Monthly archives: October 2020

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 23 October

We are continuing to see Covid-19 cases in hospital rise in this current phase of the pandemic with a jump in recent days and no reduction in presentation of non-Covid patients. All our clinical teams have worked hard to return towards a normal level of service for our patients and we have been seeing improvement in waiting times for surgical procedures and investigations. We are continuing to work with neighbouring Trusts in the Black Country to see how we can improve services, as well as continuing with activity in the independent sector.

Appropriate admission avoidance, early discharge, community support and monitoring are all important aspects of our care. ICU capacity has been well-managed with support from partners but critical care beds remain a challenge across the system.

Our reservists are also stepping up to support critical care services. This is essential as we are likely to need to expand this in coming days. If you are a reservist, thank you. You may be called upon shortly and please be assured that induction and support for you in a new role or location will be in place. We have learned how to do this better since the first surge in April.

Thank you to everyone who is working hard to ensure that we safely care for our patients, creating additional surge capacity where needed. We are often having to make quick decisions to expand in line with our plans which means at times people moving to work in unfamiliar wards to support the current needs of the patients.

Please see my latest message on the current Covid-19 position for all colleagues here.

Understanding how teams and individuals feel about their role and their work within our Trust is vital and we have recently received the results from the latest quarterly weConnect survey that asked one quarter of our organisation a number of questions relating to morale, influence and advocacy. I’m really pleased that our overall engagement score has gone up slightly to 3.96  out of 5) and we aspire to reach a sore of 4.0 so we are very close to achieving that goal. The directorates included in this quarterly survey were admitted care, nursing services, imaging, community medicine, system transformation, paediatrics and ophthalmology. Thank you to everyone who completed a survey. It is clear that many of you feel very positively about your role and how the Trust has supported you during the pandemic. People have reported positively about the quality of care that is available here and whether you would recommend this organisation to family and friends.

There are however some concerning comments and some frustrations that colleagues have expressed. As you know, responses to the survey are anonymous and therefore we can’t track comments to certain departments or directorates, but we can see what we can do as a Trust about things that don’t seem right. Some comments reflected a lack of equal opportunity for colleagues from all backgrounds which is something I am keen to see addressed. The inclusion day this week was a good way for people to raise issues and ideas. It was also a good way to learn about the experiences of people from different backgrounds, whose stories were powerful and thought-provoking. Do get in touch with our staff network chairs, with Frieza Mahmood, Nick Bellis or Estelle Hickman if you want to get involved.

The national staff survey is also out now, so please take the time to fill yours in. There are still prizes available for those who complete one in our prize draw. This is the first time since the pandemic that every organisation in the NHS has canvassed its employees so the results will be really valuable and will help us benchmark against other similar Trusts. We need to share the best of what we do here with others, and also adapt and adopt best practice from other organisations.

One key way of sharing learning is with our QIHD poster competition and we have a record number of entries this year with 97 poster submissions! In a couple of weeks the posters will be published on Connect as well as on the digital displays in Hallam Restaurant, City main spine and Rowley main reception. Colleagues will have the opportunity to vote on your chosen winners before the awards ceremony in early December. Our Covid-19 response features strongly in this year’s entries and it is clear that we have quickly learned and adapted practise throughout this pandemic either to improve patient treatment, experience or the service we deliver.

Congratulations to our star of the week Hardeep Bains from Lyndon 2. Hardeep was nominated by a colleague for the work she does to ensure that patients are discharged safely which often means a lot of co-ordination with relatives, care providers and social services. Her work enables patients to be in the right place for their healthcare needs and helps ensure flow through the hospital. She was described as being “the glue that holds Lyndon 2 together”. Well done, Hardeep.

The clocks change this weekend, so don’t get caught out! Our Unity upgrade earlier in the year should mean no downtime for Unity but other systems are affected for the hour so make sure you know if you need to revert to business continuity overnight. All of the details are published in the communications bulletin.

Thank you as ever for your commitment to our patients, their families and each other at this time.

David Carruthers
Acting Chief Executive

Message from David Carruthers, Medical Director and Acting CEO: COVID-19 Summary

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in community Covid cases is now having an increase effect on admissions to our hospitals. Over the last few days we have seen a jump in Covid admissions without any reduction in presentation of non Covid patients. You and your teams have all worked hard to return service for your patients towards a normal level and we were seeing improvement in our waiting times for out patients and reduction in waits for surgery and investigations. Work goes on in the independent sector and collaboration with partners in  the Black Country continues to look for ways of improving the services we provide. Admission avoidance, early discharge and community support and monitoring are all important aspects of our care. ICU capacity has been well managed with support from partners but beds remain a challenge across the system.

