Monthly archives: April 2023

Celebrating the important role of cancer nurses

Today we are celebrating National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Day and it’s important to highlight the work they do with some of our sickest patients.

They show tremendous compassion as they support patients and their families on their cancer journey.

Now in its second year, the day was founded by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance with support from Health Education England, Macmillan Cancer Support, the United Kingdom Oncology Nursing Society and the Royal College of Nursing, to raise the profile of cancer clinical nurse specialists at a time when patients and the cancer workforce need them more than ever.

CNSs are highly specialised, experienced nurses, who have undertaken additional study and practical training. Their duties may differ slightly depending on the type of cancer they deal with, but they all have an ability to develop strong relationships and build a sense of trust, honesty and openness with their patients so as to support them in the best possible way.

Clinical nurse specialists use their expertise to assess and treat patients, and their role often extends to other areas such as research.

Jo Harvey, lead cancer nurse and advanced clinical practitioner at our organisation, said: “When someone is diagnosed with cancer, it can be really overwhelming and there’s a lot of information to take in. That’s why it’s important that they have a professional, like a CNS, who can support and guide them and sometimes explain in simple terms what is happening so they can make informed decisions.

“Patients will need many healthcare professionals along the way, but their CNS is their constant and familiar guide throughout. Each patient’s journey is different, but we help them to navigate it with compassion, knowledge and support.

“As a CNS, I’m there to support the patient and their families both physically and emotionally, from the initial diagnosis right through to their treatment and after care. Because of this, I often get to know my patients and their loved ones on a much deeper level and can make a meaningful difference, which is what I love about my job.”

We spoke to some of our CNSs to find out what their role means to them. Watch the video below:

Admissions checklist launched

To support identification of possible barriers to discharge at the earliest opportunity, a new admissions checklist has now launched in Unity:

• For all adult inpatient admissions
• To be completed within 24 hours of admission
• Found in Care Compass
• Five simple questions with expansion options designed for ease of completion
• Quick reference guide (QRG) is available below or via e-coach tab on Unity

This provides a simple way to highlight where a person’s discharge may need extra support for:

• Access to the property
• Environmental issues
• Mental capacity/safeguarding issues
• Additional care needs
• Complex transport arrangements

For more information please call ext. 3147.

Click here to access the QRG.

PAC fob access to be activated at Rowley from 5 May

Following a recent incident at Rowley Regis Hospital and in our continued efforts to support the security and safety of our colleagues and patients, from Friday 5 May PAC fob access will be activated on all doors and entrances that currently have PAC access points.

Note: If you work at Rowley and currently do not have a PAC fob or the correct access, please speak to your line manager or the reception team at the main entrance.

For further information regarding the ID badge service and PAC fob service at SWB, please call ext. 6424.

Lunch and learn about inhalers: 26 April

We are hosting a lunch and learn session on inhalers with guest speaker Jon Bell – the founder of a specialist company on inhalers and inhaler technique.

This insightful and interactive workshop will explain:

• The difference between inhalers and some of the background behind the British thoracic society recommendation on prioritising dry powder inhaler over metered dose inhaler use
• The current environmental impact of inhaler devices, and patient preferences with regards to sustainability
• An overview of the properties of different types of devices is provided, which is followed by insights on why it is important to ensure people living with respiratory conditions can use their inhalers correctly.

There next session will be held at will at City management block, room 1, Wednesday 26 April, 12pm – 1pm, click here to join.

Lesbian Visibility Week: 24 April – 30 April

Lesbian Visibility Week aims to show our solidarity with all LGBTQI women and non-binary people in the community, as well as celebrate lesbians. It is essential that Lesbian Visibility Week is a voice for unity and lifts up all women, especially those who come from marginalised communities.

For further information about the awareness week, please click here.

Want to get involved and find out more about the LGBT Staff Network? Please email Katie Gillam Price, Vice Chair at k.gillamprice@nhs.net.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 21 April

It’s now nearly a week since the end of industrial action by our non-consultant doctors. Although a challenging time, it was heartening see so many of you working out of your comfort zone to maintain safe care for our patients – for that I am grateful.

