Monthly archives: January 2021

COVID-19 vaccine Q&A session today – your questions answered

On Tuesday 12 January at midday the Trust is holding an all staff Q&A session via WebEx. Experts from R&D and across the Trust will be on hand to share information about vaccinations including how they are tested and approved. We will also describe our arrangements for staff and patient vaccinations and answer your burning questions.

You can submit questions in advance to swbh.comms@nhs.net or use the Q&A function on the day.

If you are unable to attend we will be updating our Q&As and sharing them after the event. For our current FAQs please click here.

To join the WebEx please follow the link and instructions below:

• Join the session through WebEx by going to https://swbhnhs.webex.com/swbhnhs/onstage/g.php?MTID=ea4982a383625d14dfe764e24ec4117ce
• Enter your name and email address in the registration panel on the right
• Enter COVID19 as the event password

Black Country engagement survey

The Sustainable Transformation Partnership of the Black Country is seeking views from colleagues to better understand what it is like to work in health and care industries in the area. In particular they are interested in understanding inequalities at multiple levels.

You can complete the survey by clicking the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSGRCSM

COVID-19 Bulletin: Monday 11 January

1. New: Vitamins are ‘in’

Many of us likely take vitamins now or had vitamins growing up, given to us by our parents or guardians – and maybe are even doing the same today with our own children. (And probably getting the same level of unhappiness we gave as kids.)

Multi vitamins provide an important booster to all the things the body needs to operate efficiently, so it’s perhaps not surprising that we have received new guidelines from NICE relating to vitamin use for adults, young people and children in hospitals and community settings.

The guidance encourages taking of vitamin D which we get from sunshine, but a lack of which is common in the darker months between October and early March. Vitamin D helps with bone and muscle health in particular, but may also have a role in helping the immune response to respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.

As such it is recommended adults, young people and children over 4 years should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 units) of vitamin D throughout the year:

• If they have little or no sunshine exposure including because they:

o   Are not often outdoors, for example, if they are frail, housebound or living in a care home

o   Usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors

o   Are spending most of their time indoors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• If they have dark skin, for example, if they are of African, African-Caribbean or South Asian family origin, because they may not make enough vitamin D from sunlight.

2. Update: Access to vaccine hub at Sandwell expanded

As the vaccination programme continues to roll out, we are able to widen the criteria for receiving the vaccine from our hub in Sandwell.

Initially vaccines were being offered to very high, high and moderate risk staff as well as those who were in contact with patients with COVID-19. However we’re now in a position to offer any staff members who have direct patient contact to make an appointment to receive the vaccine too.

Colleagues meeting this criteria, including any in “red” areas who have yet to do so, should contact the booking team on 0121 507 4112 to arrange a suitable appointment time.

Please look out for further updates about the vaccine hub in future editions of the COVID-19 bulletin.

3. Reminder: Guidance on awake proning: Saving lives

We are working every day to save lives. Please make sure you do two things:

Our guidance on awake proning covers length of time, positioning and the importance of consent. You can also watch a demonstration of the positioning in the video above.  

 We must also record patient proning in Unity using the Awake Prone Position (APP) PowerPlan. A Quick Reference Guide (QRG) has been developed to guide you through the steps you need to take to record proning.

If you have any questions about our Proning Policy please contact Acting Chief Nurse, Mel Roberts.

4. Reminder: COVID-19 vaccine Q&A session tomorrow

On Tuesday 12 January at midday the Trust is holding an all staff Q&A session via WebEx. Experts from R&D and across the Trust will be on hand to share information about vaccinations including how they are tested and approved. We will also describe our arrangements for staff and patient vaccinations and answer your burning questions.

You can submit questions in advance to swbh.comms@nhs.net or use the Q&A function on the day.

If you are unable to attend we will be updating our Q&As and sharing them after the event. For our current FAQs please click here.

To join the WebEx please follow the link and instructions below:

• Join the session through WebEx by going to https://swbhnhs.webex.com/swbhnhs/onstage/g.php?MTID=ea4982a383625d14dfe764e24ec4117ce
• Enter your name and email address in the registration panel on the right
• Enter COVID19 as the event password

SALE – 50% off all toys – Christmas shopping made easy for you!

SALE 50% off all toys 

Are you wondering where your are going to get the time to do your Christmas shopping? 

Well worry no more Your Trust Charity has a fantastic range of toys (limited amounts) for you which will keep your children smiling over Christmas!

Whilst all shops are closed during lockdown you will be able to shop whilst on your break and support Your Trust Charity. 

