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Monthly archives: November 2021

International Fraud Awareness Week – Fraud fighters in the spotlight

 

Message from Dinah McLannahan, Chief Finance Officer

Fraud is estimated to cost the NHS more than £1 billion each year- enough money to pay for over 40,000 staff nurses, 500 wards, or to purchase over 5,000 frontline ambulances. Many will be shocked to learn that some people, fortunately a small minority, seek to gain by targeting taxpayer funds that are meant for patient care – particularly at a time when NHS resources are under significant pressure.

Because fraud is a hidden crime, knowing about it is the first step in dealing with it. That’s why next week our Trust is joining hundreds of organisations around the world in promoting International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW).

The aim of this initiative is to raise awareness of fraud and bribery in the NHS and highlight some simple things that can be done to prevent it. Our Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) has prepared a range of materials to raise awareness, including screensavers; infographics; bulletins; and videos. There will also be daily live interactive training sessions on a variety of topics.

What you can do to help

At the Trust we know fraud against the NHS is an ever-present threat and no organisation is immune from it. That’s why we support International Fraud Awareness Week and recognise the vital contribution of our fraud fighters in protecting precious NHS resources for patient care.

I would be grateful if you would take a moment to read the various communications that will be issued during the week and do not hesitate to contact our LCFS, if you wish to find out more information, or refer to our dedicated counter fraud pages on the intranet.

Reporting concerns

It is easy to report fraud, bribery or corruption affecting the NHS. You can contact:

Thank you for supporting this important initiative. Remember: all our people, our patients and the public can play a part in the fight against fraud – not just this week but all year round.

Echo report downtime: 12 November, 6pm – 15 November, 8am

 

Due to the echo and cardiac catheter lab system upgrade, official echo and cardiac catheter reports will not be available on Unity from Friday 12 November, 6pm until Monday 15 November, 8am.

Preliminary reports will be added to Unity, with official reports to follow post-upgrade.

Note: You will still be able to request all procedures through Unity.

Remembrance Day service

 

Yesterday (Thursday 11 November) we marked Remembrance Day by holding a five minute ceremony across each of our hospital sites. 

Be sure to also check out this short video featuring Trust colleagues talking about Remembrance Day and what it means to them.

 

Sad passing of Tony Ross: Funeral service this Friday

 

It is with great sadness that after a short illness, a very dear colleague Tony Ross (known to many as Mr Tone) has passed away.

He worked for the Trust for over 30 years and had been an invaluable member of the medical engineering team for the last 26 years. Tony was known to many for his calmness, professionalism and his willingness to help others alongside his loveable sense of humour. He lived life to the full and enjoyed riding his motorbikes. Tony will be sorely missed by all that knew him especially his friends and colleagues in the medical engineering department.

Funeral service: For those who wish to pay their respects, Tony’s funeral service will be streamed in the Postgraduate Centre at City on Friday 12 November from 11am. There will also be support from the chaplaincy team.  For more information please call ext. 4070 or email sharanjeet.malhi@nhs.net.

Flu myths! – Boost your immunity this winter

 

Protecting ourselves this winter against flu and COVID-19 is more important now, than ever. There are lots of myths and misconceptions surrounding the flu jab and COVID-19 booster, and we’re back to clear up some more myths.

MYTH! This is false. The flu jab does not contain any pork or gelatine. It is the children’s nasal spray that can contain gelatine, not the adult jab that we use here at our Trust.

Where to get your jabs

  • Sandwell: A pop up clinics is taking place on Wednesday 24 November in the Berridge room (off the courtyard gardens) in occupational health
  • City: The City vaccination hub is open seven days a week
  • Rowley: The next pop up at Rowley is due Thursday 25 November, with walk ins able to come in to Westwood ward from 9am – 4pm.

Note: There must be at least six months (182 days) between your second dose of your COVID-19 jab and your booster.

Do you have any other myths that need busting? You can contact the vaccine hub on 0121 507 4404.

Seated acupressure massage sessions available at the Sanctuary

 

Are you thinking of relaxaing and unwinding after a long week? A seated acupressure massage session is just one of the ways to destress and is available to all colleagues across the Trust.