We continue with our 4 streams of patients to try and reduce risk of nosocomial infection but are seeing an increase in number of patients with a symptomatic infection on amber wards, highlighting the need to continue with strict infection control processes at all times. Relative low numbers of side rooms means that for now we think maintaining the lilac stream to cohort contact patients is important. Swabbing also remains an important part of risk reduction of Covid transmission and the labs are working hard to support us either with quick turn around swabs for red admissions or via Black Country pathology for 24 hour tests. POCT is not yet available.

So, while we try and maintain provision of services that have been restored, cope with normal levels of non Covid admissions, have 4 streams of patients and have this step up in Covid admissions we are moving through the trigger points of the surge plan. This needs an increase in red bed capacity and until now we have aimed to manage Covid patients within our respiratory hub at City for the expertise that can be provided with management of more severe lung disease. We are now at a point where beds are needed at Sandwell to reduce the number of red admissions at City as well as minimising inter hospital transfers. In the absence of empty wards this time it will take a few days to settle the ward moves while inconveniencing patients and teams as little as possible.

We are grateful for the work and support you are providing at this time of uncertainty and change. We hope that we can minimise disruption of the services you and your teams have worked hard to restore and will work to minimise the risk of staff redeployment. We continue to watch what is happening within the community, to work with partner organisations and hope to minimise the risk of last minute changes in ward allocations or service provision at SWBHT.

Please continue to support colleagues who may be anxious about any potential changes and keep working together to manage this increase in cases which I hope will plateau soon. Making sure we don’t add to the problem with hospital acquired cases or staff needing to isolate after case contact are even more important now. Please keep an eye out for the twice weekly Covid bulletin for general updates and I’ll keep in touch with anything else of importance.

I remain grateful for the support and professionalism you all continue to show for the benefit of our patients.

Best wishes

David Carruthers MBBS PhD FRCP
Medical Director and Acting CEO

Health and safety: Advice for those currently or planning on homeworking

In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and action being taken to control risks via work arrangements please ensure you have read the latest advice in regards to using display screen equipment (DSE) and homeworking.

For more information please contact adrian.seeley@nhs.net.

Helping managers to support and manage attendance at work/sickness absence (online training)

To support managers to understand and implement the revised ‘Attendance at Work (Sickness Absence) Policy’, an online training course has been developed.  It’s important that all managers and supervisors responsible for managing sickness absence / attendance undertake this online training and that all modules are completed.  The course will take approximately one hour to complete.

Below is guidance on how to register with the e-learning system and access the training. You may already have registered, as it is the same system that has been used for Unity and COVID eLearning (Centric Cortex). If not it only takes a few short, simple steps to register.

Attendance at Work Sickness Absence Online Training – Guide to register

When you have worked through all of the modules, please be sure to complete the course sign-off module, as this will then credit you with having completed the training.

Also remember we have a range of supporting documents available on Connect, including FAQs, key changes briefing paper  and template documents. These can be accessed via the following link https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/od/human-resources/sickness-absence/

COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 22 October 2020

Welcome to your Thursday edition of the COVID-19 bulletin. 2020 continues to fly by, but as time passes new developments continue and new challenges arise that we all need to meet head-on. Autumn is here and winter is not far away, along with all that brings. As always, kindness must remain our watchword in all that we do.

Below you will see new statistics which show data captured up to August 31 and figures from September 1 to the present day. This is so you are able to see how the situation is changing in relation to the first surge and as we enter the next phase of the pandemic. Our contribution to Research and Development remains vital in supporting the fight against this virus. The data below also shows the numbers of patients in clinical trials and the number of our Trust staff who have signed up to the SIREN study.

Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals – (last week’s)

1. Increasing numbers of positive cases: Ensure you follow IPC guidance

As you can see from the numbers we report each week we are admitting an increasing number of patients who test positive for COVID-19. This includes several patients who are asymptomatic who initially test negative and then test positive on their second swab. It is particularly important to be vigilant and follow the infection prevention and control guidance including wearing the right PPE at all times, regular handwashing and social distancing. In addition, it is vital that you remain bare below the elbows and remember, if you are unsure, it is okay to ask! This includes in all green and amber areas, as much as in lilac and red wards. Please keep yourselves, your colleagues and your patients safe by following this guidance and ensure that others do also.

