Monthly archives: April 2021

Unity Medication Management update next week – what are the changes

Please be aware there will be an essential update in Unity taking place from 11:20pm tonight (Tuesday 6 April), carrying on throughout the night and in to the following morning in order for the Medication catalogue within Unity to be updated to meet the DM+D regulatory requirements.

This work is scheduled to begin at 11.20pm on Tuesday 6 April and should be completed by 5pm on Wednesday 7 April.

This activity will result in full Unity downtime for approximately 4 hours from 11.20pm on Tuesday 6 April until approximately 3.10am on Wednesday 7 April. Medicine management will also be unavailable for approximately 8 hours from Tuesday 6 April from 11.20pm until approximately 7.10am on Wednesday 7 April. Medications will be unable to be prescribed, administered or modified on Unity during this time.

Why is this downtime happening?

The medication catalogue in the EPR is out of date and needs updating. This means newer drugs will be available in the system more frequently.

What do I do if something doesn’t work or appears wrong after the upgrade?

• If it is not medication related contact IT as usual
• If it is medication related check with your ward pharmacist/ ward pharmacy technician if available
• Alternatively contact the EPMA Pharmacy team directly on ext. 3272
• Non urgent queries can be emailed to PharmEPMABuild (PharmEPMABuild@nhs.net)

What are the main changes I will see when prescribing?

New medication

Clinical decision support should be available for the majority of the medicines catalogue.

Name Changes

Some of the medication names have also changed; this is to help prescribing and interoperability with other systems. The following are examples, however if you cannot find what you are looking for check the brand and generic name in the BNF before contacting pharmacy:

• Capitalisation; this has been lost for most medication which are not brands e.g. Gentamicin has become gentamicin
• Tallman has been lost e.g. cefaLEXin will now appear as cefalexin.
• The new catalogue uses ‘-‘ as a separator for two ingredients, it also adjusts the sequence the active ingredients are listed where the strength comes after the ingredients e.g. Abacavir 600mg / Lamivudine 300mg tablets has become abacavir-lamivudine 600 mg-300 mg oral tablet.
• The new catalogue will truncate ‘microgram’ to ‘mcg’ if it appears in the drug name, not the order information. E.g. Buprenorphine 200microgram sublingual tablets will now appear as buprenorphine 200 mcg sublingual tablet.

Improved Reconciliation

Initially you may see a “best match” window when reconciling medication that was prescribed before the update. Check this carefully as EPR cannot find an exact match. If in doubt contact your ward pharmacists/pharmacy technician.

For new patients after the catalogue update reconciliation should improve due to better matches and more medication available in the catalogue.

The medication begins with ‘zzz’?

Do NOT use any medication beginning with ‘zzz’ next to possible conversions, they have been removed from the catalogue and will not function correctly.

Click cancel and use the +Add button instead.

Modify/suspend/resume not available when right clicking?

This medication was prescribed before the catalogue update and is no longer available. Cancel/DC and use +Add to search for this again.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 2 April

Colleagues
A fairly short Friday message from me this week, to compensate for my fairly verbose recent offerings.  I do hope those pieces resonated with you, however.

This week, I focus on the results of the NHS Staff Survey for our Trust.  They are disappointing, in that, with the exception of the area of staff opinion about the quality of the care we provide and protection of staff from violence, the results have slipped again for the 4^th year running and we remain lower than average for our peer group of acute and community Trusts.

The CQC and our own Trust Board treat the results of the staff survey very seriously.  We understand that it remains a very good indicator of organisational health and can also be an indicator as to the quality of our services.  After all, happy, engaged and professionally developed staff deliver good care.  With the focus greater than ever before on our staff after the awful year of the COVID pandemic, we do not want to take you for granted.  We want to know what matters to you and we want to try to deliver it.

