Monthly archives: August 2021

Support victims of domestic abuse by becoming a champion

The Trust has a dedicated network of colleagues (safeguarding nurses and independent domestic violence advocates) who are responsible for supporting and safeguarding victims of domestic abuse and their children. Our domestic abuse nurses are setting up the SWB Domestic Abuse Champions Network to assist with our work in raising awareness and ensuring that victims and their children can access expert advice and support.

Could you be a domestic abuse champion?  

There will be a domestic abuse champion in each area across our workplace who can offer advice and signposting. They will update their area on current services and ensure information and resources are maintained.

Domestic abuse champions are not… 

Domestic abuse is a complex safeguarding area, domestic abuse champions will not be expected to take on the role or responsibility of case-holder, undertake any of the specialist intervention provided by the independent domestic violence advocates or act as a substitute for seeking advice from the safeguarding named nurses or domestic abuse lead nurses.

How can you benefit? 

Training will be provided to equip you with the knowledge to raise awareness in your local area. There will be meetings held which will enable the sharing of updates, to offer supervision and for sharing of good practice. There is the opportunity to contribute to positive outcomes for vulnerable individuals.

To register your interest in becoming a domestic abuse champion or for further information, please contact email joannetoovey@nhs.net or 07970 993875 by Thursday 30 September, 5pm.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 13 August

By Dr David Carruthers – Richard Beeken is away.

It’s great to see the new wellbeing hubs set up at Rowley Regis Hospital, City Hospital and Sandwell Hospital. These have been requested by staff to enable easier access to wellbeing areas so that colleagues can take the opportunity to have some quiet time during, before or after the working day. I hope you can make use of these and encourage your colleagues to do this too. As a reminder, the Sanctuary in the Learning Works building remains available for reflective time, a chat or certain relaxing treatments. Let’s make sure we look after ourselves and each other as we deal with this latest wave of the pandemic.

From next week the government regulations on self-isolation changes for those who are fully vaccinated (at least 14 days since your second dose). This will enable greater freedom for people on return from travelling and if you are identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We are working through the detail of this for staff following receipt of guidance from Public Health England earlier today and will update you all next week on the arrangements. What we are certain of is the need for an individual risk assessment to be carried out and extra vigilance on social distancing, hand washing, PPE and regular testing (LAMP as well as daily lateral flow if you have been identified).

I know that many of you are working with limited staff numbers due to the needs of self-isolation so this new guidance should ease some of the pressures and enable people to get back to work sooner. There are lots of services under pressure at present and today I wanted to call out our maternity services who are experiencing record numbers of births this summer with around 500 new babies expected to be delivered by our maternity teams in August. Huge thanks to our midwives in the community and those on our delivery suite for the calm and compassionate way they are supporting families with their new arrivals, despite being busier than ever.

We continue to promote the important message about vaccination among all adults and particularly among pregnant women before the COVID-19 booster jabs campaign kicks off later this year. I remain dismayed by the small minority of the population who are persistently pushing anti vaccination views and being relentless and at times aggressive in their actions. No matter what myths and ill-informed attitudes there are, I know that all of you, who have supported the Trust and our patients throughout the pandemic, know only too well how real and devastating COVID-19 is. We have lost colleagues and loved ones and we are still treating very sick people in our hospitals. None of us want to go through wave after wave of COVID-19 and vaccination combined with testing and good infection control are the main ways we can overcome the virus.

You may have seen earlier communication about the global shortage of blood testing tubes and potential disruption of supply. In order to mitigate this risk all NHS organisations have been asked to take certain actions that will help to manage current stocks and ensure that urgent clinical care is not disrupted. My message to medical colleagues earlier today includes a summary of the actions to be taken. I want to ensure that we have a way of risk assessing and documenting the decisions we make on test prioritisation – the risk management committee will consider this next week. It is vital that we take the necessary action to limit future supply disruption. We should do so with due consideration of the risks to ensure that patient care remains safe.

I’m pleased that many clinical teams are continuing to take part in site tours around our new hospital. In our picture montage today we feature Harry and Ellie, HCAs from ED who were able to get a good idea of how the department will look when it opens. Reviewing our clinical pathways to make sure that we deliver the best care in our communities, in our diagnostic hubs and in acute settings is essential work that clinical and operational leaders are focusing on currently. Many services will need minor changes but major transformation is needed in a few specialties and departments and the work starts now. Where we can make changes now, ahead of the move to MMUH, we will do so, to ensure we make the most of the new facilities that will be available to us.

Congratulations to our two stars of the week, Sameer and Muj from the performance and insights team. It is unusual to have two people to get this prestigious award, but both individuals were put forward jointly for work they have done to gain silver QIHD accreditation for the department. They were praised for being diligent, enthusiastic and making the sessions enjoyable for everyone. There is much to learn from their approach so do get in touch with them to see how you can adapt what they have done to ensure your QIHDs achieve the right levels of accreditation.

Essential IT maintenance affecting Unity Reporting this Wednesday, 10.30pm

Please be aware essential database maintenance will be taking place on Wednesday 18 August affecting Unity Reporting (PI Explorer). The work is scheduled to begin at 10.30pm and should be completed just after midnight.

