Monthly archives: January 2023

Help us to shape the local NHS forward plan

The Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) is writing a plan with local NHS Trusts to set out how they will work together with other partners to improve health outcomes, tackle inequalities, make sure we make the most of the money and services we have, and to help support our local area and communities to develop.

It is important that the plan is informed by local people using NHS services and those working within them. It is a unique opportunity to shape something new, so we would love to hear your views, please take the time to complete this https://re-url.uk/WTD1.

To find out more about the plan and the different ways you can get involved, visit the ICB website here.

Message on behalf of Richard Beeken, Chief Executive: Appointment of Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive of Core Organisation

I am delighted to confirm that our Chief Integration Officer, Daren Fradgley has been appointed to the role of Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive for the core organisation.

Over the past few weeks we have established the MMUH Programme company, under Chief Development Officer, Rachel Barlow’s leadership. This is a temporary structure that will enable the required focus on Midland Met with dedicated capacity and expertise, whilst enabling the core organisation to better focus on delivery of our three strategic objectives (the three Ps) and our in-year priorities. ​

This has resulted in a review of our organisational structure which will now have a managing director for the core organisation and one for the MMUH Programme company.

Both managing director roles are for a fixed term period only at this stage, until the MMUH is open and bedded in. The leadership structure of the Trust will then be reconsidered in the context of the wider system picture, in late 2024.

The two roles will report directly to me, allowing me the time to focus on three priorities:

• Cementing and influencing our relationships with multiple partners in the Black Country and Birmingham and Solihull ICSs
• Driving the development of a continuous quality improvement system, and
• Increasing my visibility in our clinical and non-clinical services of the Trust

Daren will retain his executive director responsibilities but his additional role will involve:

• Acting as chief executive in my absence to ensure continuity of leadership
• Advising me on critical decisions pertaining to the core organisation, both internal and external
• Leading on the development and delivery of the Core Organisation Accountability Framework and chairing the group and corporate directorate review process
• With the Chief Finance Officer, lead on the production of the annual plan and engagement of the core organisation in the delivery of that plan.

Daren will also take on day to day responsibility for the better coordination and team development of the following core organisation roles:

• Chief Finance Officer
• Chief People Officer
• Chief Operating Officer
• Executive Director of Communications
• Chief Nursing Officer

Take security seriously: How to keep your accounts safe and secure

As technology continues to advance, so do the methods used by hackers to gain access to our personal and professional information. One of the most vulnerable areas of our online security is our passwords. It’s easy to fall into the trap of reusing the same password across multiple systems, but this can make it easy for hackers to access our sensitive information.

To combat this problem, we are encouraging colleagues to take the following steps:

1. Avoid reusing passwords across systems. Instead, use unique, strong passwords for each account. This applies to personal accounts and those used to access NHS systems.
2. Do not share usernames and passwords with anyone. This includes anyone reporting to be working in IT if you receive and unsolicited call or email.
3. Set up two-factor authentication (2FA) on all of your accounts where available. This added layer of security makes it much more difficult for hackers to gain access.

With the increasing number of cyber-attacks, it is more important than ever to take security seriously. By protecting your personal and professional information, you can help prevent identity theft, data breaches, and other cyber attacks.

Be vigilant, protect your passwords and keep your data safe and secure.

Inspirational ladies lend support to Midland Met fundraising campaign

It is not every day you have the pleasure of meeting a group of ladies who are so committed to doing good for their local community as the Guru Nanak Nam Ladies Charity Jatha UK group. 

Recently, the Trust welcomed the group to Midland Met to enjoy a site tour and see how the fundraising they have been doing will impact patients once we open our doors to the public in 2024.  

The group is well known to many local organisations as they have made several charitable donations to help support people and groups that need an extra boost. So far, they have supported SWB in several ways, including funding wellbeing packs for colleagues during the peak of COVID-19. Now they are fundraising for us at Midland Met, by enhancing the care our phototherapy device will provide for neonates. 

Whilst on site they had the opportunity to see first-hand the progress being made. They visited several areas including maternity where they looked at a benchmark room and the Winter Garden where they had the chance to enjoy the views overlooking Birmingham.  

Nirmal Kaur Notay, Group Lead, remarked: “We chose to support Your Trust Charity because the new hospital is local to us and will benefit our community by providing NHS services to all of us.   

“Guru Nanak Ladies Jatha is a local fundraising group, and we collectively decided to support our new hospital. We are a group of Indian Sikh ladies who work with our community to raise money for a variety of projects, and this aligns with our goals as a group. We’ll be providing funds to help provide enhanced care for equipment in neonates.” 

Johnny Shah, Head of Your Trust Charity, said: “The Guru Nanak Nam Ladies Jatha have been a valued supporter of Your Trust Charity for many years. We are truly overwhelmed by their fantastic generosity in making further donations to our We Are Metropolitan campaign. 

“Thanks to their support, we will make a huge difference in the lives of our critically ill patients and our young patients with high dependency needs. We will also be able to create our very own charity hub at Midland Met, where we will gratefully recognise their support with a plaque. Making Midland Met more than a hospital would not be possible without their support.” 

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 20 January

One of the many things I have been focusing on this week is our work in Ladywood & Perry Barr (West Birmingham). Colleagues will hopefully be aware that one of the key principles, enshrined in the Midland Met business case, is that of “postcode blind” services. What this essentially means, is that we aspire to ensure that any resident of either Birmingham or the Black Country, who will use the MMUH services, can do so safely supported by having the same or similar service offer from mental health services, adult social care or community services and teams. This principle is critical to making the service model and bed occupancy assumptions for the Midland Met, work from day one.

