Monthly archives: February 2021

National Apprenticeship Week: 8 – 14 February

This week is National Apprenticeship Week. The annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by employers and apprentices across the country.

To celebrate the awareness week, throughout this week, we will be promoting and sharing content around out apprentices and their fantastic contributions and efforts.

Paul Roberts, Supervisor: Palliative Care – Team Leading Level 3

“I started in the Trust five years ago as a business admin apprentice. I attended study days and training sessions where I learnt lots of new skills, ideas and knowledge to help me in my role. I was fully supported by my manager Sylvia Haywood who allowed me the time to complete my work and gave me the chance to shadow and learn from her. Lauren Weigh, my assessor back then constantly kept me informed with changes and arranged regular catch up meetings to ensure I was on target. Whilst on this course I was nominated for the national apprentice of the year award, I attended an overnight training course at Warwick University. Following completion of my apprenticeship I was offered a permanent Band 2 admin position.

“After a couple of years working as an admin assistant within the connected palliative care team I was then promoted to a Band 3 admin trainer. To further my career I knew I had to develop leadership skills and enhance my management techniques. Therefore I applied for and started a Level 3 Team Leading Apprenticeship course. I am currently half way through this course and I am eager to continue to learn new skills and leadership styles which will benefit me in my role. Whilst working on this course I have accepted a Band 4 supervisor position in the team. I feel like the training and the different modules delivered on the course makes you look at certain things in a different way and really helps with your personal and career progression. Laura Powell my assessor has been very supportive through this and is extremely approachable when needed.

“Overall I feel the apprenticeships I have completed have been immensely useful and key to my career development in the NHS. I am eager to complete the current course and I am already hoping to continue my learning to perhaps a management course after this.”

Are you interested in a Team Leader Apprenticeship Standard? This apprenticeship is suitable for those working in a first line management role. It has been designed to provide access for those who are at the start of their career in leadership and management and who wish to take their first steps into professional management. It is also appropriate for those already in management roles who may already have developed practical experience, but who wish to develop their theoretical understanding of management skills. Click here to find out more.

If you are interested in any degree and higher level apprenticeships, please take a look at what is available by clicking here and if something is of interest please contact swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net for the next steps.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 5 February

1. New: Masks protect you, clean and protect your masks

We have noticed that some colleagues have been walking around in non-clinical areas with their FIT tested masks over the shoulder or around the neck. Granted, you only need to put the FIT tested mask on when you are in direct contact with a patient, however, walking around with the mask on your shoulder or around your neck goes against infection control procedures.

When you are not using your mask you should keep it in the transport box issued to you at the time of your FIT test. This not only protects the mask but also helps prevent cross contamination. If you do not have a transport box please contact the FIT testing team.

If you are only going from ward to ward, then you can carry your mask as long as it is decontaminated properly. We have a couple of guides showing you how to do this:

• 3M Aviva 40 and 3M 7500 masks
• Sundström mask

In general, your FIT tested masks should not be worn around necks or on shoulders for long periods of times outside of clinical areas.

 Are you protecting your mask?

Whilst we talk about cleaning of the masks, you are reminded that you’re responsible for looking after your FIT tested mask. The infection control team have recently seen an increase in the number of calls relating to masks being damaged or parts being lost. While we have a small supply of parts, masks are expensive to replace so it is very important that you look after yours.

2. New: Dr Kainth’s message to Punjabi speaking community about COVID-19

It remains vital to spread the message about the importance of taking up the offer of the COVID-19 vaccine and correct false and misleading information about the vaccine contents. In our latest video Dr Harj Kainth, a doctor in the acute medicine unit at City Hospital, urges Punjabi speakers within the BAME community to get vaccinated when they are invited to. She also discusses some of the common views around the vaccination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6392sPbvr3Y

If you know a Punjabi speaker that needs convincing or are part of an online community that is expressing doubt, such as on WhatApp, please share this important message which is up on our YouTube channel. We’ve also collated all our Punjabi videos in a dedicated playlist which you can find here, with collections for other languages also available on the channel.

If you are not already following/subscribed to our main social media accounts, which also includes Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and of course Twitter please consider doing so and help us spread the word.

Regarding false information on social media

If you come across false information regarding COVID-19 on social media please report it to the social media platform using their report function. If this also directly involves our Trust please immediately bring it to the attention of the Communications Team via swbh.comms@nhs.net.

3. New: REACT-ing to support mental wellbeing

The Trust is training more REACT Practitioners to support the mental wellbeing of colleagues. The training is a half day online course that can be completed using any type of tablet or laptop and it can be done from home. The equipment used does not need to be supplied by the Trust, personal devices are fine.

Here is a link with more information.