Payments will be online via Paypal and we can arrange collection time from Trinity House.

So grab yourself a cuppa and browse away……. happy shopping!

To purchase anything email amanda.winwood@nhs.net or call on 0121 507 4847

Maintenance affecting the HIE portal taking place today, 3pm

There is an essential maintenance taking place today (Monday 11 January) on the HIE portal in order for our supporting vendor Cerner to apply the latest enhancements for pathology results to display the correct results information in the HIE records.

This will result in the HIE portal that displays Unity and GP information being unavailable for up to 1 hour from 3pm – 4pm today. However, please be assured GPs have alternate means to view this information via the ICE system. Trust clinicians only use HIE for supplementary GP information on occasions.

Please be assured the activity will be closely monitored at all times.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Job of the week: Directorate General Manager for General Surgery

We have an exciting and challenging opening from January/February 2021 for a Directorate General Manager for General Surgery (8b) on a 6-12 month secondment. 

This is an exciting time to be joining the senior team in surgical services as we plan to develop, implement and embed service improvements to enable us to restart surgery following COVID and also to ensure that we are performing to our very best as we move into Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. We are keen to develop someone internally into this role who knows the organisation, the key stakeholders, our patients and our processes and understands the challenges of delivering high quality, patient focussed surgical services in this challenging and increasingly fast-paced environment whilst ensuring that colleagues are well cared for and appreciated.

Although you do not need to have direct experience of surgical services, you will need to have transferrable skills and you will need to be keen to take on new challenges and think about how we can work differently to achieve measurable success.

Please see the below job description and person specification for more details. The role is band 8b and plays a key part in our Group Senior Leadership Team as well as across the organisation.

• Directorate General Manager Job Description
• Directorate General Manager Person Specification

Any expressions of interest should be sent to marion.pavitt@nhs.net by Monday 18 January 2021. Successful candidates will be interviewed the following week.

Please discuss your release from your substantive post with your line manager first to ensure that this would be feasible.

For an informal chat about this role please call ext. 2697 or 4616.

Maintenance affecting HIE Portal today, 3pm

There is an essential maintenance taking place today on the HIE portal in order for our supporting vendor Cerner to apply the latest enhancements for pathology results to display the correct results information in the HIE records.

This will result in the HIE Portal that displays Unity and GP information being unavailable for up to 1 hour from 3pm – 4pm today However, please be assured GPs have alternate means to view this the information via the ICE system. Trust clinicians only use HIE for supplementary GP information on occasions.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 8 January

1. New message: COVID-19 Vaccinations: Appointments available this weekend

As the vaccination programme continues to roll out there will on occasion be opportunities for colleagues to book in to free slots at short notice to ensure we are able to use all of our available vaccine effectively. This weekend (Saturday 9 January and Sunday 10 January) we have slots available for colleagues who have scored moderate or high in their COVID-19 risk assessments or those who work in high risk and red wards in the acute hospitals or red services within community.

Colleagues who meet the risk assessed criteria and those working in high risk areas in acute and community services should contact the booking team on 0121 507 4112 to book in to an available slot.

2. New message: Temporary service change regarding imaging

Due to significant pressure on inpatient flow within our acute sites we have temporarily reduced routine imaging outpatient work in Rowley Regis Hospital and Neptune Health Centre in order to fill gaps and support flow throughout the hospital. This is a temporary measure effective immediately, and will be reviewed on a weekly basis to identify the earliest time with which they can be brought back online, however currently the expectation is that this will be in place for the next 2-3 weeks as a minimum.

Routine imaging outpatient services are still available at Sandwell and at City hospital in the Birmingham Treatment Centre both of which provide a greater range of diagnostic services in one location and allows for greater flexibility of staffing. If you have a patient who requires an x-ray please contact the SWBH booking centre 0121 507 3339. Any further changes in service will be communicated as soon as possible.

3. New message: Rise in issues around correct completion of death notices

All colleagues who complete death notices for patients who are transported to the mortuary should be aware that by not completing the paperwork correctly they are putting their colleagues working in the mortuary at risk, completely unnecessarily. Please consider your colleagues and the consequences of not noting hazards such as whether the deceased was known to have had an airborne infection. There is also an unfortunate trend in patient demographics being missing from the paperwork. Now is not the time to let our standards slip, so we’d appreciate your urgent attention to improve this.