Recently, we have seen emerging evidence of some risks or issues developing on this principle, namely:

• Birmingham residents having a longer length of stay compared to Sandwell residents using our hospital services, where once that was not the case
• Sandwell Place Partnership developing a discharge model for patients with no criteria to reside (once described as our “medically fit” patients) that is different to that in Birmingham
• Sandwell Place Partnership starting to develop attendance and admission avoidance services and measures, aligned to our winter plan and MMUH care model, that are different to those in Birmingham.

To an extent, this was always a risk and my predecessor, Toby Lewis, was very sighted on it. It drove our Board’s concern that, in the transfer of West Birmingham from the Black Country ICB to Birmingham & Solihull (BSol) ICB, that “Place” could get lost and service and financial investment differentials start to open up which would put our MMUH care model at risk.

Rather than accept these risks and allow them to play out, we have taken the view that the best thing we can do is to influence the service planning and alignment in Ladywood & Perry Barr by developing closer working relationships with other agencies in Birmingham. Improved transparency of information and more regular discussion has started to lead to improved awareness of our population’s needs and an acceptance that some changes need to be made in that part of the city, not just because of MMUH but also because of the deprived and diverse population of the area too. This week, the Trust Chair, Sir David Nicholson and I had a very productive meeting with our opposite numbers at Birmingham Community NHS FT. That Trust has been given the responsibility, as we have in Sandwell, to better integrate community, primary, social and mental health services in all of the Birmingham localities. We agreed the following key things, which should pave the way to minimising any postcode differentials in the future:

• We will co-lead a pilot of the community integrator approach and the development of neighbourhood teams, in West Birmingham
• We will work on receiving in-reach services to our hospital in the form of an “integrated front door” to avoid admission wherever possible
• Birmingham Community Trust will help us to extract service matching commitments from mental health providers in Birmingham
• We will develop urgent community response and virtual ward services at greater pace, with them

That’s it from me this week. I hope you are all well and have a good week.

Windrush nurses and midwives leadership programme

Be on the look out for fraudulent emails: Scams in circulation

Colleagues are being encouraged to be on the look out for fraudulent emails reporting to link through to apparent messages left for the recipient. These emails are fraudulent, should not be opened, responded to or links clicked.

Example of a fraudulent message currently in circulation.

Remain vigilant and if you believe an email you have received is suspicious, contact the IT department on ext. 4050 and do not click on any links.

Issues relating to fraud can be reported to our Local Counter Fraud Specialist Sophie Coster on 07436 268747 or via email   sophie.coster@rsmuk.com. Alternatively, calls reporting to be from IT can be confirmed by calling our IT Service desk directly on 0121 507 4050.

Managing the shortage of single patient use nebulisers

Due to the recent increase in seasonal respiratory diseases NHS Supply chain are experiencing shortages of single use nebulisers and masks.

In order to protect available stocks please ensure they are only disposed of when the patient is discharged.

They are single patient use not single use and must be labelled with the patient’s ID.

IPC decontamination guidance:

• Wash hands and apply apron and non-sterile gloves
• Disassemble the nebuliser pot
• Do not rinse in a hand hygiene sink or in a dirty utility area
• Masks and pots should be cleaned with clinell universal wipes at bedside.
• Thoroughly wipe all pot and mask with the wipe, working from dirty to clean
• Allow to air dry on a separate single use pulp tray labelled with patient ID
• Invert, and cover with a clean hand towel at the patient’s bedside
• Staff to check components integrity and are in safe working order on reassembly at every use
• Where patients are able to, please encourage and help them to care for the mask and pot if they already do so at home

Any queries about stock issues, please contact the procurement team on 0121 507 4938.

National Healthcare Uniform Allied Healthcare Professionals Workforce Consultation – A case for change

Colleagues are being encouraged to engage with a national consultation focussed on reviewing the preferred colourways for the base colour of AHP uniforms within the National Healthcare Uniform.

You can find out all you need to know about this how this point has been reached, key facts about the project, and what engagement and research has been carried out so far by clicking here.

Attached is the  pre-read briefing document; providing the background to the project and the reason behind this survey. Please cascade this information to all your team members and colleagues to ensure the widest involvement in this survey as possible. We want every person who works within the AHP community to have input if they wish to.

Click below to vote: Make your vote

Voting will close at 5.00pm on 31 January 2023.  

If you have any questions, or would prefer to submit a written response please email nationaluniforms@supplychain.nhs.uk

The Black Country Provider Collaborative Clinical Summit

Colleagues are invited to join the forthcoming Black Country Provider Collaborative Clinical Summit, which will be taking place on Thursday 23rd March 2023 at The West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

Clinical Summits have been a key vehicle thorough which clinical leaders have worked with a diverse range of professionals across 10 identified Clinical Networks to work collaboratively together building relationships & trust on a key range of priorities with the intent of improving outcomes, experience, and the quality of care across the Black Country Health System.

A maximum of 200 spaces are available on a first come first serve basis, through an open invite to the four partners within the Black Country Provider Collaborative and some wider stakeholders. A full programme for the day will be made available soon, and a draft shared with those delegates that have registered.

The deadline for registration is 28th February 2023. We would be delighted if you could join us for this day as a delegate and we hope that you are able to actively participate in our day.

Click here to reserve your place

Should you require anything else please do not hesitate to reach out to Ellie (Ellie.Hadlington@nhs.net) and we will do our best to meet your needs.