So what are we doing about it?  We are:

Embedding and developing our health and wellbeing offer to you, developed and improved during the course of the pandemic.  This will be sustained and improved and any views from you on how we can improve this, are very welcome

Rolling out best practice with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion.  Too many colleagues with a disability or from a black or Asian ethnic background suffer detriment with regard to career advancement or professional development.  This cannot be acceptable in 21^st century public service.  Help us to stamp this out wherever it happens

Improving team communication – not by sending out more centrally produced corporate messages, but by using new techniques to ensure you and your line managers have meaningful conversations about what is going on in the organisation and in reverse, feedback concerns or ideas to senior leaders

Line manager development – linked to the above, in some ways.  The job of NHS leadership has changed beyond recognition since I joined the service in 1994.  It is a much more three dimensional and complex job than it once was.  We must equip all our leaders and managers with the right skills to lead the service in our new context, with the right values

Do let us know your views on how we can improve engagement and morale in our Trust.  We will be stepping up the “you said….we did” approach, so don’t be shy!

Now we have reached April, it is time once again to share Dr Makwana’s latest dance moves in his April’s monthly Dance 4 Wellbeing, where this time he is joined by colleagues Dinah McLannahan, Chief Finance Officer, and Martin Sadler, Chief Informatics Officer. If you do nothing else please watch and ‘like’ the video but of course, Nick’s real purpose behind his dance is to encourage all of us to join in, whenever and wherever, it suits you, and help improve our own health and wellbeing.

Our thanks to West Midlands Police, Queens Square Security, West Bromwich Business Improvement District, Asda and local patients for their kind donations of Easter eggs that will be shared over the bank holiday weekend with children who are accessing our services.

Congratulations to Ward Service Officer, Adriana Lup. Adriana was nominated for her exceptional working carrying out touchpoint cleaning in the Birmingham Treatment Centre. Ensuring a safe environment is vital to reduce the risk of infection transmission as well as instil confidence in the patients who are receiving care there. Thank you, Adriana.

This week the BME staff network hosted an open COVID-19 vaccine Q&A session. I hope that those of you who took part felt that you were able to air your questions and concerns. I know that the panellists are very happy to join in future Q&A events or even talk to people individually if you are unsure whether to have the vaccine. You can also arrange to talk to clinicians in occupational health and every line manager will be arranging a wellbeing conversation with each colleague who has not yet taken up the vaccine to see if there is any additional information or support you would like to help you make your decision. First doses can be booked at Tipton Sports Academy, via your GP or through any of the Primary Care Network hubs at City Hospital or in Oldbury. Lenny Henry this week shared his open letter urging black Britons to take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccine. This short film, contributed to and co-signed by a number of black celebrities urges people get the vaccine so that families can be reunited and protected.

Richard

Star of the Week – Adriana Lup

Our Star of the Week this week is Adriana Lup, Ward Service Officer based in the BTC.

Adriana is the nominated touch-point Ward Service Officer in the BTC. Her attention to detail is exceptional and represents to our patients a clean and safe environment that is required to ensure our infection control is the key item when visiting the Trust.

Her constant visibility and dedication in the area has not gone unnoticed as the majority of colleagues have commented on her performance.

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.

Change to Trust Bank rates from 12 April

From 12 April, our Trust Bank rates will change and will revert to the enhanced rates that were put in during April 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These rates will remain in place during the first quarter of the year (1 April – 30 June 2021) while work continues to look at aligning rates across neighbouring Trusts. This includes reviewing our Bank rates for all levels including for portering, security and ward service officer shifts.

Rates from 12 April are as follows:

Further information about joining the Trust bank can be found on Connect or by calling 0121 507 3600.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 1 April

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

1. New: Caring and compassionate conversations with colleagues

As the recent surge in COVID-19 begins to recede and we once again look at returning to normality, its an ideal opportunity to ensure we are practicing the same care principles we stand by for patients and applying them to the colleagues we work with.

No doubt the past 12 months have been a traumatic experience, regardless of the drills, exercises and training, a pandemic in the scale we have just experienced is likely to have a lasting effect even on the most strong-willed of staff. So it’s more important than ever to take the time to have a compassionate and caring conversation with each and every one of your colleagues.

