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Monthly archives: April 2023

Keep up to date with what’s going on at Midland Met on Facebook

 

We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new Facebook group exclusively for our staff members to come together, connect and share insights into the development of the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.

As we move closer to the completion of the new hospital, we want to keep colleagues updated and informed about how things are progressing on site. That’s why we will be regularly sharing photos and videos from the new site, giving you an inside look at how things are shaping up.

This group is for staff members only, but once you’re in, you’ll have access to exclusive updates about the new hospital, including sneak peeks at what’s to come.

Join the group by using this link or scan the QR code: https://bit.ly/40vvznD

Join us and be a part of this exciting journey. This group is a space for us to come together, connect, and share our experiences. We look forward to seeing you there!

IT maintenance affecting the HIE Portal: 24 April, 4.30am – 8.30am

 

Please be aware that essential IT maintenance will be taking place on Monday 24 April, affecting the HIE Portal. The work is being carried out by our support vendor (delete) Cerner and is scheduled to begin at 4.30am for approximately four hours and should be completed after 8.30am.

During this time Unity will remain fully available. However, the HIE Portal that displays Unity and GP information will be unavailable for up to four hours from 4.30am to 8.30am. Please be assured GPs have alternate means to view this information via the ICE system. Trust clinicians only use HIE for supplementary GP information on occasions.

The activity will be closely monitored by our Cerner and our IT support teams.

As always, should you have any further queries then please do contact the IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers or via service desk live chat.

Biochemistry equipment go-live

 

Please note that as part of our move to a networked pathology service, the biochemistry laboratory is due to go live (at both City and Sandwell Hospitals) with totally new analyser equipment on Tuesday 25 April.

Whilst this is an exciting moment for BCPS and will see us using state of the art equipment, it is a significant change and we will need your support as we get to grips with it.

The order for the changes will be:

  • 8am: The transfer of IT connectivity from the old analysers to the new analysers. Once the transfer is complete the new system will require testing
  • 12noon: Once testing is complete, the new system will hopefully be signed of as fit to use
  • 1pm: Laboratory testing capability will proceed as normal.

Those patients who require urgent blood tests will be prioritised as usual, and users should see minimal, if any, change to this service

As with all new equipment, we anticipate that there may be some teething issues during the first couple of weeks, but as always we will do our best to ensure that service provision continues as normal.

You can help to support the service on the day of go live by reducing the number of blood tests that are requested for this date – consider a bleed a day before/after if clinically safe to do so

We would be grateful for your support during this important change, which will ultimately see a better solution for our users and patients.

For further details including changes in laboratory analysers, please see changes in Laboratory Analysers help sheet.

For further information please contact  Nazir Ahmed, Operational Manager on ext. 3729.

Midland Met zip wire event – Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July

 

On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July, we’ll be hosting our biggest fundraising event to date, offering you the opportunity to descend 220 metres on a zip line at Midland Met. With panoramic views over Birmingham, you will reach speeds of up to 35mph as you enjoy one of the most exhilarating adventures of your life – all whilst raising money for charity.

This is an ideal opportunity for thrill-seekers to enjoy a breathtaking, adrenaline-packed adventure. Every single penny raised will go towards making Midland Met #morethanahospital.

So, what do you need to take part? Follow these simple steps:

Next steps:

Please complete and return the fundraising agreement form to trustcharity@nhs.net.

Heartbeat: PLACE – where patients lead the way in healthcare assessments

 

Patient Led Assessment for Care Environment, otherwise known as PLACE, is an initiative aimed at improving our patients’ experience by focusing on their perception of cleaning, food, maintenance, privacy, dignity, equal opportunity for dementia and disability, and more.

But what exactly is PLACE, you might ask? The PLACE initiative is a national requirement from NHS England, and it provides an opportunity for patients to become assessors to help us identify areas for improvement.

We believe that involving patients in the audit process is crucial to improving the overall quality of the care we provide. As such, we encourage both clinicians and non-clinicians to participate in the audits, as well as external patient representatives.

Earlier this month Heartbeat spoke to Head of Facilities Aner Marcelo. He said, “Our ultimate goal is to continuously improve our facilities, practices, and lessons learned from the observations made during the audit. We hope that this will lead to a more positive experience for our patients, and better outcomes for all.

“Recently we held a presentation event to highlight the work of our PLACE audit teams, our aim is to raise the profile of patients as assessors, and to encourage their participation in the audit. We want to hear what they hear, see what they see, and feel what they feel. By doing so, we can respond more effectively to their needs and improve the quality of care we provide.

“But the benefits of hosting this event are not limited to patients alone. Our staff will also benefit from the audit process. By ensuring compliance with the strategy of the 3 Ps – Patients, People, and Population – we can improve our overall standards and provide better care to our patients. Additionally, our trust will benefit from NHS standard compliance on health and safety and governance.

“However, the most significant benefit of the PLACE programme is for our patients. By listening to their feedback, we can improve the facilities, practices, and overall experience of our patients. This includes enhancing food and cleaning experiences, improving equality, privacy, and dignity, and ensuring that the fundamental aspects of care are met.”

