Monthly archives: May 2021

Essential IT upgrade affecting access to CSS within Unity this evening Thursday 13 May 8pm to 10pm

Please be aware an essential IT upgrade to publish the latest release of the CSS (Clinical Support System) website is taking place this evening (Thursday 13 May) from 8pm to 10pm.

During this time Unity will remain fully available. However, access to historic patient data will be unavailable for up to 2 hours from 8pm to 10pm.

Any colleagues accessing the ‘CDA’ icon from the UNITY tool bar will be presented with an ‘Page Unavailable’ message. This will not affect any other function in UNITY. The HIE access to GP records will still be available.

Direct access to the CSS application from Connect will also be unavailable giving the same ‘Page Unavailable’ message.

Please do call the 24 hour IT service desk on ext 4050 or 0121 507 4050 if you have any further queries.

Mental Health Awareness Week: Fancy a Coffee with Occy at Sandwell today?

Colleagues are encouraged to pop along for ‘Coffee with Occy’, when they can enjoy a hot drink, a sweet treat and a chat with occupational health. The next session first session is is taking place Thursday 13 May, 9.30am – 3.30pm in the Education Centre (room 9 and 10), Sandwell Hospital.

May is National Walking Month! What better time to start walking than during National Walking Month which started at the beginning of May! The wellbeing sanctuary are currently running a fantastic competition for the first 50 people to document their walking during the month of May. The deadline for entries is Sunday 16 May – click here to find out more.

Mouth care matters display board competition

A reminder that the judging for the best mouth care matters ward display board takes place tomorrow (Friday 14 May).

The judging panel led by Acting Chief Nurse, Melanie Roberts will reveal and award prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Good luck all!

Mouth care matters has been piloted on D11 D26, Priory 4 and Newton 4 involving approximately 150 colleagues from healthcare assistants to matrons.

The pilot involved colleagues receiving specific training and equipment to carry out effective mouth care on patients. Colleagues have been ensuring that every patient cleans their teeth/dentures at least twice a day and those with complex mouth care needs are assisted with more frequent care.

An organisation wide roll out of mouth care matters will take place in July.

Heartbeat: There’s no place like home… to rest, recuperate and recover

Recently during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a significant focus on the admitting capacity of hospitals, how many patients can you safely get streaming through the doors before you reach capacity. Likewise, there was an equal focus on ensuring discharges were well planned, effective and timely. In simple terms, you admit sick people in to your hospital, and you send people home when they’re well – but what happens if you have people who are still infected with a potentially dangerous virus, but stable and medically fit enough to go home. You refer them to our latest service – Monitoring You at Home.

Proving that necessity is the mother of invention, the principle of ‘virtual wards’ with patients with a highly infectious disease being discharged would have been wrapped in red tape and buried under a mountain of policies but a fresh look at our processes with a truly patients focussed approach has meant we have been able to launch our first COVID-19 virtual ward successfully.

To find out more about the new service, Heartbeat caught up with Tammy Davies, Group Director of Primary Care, Community and Therapies, she said, “We’re an organisation that has close working between our acute and community teams and the skills to be able to share the burden at a time when the NHS as a whole is under a significant strain. The idea of a virtual ward is simple, we work with the ward teams to identify patients who are stable and well enough to be allowed home, and we give them access to equipment that can monitor their recovery as well as the support of regular contact with our specialist teams should they need it.

“Through this close partnership, team working, we’re able to support patients to safely be discharged in to the care of the new service and for them to essentially return home. This has not only meant that patients are more comfortable, it means that we are able to open up capacity for other patients to be cared for, patients who may well be acutely unwell and in desperate need of an inpatient bed, close monitoring and potentially even a medical intervention of procedure.

“Armed with a pulse oximeter, which is a small device that tells you how much oxygen your body is taking in, patients are supported to be discharged home, where they can isolate, recuperate and recover in the comfort and surroundings of their own home. Safe in the knowledge that they have the support of their family and that of trained clinicians. “

In it’s the first few weeks of operation, the service has already seen almost 200 patient being referred for home monitoring, with each referral meaning we’ve not only been able to allow someone home, but also that we’ve been able to release capacity for other patients to receive much needed care.