There is a lot we can learn from our experiences during industrial action – the hot debrief took place earlier this week and highlighted a few things:

• Better integrated working with specialities and the emergency departments
• The welfare checks to wards and departments plus the extended hours for catering was well received
• Improved patient flow and community capacity
• Visibility of senior leaders was appreciated
• Clinical groups felt able to cover their in-patient area well and medical teams acting down were more familiar with their roles second time round
• The availability of Unity Floor walkers and IT support 24/7 was appreciated.

By all indications it seems industrial action by healthcare staff is likely to continue for a while and as a Trust we have to plan accordingly and ensure that each period of action is smoother than the previous one. We will replicate the things that have worked well and do everything we can to make improvements where things didn’t go as well as expected.  The Board are very aware that future periods of industrial action will rely on discretionary effort from a number of people and this cannot and will not, be taken for granted.

Please do feed in your reflections to your managers. It is important that we maintain and support the wellbeing of everyone during these challenging times. If there is anything more we could do, then please let us know.

Our Day Nursery at Sandwell recently had an OFSTED inspection and has been rated Good in all areas.

The inspectors called out how the children are confident and form strong attachments with staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. They also highlighted the opportunity allowed for outdoor learning which has seen the children grow a variety of organic produce in their garden area, including tomatoes, lettuce and carrots.

This news is fantastic for the organisation and for the Day Nursery team, led by Emma Collier who work incredibly hard to ensure all the children are happy and confident. The Day Nursery provides a unique service for our colleagues and our wider population and is a great example of delivering on our strategic objectives.

• People – to cultivate and sustain happy, productive and engaged staff and
• Population – to work seamlessly with our partners to improve lives.

Congratulations to the team. The report will be released on the OFSTED website in due course.

Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim colleagues

We would like to wish Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim colleagues who are celebrating this weekend.

Blood gas analyser training now available

Are you required to run blood gas samples as part of your duties?  Scheduled gas analyser training sessions are running as follows:

Sandwell, Lyndon Ground

• Every Tuesday, 2pm – 2.30pm

City, Labour Ward:

• Every Thursday, 1.30 pm – 2pm

Note: Spaces are limited to six per session.

Please email swb-tr.swbh-poct@nhs.net to book your place.

Are you regularly washing your hands?

Regular hand washing with soap and water remains an essential part of good hygiene and helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as other illnesses such as colds, flu and stomach bugs.

Your hands are the main pathway of germ transmission. Hand hygiene is therefore one of the most important measures to avoid the transmission of coronavirus. It is important to wash your hands thoroughly and more often, for at least 20 seconds each time with water and soap or hand gel.

Colleagues are advised to follow the five moments of hand washing:

1. Before touching a patient
2. Before clean/aseptic procedures
3. After body fluid exposure/risk
4. After touching a patient
5. After touching patient surroundings.

Watch this short video to remind yourself of the how to effectively wash your hands.

Monthly generator test taking place at City on Monday between 7.30am – 8.30am

A monthly generator test is being conducted at City in the below areas on Monday 24 April.

Critical care unit air conditioning plant only – needs a bullet point

• Wards D11, D21, D12, D22, D14, D24, D5, D15, D25, D6 , D16, D26, D7, D17 and D27
• Windmill Theatres 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10
• MRI/CT scanner No.1
• Cardiology department, ward D2
• Oral surgery unit
• Endoscopy (front) power and lighting
• Management block
• Lift installations 5, 6, 7, 25, 32, 33 (main spine)
• Main acute spine medical air plant (standby supply)

Power is to go off and back on twice on two brief occasions between 7.30am – 8.30am whilst tests are conducted on the equipment. There will be a 30 second pause in power at 7.30am and a three second pause in power at 8.30am.

For more information please call ext. 4444.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.