2. Staff swabbing and results process

Swabbing for symptomatic colleagues remains available through our drive-through at City Hospital and Little Lane car park at Sandwell Hospital.

If you have been experiencing symptoms, you must not come into work. Please book an appointment for a test by calling the community contact centre on 0121 507 2664 option 5, Monday to Friday, between 8am and 6pm. On weekends call 07816 992873. Please do not just turn up.

Test results will be available after 48 to 72 hours. If you have a positive result the occupational health team will call you to discuss your result, offer support and will work closely with infection prevention and control and your manager in situations where there is a significant breach in PPE in order to contact trace and manage the situation locally.

If your test result is negative then you will receive a text message and/or email to inform you of your result.

You can read the staff swabbing and results process by clicking here.

3. Siren study is pushing forward with new recruits  

The SIREN study focuses on NHS workers working within the hospital setting.

SIREN (Sarscov2 Immunity & REinfection EvaluatioN) specifically looks into the impact of antibodies that fight the virus which causes COVID-19. The study is open to anyone working in a hospital building where there will be contact, and those participating may have had the virus, or tested negative.

Colleagues taking part in the study are regularly asked to complete a questionnaire and nose swabs. Blood samples are taken every two/four weeks for up to 12 months. Whilst SIREN focuses on healthcare workers only, there are also many other R&D projects being undertaken by the Trust that the public can join. By taking part in research projects we help to speed up the fight against Coronavirus. For information on the SIREN study and details on how to join click here.

For information on other COVID-19 studies currently ongoing within the Trust click here.      

4. SPA service reassures patients about COVID safety

The Single Point of Access (SPA) team has been working closely with West Midlands Ambulance and GPs to ensure that patients who need emergency care attend hospital.

The new arrangements mean the SPA team is contacted for support by either the patient’s GP or paramedics who are tending the person if they are declining to be taken to hospital because of a concern about COVID-19. A member of the SPA team will talk to the patient and aim to reassure them that it is safe to attend our emergency departments, which are streamed into non-COVID and COVID areas, and talk them through what additional safety measures are in place.

To read more about this initiative please click here.

5. What to expect when you visit our site for a face to face consultation

For patients who are being booked into a face to face consultation there is a new leaflet which will give them more information on what to do and expect at their visit to our sites.

You can access the leaflet by clicking here.

If you are booking appointments for patients that will take place in more than 10 working days’ time and are sending appointment letters out you can contact the Patient Access Department on swb-tr.SWBH-Team-Referrals-City@nhs.net or by calling 0121 507 5050 who will be able to provide you with the leaflets.

Note: These leaflets should only be used if patients are attending our sites and appointments are booked far enough in advance to be able to letter (10 working days).

6. Recording COVID related absence on ESR

It is important to correctly record staff absence related to COVID-19 on ESR. This ensures the correct pay and entitlements for employees. There are different ways of recording COVID-19 sickness and absence due to isolation. The ESR team have produced some guidance showing the process for recording each type of absence.

You can view the full guidance by clicking here.

#FabChange20 – learning from COVID-19

To reflect the global pandemic, and the impact it has had on health and social care services globally, #FabChange20 shares learning from COVID-19.

The aim of #FabChange20 is to celebrate the innovations and changes within each part of the health and social care system that have arisen from the pandemic.

We have dug deep to share changes both big and small which have been implemented across the Trust.

During this week we have been sharing these stories throughout our daily bulletin.

Rheumatology:

Be sure to check out this short video featuring Catherine McGrath, Consultant Rheumatologist talking about the challenges they faced when having to communicate with their patients during the current pandemic and how they adjusted to these challenges.

Missed any of our #FabChange20 videos this week? Not to worry, you can access all the clips form this week by clicking here.

Heartbeat: Cheryl Shepherd is awarded the Shiela Lorimer Award

The Shiela Lorimer award is an annual award, presented to a nurse on the acute medical unit (AMU), in memory of Acute Medicine Nurse Practitioner, Shiela Lorimer who sadly passed away in 2013.

