Monthly archives: March 2021
NHS shared repository working pilot
SWB Library Services along with 3 other Black Country health libraries have been chosen to pilot NHS shared repository working in conjunction with the British Library and Health Education England.
This repository will allow us to showcase all the staff publications – both clinical and non-clinical of the Trust.
To ensure that we have covered all of your publications please email a list of your published works to swbh.library@nhs.net.
A list of publications, articles, poster presentations or conference abstracts by colleagues we have already collated over the last few years is currently available on the library pages on Connect.
The Library Services also provides publication support to colleagues. You can now submit articles to BMJ Case Reports or BMJ Open Quality using an institution code from the library.
For BMJ Case Reports the code is 5195505 and for BMJ OpenQuality it is 4173517698.
For more information please contact the library by emailing swbh.library@nhs.net or calling ext. 3587.
Dr Nick’s seventh #Dance4Wellbeing – send us your photos and videos
As you may have seen last month, Dr. Nick Makwana led you through the sixth in a series of #Dance4Wellbeing routines to help you get up and go. The routine was based round 5,6,7,8 and is joined by Kayleigh Dickens, Sister from paediatrics.
For the month of March, Nick has come up with a routine based on Madonna’s classic hit Vogue.
You can see their fantastic moves by clicking on the video below.
We’re encouraging colleagues from across the Trust to send us their photos and video clips of their fantastic moves to swbh.comms@nhs.net.
In case you have missed any of the previous routines you can check them out by clicking here.
For more information please contact Johnny.shah@nhs.net.
Join in the Black Lives Matter events
The Black Lives Matter Group was established by the Black Country and West Birmingham STP People Board with the objective to support leaders to use their role and privilege to take system changes, tackle systemic racism in organisations and take personal accountability for change.
Click here to find out about all the key events taking place throughout the month of March.
Essential Unity database maintenance this evening (Monday 8 March) from 8pm
Please be aware an essential database update to Unity is taking place this evening (Monday 8 March) by Cerner our support vendor. This is required to follow up from an issue last week when some colleagues experienced log on issues when launching Unity Powerchart and Firstnet.
This work is scheduled to begin at 8pm this evening and will continue throughout the week until Monday 15th March at 8am.
Please be assured Unity will be fully available at all times; however if colleagues experience any ‘wtslocation’ errors when launching applications in Unity Powerchart or Firstnet after the change has been applied then please do let the Service Desk know and simply log out and back in again to get past the error.
As always, should you have any further queries or experience any issues during or after the maintenance then please do contact the 24 hour IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.
Leadership book club
Did you know the Trust has a Leadership Book Club? This is open to everyone, regardless of the job they do and is a great way to learn and meet new people from across the Trust. This month we are reading ‘The Making of a Manager’ by Julie Zhuo, one of the initial employees at Facebook who had to learn how to manage in a rapidly growing organisation with no previous experience.
For more information please contact richard.burnell@nhs.net
Heartbeat: Acute medicine study days boost skills and confidence
Some people may look back on 2020 and remember it as January, February, COVID, December. The truth is, however, as challenging as the past year has been, it has allowed individuals and teams to innovate, continue to learn and grow whilst never taking their focus off delivering the best patient care.
One such team that has been investing in continuous learning throughout the pandemic has been our acute medicine team. We caught up with Alicia Parker, Lead Professional Development Nurse – Acute Medicine to find out more.
Alicia told us: “I work within acute medicine, and one of the things we have worked on delivering throughout 2020 has been our study days. Suitable for all grades, the days include guests from different specialties to help broaden our knowledge of a variety of topics.
“We’ve been running two study days throughout the year – our acute medicine safety study day and our acute medicine clinical skills study days, both of which have been well attended and received.
“We’ve completed four sessions of our acute medicine safety study day. A total of 83 healthcare professionals attended throughout October and November. The morning session is kindly hosted by Sabina Price- Hickman, Erica Podhorodecki-Castle and Tracy Mansell. They discuss mental capacity acts, safeguarding, deprivation of liberty, falls prevention and what we can do within acute medicine to ensure that the holistic mental health needs of every patient is assessed on every admission.
