Monthly archives: November 2022

Heartbeat: Raising awareness of sickle cell wonder drug

In February we became the first Trust in the region to administer the crizanlizumab drug to sickle cell patients.

The new treatment reduces chronic pain which leads to trips to A&E and dramatically improves the quality of life for patients.

Now seven months on, Loury Mooruth, who was one of the first to receive it, is pleased with the results the drug is having so far and her journey has been documented by a filmmaker so that she is able to raise awareness of the treatment.

She said: “Since I started on crizanlizumab, I have had one crisis which was in March. It lasted five days – normally they last 10 and I will have a major one every two months.

“One thing I’ve noticed is that I will have a feeling every two days or so that I am about to have a crisis. This lasts for five minutes then disappears. There’s definitely an improvement and I feel I have come on leaps and bounds.

“I’ve suffered for years and years thanks to this disease and as a result have a number of health issues. I definitely feel had I had this drug when I was younger, I wouldn’t be suffering as much with the various ailments I have. It’s important that people with the disease are aware of this treatment and the film that will be produced will go across social media so that sufferers can see first-hand how it is helping me.”

As many as 5,000 people will be treated over the next three years with the new drug.

Loury said previously about the disease: “It’s been part of my entire life. People look at you and think you look fine, but they don’t understand the pain and the trauma along with the many trips to A&E.

“When I have a sickle cell crisis, it’s like someone has a knife and they are ripping it through my joints – particularly my hips and legs.

“Whenever I thought about having this new drug it brought tears to my eyes. I am so excited and over the moon because it is literally lifechanging for me and my family. I really want to encourage other eligible people with this disease to come forward and get this drug”.

Crizanlizumab, delivered by a transfusion drip, works by binding to a protein in the blood cells to prevent the restriction of blood and oxygen supply that leads to a sickle cell crisis.

Patients with sickle cell suffer from monthly episodes, making it difficult for people to continue in their jobs or other everyday activities.

The drug is expected to reduce the number of times a sickle cell patient needs to go to A&E by two fifths.

The Trust is one of the 10 dedicated centres to treat sickle cell disease across the country. Patients will be able to access the new treatment through their consultant at one of these clinics regardless of where they live in the country.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) aims to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – one of the leading risks to human health.

Today’s theme is antimicrobial resistance and the environment/sustainability and research

As part of WAAW we are promoting an “antibiotic amnesty”

Please encourage patients to return unused antibiotics to their pharmacy for safe disposal.

• Environmental contamination from unsafe disposal risks driving up antimicrobial resistance in the environment at large.
• Patients holding on to part courses “just in case” to self-medicate ad hoc drives antimicrobial resistance.

Reduce our carbon footprint by switching IV antimicrobials to oral

• IV antimicrobials have a much larger carbon footprint than oral
  • Production of vial vs tablet/capsules
  • Worldwide transport of heavier product
  • Consumables used (inc. syringes, giving sets, WFI, flushes, etc)
• Around 30% of patients still on IV antibiotics after 72hrs could safely switch to oral.
• Review regularly and consider switching IV to oral in line with new national guidelines

This is the final day of World Antibiotic Awareness Week. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to our health. There’s an urgent need to act before it’s too late.

We must:

• Prevent infections through vaccination and robust infection prevention
• Improve antimicrobials prescribing to reduce unnecessary use
• Optimise use of diagnostic tools
• Properly assess and document allergies
• Protect the environment by using antimicrobials optimally

Be sure to check out this sort video from Dr Tranprit Saluja, Consultant Microbiologist and Lead Antimicrobial Pharmacist, Andrew Brush talking about WAAW.

Pen-gage webinars: Money matters and NHS pension tax

With the cost of living rising and pensions mattering more than ever, Pen-gage are running a series of two-hour money matters and NHS pension tax webinars for all colleagues.

Money matters webinars: The webinar will give you some information to help you make better decisions with your money. It is suggested that after each session, attendees make one decision after that will improve their financial position.

• Wednesday 7 December, 5pm – 7pm

If you wish to book on any of the money matters webinars please click here. For further details please see money matters information sheet.

NHS pension webinars: These focus on the HMRC pension allowances and how they interact with the NHS Pension Scheme. It covers insights into the Annual Allowance and the Lifetime Allowance. Attendees should gain an understanding of the pension tax rules and how they impact on you.

• Tuesday 6 December, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
• Tuesday 10 January, 11am – 1pm

If you wish to book on any of the NHS pension webinars please click here. For further details please see NHS pensions tax information sheet.

welearn Wednesday: Infection Prevention Control

Each month as part of welearn Wednesdays we present a new learning pack identified as a key learning topic from local serious incidents, investigations, complaints, litigation, or coroner cases. The learning may not have a direct link to your area of work; however, the learning provides an opportunity to reflect on some of the wider issues that could be useful for you to consider.

