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Monthly archives: May 2021

Star Awards 2021: Prize for Innovation Award

 

Do you know an individual or team that has introduced new innovative practice or an innovative scheme during the year that has made substantial improvements to services or systems and processes?

Nominate them for the Prize for Innovation 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 Prize for Innovation, the junior doctors’ wellbeing hub/sanctuary (timecode: 16 minutes, 41 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.

National Nurses Week: Our acting chief nurse shares why she is proud to be a nurse

 

This week were are recognising and highlighting what it means to be a nurse in our workplace.

As part of National Nurses Week we will 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, Melanie Roberts, Acting Chief Nurse shares why she is proud to work for our organisation and thanks colleagues for the tremendous sacrifices they have made over the last year as we all faced the challenges of COVID-19.

To say thank you – our executive team and senior nurse colleagues will be out and about all week thanking the teams across our workplace. They will also bring along some well-deserved goodies. This morning, Acting Chief Nurse, Melanie Roberts was handing out goodie bags to colleagues in maternity.

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

Calling the kids!

 

As part of the celebration of our nursing #SWBfamily this week we are creating a film in the voice of the children of our nursing workforce. We’re asking them why they are proud of their mum or dad. So, if you are a nurse in any capacity and your child or children would like to tell the world how special you are, please take part and send us your video clip. All we need is a few sentences (filmed on your phone is fine – in landscape format please) of your child saying what they think of mum or dad being a nurse.

As a suggestion, your child may wish to hold a photo of you and say this is my mum/dad, and then deliver their message, or speak direct to camera. Here are a few questions that would give us the sentiment we are looking for in your child’s response.

  • What do you think of mummy or daddy being a nurse?
  • What does mummy or daddy do at work?
  • Why is nursing such an important job?
  • Where does mummy or daddy work?

The film will be shared internally and externally through our social media channels this Wednesday (12 May) to mark National Nurses Day 2021.

If you wish to take part in this initiative, please send your short video clips to Anuji Evans, by WhatsApp – 07870 904625 by Tuesday 11 May. Please include their first name and age in the message.

Mental Health Awareness Week: 10 – 16 May

 

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week.

Talking about your feelings isn’t a sign of weakness. Talking about your feelings is a part of taking control of your overall wellbeing and staying healthy. Quite often we do not recognise any physical health condition as a sign of weakness and the approach to mental health should be no different.

Talking about your feelings does not always mean describing your feelings, sometimes one word is enough to convey your emotions, often a combination of words is the only way to shed insight regarding what’s going on inside your head.

As a Trust, we have seen first-hand the focus and priority that has been on providing first class patient care during these testing times. The time has come for us all to think about our colleagues that have weathered these storms, we all need to take a moment and process the last year and think about what support we all need.

Support comes in many different forms, from talking to someone, switching off and recharging, to getting active and connected with nature; whatever works for you we are here to help.

The wellbeing services offered through the Trust offer a vast range of suggestions to help you to prioritise your wellbeing.

To help support Mental Health Awareness week, we have some activities you can get involved in, to support your journey to a healthy state of wellbeing:

Get walking: May is also get walking month! What better way to boost your health and wellbeing by getting moving. Click here to find out more.

Fancy a Coffee with Occy?

We have arranged for a ‘Coffee with Occy’ day, we encourage all of our colleagues to pop along for a hot drink, a sweet treat and a chat with occupational health. We will also be providing take home Iftar packs for our colleagues who are observing Ramadan:

  • Wednesday 12 May – 9.30am – 3.30pm: Postgraduate Centre (Room 6) City Hospital
  • Thursday 13 May –9.30am – 3.30pm: Education Centre (Room 9&10) Sandwell Hospital

Please click here for useful information from our counselling service partners.

Follow this link for simple tips for improving your mood, top tips for dealing with stress and the every mind matters mind plan.

Celebrating National Nurses Week – Join us for a COVID memorial service

 

To mark National Nurses Week join us for our first event of the week today (Monday 10 May) when our Lead Chaplain, Rev Mary Causer will hold a COVID memorial service at 3pm in the court yard gardens at Sandwell Hospital.

Everyone is welcome to watch the service virtually via livestream by clicking here or watching from the front page of Connect.

Join our Midland Met Q&A session today

 

With all eyes fixed firmly on the opening of Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH), we invite you to our first Q&A session today where we’ll be talking about all things Midland Met.

You will hear updates from our Director of System Transformation, Rachel Barlow and, you can put your questions to Ruth Wilkin, Director of Communications and Jayne Dunn, Director of Commissioning & Equipping.

All questions from the session will be added to our MMUH intranet pages on Connect. You can also read through existing FAQs here.