Referrals to the Monitoring You at Home (MYAH) service can be made on Connect using an electronic referral form. For more information on the service contact the single point of access team on 0121 507 2264 or Kelly Redden-Rowley for more information.

National Nurses Week: Amber Markham and Nicola Taylor on why they’re proud to be nurses

National Nurses Week is an annual celebration of all that nurses around the world do for their communities.

This week we’re continuing to recognise and highlight what it means to be a nurse at our Trust.

As part of National Nurses Week we will continue to shine a spotlight on some of our incredible colleagues as they share their stories on why they are proud to be in their roles.

Today we feature Amber Markham, Interim Group Director of Nursing – Surgical Services and Nicola Taylor, Group Director of Nursing – Primary Care, Community and Therapies on why they feel proud to be a nurse.

National Nurses Week: Thank you nurses!

As part of Nurses Week we want to pass on thanks to our amazing nursing workforce from the youngest members of our SWB family!

We are grateful to all the children who took part in this video.

Star Awards 2021: Fundraiser of the Year

Do you know an individual or team either internally or externally who by their hard work, dedication and example, have made a significant difference by increasing the awareness of Your Trust Charity?

This can include achieving considerable and recognisable fundraising success and creating positive changes to service delivery. Showing good practice in the administration of charitable funds and demonstrating a true commitment to improving the fundraising capability of the charity (or charitable fund) or even collaborating with external facilitators to bring in good learning and pilot projects to our Trust.

Nominate them for the Fundraiser of the Year Award in this year’s upcoming Star Awards!

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Ways to nominate:

• You can complete a paper nomination form which you can download by clicking here.
• You can send in a video nomination for free to swbh.comms@nhs.net via www.wetransfer.com. Choose go to free. When doing the recording remember to state clearly who you are and the name of the person/team you are nominating.
• You can complete the online form by clicking here.

Be sure to check out last year’s award ceremony featuring last year’s winners for the Fundraiser of the Year, Dr Nick Makwana (timecode: 23 minutes, 39 seconds).

If you have any questions regarding the Star Awards, please contact the communications team on 0121 507 5303 or email swbh.comms@nhs.net.

For more information, please visit our dedicated Star Awards page on Connect.

Mental Health Awareness Week: A few words from Lesley Writtle

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week we spoke to Lesley Writtle, one of our non-exec directors, who’s also the former CEO of a mental health NHS trust. She talks about how spending time outdoors can really help with your health and wellbeing.

Be sure to check out the short clip below:

Join nursing colleagues at the mouth care matters stall today

As part of the International Nurses Day celebrations today (Wednesday 12 May), we have a stand at Sandwell Hospital’s main reception promoting mouth care matters.

As mentioned in yesterday’s bulletin, in order to improve the oral healthcare of patients, mouth care matters has been successfully piloted on four wards and will be rolled out across the organisation in July.

Pop along from now until 2pm to find out more about the programme and speak to some of our nursing colleagues who will be dressed up as oral care products in order to raise awareness. The team will be running a free prize draw which could see you scoop a teddy bear or a food blender.

Happy International Nurses’ Day 2021! Our deputy chief nurses share why they are proud to be nurses

International Nurses Day is an annual celebration of the nursing profession, held on Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

As part of celebrations we’re continuing to recognise and highlight what it means to be a nurse at our Trust – shining the spotlight on some of our incredible colleagues as they share their stories on why they are proud to be in their roles.

Today we feature our deputy chief nurses, Diane Eltringham and Sarah Carr-Cave who talk about how nursing is a fulfilling privilege. Hear their stories in the video below.

To celebrate International Nurses Day some colleagues share their thoughts and views on why they went into nursing. Click on the video below.

Happy International Nurses Day to all our nursing colleagues!