The following dates are available with spaces, with training sessions lasting from 9am through to 1:30pm

• February: 12th, 15th, 19th and 26th.
• March: 1st, 5th, 8th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 22nd.

If you would like to become a REACT Practitioner please ask your line manager to email Mandeep.gill11@nhs.net and provide your name, place of work and which course you would prefer to attend. Where courses are full you will be asked for another date.

Staff must be willing and able to provide support to colleagues within the Trust and it is not anticipated that this would take more than a maximum of one hour per week. We especially welcome staff to complete the training from the surgical services group and also any staff who work on wards and areas that have been particularly impacted by COVID. However, all colleagues may request a place.

Please note: This training is externally purchased by the Trust and failure to attend once booked may incur a financial penalty.

 4. Reminder: Be smart on uniforms

 There is light at the end of what has been a very long and very dark tunnel for us all. As we continue our battles there’s a number of day-to-day today factors and processes that we can all do to help reduce risks and continue good healthcare practice. One item of note that has come up recently is that of uniforms.

It’s important we maintain uniform standards, including abiding by infection control protocols such as being bare below the elbows in clinical areas (other than those areas / clinical duties that require full length sleeved gowns).

To directly quote the NHS guidance on the matter: “Effective hygiene and preventing infection transmissions are absolutes in all healthcare settings. Although there is no conclusive evidence that uniforms and workwear play a direct role in spreading infection, the clothes that staff wear should facilitate good care practices and minimise any risk to patients. Uniforms and workwear should not impede effective hand hygiene and should not unintentionally come into contact with patients during direct patient care activities. Similarly, nothing should be worn that could compromise patient or staff safety during care, for example any nails products, rings, earrings other than studs, and necklaces.”

Additionally: The Trust continues to receive concerned messages from the public spotting staff in uniform in public areas, outside clinical environments. You are reminded that you must cover your uniform when you are travelling on public transport and doing other personal activities such as shopping and must not be in scrubs under any circumstances whilst outside work.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 5 February

This is my last message as Acting Chief Executive and I am really pleased to be handing over the reins to Richard Beeken, who will join us from Monday on a temporary secondment arrangement. Richard is “on loan” from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and will be here until Toby is able to fully resume his duties and, along with you all, I continue to wish Toby well in his recovery.

During the last eight months while I have stepping in, the Trust has been subject to huge changes and pressures. We saw Covid cases come down in the summer, lockdown restrictions eased and our recovery plans progressing well. The Trust’s models of care in terms of routine and outpatient appointments had changed significantly – part of a long-term arrangement given what we learned during the initial wave of the pandemic. As numbers began to increase in the Autumn, so too did our concerns and this latest wave has been truly extreme in terms of the numbers of patients with COVID who are acutely unwell, the rate of increase of rates in the community and the variant strains. All of you, our amazing staff, have been responding to this on top of dealing with your own psychological response to wave one, your emotional and physical exhaustion, the impact on your own families and ongoing anxiety about how we move forwards over the next few weeks, months and years ahead.

On a personal level I have been humbled and proud of the way you have worked both within your teams and also as individuals in the support you have provided to each other and your patients. Your resilience to all the challenges that are thrown your way is outstanding as is your ability to respond to change, some of which happens at very short notice due to operational pressures. Even the consequences of extreme weather conditions are dealt with effectively! I started at SWB over 20 years ago and these were some of the attributes of the organisation and individuals who worked here that attracted me to my original post, so I am delighted that throughout all the current challenges that the import core attributes of the organisation remain. A new hospital will help, but it is the people who work here that make the real difference to the quality of our services. Please don’t ever forget your individual contribution to that. I want to thank you all for the support you have shown to the organisation and our patients at this very challenging time. The increase in our senior leadership capacity with Richard starting next week will be a welcome addition to the Trust to maintain and develop our focus on our longer term strategic goals.

Very tragically, we have lost two members of staff over the past two weeks and our thoughts remain with their family, friends and colleagues through their grief. You will have seen the tributes to Surangi and Ameta in our regular bulletins and my thanks to those who have shared their thoughts in these fitting tributes.

It is a sombre period for our Trust as we near 1000 people who have lost their lives with COVID in our care since the start of the pandemic. I don’t need to remind you that each of these patients is loved and dearly missed and not just a number. Many of you have been with these patients as they have passed away. Their last days and hours have not always been the end of life circumstances that we or they would choose with restrictions on visiting, both in hospital and at home, and requirements of PPE to keep relatives safe. Your care for our patients and their loved ones continues to be exemplary despite your own personal challenges. We are considering how best we commemorate those many lives lost and also recognise your own sacrifices over the past 12 months in some kind of permanent memorial when the time is right to do this.