“The afternoon session is run by Laura Worsey and me. It focuses on tissue viability, specifically pressure ulcers and moisture associated skin damage. We do this by teaching the theory behind developing skin damage, and this then flows into an interactive session with learning stations. For example, one area looks at a skin-matching game. We provide diagrams and pictures of pressure sores, descriptions and the teams have to categorise these.”
Alicia added: “We have another two safety study dates booked for January and February 2021. We’re aiming to teach another 53 healthcare professionals and keep going from there. People have found the sessions beneficial so far, and feedback has been positive with colleagues citing how it has helped them improve the patient experience.”
As well as this, Alicia and the team have also been running acute medicine clinical skills days. She told us: “We have run three sessions to date with 51 qualified nurses. This day looks at how to interpret blood gases, how to insert NG tubes, how to take blood cultures, tracheostomy/laryngectomy care and how to verify an expected death.
“This study day helps nurses to build confidence in skills that they may already have or to learn a completely new skill that enhances patient care within acute medicine.”
International Women’s Day, 8 March: Women in heath and care – achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 World
Today is International Women’s Day with this year’s theme being Choose to Challenge.
COVID-19 has magnified the large disparity not only in social class but also gender. A profound shock to our societies and economies, the COVID-19 pandemic underscores society’s reliance on women both on the front line and at home, while simultaneously exposing structural inequalities across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection. In times of crisis, when resources are strained and institutional capacity is limited, women and girls face disproportionate impacts with far reaching consequences that are only further amplified in contexts of fragility, conflict, and emergencies. Hard-fought gains for women’s rights are also under threat. Responding to the pandemic is not just about rectifying long-standing inequalities, but also about building a resilient world in the interest of everyone with women at the centre of recovery.
A few facts:
- 70 per cent of the health workforce are females and yet women are still paid less and hold fewer leadership positions.
- Since the pandemic violence against women especially domestic violence has intensified – exacerbating factors include isolation with abusers, living in cramped conditions, security, health and money worries, movement restrictions and deserted spaces.
- Women are more vulnerable to COVID-19 economic effects of gender inequality due to existing gender inequalities.
Digital conference:
Sarb Clare and Sarah Faloon will be guest speakers at the Health and Care Women’s Leaders Network Conference where they will be talking about understanding the problem of harassment and discrimination for women in the workforce, sharing experiences and discussing strategies for dealing with inappropriate behaviour.
For further details including a full itinerary and to join this event please click here.
Podcast:
A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. Sarb Clare and her team are launching a podcast “Women Empowering Women” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or can be accessed by clicking here. You can also follow them on Twitter by clicking here.
In the first episode of the podcast they will chat with prominent advocate for gender equality in medicine, consultant intensivist and bonafide Twitter superstar Dr Rosie Baruah. They will discuss the challenges faced as a woman in ICM, ambition, failure and benevolent sexism. The discussion will delve into gender bias and deconstruct the differences in language used when offering feedback to women compared with men.
We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. Women Empower Women and empowered women empower women! From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.
Building works at Sandwell on Wednesday – please be mindful when accessing Education Centre and Trust HQ
As you may be aware The Trust is nearing completion of some building works at Sandwell which will mean they will be dismantling the crawler crane on Wednesday 10 March. This means that on Wednesday 10 March the crawler crane will be parked on site with its jib laid down meaning there could be obstructions when trying to enter and exit Trust HQ and the Education Centre.
Please see Crawler crane plan for further details.
Though there will be a team present at all times who will control pedestrians from the accommodation block and alleyway by the Education Centre during lifts, colleagues are reminded to be vigilant when passing through this area of the Sandwell site.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause
Cancer services virtual sale
Our cancer services are hosting their first virtual sale with all funds raised going towards Your Trust Charity to support cancer patients’ wellbeing.
With Mother’s Day around the corner why not show your mum, nan, gran, aunty or someone significant that you love and appreciate them.