Shiela worked in our organisation for over 20 years. She was the first nurse to start nurse-led discharge and medical clerking which has led to advanced nurses discharging patients out of hours on all the medical wards; helping immensely with bed capacity, flow and patient experience. This award is to salute her work but also to recognise young nurses like Shiela, who want to develop themselves, be the best nurse possible and deliver high-quality care.

This year the award was presented to Cheryl Shepherd, who has been part of our organisation since 1993.

Cheryl has worked in acute medicine for five years and has been a senior sister in AMU for nine months. After qualifying in 1993 at Dudley Road Hospital, Cheryl worked in acute respiratory medicine and then made a move to manage a team at the National Blood Service before finally branching into critical care. She has a diploma in Health Service Management and a BSc in Nursing.

AMU Consultant and Deputy Medical Director, Sarb Clare told Heartbeat why Cheryl was the standout candidate for the award this year.

“This award is recognition of nursing excellence and Cheryl demonstrates these qualities every day and truly shone through during the pandemic.

“Cheryl is passionate about ambulatory care and passionate about her patients – she a true leader who takes her team with her. She is well-loved by the entire team and is an inspiration to all of us.

Cheryl said: “I’m humbled to receive this award. I just come in every day to do my job the best way I can, so this recognition is truly unexpected and amazing. I couldn’t have achieved all that I have without the support of the entire team. I am truly proud to work with such lovely, committed colleagues. I humbly accept this award and will continue the great work that Shiela started here years ago.”

October is Speak Up Month

October is Speak Up Month where we are encouraging managers to use this as an opportunity for discussion with their colleagues and teams. Speaking up is an important part of a culture that focuses on safety and quality, and we would like you and your teams to play a part in encouraging these conversations to be part of who we are and how we work.

Be sure to check out this short video from David Carruthers, Medical Director and Acting Chief Executive regarding the importance of speaking up and how freedom to speak up must become a part of who we are.

Our Speak Up Guardians are part of regional and national networks sharing ideas and experiences, a wealth of experience and information to help you Speak Up. You can see a list of Freedom to Speak up Guardians and their contact details on Connect.

Our staff network leads can also be contacted if you want to raise a concern. You can contact our staff networks using the details below.

• BME Network: swbh.bme@nhs.net
• Disability and Long Term Conditions Network: swbh.dlt@nhs.net
• LGBT Staff Network: swbh.lgbt@nhs.net

Click here to find out about all the other ways you can speak up.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Domestic abuse is not always physical

October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month which aims to unify both women and men who have unfortunately been victims of domestic violence.

Two women are killed a week by a current or former partner in England and Wales and in the year ending March 2019, approximately 1.6 million women experienced domestic abuse (Office for National Statistics, 2019).

As alarming as these stats may be, it is assumed that the figures are most likely a lot higher as many cases go unreported.

For the remainder of this month we will be sharing content throughout the communications bulletin all to help raise awareness around domestic violence.

Domestic abuse is not always physical:

Coercive and controlling behaviour as domestic abuse is not always physical. In regards to advice about spotting some of the signs of coercive control please see below:

• Isolating you from friends and family
• Depriving you of basic needs, such as food
• Monitoring your time
• Monitoring you via online communication tools or spyware
• Taking control over aspects of your everyday life, such as where you can go, who you can see, what you can wear and when you can sleep
• Depriving you access to support services, such as medical services
• Repeatedly putting you down, such as saying you’re worthless
• Humiliating, degrading or dehumanising you
• Controlling your finances
• Making threats or intimidating you.

Our ED Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) service will support victims that come through ED. If colleagues from the wider hospital need any advice or support when dealing with a patient disclosure then please contact the safeguarding children team in the first instance.

Contact numbers:

• Safeguarding children team: 0121 507 2844
• Sarah Markland ED IDVA: 07989843233
• Rachana Chauhan: 07823336964

District nurse reconfiguration

From Monday 26 October the district nursing teams will be going through a service reconfiguration to help better meet the needs of the people of Sandwell.

The district nurses will be covering geographical areas that are aligned to our towns and Primary Care Networks.  There will be no change to the range of services that are offered.

For Sandwell DN referrals please continue to complete the Connect referral in the same way (available on the Connect home page).

All SWB referrals will be sent to the correct Sandwell DN team automatically.

For all external (non SWB DN service referrals) please continue to refer in the appropriate service provider in the normal way.

If you have any questions or require any further information please contact andrew.churm@nhs.net, louise.johnson@nhs.net or c.sangha@nhs.net.