Notwithstanding the more sober tone of this message, there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel that is coming ever closer. The vaccination programme locally and nationally is progressing well, community cases are coming down and hospital COVID admissions are beginning to reduce. We won’t be out of the woods quickly, and the journey will continue to be bumpy, but the signs are looking good for a brighter year ahead.

I will be returning to my Medical Director role from Monday and continuing to support our leadership response to the pandemic and our recovery arrangements. I look forward to continuing to serve the Trust and the people of Sandwell and West Birmingham, in delivering the care that you want to provide and the services that our communities deserve.

Zero tolerance against FGM Day: 6 February

Tomorrow (Saturday 6 February) marks zero tolerance against FGM Day and every year it is an opportunity to raise awareness amongst colleagues and communities of the implications, effects and dangers of Female Genital Mutilation. It is also an opportunity to share information about the clinics and care available for women and girls who have undergone this deeply rooted Cultural practice. FGM still takes place in today’s society and is not a practice of the past.

At our Trust, there is an FGM clinic for pregnant ladies situated at both City and Sandwell Hospitals ran by Specialist Midwife Alison Byrne. The service provides care, support, help, advice, safeguarding and general information and is dedicated to improving standards of life holistically for women who have endured this barbaric practice. There is also a clinic for non-pregnant women, which takes place at Summerfield Health Centre which offers the same care and treatment.

Alison said: “I would like to dedicate this day to all those who have experienced FGM and hope to live in a time when it no longer exists . Together we will end FGM.”

Watch this short video around zero tolerance for FGM below.

For further details please see the FGM leaflet.

For more information about the clinic, or if you would like to refer a patient, email Alison at swbh.summerfieldfgm@nhs.net or call 07989209483.

Sexual violence awareness week

It’s sexual violence awareness week. As part of  the awareness week, Black Country Women’s Aid are inviting all to be part of a movement for change that needs to happen to better support survivors of rape and sexual violence, by challenging the persistent myths and stereotypes

How to get involved with #ItsNotOk:

The #ItsNotOK movement provides an opportunity for everybody to make a difference and be the catalyst for a long overdue change. With your support, we can bring to light the falsities of these myths, revealing the reality of rape and sexual violence.

You can support Black Country Women’s Aid directly by clicking here.

Getting in touch with Black Country Women’s Aid:

• 24-hour helpline: 0121 553 0090
• Text or WhatsApp: 07384 466 181
• Click here to access a library of supportive materials

Be sure to also check out this short video from the Black Country rape and sexual violence service. Note: Trigger warning – this video content makes reference to rape and sexual violence.

Get fit tested this weekend

If you need to get fit tested we have availability this weekend at both City and Sandwell.

To book your test, please call 0121 507 5050.

Note: Phones lines are open daily until 8pm.

Heartbeat: £6m GP surgery is taking shape

Those of you driving past the Sandwell Hospital site may have noticed how our new £6 million GP surgery is now beginning to take real shape.

The shell of the building – a three-story development – has windows and once inside you can access all floors via the stairs and lift. It has several consulting rooms, individual and open plan offices and treatment rooms. There is also an onsite pharmacy being built.

Vijay Droch, Estates Capital Projects Manager, said the development of the site was progressing well. “The pandemic has impacted construction delivery; however, we have remained focused and mitigated many of the risks through careful supply chain management.

He added: “The team continue to respond to the fluid situation we find ourselves in. We have been able to continue with work on the building that is now really coming to life. By walking through, you can see how offices will look, and the number of clinic rooms that will be available. It has a very open and welcoming design, which I am sure both those working within the building and patients coming to see their GP will find comfortable.”

The build is due to finish in March next year after work began on the new surgery in October last year. It is all part of a plan to streamline and improve medical care in the borough. It will house Carters Green Medical Centre and Lyndon Primary Care Centre, which are both relocating to the new facility, to be run by the Trust. The facility will serve more than 15,000 patients.

Dr James Gwilt, a GP based at Carters Green, said: “We are looking forward to continuing this tradition of high quality care in a brand new, modern environment. Being on the Sandwell Hospital site will allow us to deliver care in new ways, better integrated with other organisations working in our area.”

Essential ICE upgrade from version 5.4 to version 7.06 this Saturday

The ICE requesting and result reporting system will be upgraded to version 7.06 as part of an essential upgrade on Saturday 6 February from 9am – 4pm. This is to ensure the Trust is fully compliant.

During the upgrade for approximately 5 hours from 9am to approximately 2pm on Saturday 6 February, colleagues will be unable to access the ICE system to make online pathology and radiology requests, access reports using ICE or for GP download. Any reports sent back via GP links (MESH) will also be temporarily unavailable. All reports will become available once the system comes back up at approximately 2pm.

Access to Unity for making electronic requests and to view results will remain fully available.