This month we are sharing learning that has been driven by our data which finds that we are an outlier for healthcare associated infections. Following a walk around and observing practices the learning is that we are not always compliant with hand washing, removing gloves or correct procedures for cleaning/decontamination of equipment.

Over the coming weeks and months, the infection prevention and control (IPC) team aims to promote better infection prevention and control practices in health care and to recognise the efforts of all healthcare workers to reduce the risk of infection across our health services. Everyone has a role in the prevention and control of infections in health care. Simple actions, such as cleaning shared patient equipment between each use and hand hygiene, can make big difference.

For further information please see attachments below:

• Hand Hygiene and Cleaning of Medical Devices November 2022 -Evidence Summary
• Welearn November Newsletter
• Learning Alerts – Infection Prevention Control

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week Grand Round: 24 November

To coincide with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) we will be holding a Teams Grand Round on Thursday 24 November, 12.30pm – 1.30pm which will cover the following two topics:

• Antibiotic armageddon – Presented by Dr Tranprit Saluja, Consultant Microbiologist and Andrew Brush, Antimicrobial Pharmacist
• Heading in the wrong direction – Presented by Lee Ting, Microbiology Registrar and Shannon Cavey, Microbiology Foundation Year 2 Doctor

If you wish to join this session please click here.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) aims to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – one of the leading risks to human health.

Today’s theme is antimicrobials and untrue/spurious allergy.

A penicillin (or related beta-lactam) is usually the safest and most effective treatment option.

However, around 10 per cent of inpatients have a “penicillin allergy” listed in their clinical notes.

• The vast majority of people with a “penicillin allergy” have not experienced an allergic reaction; often just an adverse reaction such as gastric upset or nausea.
• Many reactions have occurred >10 years ago with details not documented/recalled.
• Spurious allergy labels can prevent patients from receiving optimal treatment.
  • Often more likely to cause adverse drug reactions.
  • Select for resistant organisms such as difficile, VRE and MRSA.
  • Associated with longer hospitals stays and greater costs.

It is imperative that the details of any allergies are fully documented as per NICE guidance (CG183) and reviewed critically when prescribing antimicrobials. Non-immunological reactions should not automatically contraindicate a penicillin or related antibiotic.

Refer patients to Immunology at City Hospital if they:

• Can only be treated by a beta‑lactam antibiotic or
• Are likely to need beta‑lactam antibiotics frequently in the future

Consider referring if they have suspected allergies to beta‑lactam antibiotics and at least 1 other class of antibiotic.

Special considerations

Patients with severe hypersensitivity syndromes – like Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, serum sickness, acute interstitial nephritis, haemolytic anaemia, and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) – should not use the offending drug in the future.

For more details on penicillin allergy see “Assessment and Management of Penicillin Allergy in Adults and Children” on Connect.

Unused wheelchairs and broken beds must be reported to portering team

If you have any unused wheelchairs or an unused or broken bed in your ward or area, please notify the portering team on ext. 4291 so collection can be arranged. Alternatively, you can put in a request via the capacity management system to get them removed.

TeamTalk: 30 November

TeamTalk is our monthly Trust-wide team briefing, it’s an opportunity for colleagues to hear about what’s happening in our organisation as well as putting their own questions forward.

Everyone is encouraged to join in with TeamTalk sessions, they’re not simply for managers. Sessions take place once a month and are hosted online – so colleagues who are ward based, working from home or simply want to stay up to date can join in.

The next session will take place on Wednesday 30 November, 1pm. Everyone is welcome to join.

Click here to join the meeting

If you have any questions about how you join the briefing please email swbh.comms@nhs.net.

Need to know if blood components are ready for your patient?

BloodTrack Ward Enquiry has now been rolled in clinical areas across the Trust to enable colleagues to check if blood components have been issued for patients and are ready for collection instead of telephoning blood bank.

The software also has other useful functions and will let colleagues see the history of a unit so you can see what time it was collected. This will aid in reducing wastage of red cells as it is clear to see when it needs to be returned to the issue fridge if no longer required or if it safe to transfuse and not been out of temperature control for more than 30 minutes.

For further details please see guide to using BloodTrack ward enquiry.

For more information please email swbh.bloodtransfusion@nhs.net.

Job of the week: Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) Programme Director Band 8d (fixed term, 12 months)

The Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) Programme Director will be responsible for developing the LMNS within the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and will be the point of contact for leadership of maternity and neonatal services across Birmingham and Solihull. The post holder will act as the key contact in interfacing with external regional and national networks, reporting inwardly and outwardly.

To find out more about this role and apply, please click here.

The closing date for this role is Thursday 24 November.