• Encourage colleagues to take up the COVID-19 vaccination if they haven’t done so already. It’s the best protection we can offer to not just to ourselves, but to our families, our patients and our colleagues.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the wellbeing team have been able to launch a range of services for colleagues to relieve the stresses and strains of the past 12 months. These services are continuing and colleagues are encouraged to contact the wellbeing team to book a chat or any of the therapeutic sessions at The Wellbeing Sanctuary.

Further details of the services on offer can be found in the ‘Daily Sanctuary Session’ flyer which explains the different therapeutic sessions offered.

Also, there are some other additional supports colleagues could explore shared in the ‘Wellbeing Together Newsletter’ and ‘NHS Supporting Our People’ flyer.

Please, feel free to contact the Wellbeing Team on 0121 507 5886 to book yourself for any of the following therapeutic sessions:

• A Confidential Chat – If you are finding things difficult and would like to talk to someone  0121 507 5886
• Relaxation Pod -Unwind and let go
• Meditation- Be transported to a beautiful place
• Hypnotherapy – Let go and relax
• Music/Soundscape – Therapy balance your energy
• Mindfulness -Just connect
• Single Session Therapy – A session to work towards a behavioural change

Should you need Counselling, this is available via:

• Occupational Health on 0121 507 3306
• The NHS Direct Counselling Service  0800 06 96 22 (0700 – 23:00 – 7 days a week)

Urgent Support is available on:

• NHS 111 Advice Line
• Dial 999
• Your GP
• CALM – 0800 58 58 58 (17:00- Midnight – Anonymous)

2. New: Actions for managers – Capturing vaccine status from every employee

Thank you to the thousands of SWB staff who have now had their first doses of the vaccine, and those who are attending for second dose appointments. It is important that we are able to accurately understand and report our staff vaccination numbers, however, the Trust is not notified when people receive the vaccine at sites other than the Sandwell Hospital Hub. We also want to be able to support colleagues who have concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Every line manager has been asked to gather vaccination information from their team members and also have a wellbeing conversation with each colleague where there are concerns. These conversations aim to help with providing the latest information and signpost to any specialist advice that may be needed.

Each staff member will be asked to complete a form that includes whether and where they have had the vaccine, or if they are declining. This is similar to the flu vaccination forms that colleagues will be accustomed to. Managers will submit a report to the HR team on a weekly basis. Colleagues may also be contacted directly over the next seven days by telephone to capture their vaccination status.

For more information please contact 0121 507 6680 or email swb-tr.swbh-GM-HR-Enquiries@nhs.net

3. New: Ramadan advice and BAME Network event

The second week of April this year will mark the start of a month of prayer and fasting for Muslim colleagues and patients.

Ramadan will commence at a critical time in the NHS vaccine rollout. Concerns had been raised about whether the act of getting the vaccine would break the fast, as well as potential side effects of feeling unwell after being vaccinated, and reservations about taking daily pain relief medication. Dr Habib Naqvi, director of the NHS Race Health Observatory has said: “There is no reason why a first or second dose vaccine cannot be administered during Ramadan. The content is halal, and receiving it will not invalidate the Ramadan fast, as per the opinion of Islamic scholars”.

Further guidance has been developed by the British Islamic Association (BIMA) debunking myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine including during Ramadan.

BME Staff Network – COVID Vaccines: Your question’s answered

Earlier this week the BME Staff Network hosting a Q&A event aimed at answering the questions and concerns you may have about receiving the COVID vaccine. Joined by a panel of subject experts within the organisation the event discussed the concerns, queries and questions colleagues had about the COVID-19 vaccination as well as hearing from Steven Shanu, Lead Pharmacist who shared his own experiences of being part of the clinical trials for the Astra Zeneca vaccine.

If  you missed the session, you can watch a recording below:

4. New: Hands. Face. Space. Fresh Air.

As you know, as of 29 March a number of COVID-19 lockdown measures were eased. Letting us all take another positive step forward in the direction of normality.