You can find more information here in the government’s updated ‘Guidance for care of the deceased with suspected or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19)’ which was designed to assist people who are required to manage the bodies of deceased persons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. New message: Moderna makes third vaccine approved for use in UK

Yesterday we said that we had no positive news for you, but today a glimmer of hope is that the third COVID vaccine – the  Moderna vaccine – has become the third coronavirus jab to be approved for use in the UK – with an additional 10 million doses ordered. The US-based company’s vaccine was shown to have 94% efficacy against COVID-19 in final trials. Seven million doses had already been ordered by our government with a further 10 million expected to follow – but it is not expected to become available until March.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 8 January

I will begin again with my thanks to all of you for your extraordinary commitment to our patients and each other at this time. We continue to see increasing numbers of patients with Covid-19 and more of those need the support from our critical care unit. The pressures remain and are set to do so for a few weeks before the impact of the lockdown is seen in hospitals right across the country. Your determination to provide safe care, supporting patients and each other with kindness remains exemplary.

There have been some changes at Executive level that I wanted to share with you all. I am delighted that Frieza Mahmood was appointed substantively as Chief People Officer following Raffaela’s departure in October. Liam Kennedy, our Chief Operating Officer, has returned from shared parental leave following the birth of his new daughter and Mel Roberts has moved into the Acting Chief Nurse position whilst we continue to recruit substantively into this post. I am delighted that Mel has agreed to take on this opportunity. Mel has extensive experience as a lead nurse and within operations and I am sure she will excel in this new role.

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending our QIHD poster competition awards ceremony which was a real treat amidst the difficulties of the current times. It was fantastic to be part of the judging of this annual event. Despite the pandemic, it is testament to all of you that we received 98 entries this year – our highest number in the three years that we have run this contest. I echo the comments from all of the judges who expressed their delight at having the opportunity to review so many fantastic quality improvement projects from every corner of our Trust. 11 were shortlisted and there were four chosen winning entries announced yesterday.

Our winning entries are:

• 1^st prize: Service Improvement – Speech and Language Therapy Service to Mainstream Schools, K Dunn, Speech and Language Therapist
• Highly Commended: Quality Improvement Project – Assessing patient perspective of pre-printed consent forms in vitreo-retinal surgery, Ophthalmology
• Highly Commended: An innovative surgery which offers women with cervical cancer the opportunity to preserve fertility, Pan-Bham Gynaecological Cancer Centre
• Popular vote winner with 238 votes received: A well-timed innovation in image-guided pre-operative breast localisation, L Tromans, Breast Imaging

Congratulations to all of you. The winning entry receives a cheque for £5,000 with the others receiving £500 each. All of the posters can be seen on Connect.

Our vaccination programme continues to progress and this week we welcomed patients to get their first doses at the Sandwell Hospital Hub. YHP patients are accessing the vaccine at Whiteheath Medical Centre and were this week visited by West Bromwich MP Nicola Richards, putting her support behind the vaccination campaign. Vaccination remains a key way out of the current pandemic and we are doing all we can to support the vaccination hubs across the region. Thank you to everyone who has worked hard at short notice to get the hubs up and running. We expect that the mass vaccination hubs will begin in the next few weeks. We will contact you when it is your turn to receive your vaccination. I know there has been some confusion over when the second doses will be arranged so check in the Covid bulletin as it is different depending where your first dose was administered. The change in the national guidelines for the second doses to be given up to 12 weeks after the first seems sensible in light of the need to offer the protection quickly to the most number of people. Join our Covid-19 vaccination staff Q&A webex on Tuesday at 12noon to find out more.

Our Trust Board met in public yesterday and all Board members wanted to pass on their thanks to everyone at SWB for their commitment. Along with important updates on the Covid-19 impact we discussed the next decisions that are required on the Midland Met build which is progressing well with our construction partners Balfour Beatty. We also reviewed our assessment against the recommendations within the recently published Ockenden review of maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust. Our maternity team have worked through the immediate and essential actions and continue to progress their own improvement plan to ensure the safety of mothers and babies and improved experiences for families and staff within our department. My thanks to the whole team for their willingness to embrace this learning and their commitment to continuous quality improvement.

Dr David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive

Star of the Week – Julie Booth

Our Star of the Week this week is Julie Booth, Lead Nurse Infection Prevention and Control.

It has been a very difficult and stressful time during the COVID-19 pandemic but despite this Julie has gone out of her way to assist colleagues being fit tested and made them feel safe. Often she has travelled cross site to ensure individuals are fit tested. Julie is always tremendously kind and empathetic towards colleagues during challenging times and is a perfect example of the SWB’s care promises.

Do you know someone in your team that has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Why not put them forward for Star of the Week by clicking here.