Our Q&A session will take place today:

Star of the Week – Zaheer Iqbal

 

Our Star of the Week this week is Zaheer Iqbal, Portering /Security Manager.

Zaheer was nominated by a colleague for his hard work and dedication that has been an inspiration. Throughout the year Zaheer has risen to the challenges of the pandemic and is consistently friendly and helpful to all he comes across.

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.

Sir David Nicholson – Chairman’s message

 

Sir David Nicholson officially joined the Trust on Saturday 1 May as the organisation’s new Chairman. Be sure to check out this short video where he shares his thoughts on his first week at the Trust.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 7 May

 

There are two important campaigns being marked next week. National Nurses Week begins on Monday and I will talk about that in next week’s message. The other campaign, that I want to focus on today, is Mental Health Awareness Week that runs from Monday up to 16 May.   It is a timely reminder for all of us to ensure we spend time reflecting on our own mental health and accessing the resources and help that we need, whatever that may be.

The year we have just experienced has thrown into the spotlight the importance of mental health and individual (and team) wellbeing.  The pandemic has had a significant impact on everyone’s lives and it is natural that this impact can cause mental health issues or exacerbate pre-existing conditions.

Throughout the pandemic, the impact on key workers, particularly those of us working in health care, has been significant. National and international reports have cited the potential risks of mental trauma affecting clinicians and others who have been directly supporting COVID-19 patients.  Critical care services nationally, for example, when surveyed, showed that over 30% of their staff were suffering symptoms of post-traumatic stress.  12% had had or were having, suicidal thoughts.   As a response to this, our Trust enhanced its range of resources to support people during the year that have been well-used and valued.  We will continue to provide these resources to you and refine them in the coming months.  Your recovery is important to us.

The pandemic may at present be in a retreating phase in terms of prevalence of COVID-19 cases but the mental impact of the pandemic does not retreat in the same way. We all need to create the time and space to reflect and recover. Mental Health Awareness Week provides us with a useful prompt, along with helpful tips to enable us to do this.

“Nature” is the theme this year which was selected by the Mental Health Foundation because of the positive benefits that being in green spaces has on our mental health. Their research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic showed that going for walks outside was one of the top coping strategies, and that people spent time noticing nature more during the year.  Some walks are more pleasurable than others, of course.  At the weekend my wife and I struggled our way up Cader Idris and wondered whether our mental wellbeing had improved at the obvious expense of our physical state!

I would encourage you all to reflect on your own mental wellbeing next week and check out the resources on offer. You can also access the Foundation’s top tips and share your experiences with #ConnectWithNature. Look out for more information in our Communications Bulletin next week. And make sure you check in with your colleagues, friends and family too. By looking out for each other we will be more able to find the right support to make things better.

And, on the theme on mental wellbeing, what better way to kick off the month than taking part in Dr Nick Makwana’s May dance4wellbeing. Nick was joined by a host of senior nurses and others this month, all busting their moves for your entertainment, but also so you can take part and boost your physical and mental health. Nick would welcome hearing from you about your participation so be sure to share your own photos and films.

Thank you to the maternity team for hosting me on Wednesday as part of their celebrations for International Day of the Midwife. We were lucky enough to receive an unannounced inspection from the Care Quality Commission in maternity services on the same day! Whilst I am not yet in receipt of the CQC’s full findings following their two day visit, the inspectors who have shared initial views have expressed how much they enjoyed their visit and how welcomed they felt. No doubt they will be sharing areas where they recognise we can make improvements and I welcome their oversight as we continue to progress our maternity improvement plan, led by Helen Hurst, Director of Midwifery and the Group/Directorate leadership team.

Congratulation to Zaheer Iqbal, Portering / Security Manager who is our Star of the Week. Zaheer was nominated by a colleague for his hard work and dedication that has been an inspiration. Throughout the year Zaheer has risen to the challenges of the pandemic and is consistently friendly and helpful to all he comes across. Thank you, Zaheer.

Richard Beeken
Interim Chief Executive

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 7 May

 

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

No. of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 No. of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged No. of COVID-19 positive patients who have died in our hospitals No.of COVID-19 positive current inpatients No. of COVID-19 research trial participants to date
6,353
(6,344)		 6,328
(6,311)		 1,208
(1,206)		 22
(19)		 1,134
(1,132)

1. New: Lifting the lid on COVID-19 research through new NIHR course

Over one million people in the UK have discovered the benefits of participating in clinical research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the help of the NIHR’s new free online learning course, more people can now delve into the world of health research.

The NIHR is launching a new short course called ‘COVID-19: Understanding the research behind the pandemic.’ The course aims to uncover the UK’s strong health research operation in conducting critical research in the NHS – which discovered new vaccines and proven treatments in response to the COVID-19 global healthcare crisis.