During this time Unity reporting will be unavailable; all other aspects of Unity remain unaffected.

The activity will be closely monitored by our support vendor and our IT support teams.

As always, should you have any further queries or experience any issues with Unity reporting after the maintenance then please do contact the 24 hour IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.

Heartbeat: Surprise hampers for deserving NHS colleagues

Last season for every goal scored, Cazoo donated £1000 to the Aston Villa Foundation, totalling an incredible £57,000.

The Foundation used some of this money to create care hampers for nurses, logistics colleagues and volunteers who have been running the vaccination centre in the Holte End, as well as for the midwives who have been housed in the Holte pub running the ante-natal clinics which have been hosted at Villa Park throughout the pandemic.

The hampers were filled with a variety of goodies including chocolates, tea bags, books and more. A team from the Aston Villa Foundation helped to put the hampers together at Villa Park.

The Aston Villa Foundation’s Neighbourhood Engagement Officer, Jen Tullett said: “Having seen first-hand the hard work of those who have been working at the anti-natal clinic and vaccine centre, both NHS and support staff, we wanted to thank them from all the staff and supporters of Aston Villa. Cazoo has given us the opportunity to provide the hampers as a small token of our gratitude.”

Aston Villa Foundation ambassador and Harry Potter star Oliver Phelps, with the help of Cazoo, delivered the hampers to some very deserving people.

Johnny Shah, Head of Your Trust Charity who has been coordinating donations of gifts to colleagues, said: “As we hopefully near the end of what has been at truly exhausting 18 months for our Trust’s frontline workers, we continue to be amazed by the support of our community partners. Thanks so much to Aston Villa Foundation and Cazoo for helping to make a difference.”

Product recall: Clinell disinfectant wipes – batch number VJT118

We have been advised of a product recall concerning Clinell Packet wipes (VJT118).  Only certain lot numbers are affected which are listed below.

The lot numbers appear on the side of the packet printed in black. Please check the stock you have and if you have any with the lot numbers listed below, please isolate them and contact call ext. 4938, 4937 or 4699 and we will arrange for them be collected and replaced.

• UBV3032520A
• UBV3032520B
• UBV1032720A
• UBV7032720A
• UBV1033020A
• UBV2033020A
• UBV3033020A
• UBV4033020A
• UBV6032920A

For more information please email lisa.southall1@nhs.net.

Are you taking your medical exams this academic year?

The library services and wellbeing team have jointly funded access to BMJ OnExamination to support your exam revision needs.

If you are undertaking exams this academic year, please register for a code by clicking here and we will send you the instructions on how to access it. You will also be able to revise for your exams without an internet connection by downloading their app. All your responses will be synchronised once you log back into the site.

Once the code is activated you will have four months of free access to the whole question bank within OnExamination.

Note: You will not be able to get another code once the four months have ended, so timing the activation before your exam is crucial.

For more information please email swbh.library@nhs.net or call ext. 3587.

Blood gas analysers virtual demonstration event: 16 September

Black Country Pathology Service (BCPS) will be hosting a virtual demonstration day on Thursday 16 September, 10am – 12pm via Microsoft Teams to help shape and inform the specification for a future procurement of blood gas analysers.

BCPS will be running digital sessions where colleagues can view the equipment and see a demonstration on how they run a sample, change consumables and general operation.

If you would like to attend either please click here.

For further details please email Julie.edge3@nhs.net.

Warning – anti face mask posters

We have been alerted to anti face mask posters being put up in some trusts nationally and at vaccination sites. Some of these contain hidden razor blades.

If you see any of these posters at our sites, please DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE THEM. Contact security on ext. 2222 who will do this safely.

When logging a call, please reference ‘the security alert for removal.’

Stars of the Week: Sameer Farooq Mohammed and Mujahid Sabir

Our Stars of the Week this week are Sameer Farooq Mohammed and Mujahid Sabir.

Both Sameer and Mujahid volunteered to lead the QIHD process on behalf of  the performance and insight team and successfully executed the team getting from Bronze to Silver. The manner in which they did it was fantastic for building team engagement and great fun.

They both ensured all documents and submissions were on time and took the lead on projects that were put forward for silver accreditation and took the lead in taking them through the process of accreditation,.

Sameer and Mujahid’s demonstration of great leadership in organising and delivering the QIHD for the performance and insight team whilst performing their usual day jobs to a high standard has been nothing short of outstanding.

What they have both achieved through QIHD is exactly what it was set up for which is to build happy and productive teams, to create the next generation of leaders and to make meaningful improvements beyond everyday service.

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.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 13 August

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

1. New: Black Country and West Birmingham mental health and wellbeing hub

It’s more important than ever that we look after ourselves, stay connected, and keep the conversation going about how we are feeling and how these circumstances are affecting us.

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHFT) has set up a Black Country and West Birmingham Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, to provide an entry point into mental health talking therapies and support for colleagues across the Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care System (ICS).

Qualified mental health professionals offer priority pathways to confidential telephone, video, or face-to-face support tailored to individual needs, provided by local mental health teams and support services close to home.