Unfortunately however, ‘easing’ does not mean ‘over’. There are still difficult hurdles for us as a community, as a people and even as a nation to overcome. This is reflected in the most recent campaign being shared by Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care: Hands. Face. Space. Fresh Air.

The “Rule of 6” is now back in effect but that doesn’t mean an end to the necessities of hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing have gone away. As we gradually come out of lockdown, you should always make sure to take the same precautions as previously when meeting people from other households.

Stick to the guidance and lets take the next steps safely as we ease out of lockdown.

5. New: Change to Trust Bank rates from 12 April

From 12 April, our Trust Bank rates will change and will revert to the enhanced rates that were put in during April 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These rates will remain in place during the first quarter of the year (1 April – 30 June 2021) while work continues to look at aligning rates across neighbouring Trusts. This includes reviewing our Bank rates for all levels including for portering, security and ward service officer shifts.

Rates from 12 April are as follows:

Further information about joining the Trust bank can be found on Connect or by calling 0121 507 3600.

6. New: Caution to residents of Hateley Heath, Newton and Tividale

People living and working in the Hateley Heath and Newton areas of West Bromwich, along with Tividale in Oldbury are being warned to be extra cautious as we approach the Easter weekend – as COVID-19 rates in those three wards are on the increase.

The rate of infection in Hateley Heath ward is 222 per 100,000 people, with 34 new cases in the last seven days of data (22-28 March) among people living in the area. Comparable figures for the same period for Tividale show an infection rate of 193 per 100,000 people with 25 new cases, and for Newton ward, 191 per 100,000 people and 24 new cases. The rates are around twice the average rate for Sandwell (96 per 100,000) as a whole.

Anyone showing symptoms must self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test at the Trust, via www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

7. Update: Don’t miss out on your dose

The Sandwell vaccination hub will be open on Bank Holidays so please attend if you are booked on those days.

While the warm weather and the Easter Bank Holiday is something to celebrate, colleagues are reminded to please ensure they remember to attend the vaccination centre on their booked date for their second vaccination dose. If you are not able to make your booked vaccination date, you can rearrange your appointment by calling the vaccination call centre on 0121 507 4112, but you are advised not to go beyond 12 weeks after your first jab. It is essential that you attend as there will be no further appointments beyond 26 April for you to receive your second Pfizer dose.

Second vaccine dose appointments at City Hospital – you must complete a form before 2^nd April to book in for your jab

Colleagues who were vaccinated at City Hospital’s Vaccination Hub in the Sheldon Block and were not issued with an appointment for their second dose must complete the following form to be booked in for their second dose. The form must be submitted before the 2^nd April.

https://forms.office.com/r/i9HgiAvGgN.

For those who have appointments and have had 2^nd vaccine doses elsewhere please cancel your appointment, stating that you have had your vaccine and where you had it so that we can update our records and offer the slots to other people.

Tipton Sports Academy Vaccine Hub – April Plan

Tipton is also available as a potential destination for you with the hub running Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm from the 6 to 30 April. However they have bespoke vaccine clinics for specific cohorts:

• Mondays: Faith groups (Supported by relevant interpreters)
• Tuesdays: Learning disabilities
• Wednesdays: Women only (staff will be women only too)
• Thursdays: Shielding / CEV
• Friday: Heath and Social Care staff including carers

Ring 0121 796 1504 for an appointment or walk in. A local booking system will be set up early next week.

8. Update: Working From Home guidance update

We published the updated home working guidance in last week’s bulletin. The guidance has been added to with some more information about IT systems and equipment for home working. You can see the revised guidance here.

9. Reminder: Drop off points for LAMP testing samples

LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) testing continues to be rolled out to all colleagues at the Trust – thank you to everyone who has taken up this new speedy and more accurate way of testing for COVID-19.

Instructions for the test have now been updated and can be found here. Changes have been made to the way the request form is folded and where it is now placed, within the bag provided.

We must remind everyone that LAMP testing is open to both clinical and non-clinical colleagues. It is vital that we continue to test despite colleagues having had the COVID vaccination and infection rates starting to drop.

