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Monthly archives: October 2021

Tell us the support you need to help improve sickness absence

 

In August 2020 the new Attendance at Work (Sickness Absence) Policy was launched. To help support managers to understand and implement the new policy an online training course was developed alongside a management toolkit.

These resources were made available on Connect with a range of supporting documents to support understanding and implementation of the policy to successfully manage sickness absence.

Twelve months on we would like to understand the additional support you may require as managers to help you better manage sickness absence and improve attendance.

Please tell us your experiences by clicking here. The survey will remain open until Friday 5 November.

Listening to your views and acting on them

 

A few months ago many of you were involved in listening sessions within your teams, reviewing the 2020 staff survey results and giving your feedback on how we can make our workplace a great place to be.

Here are some of the things you said and what we did together.

Your feedback is important to SWB. If you have yet to complete this year’s staff survey, there’s still time to do so.

You have until Friday 26 November.

If you have any queries please email swbh.comms@nhs.net

New alcohol care team pathways for supporting pregnant women

 

The alcohol care team and the specialist midwives have been working collaboratively to support pregnant women who are drinking alcohol. National guidance on drinking during pregnancy is unclear, but there is a collective recognition that any alcohol consumption is potentially harmful to the unborn baby. Therefore, women who are drinking alcohol during pregnancy should be made aware of the dangers of this and offered treatment and support as required.

Two new pathways have been created to support clinicians in referring patients to the alcohol care team, and any woman who is drinking any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can be referred with their consent.

The first pathway (Pregnant drinkers referrals to ACT) advises on how to refer to the alcohol care team. The second pathway (Alcohol dependent pregnant woman pathway – inpatient management), guides clinicians on how to manage alcohol withdrawal in alcohol dependent pregnant drinkers whilst an inpatient. The pathways can also be be found in ‘clinical guidelines for the management of alcohol withdrawal’ available on Connect.

For any further information regarding this, please contact the alcohol care team on ext. 5074.

Stoptober continues this month – do you want to quit smoking?

 

We are now offering free access to a 12 week smoking cessation programme for colleagues.

Did you know an average smoker spends £242 per week, £2900 per year and £116,000 over a lifetime on smoking.

The stop smoking service provides expert advice, support and encouragement.  With help, you are up to four times more likely to successfully quit smoking.

Colleagues wanting to kick the habit can also access the free smoking cessation services during working hours.

A dedicated one-to-one personal advisor will be available for up to 12 weeks to support colleagues with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products offered as part of the service.

Clinics can be accessed via a telephone, though appointments during working hours must be agreed by line managers.  The initial booking session will take 30 minutes and thereafter appointments will take 15 minutes.

Please see contact details for the smoking cessation service below:

Note: Colleagues should contact jatinder.sekhon@nhs.net  or call ext. 5886/3854 for a voucher in order to register for the service.

 

Essential West Midlands Ambulance Service EPR upgrade until 31 October

 

Please be aware West Midlands Ambulance Service are currently upgrading the software for their Electronic Patient Record system which will be completed by 31 October. This is because the existing system is end of life and support is being ceased. The system is mainly used by our  ED and cardiology departments.

With immediate effect, the new version of the Cleric EPR system should now be used. This can be assessed via Connect under the Safe Triage icon which will take colleagues to the new EPR2 Portal link. https://epronline.ext.wmas.nhs.uk/.

Note: This must be run on Microsoft Edge and not Internet Explorer and the icon is in the process of being updated.

For further information please contact the IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.

Urgent: Product recall – Obisk brand face masks – type IIR

 

We have recently received a product recall concerning a brand of Obisk type IIR face masks affecting both ear loop and tie back. Only five batch/lot numbers are affected which are listed below and they can be found on the side of the box.

  • 101000345
  • 101000346
  • 101000348
  • 101000349
  • 101000350

For further details please see Obisk blue tree face mask information sheet.

Please check any stock you may have of these face masks. If you find any of the five affected batch/lot numbers, please ensure you isolate them and call Lisa Southall on ext. 4938.

Black History Month event at Miller’s Restaurant: 28 October

 

This special event organised by Unison in conjunction with the equality, diversity and inclusion team and the BME Staff Network, will be held from 5pm – 8pm at Miller’s Restaurant, City Hospital on Thursday 28 October. The event will mark the annual celebration of Black History Month. There will be a Windrush and WW2 economic migration theme for this event  and food and drink supplied by Caribbean and Asian caterers.

All colleagues are invited and welcome to attend.

Note: There will be strict social distancing and PPE regulations in place and room capacity limits will also be enforced.

Halloween themed sale in the Courtyard Centre throughout October to raise funds for cancer services

 

Cancer services will be hosting a Halloween themed sale of various spooky goods and treats for your children to enjoy.

The stall will be open on the following days throughout October:

  • Monday, 10am – 12pm
  • Wednesday, 12pm – 2pm
  • Thursday, 10am – 12pm
  • Friday, 10am – 12pm

For more information please call ext. 3817.

Practice supervisors and assessors of nursing students – are you ePAD ready?

 

Student MEYPAD documents are going digital soon so we must ensure clinical colleagues are ePAD ready?

The ePad is an electronic portfolio containing all practice documentation required for the duration of a student’s journey in practice. The ePAD provides a comprehensive record of the student’s professional development and performance in practice.

The ePAD will also allow practice supervisors/practice assessors and academic assessors the opportunity to securely view, comment on and assess student work. The ePAD system is secure and accessible for the student and their assessors and a valuable tool for the students as they embark on the voyage towards becoming our nurses of the future.

Please ensure you access the videos and resources below regarding ePAD:

Drop-in sessions for practice assessors

We have also organised some digital drop-in sessions via the Microsoft Teams platform form 10am – 11.30am should you have any queries. Please see details below:

For more information please call ext. 6149 or email swbh.nurse-education@nhs.net.

Show members of your team how great they are – send them a thank you postcard

 

Everyday across our workplace we come across colleagues who have gone above and beyond. From small little gestures to bigger favours – all these kind acts make our working day that much easier.

Why not send your colleagues a thank you postcard? We now have a range of official SWB branded thank you postcards which can be sent to anyone you just want to say thank you to.

Managers can order cards by emailing Medical Illustration at swbh.miprint@nhs.net  using code MS6413 and providing your cost code.

Note: Please note that a minimum order of 50 cards is required – a pack of 50 cards is £8.

Line manager communication resources now available : There are new resources on Connect to support you with engagement and communication within your team. Visit the section on Connect for ideas on a range of initiatives for example how to engage busy teams. Take a look to see how you can support your teams.

 

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