer, out and about, discussing the importance of research with patients and colleagues. This year it will be a much quieter affair and our only displays will be on social media. Please help to spread the message by using #BePartofResearch, @NIHRresearch, @NIHRtakepart and @SWBH_RandD.

Research has proved itself to be more important than ever during this COVID pandemic. We are proud to be contributing to COVID research.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Tuesday 19 May

This is our seven days a week bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. Kindness remains the guiding principle of all the actions in our work to tackle the virus – kindness in how we look after patients, visitors, and one another.

We are talking through and have almost finished the plans for ‘red beds’ for the rest of the summer.  In other words, how we look after patients with COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 whilst re-starting most other services from July.  We need to balance infection control with practicality around staffing and community acceptability.  You will hear more about this as we go through the week.  But whatever system we adopt we will see higher rates of cross infection if gloves are not changed (and other PPE is not switched) between patients. There is no system we can design that can withstand those kind of ‘COVID-19 never events’, behaviours which spread infection.  Make sure where you work that it is really clear that that is not what we do round here….

Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)

1. Birmingham’s Treatment Centre picks up pace

The Birmingham Treatment Centre has this week picked up pace, both in the number of patients who are attending our facilities and the number of services we have operating.

Whilst much of our outpatient care has moved to online virtual clinics through Visionable, there are occasions when patients need to come to a site, from a simple blood test to a more involved procedure. As a Trust, we have been working hard to ensure that we have facilities available that are clean and safe for patients to access.

The BTC now hosts a growing list of clinics including Neurophysiology, Medical Infusion, SCAT, X-Ray Imaging and Cardiology.

Patient Helen Hale visited the BTC earlier this week and was amongst the first patients to experience the new entrance and exit cleanliness procedure. Having her face mask fitted, she said, “I’ve come in today for bloods and it’s great to see there is lots of care and attention being placed on keeping people safe.”

2. Staying alert and keeping on top of handwashing and social distancing

Stay alert is the government’s strapline for May and June. For us that means getting our basics right.

Handwashing and social distancing are essential parts of our work to make sure COVID-19 is not spread inside our organisation, between us, or from us to our patients. We know that cross infection is a real risk, so all of us need to be part of role modelling and challenging behaviours or practices that do not support our work on public health.

Please play your part and help others to do the same. It’s ok to ask someone whether they have washed their hands, it’s ok to say don’t stand so close to me.

3. Looking after your mental health – Don’t suffer in silence

This week is Mental Health Awareness week and the national theme fits in perfectly with our guiding principle of managing COVID-19 – that being kindness.

As a Trust, we want to support all colleagues with your mental health and wellbeing. If you do want to talk or need help please don’t suffer in silence. The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new, 24/7 helpline which is open to residents of all ages across the Black Country and will give access to urgent mental health, learning disability and/or autism support.

The helpline is staffed by specialist mental health staff who will provide advice and support and can also signpost to other mental health services if these are required.

Please do not think you are alone – it is ok to not be ok, and if you aren’t, then please do pick up the phone and speak to someone.

Phone line details:

Monday – Sunday, 24 hours a day – call 0345 6460827 – press 1 in you live in Sandwell or Wolverhampton and press 2 if you live in Dudley or Walsall.

You can also access the full range of health and wellbeing support on Connect.

4. COVID-19 new symptoms – loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

Every day we learn something new about COVID-19 and our response to the virus is adapted to improve our patient care. Recently national research has shown that increasingly patients have been reporting a loss of their sense of smell and taste alongside their other COVID-19 symptoms. This new symptom has now been adopted as part of the clinical case definition for COVID-19.

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• High temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• New, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. If you have these symptoms please do not attend for work. You and members of your household can get tested. Call the telephone line on 0121 507 2664 and choose option 5 to book your test.

5. Looking after your health and wellbeing on a night shift

Working night shifts can have a particular impact on your health and wellbeing. To add to the range of support available take a look at this latest film from our clinical teams with guidance and tips on keeping well. The full range of support films is available on the video and podcast library.

ESR downtime: 26 June

Colleagues are advised that the ESR production service will be withdrawn at 6pm, Friday 26 June 2020 in order to carry out essential ESR Production maintenance.

This period of downtime for the ESR production service will run until 11.59pm, Sunday 28 June when the ESR production service is expected to become available.

Users are asked to note the 6pm closure time for the on-line service and co-operation is requested to ensure that all users are logged off by this time.

ESR, e-learning, ESRBI, ESR data warehouse, ESR portal and TRS will be unavailable during this period of downtime.

Please ensure you log in and approve any pending notifications.

Pulse upgrade: Wednesday 20 May

There is planned upgrade taking place on Wednesday 20 May affecting the Pulse remote access solution system which should help to enhance overall performance of the system. The work is scheduled to begin at 6pm and should be complete by 6.15pm.

After implementation colleagues will receive an initial prompt to install the upgrade. If colleagues cancel this prompt it will still allow access to connect via the old client, however it is strongly advisable to click upgrade.

It will then go through the installation process but may require applications to be closed.

Note: At the end of the installation it may ask colleagues to reboot their device.

If you have any further queries then please contact the IT Service Desk on ext. 4050.

Mental Health Awareness Week

This week (18-24 May) marks Mental Health Awareness Week. This year’s theme is kindness which aptly ties in with our COVID-19 response.

As a Trust, we wholeheartedly support colleagues with all aspects of their mental health and wellbeing. We all need time to stop, think and process what’s going on and, that’s understandable as we find ourselves in unchartered territory.

Whether you need someone to talk to, someone to listen, or simply a way to relax, recharge and unwind – we have something to help you. On Connect you will find a health and wellbeing page packed with information to help you manage your psychological health.

Today we hear from Richard Burnell one of our Trainers in Organisational development about his experiences with mental health and the importance of speaking out.

“I have a bipolar disorder which means that I can move between depressive illness and something called mania which is a bit like having my brain stuck in fast forward. The best way to explain this is to  imagine you are trying to watch a TV show at six times the normal speed and keep up with what is going on. I take medication and use cognitive behavioural techniques to keep myself as healthy as possible. I don’t see this as being any different to someone who has a long term physical health condition that requires medication and self-awareness. I have a friend I play hockey with who has asthma, he has to ensure he takes his inhalers each day and is aware of when his asthma may be more likely to cause him a difficulty. My friend isn’t embarrassed about his inability to play some weeks because of his condition, neither am I. The more of us who are able to speak up the more normal it becomes to do so and I am lucky that I have got to a place where I am comfortable enough to do that.”

If you want to hear more stories about speaking up about mental health you can click here

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/blog/speak-and-speak-out-about-mental-health

Health and wellbeing: alcohol concerns

Be sure to check out this short video from Samantha Morgan, alcohol specialist nurse about staying well in regards to alcohol concerns.

Support sessions available to colleagues

Our alcohol team will be hosting online support sessions for friends and families of people who are dependent on alcohol via Zoom every Wednesday from 7pm. These sessions are open to everyone including colleagues at the Trust.

Note: You will need download the Zoom app in order to join the session. The meeting ID is 81498967810.

For more information and support, please contact arlene.copland@nhs.net.