Radiology requesting and reporting during downtime

As you will no doubt be aware that currently walk-in x-ray services have been suspended and all patients have to be screened prior to booking and attending an appointment.

If an emergency/urgent imaging test is required, that cannot wait for the system to come back up, please contact the imaging department directly by telephone (0121 507 4716) to arrange for the patient to attend with a paper request.

Routine requests will need to wait to be submitted electronically once the system is back up. The imaging department will only accept paper referrals for emergency requests required during the downtime period that have been discussed directly with the department. If a report requires urgent review during the downtime, the imaging secretary will contact the referring GP surgery directly by telephone in the normal way.

Pathology requesting and reporting during downtime

Please complete the paper forms for pathology requests during the downtime. Pathology reports will be available via GP homepage.

Colleagues who get an error message the first time they load the Reporting/Requesting screen after the upgrade are advised to clear out their Internet browser cache. This is because .NET will be updated from v2 to v4 and cached v2 temporary files may need clearing out.

We apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Maintenance affecting IT service desk portal, 5 February, 9pm

Please be aware that essential IT server maintenance is taking place on Friday 5 February, 9pm to the IT Service Desk Portal.

The work is scheduled to begin at 9pm and should be completed by 10pm on Friday 5 February.

For up to 60 minutes from 9pm colleagues will be unable to access the IT service desk portal to raise calls and requests, however the service desk team will still be contactable by telephone on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 4 February

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

1. New: Enhanced surveillance of COVID-19 cases in vaccinated individuals

Clinicians who see patients with SARs-CoV-2 infection with symptom onset at least 10 days after their first dose of vaccine (including patients who develop symptoms after a second dose of vaccine) are requested to report any cases to PHE Colindale. Where the individual is asymptomatic, test date should be used in place of symptom onset date. Cases can be reported using the online reporting form on the GOV.UK website, further guidance has been provided by PHE.

A repeat nose and throat swab and a serum sample should be submitted to the national reference laboratory (Virus Reference Dept., PHE Colindale), as soon as possible. Confidential information on such cases can also be reported to phe.vaccines@nhs.net.

2. New: Get fit tested this weekend

If you need to get fit tested we have availability this weekend at both City and Sandwell.

To book your test, please call 0121 507 5050.

Note: Phones lines are open daily until 8pm.

3. Update: COVID-19 resource pack for managers

If you are a manager, you must familiarise yourself with the new COVID-19 Resource Pack for Managers. This resource pack contains all of the information you need to support your colleagues during COVID-19 and includes topics such as recording absence, isolation and shielding guidance.

As you know, our focus remains on kindness during difficult times with worried colleagues, visitors and patients anxious for information and advice. Things move very quickly with COVID-19 – it is therefore essential that managers keep up to date with key messages and guidance and read the COVID-19 bulletin.

The resource pack is reviewed on a regular basis, and the Trust has now issued an update to the document. The updated sections are highlighted in red on the contents page. You can access it on Connect.

4. Update: Annual leave carry forward

Further to previous guidance about annual leave for the year 2020/21 we have updated our guidance which means that:

• Any colleague who has been unable to take their annual leave entitlement due to the impact of COVID-19 on our services, has the opportunity to carry over up to 10 days. This must be agreed by the line manager and documented (updated on ESR, rostering system or other leave booking system). The line manager will need to agree that it has been impossible for the individual to take their leave during the 2020/21 leave year.
• Colleagues who have more than 10 days annual leave entitlement remaining may be able to carry over up to 20 days. This will need to be agreed by the line manager, approved by the Group triumvirate, or departmental lead, for corporate areas and signed off by the relevant Executive Director. The expectation is that the leave that is carried over will be taken during 2021/22 at a time agreed with the line manager and service manager. There may be opportunity for colleagues to be paid for some of this leave entitlement should colleagues prefer. Any carried over leave must be documented on ESR/eRoster or other leave booking system.

The line manager must agree that carried over leave is due to the impact of COVID-19 on the services that the Trust provides and the need for staff to be at work and not on leave. It is not to be carried over because people have had holiday arrangements disrupted due to for instance, travel restrictions. All annual leave carry over discussions must be completed by 28 February and added to ESR, eRoster or the relevant annual leave booking system.

Please note: Usual arrangements apply for those with accrued annual leave relating to sickness absence, maternity, paternity or other leave.

The ESR team will be co-ordinating the annual leave carry forward for all colleagues and will enter the information into the employee’s record. Once updated in ESR the hours will transfer automatically to e-Roster.

During the week starting 8 March, managers will receive an email from the ESR team asking them to provide the relevant information regarding leave carry over days for their team members. Managers are asked to not send any information about leave carry over to the ESR Helpdesk prior to this date.