“Our 2023 strategic plan following our PLACE audits has identified a range of areas we can improve upon including provisions around food and nutrition, accessibility and availability of menu choice and food for children alongside improvements to our built environment such as ensuring our signage is up to date and that all reception areas have hearing loop systems in operation.”

Patient Led Assessment for Care Environment (PLACE) is an essential initiative that ensures we meet the needs of our patients while providing high quality care. We encourage all our staff and external patient representatives to participate in the audit, as your input is invaluable to our success.

Heartbeat: It’s time to talk about poo

 

The bowel cancer screening service at the Trust is just one of a few in the country to test people from the age of 56 as part of a roll out by NHS England.

The lifesaving test is sent to the homes of Sandwell and West Birmingham residents who are then asked to follow the instructions which involves taking a sample of their poo and sending it back to the laboratory.

A positive result is then investigated further. Around 1,900 people are written to every week, inviting them to take part in the screening programme, with our current uptake at 55 per cent.

One patient who experienced a positive result is Mr Rai, now aged 57. The dad-of-three carried out the test when he received it through the post last year.

He explained: “I didn’t hesitate in doing the test. It was a no brainer to me – a free NHS test that potentially could save my life, there was nothing to really stop me.

“When I received the positive result, of course I was worried, but I went for the colonoscopy and they found two polyps which were precancerous. These were removed.”

A colonoscopy is a test to check inside the bowels. A long, thin, flexible tube with a small camera inside it is passed into the bottom and it is able to capture the inside of the bowel where polyps can be found.

These polyps are small growths on the inner lining of the large intestine (colon) or rectum. Most are harmless. But over time, some can develop into colon cancer.

Mr Rai added: “I was relieved that they were caught at an early stage as further down the line it would have been too late and they would have turned into cancer. The poo testing kit saved my life. I can’t stress the importance of the bowel screening test. If you have received one through the post, then I would urge you to make sure you do the test. I am still under the care of the team and undergo screening every two years.”

Anna Twum-Barima, specialist screening practitioner, said: “The poo testing kit is a life-saver and it’s a very simple procedure to carry out in the comfort of your own home. We’ve been rolling it out to people aged 56 and upwards for a while and we are seeing good uptake.

“We have a team who are continually engaging with the community to spread the word about screening and we even have a giant inflatable bowel that educates people. They find it extremely interesting when they have a look around.

“We have also created a video which demonstrates how simple the whole testing process is.”

Black Country local maternity and neonatal system recruitment event: 3 May

 

A host of midwifery and nursing opportunities across the Black Country will be showcased at a recruitment event at The Hawthorns Wednesday 3 May, 9am – 2pm.

It is open to:

  • Midwives, Bands 5 and 6
  • Nurses, Band 5
  • Qualified in specialty (QIS) nurses – Band 6
  • Return to practice midwives
  • Nurses interested in completing a shortened course to become midwives.

Local universities will also be promoting the courses they run for those returning to midwifery and the shortened midwifery courses as well as post graduate training for advanced clinical practitioners, tongue tie practitioners and sexual health courses.

How are things for you? Let us know in the Pulse Survey

 

Our people are at the heart of our new strategy, and we are encouraging you to regularly let us know how things are and what we can do to improve your experience at work.

You can do this via the NHS Quarterly Pulse Survey which is now open. It will take just five minutes of your time to complete, and the information is important to help us make changes – if we don’t know about something that isn’t right – we can’t make it better,

Our recently launched People Plan is a direct response to the feedback you have given in previous staff surveys and showcases our commitment to be an organisation that cultivates and sustains happy, productive, and engaged staff.

Please do take the opportunity to ensure your voice is heard. You can access the survey from any device using this link: www.myonlinesurvey.co.uk/FFST/RXK – you will then be asked to select the name of your clinical group and the team you work in.

The survey will close at 5pm on Friday 28 April.

The quarterly survey is being administered by Quality Health, on behalf of SWB, so your responses are strictly confidential and will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation, GDPR and following the principles of the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice. No personal data will be passed back to the Trust that could result in anyone being identified.

 

Would you like to be part of our staff engagement group for CQI system development?

 

Our improvement team are putting together a staff engagement group for our continuous quality improvement (CQI) system development. It will be a listening and learning reflection circle on how we can best engage with people across the Trust to ensure we have a CQI system that meets the needs of our colleagues.

In the early stages the team are seeking people with experience of using QI methodology in existing or previous jobs or have experience of being part of a Trust where QI has been rolled out.

The first session is scheduled for Thursday 4 May.

To register your interest and find out more, please email r.hazarika@nhs.net.

Do you need to order non-sterile gloves?

 

We have recently been advised that the government ‘free of charge’ non-sterile gloves provided to the Trust has now been stopped. Though we have a small contingency stock on site, from Monday 24 April please place orders via NHS Supply Chain (NHSSC) using the codes below:

  • FTE1163 – small
  • FTE1164 – medium
  • FTE1165 – large
  • FTE1166 – extra large

All materially managed areas will automatically start receiving these gloves from next week as part of their weekly ‘top up’ service.

This is the first high use PPE item to transition back to NHSSC, there will be others following over the coming weeks and we will keep you up to date.

For more information please email lisa.southall1@nhs.net or call ext. 4938.

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