Reset your mind and body with a chair massage and help:

  • Relieve back, neck and shoulder pain
  • Improve your mood
  • Reduce your stress and anxiety
  • Lift your energy
  • Increase your circulation

Note: A full consultation is completed with a therapist prior to the session and the massage is carried out safely over your own clothing. Social distancing measures are in place and PPE and sanitisation is provided on site. 

Available dates:

  • Tuesday, 10am – 3.30pm
  • Wednesday, 10am – 3.30pm
  • Thursday, 10am – 5pm

Sanctuary is only a 5 minute drive away from City Hospital and a 10 minute drive away from Sandwell Hospital (Learning Works on Unett Street, Smethwick, B66 3SY) with free parking right outside. To book please call 0121 507 5886/3854.

World Diabetes Day event: 12 November

 

To celebrate World Diabetes Day, the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG, will be hosting an online event aimed at people living with diabetes on Friday 12 November, 12pm – 2pm via Zoom.

The webinar will include information about:

  • Managing your diabetes
  • A patient’s experience of managing Type 1 diabetes
  • Celebrating the history of diabetic treatments and 100 years of insulin
  • Ask the experts – a panel of clinicians are on hand to answer your questions

To book your place, please register on Eventbrite by clicking here.

For more information please call 0121 612 1447 or email BCWB.engagement@nhs.net.

Heartbeat: Reflections of the pandemic from healthcare science

 

We recently caught up with Jilly Croasdale, Head of Radiopharmacy Department and Associate Director Healthcare Science to find out how radiopharmacy have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jilly told us: “As associate director, healthcare science I act as lead scientist for the Trust and try to represent all the healthcare scientists who work for us. I look forward to being able to share with you how we have responded to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

“But to start with my discipline, radiopharmacy; the team make medical isotopes for use in nuclear medicine studies at our own Trust and for other hospitals in the region These radiopharmaceuticals are used in nuclear medicine to image how well organs are working. Most radiopharmaceuticals are administered by intravenous injection, so their preparation needs to be performed under aseptic conditions. All radiopharmaceuticals are, by definition, radioactive, so radiation protection also forms an integral part of the job.”

So how have the team coped with the challenges posed by COVID-19, we asked. Jilly explained: “We are used to using PPE, so we were able to adapt well to the increased infection control requirements.

“The department provided crucial support to clinical nuclear medicine services in order for them to continue to see urgent patients. We worked with other organisations to set up contingencies to benefit the whole region, particularly in terms of potential staffing shortages. Both University Hospitals Birmingham and New Cross in Wolverhampton agreed to support this, and their staff came to SWB radiopharmacy to train in manufacturing, releasing and packing of radiopharmaceuticals. This prompted the development of national guidance around continued running of radiopharmacy services during the pandemic, which was led by the radiopharmacy at SWB. This is something I’m proud of, and which I hope helped colleagues elsewhere.”

“The last 18+ months have been extremely challenging, for some very much more than others. But I couldn’t be prouder of my entire team. Everyone looked after and supported each other, as well as pulling together to ensure we had good contingencies in place and were able to keep services running. I’d like to say thank you to them for everything they’ve done over the last 18+ months.”

Be in chance to win some of the latest gadgets in time for Christmas!

 

10 great prizes, 10 great changes to win!

All colleagues have to do to enter is log into technology benefit, click the competition tile on the benefit landing page, opt in to marketing preferences and agree to the terms and conditions by clicking the Enter button. There are 10 great prizes to be won by 10 lucky winners. Prizes up for grabs include an Xbox Series S games console, a set of Apple AirPods Pro, A Smeg & Lavazza Espresso Pod Coffee Machine and the all new Fitbit Charge 5 health and fitness tracker.

Note: Entrants for the prize draw close on Sunday 5 December.

New Java update through ESR

 

An updated Java certificate will be applied to the ESR service overnight on Wednesday 10 November. Once applied, a pop up message will be displayed on your first log in attempt. The pop up will be similar to the screenshot image shown below.

Colleagues are advised to check the box ‘Do not show this again for apps from the publisher and location above’ and then click the ‘Run’ button.

Note: This is a one-time process and colleagues should be mindful it may take slightly longer to login than normal. Please be patient and allow the process to complete and do not attempt to login again as this will just slow things down further.

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