Drop off points are now available at the following community venues:

• Neptune Health Park, first floor, Sedgley Road West, Tipton.
• The Lyng Centre for Health and Social Care, second floor clinical suite, Frank Fisher Way, West Bromwich.
• Oldbury Health Centre, ground floor, Albert Street, Oldbury.
• Victoria Health Centre, ground floor, Suffrage Street, Smethwick.
• Rowley Regis Hospital, Outpatients.

Additional drop off bins have been added to Sandwell site at:

• Pathology
• A & E
• Bryan Knight Suite
• Phlebotomy, first floor Outpatients Sandwell Corridor D

Additional  drop off points at City Hospital are planned and will be available shortly. We’ll keep you updated via the COVID-19 bulletin as to where these will be. The current drop off point at City is Phlebotomy, found on the ground floor of the BTC.

• Remember to carry out your COVID-19 testing, whilst community prevalence is low, it only take a few people to be carrying COVID-19 for an outbreak to take hold. Lateral flow test have worked well for us but now we have much more accurate LAMP testing in place. Remember to register for your testing kits and carry out your test once a week. LAMP testing doesn’t involve any needles or swabs, just a sample of saliva taken first thing in the morning.

Heartbeat: Making mouth care matter

Research shows that oral care is often lacking in hospital and community care settings, especially among patients who may need support with their personal care and rely on others for support; Mouth Care Matters seeks to address this. Twelve trusts built on the findings of a study conducted in 2015 at East Surrey Hospital under the leadership of a special care dental consultant. From this pioneering work “Mouth Care Matters” was born.

In early 2020, SWB launched their mouth care pilot based on the mouth care matters guidance. It aimed to improve the oral health of inpatients across four wards at City and Sandwell hospitals. The trial involved teams receiving specific training and equipment to carry out effective mouth care on patients.

Julie Thompson, Director of Nursing, Medicine and Emergency Care told us: “Poor oral health of a hospitalised patient can lead to an increase in hospital-acquired infections, namely hospital and ventilator acquired pneumonia, as well as poorer nutrition.”

Fast forward to 2021, and we can now reveal some of the standout highlights of the trial and what the team hope to do next. Heartbeat spoke to Ru Hazarika, Service Planning and Delivery Manager who told us: “We have seen some positive results on the back of the trial we conducted last year. Some of the key highlights include a 45 per cent reduction of hospital-acquired pneumonia on our pilot wards. We’ve also seen a 29 per cent reduction in antibiotic prescribing and a 34 per cent reduction in Nystatin use.

“Patient and staff feedback has been positive too. Patients’ mouth conditions have improved. In turn, it has helped with being able to eat and drink without pain and discomfort. Colleagues have undertaken oral assessments on admission, and every seven days by rating their oral health care as red, amber or green. This insight then informs staff on the necessary oral care needed based on their oral care rating. Staff also used specially designed oral care products and equipment that assist with effective and simple approaches to mouth care routines. What makes these products unique is that the toothpaste, mouth gel and cleaning swab/brush are all in one sterile, disposable kit.”

So, how did the pilot continue when COVID-19 hit? Ru explained: “Fortunately, we were coming to the end of our trial at the time so there wasn’t a significant impact. There was also an upside to the use of the products. Evidence shows that the 24 hr kits which are designed to use with suction equipment have a significant impact on preventing ventilated acquired pneumonia which is vital in our fight against COVID-19.

“Initially, we had some challenges implementing the changes so soon after moving to Unity. Working with clinical support managers in IT, we are in the process of being able to make some small and helpful changes that will lead to us effectively documenting daily oral health care routines in the future.”

The team will now be submitting a business case and intend to roll this initiative out across our organisation. Ru explained: “A multidisciplinary working group is in place to support the implementation and roll out once approved. Ensuring the initiative is sustainable requires active involvement with our dieticians, speech and language therapists and our infection prevention and control team to name but a few.

“The initiative is part of the weLearn poster competition, and we are now in the final ten. We’ve also presented our findings to the Learning from Deaths Committee and Pneumonia Taskforce. In September 2020, Health Education England asked us to present at the regional webinar forum for mouth care matters as an example of good practice in running a pilot.”