The sale will start today (Monday 8 March) for one week between 8.30am – 4pm.
With a whole host of bargain galore there is something to suit everyone’s taste – from gorgeous beauty hampers to gardening goodies, and wellbeing treats, leather gloves and large woolly scarves in different colours and styles
The full list of items can be accessed by clicking here.
All baskets have been gift wrapped with cellophane and ribbons for you. If you have a particular hamper you would like made up, do call to see if the service can help you.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the items, or would like to see further pictures of an item you are interested in or would like more information, please call ext. 2776 or email jennifer.donovan@nhs.net.
Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 5 March
Hello, colleagues
My first Friday message made more than just reference to the fundamentals of care needing to be a continuing and relentless focus for us now and in the future. When all said and done, we are a healthcare organisation and our primary duty is to do no harm and to make people better. We cannot do that if the fundamentals of care are inconsistently delivered.
There is no doubt that the second wave of COVID has hit you all hard and your staffing ratios have been worn very thin, leaving you exhausted and at times exposed to not delivering those fundamentals at all times. As we start to see marginal downturns in the pressure on our services now, whilst I fully concede you remain exhausted and damaged by the last 12 months, there should be and must be, time created not just for your recovery but to deliver those fundamentals. This week, I focus on the one which we have seen as the most important during the last 12 months, infection prevention and control:
Controlling exposures to the risk of infection, is the fundamental method of protecting patients and staff.
Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) should always be applied and are the minimum infection prevention practices that apply to all patient care, regardless of whether infection is known to be present or not. These are:
Be bare below the elbows to facilitate good hand washing.
Wash your hands
Adhere the Who 5 moments of hand hygiene (Before patient contact, Before aseptic task, After body fluid exposure, After patient contact, After contact with patient surroundings)
Wear PPE
Wear the correct PPE for the task being undertaken, gloves should only be worn if risk of exposure to bodily fluids, and hands should always be washed after removal. Follow the correct donning and doffing processes. All information is available on the connect page, help/advice is there for you via infection control. Eye/face protection should be worn if splashing or spraying with blood and/or body fluids is anticipated. A face visor should not be worn in place of a surgical face mask or respirator in the context of COVID-19.
You must be fit tested if you are wearing a FFP3 mask, you must be clean shaven at the point of fit testing and if you are wearing a FFP3 mask. Even stubble can impact on the seal of a face fit tested mask. As I write this, I reflect that I am glad I haven’t needed to be fit tested in my role, because I haven’t been clean shaven for 31 years and I look like a plucked chicken when I am…..
Cleaning
Clean equipment after use – dirty commodes/near patient reusable equipment is unacceptable
Single Use
Single use means just that – use it once and throw it away
Waste
Dispose of you PPE correctly – in a bin, not on the floor and certainly not in one of our staff car parks, please. Any infectious waste should be disposed of in an orange bag.
I can fully appreciate that some of this stuff is dull, it’s not sexy and it’s been said many times before. However, we are still seen as an organisation with much to improve in this field and we should all take pride in getting it right – and to respectfully challenge each other when we are not.
Covid-19 vaccination
My thanks to the thousands of you who have had your first doses of the Covid-19 vaccination either at one of the Trust vaccine sites or elsewhere. This is the vast majority of our colleagues, but may I say again how vital it is to ensure you have the vaccine so that you are protected from the serious risk of Covid-19. You have all seen just how devastating this virus has been within our own families and communities and right across the world. The vaccination programme is essential to moving forward out of lockdown restrictions and keeping you and your families safe. Pictured above is Chief People Officer, Frieza Mahmood, having her first dose at Al Abbas Islamic Centre in Birmingham. There are vaccine centres now in many community locations and we are planning to get a mobile vaccination unit out on the roads shortly to vaccinate people in their own homes. If you remain unsure or hesitant talk to your colleagues and our clinical leaders. Through the Covid bulletin we will continue to share evidence based information on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine as well as how to book your appointments.
Have a good weekend.
Richard
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