Don’t suffer in silence: If you are feeling overwhelmed or need someone to talk to. If you feel that you would benefit from this support, you can self-refer by visiting the BCHFT website. Alternatively, you can email bchft.hub@nhs.net or call 0121 8031444.

Note: This is not a crisis service. If you require urgent mental health support, please call Rethink’s 24/7 mental health helpline on 0800 0086516 or visit BCHFT’s help in a crisis page for a range of options. You can find out more about the 24/7 mental health helpline here.

2. New: COVID-19 vaccinations available for expectant mums

Expectant mums who have not already received their COVID-19 vaccine are urged to get their vaccine after new data shows the overwhelming majority of pregnant women hospitalised with the virus have not had a jab. There are positive signs that no pregnant women with both doses of the vaccine had been admitted to hospital.

Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwifery Officer for England, said: “I am calling on pregnant women to take action to protect themselves and their babies and on my fellow midwives to ensure they have the information they need to do so.”

COVID-19 vaccines offer pregnant women the best protection against COVID-19 which can be serious in later pregnancy for some women. The first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will give good protection and the second dose will give longer lasting protection.

From Monday 16 August, pregnant ladies based in maternity will be directed to the Hub for their COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccination clinics will also take place in antenatal on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 1pm – 6pm from 24 August.

3. New: Isolation rules for staff if travelling abroad

You are aware that national guidelines on self-isolation following travel for those who are fully vaccinated is changing. The government’s guidance on travel overseas continues to change depending on case numbers and the presence of COVID-19 variants. If you are intending to travel abroad you must be aware of the latest guidance and be mindful that there can be changes to the status of a country at short notice. In order to help continue to deliver safe services to patients we have clear guidance in place that you should declare travel intentions to your line manager prior to leaving the UK.

If you travel to a country on the green list which moves to the amber or red list whilst on holiday, and isolation is required you may be required to use annual leave, unpaid leave or homeworking (or a combination of each) to cover any quarantine period upon return. Please talk to your line manager about these arrangements.

If you have booked travel to a country on the green list that moves to the amber or red list prior to the date of travel, you should take a considered approach and discuss this with your line manager if there is a requirement to quarantine on return. Additional annual leave or unpaid leave (for quarantine) should be authorised prior to travel. Therefore, you may wish to consider buying flexible tickets when booking travel abroad. Read more here.

4. New: Self isolation changes from Monday, 16 August

From Monday 16 August, most double vaccinated health and social care staff who are close contacts of COVID-19 positive cases will be able to routinely return to work, provided they have had a negative PCR test. Daily LFD tests will need to be taken for 10 days as a precaution.

Staff working with clinically extremely vulnerable patients or service users will need a risk assessment to be carried out by a designated person in the workplace before they return to work.

For more information, click here.

Public Health England issued further guidance this morning and we are reviewing this to ensure our Trust processes support safe patient care and safety of all colleagues. We are also working with Trusts locally on a consistent approach. Updated guidance will be available next week.

5. Updated: Join the weekly saliva testing programme to protect your patients and loved ones

Did you know we currently offer a weekly testing programme for all colleagues that allows you to get reliable results on COVID testing through a completely pain free and non-invasive test?

You can register for LAMP testing and book in to a kit collection slot for the weekly test, which requires you to spit into a tube in the morning before you brush your teeth or an hour after you have eaten.

When you arrive at work, you can deposit your sample into a red collection box. Many of these are positioned around our acute and community sites. And within 24-48 hours you will get a text message confidentially sent to you alerting you to your results.

For a full list of drop off points and for details on how to register, click here.

Uptake of the weekly saliva test is monitored to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our patients, the public and each other.

The latest data by group is below:

6. Reminder: Final call for important COVID-19 study
Our Trust is taking part in this important study that aims to examine the relative contribution of occupational, sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCW) in NHS Trusts in the West Midlands, and how to minimise these risks. The outcomes would also be highly relevant should we experience a different pandemic in the future. The study also considers how things have changed overtime as the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed.

Time is running out as study recruitment closes this Monday (16 August 2021), and we are keen for as many of our staff / students / volunteers as possible to complete the baseline survey by that date.

If you have not already taken part, please access the link below to see if you are eligible for study participation.

https://is.gd/copewmret

Although the research team are not currently able to provide any specific results, they have advised us that preliminary analysis on the exposure data has shown signals suggesting higher risk of infection based on certain exposures. Every member of the Trust that takes part will help to strengthen the study outcomes.

7. Reminder: Take advantage of time out with your team

Taking time out is important for mental and physical wellbeing, particularly after a difficult 18 months throughout the pandemic. Many team leaders have expressed a wish to arrange some time for teams to step away from the work environment and jointly reflect on experiences. This time-out can take a range of formats, but in order to help managers, the Trust is happy to consider centrally funding reasonable costs associated with these time-outs.

This could include:

• Hire of an external venue
• Facilitator/external speaker costs
• Transport to external venue
• Refreshment costs (no alcohol)
• External team building activities
• Backfill costs

Get your thinking caps on and have a think about things you and your team might enjoy while taking some well-deserved time out. Visit Connect for more information.