Ru added: “I must say thank you to everyone involved in this project. It came about as a result of collaborative working across different areas including our GDON of Medicine, Julie Thompson, Janice Nelson, Clinical Procurement Nurse Specialist, Stryker, our Mouth Care Matters Fellow from Health Education England, Jaffer Ismail and Matrons, Sam Walden and Jo Thomas. Colleagues and ward managers on all four sites were enthusiastic and passionate about the pilot, and the results were made possible all thanks to their willingness to try something new and implement change.”

Cancer services Easter sale

Our cancer services are hosting their second virtual sale with all funds raised going towards Your Trust Charity to support cancer patients wellbeing.

With Easter around the corner why not show your family or someone significant that you love and appreciate them. The sale takes place every day this week up until tomorrow (Friday 2 April), 8.30am – 4pm.

With a whole host of bargains galore there is something to suit everyone’s taste – from  buckets with chocolate eggs and gifts, to baking wear, soft toys carrot, chicken, bunny, to tins of retro sweets, lots of decorations, make your own bonnet  or “why not buy a heart hug”.

The full list of items can be accessed by clicking here.

Note: If you have a particular hamper  or bucket 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, 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. to book a slot to view or arrange collection. The team also visit City on a Tuesday and Thursday to do exchanges.

Alcohol teaching sessions: The use of Vodka in the management of acute alcoholic withdrawal

Our alcohol care team have put together education teaching session videos. Be sure to check out this clip featuring Arlene Copland, Nurse Consultant talking about using vodka to prevent the onset of acute alcohol withdrawal in patients who are excessive drinkers.

Do you have any patients who would benefit from virtual Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) support? AA provides invaluable support for people who are currently struggling with their drinking, or are recently abstaining from alcohol, so it is very exciting that we now have the opportunity to introduce AA to people before they are discharged. If you know of someone who may benefit from this, please contact the alcohol care team on ext. 5074.

Essential Unity Medication Management update resulting in 4 hours downtime affecting Unity between 6 April, 11.20pm – 7 April, 7.10am

Please be aware there will be an essential update in Unity taking place on the evening of Tuesday 6 April throughout the night and in to the following morning in order for our supporting vendor to carry out an essential Unity Medication Management update. This will result in Unity being unavailable for 4 hours.

This is required to ensure the Medication catalogue within Unity is updated to meet the DM+D regulatory requirements and has the most up to date clinical decision support for newer drugs.

This work is scheduled to begin at 11.20pm on Tuesday 6 April and should be completed by 5pm on Wednesday 7 April.

This activity will result in full Unity downtime for approximately 4 hours from 11.20pm on Tuesday 6 April until approximately 3.10am on Wednesday 7 April. Medicine management will also be unavailable for approximately 8 hours from Tuesday 6 April from 11.20pm until approximately 7.10am on Wednesday 7 April. Medications will be unable to be prescribed, administered or modified during this time.

All departments will be required to revert to business continuity plans and have 724 machines ready and utilise 724 boxes. 

Note: This will affect you if you are working the night shift from 7pm to 7.30am on Tuesday 6 April.  It may also affect you if you are working the day shift from 7am to 7.30pm on Wednesday 7 April.

The activity will be closely monitored at all times both during and after the systems are back up by a designated operational and Informatics management cell along with an additional CNP on site to support teams.  Desktop Alerts will be released from 9pm reminding colleagues of the planned downtime and need to revert to BCPs.

In the meantime please do call the 24 hour IT service desk if you have any further queries on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.

Dr Nick’s eighth #Dance4Wellbeing – check out this short teaser!

It’s a new month and that means a brand new #Dance4Wellbeing video is just around the corner! Dr Nick Makwana has got his dancing shoes on again but this time is joined by Dinah McLannahan, Chief Finance Officer and Martin Sadler, IT Director. Be sure to look out for the full routine coming soon on Connect.

In case you have missed any of the previous routines you can check them out by clicking here.