The two week online course will only take two hours of your time each week and you’ll explore how the research community rose to the challenge to develop life-saving treatments and vaccines with patient safety at the centre of its work. This was only possible due to the unprecedented support from the public around the world willing to take part in clinical research to help fight this new disease.

Register today for the NIHR course COVID-19: Understanding the research behind the pandemic starting on Monday 17 May.

2. Reminder: Welcome back – SWB welcomes back visitors on our stroke ward

This week we began a phased trial where we slowly started to welcome visitors back onto our stroke ward, Newton 4.

All visitors need to call ahead to relevant wards to book an appointment slot to visit. During this call visitors should be screened to ensure they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms. All visitors must wear a mask when on site. General patient visits will last a maximum of 30 minutes and should be limited to one visitor per patient.

Note: In line with national guidance, general visiting will only be allowed for patients that have been in the hospital for seven days or more.

We’d like to remind colleagues that there are exceptional circumstances where visiting is allowed in all areas, for example for young patients, patients who lack mental capacity and patients who are at the end of their life. For these patients it is important that we are able to safely facilitate visiting, so please if in doubt ask your group for advice.

It is essential to note that even for these groups visiting is NOT ALLOWED by anyone who is COVID-19 symptomatic or self-isolating, regardless of the circumstances.

3. Reminder: Swabbing for safety – Ensuring we protect our patients throughout their care pathway

As the numbers of COVID positive patients decreasing more of our focus returns to the restoration and recovery of our services. However, it is also essential that we also maintain patient safety and uphold Infection Prevention and Control principles.

One of the key methods to protecting patients from COVID-19 is to ensure we swab and screen patients at the right times whilst they are in our care to ensure they do not pose an infection risk to other patients or to colleagues.

Guidance on swabbing differs from area to area, so it’s important that colleagues take the time to understand their responsibility.

Please take the time to read the pathway guidance linked below as well as the ‘To swab or not to swab’ poster for further guidance on your responsibility to swab test patients in our care.

Colleagues should be aware that a new elective swabbing pathway was recently signed off  defining the COVID-19 swabbing pathway for patients attending green wards for elective surgery.

All patients are instructed to adhere to social distancing for seven days prior to their admission, and must self-isolate from the point of having their COVID-19 swab.

All patients must have a telephone pre-assessment appointment booked and for those who require an interpreter or carers to attend with them (e.g. if patient has Dementia/learning difficulties) then these patients must be booked a face to face pre-op appointment at Rowley Regis Hospital.

4. Reminder: LAMP testing – Keeping ourselves safe and keeping COVID-19 at bay

The vaccination programme at our Trust has been incredibly successful and alongside colleagues continuing to social distance and follow PPE guidance we remain focused on keeping COVID-19 at bay. However, we must remember that outside the confines of our hospitals and out in the community, there still remains a risk of catching COVID-19 and ultimately spreading it to family, colleagues and our patients.

The only way to manage COVID-19 on a long term basis and to move away from the constraints of social distancing and wearing masks is to have a well-established and universally adopted testing programme, where colleagues test themselves regularly, and results are available quickly.

LAMP tests give us the opportunity to carry out a non-invasive, pain-free saliva test, and to have very reliable results returned quickly. As a Trust there is an expectation that all colleagues who attend sites more than once a week carry out a LAMP test on a weekly basis.

Data on LAMP test uptake is available here

The table below shows the numbers of staff registered, those testing and the numbers that have tested more than once for each Group.  PCCT continue to be leading the way with 48% staff registered and 33% of the total staff testing:

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.

If you haven’t already, you can now book a kit collection slot by calling 0121 507 2664 and selecting option 6.

Further information on LAMP testing can be found in the attached FAQs.

5. Reminder: Vaccines are still available – make sure you book your jab appointment

If you are yet to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, you can still book in to get your jab at either Tipton Sports Academy vaccination centre or at the Saddlers Shopping Centre, Walsall.

The hub at Tipton Sports Academy, Wednesbury Road, is running Monday to Sunday, 8am to 7pm. Book your slot via the national booking website.  You can also use this link to book an appointment locally to your home. For the Saddlers Shopping Centre follow this link to book: Walsall Saddlers Centre

We advise all colleagues to take the time to read the COVID-19 guide for healthcare workers.

Please ensure you take your Staff ID with you when you attend your appointment as it’s important you’re able to confirm you are eligible for the vaccination.

6. Reminder: The Wellbeing Sanctuary is still open – massages are back on

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 on 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

Massages are also available, having restarted last week.

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)
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