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Monthly archives: June 2023

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 16 June

 

This week has seen us face the significant challenges of again coping with a reduced workforce, as both the British Medical Association (junior doctors) and Unite (involving ward service officers and porters) have taken industrial action. All these professions are a vital part of our SWB family, and I would like to thank you all for pulling together to continue to provide excellent patient care, whilst also supporting colleagues who have chosen to take industrial action.

The role of junior doctors is one that is quite often misunderstood. This week we have shared an informative video on our social media channels, talking about the importance of these doctors in the care we provide. It’s an interesting watch which you can find here.

Earlier in the week I was delighted to attend the third Midland Met Away Day. I was, as always, humbled by the enthusiasm and sheer hard work that our staff are showing. I was impressed by the resilience of colleagues to ensure the build and fit out continues at pace, whilst continuing to deliver the best care for our patients in all of our core locations and changing our service pathways quite radically to meet the business case assumptions.

Rachel Barlow, Managing Director of the MMUH Programme Company, opened the event by sharing some anecdotes, slides and a video highlighting the massive progression which has been made over the past few months. The handover of the site to us, and opening the doors to our first patients, is beginning to feel very real now.

At the event we focussed on getting colleagues ready for the move, and we talked about bed right-sizing – or, more simply ensuring that we will fit into the new hospital at a safer bed occupancy level than we have now. One of the key milestones this year is to reduce bed numbers by 86 by November so that this can be achieved. We are progressing well towards this target, having already closed 32 beds to date with the remaining target closing during coming months.

We cannot close beds without both avoiding admissions and reducing length of stay – two elements of “good practice” which we need to have embedded across the organisation by the time we occupy our new hospital.

We could not have got this far without your hard work and commitment, by changing the way in which we care for patients that do not always need to be treated in a hospital, but in a place which is best for them and their individual care needs. Now we need to keep the momentum going to reach where we need to be in a few months’ time.

One of the other topics of the afternoon was around enabling colleagues to be equipped and ready for the move. Many colleagues will be changing their base of work and some the change may also affect the way in which they work. To ensure that this is managed professionally and correctly, the Management of Change (MOC) process will shortly be underway. I understand that this is a process which may cause a level of concern and anxiety for some, however, I want to reassure you that this process is for your benefit and to support you formally through the forthcoming changes.

Over the coming weeks and months, you will be invited to discuss the MOC process with your line manager supported by HR and operational leaders. This is your opportunity to raise any concerns, gain reassurance and find out more about your new working environment and the support you will receive during the transition.

Workforce colleagues have created materials to support and help you if you are going through MOC or leading it with your team. You can find FAQs, and training dates (for managers ) on Connect. These will inform colleagues and guide managers through the changes that may affect them.

I would encourage you to watch the video that was shared at the event here and continue to look at news and updates available on the intranet to learn more about our Midland Met journey.

Finally, hopefully you will have noticed my red tie in today’s Friday message pictures. I am wearing it in support of the #Red4Research campaign which is taking place today – I talked a lot about the importance of research in my message last week and it has been great to see so many of you wearing red today in support. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in research at SWB – I am sure the team would love to hear from you. You can find out more on their Connect page.

Richard

 

Red4Research: Save the date – Friday 16 June

 

On Friday 16 June, we will be supporting the #Red4Research day. This aims to get as many people as possible wearing red to demonstrate their support and appreciation for all those participating, undertaking, and supporting research. It is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the phenomenal work, learning legacy and innovative treatments/systems/techniques that have arisen from research and development.

The #Red4Research concept is very simple. Wear something red, it can be any item of clothing, then download/print or make a placard saying #Red4Research, take a photo and post it on social media with the #Red4Research hashtag.

Click here to find out more about the awareness day.

Be sure to check out these two videos around research and Red4Research Day.

The first short video features patient Roy Muller showing what to expect if you decide to take part in a research trial at SWB. The second video celebrates research at the Trust and features patient Sue Vincent.

If you are interested in learning more about research, please contact research and development on ext. 6657.

Outdoor gym now available at City

 

We are pleased to announce our SWB outdoor gym at City outside the BTC is now available for all colleagues to use.

The gym is suitable for all abilities, from complete beginners to those who exercise regularly. The outdoor gym is intended for staff use and free for all colleagues to use between 7am – 6pm.

The gym was funded after a successful bid to NHS Charities Together. Inside the gym is a seated leg press, an arm and pedal bike, a leg lift station, a combination seated chest press/pull down challenger, an air skier, a twist and step and a double air walker.

Join us for a Tuesday tune up session: Francesca Silcocks and Johnny Shah will be hosting some tune sessions throughout June and July for colleagues looking to get active on the below dates (weather permitting). We ask colleagues email johnny.shah@nhs.net and francesca.silcocks@nhs.net prior to the session to confirm it is taking place.

  • Johnny sessions, 1pm – 1.30pm – Tuesday 27 June and Tuesday 18 July
  • Francesca sessions, 12.30pm – 1pm – Tuesday 4 July, Tuesday 18 July and Tuesday 25 July

For more information about the outdoor gym, please email francesca.silcocks@nhs.net.

Star Awards 2023 – nominations still now open

 

Each year we host an awards ceremony to highlight and recognise those who go above and beyond within their roles and for our patients. Our 2023 awards ceremony will take place on Friday 13 October in true Bollywood style and as always, will be the highlight of the Trust calendar.

Nominations are still open, so get thinking about those colleagues who have gone above and beyond this year, been part of something extra special or made a positive difference to the way we work or the quality of care our patients receive. Our Star Awards nominees are colleagues who consistently demonstrate our values – ambition, respect, and compassion – so have a think of people around you that showcase these values in their everyday work and make a real difference to our patients, our people, and our population. It’s now easier than ever to nominate as you can access the nomination from any device be it your work desktop or personal smartphone.

Please complete the nomination form by clicking here with as much detail as possible about your nominee. The closing date for all nominations is Friday 23 June, 5pm.

There are a variety awards up for grabs, with three categories voted for by colleagues which are:

  • Employee of the Year
  • Clinical Team of the Year
  • Non-clinical team of the Year

For further details about all of our award categories, please click here.

Be sure to also check out the highlights from last year’s celebrations below:

If you have any questions regarding the Star Awards, please contact the communications team on 0121 507 5303 or email swbh.comms@nhs.net.

Clinical Audit Awareness Week: 19 – 23 June

 

Next week is Clinical Audit awareness Week, a national campaign aiming to promote and celebrate the benefits and impact of clinical audit and quality improvement work in healthcare. It is run in collaboration with the National Quality Improvement and Clinical Audit Network (N-QI -CAN).

Throughout next week, we will be sharing content around clinical effectiveness as well as celebrating the brilliant audit projects that run at SWB.

Pop by and say hello: The clinical effectiveness team will be hosting stands between 19 – 23 June in the foyer of Hallam Restaurant, Sandwell and in the Postgraduate Centre, City and will also be visiting our community based teams at Rowley

To celebrate the awareness week, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership will be hosting a series of digital events free for colleagues to join. To find out more about these sessions, please click here.

For more information about the week and get in touch with our clinical effectiveness team, please email swbh.auditteam-clineffec@nhs.net or tweet them @SWBH_CAudit.

Star Awards 2023: Rising Star of the Year

 

Do you know an individual who has held some leadership or management responsibility for at least a year and who has demonstrated outstanding ability, talent, communications skills and leadership, showing great promise for the future?

Nominate them for the Rising Star of the Year in this year’s upcoming Star Awards!

Please complete the nomination form by clicking here with as much detail as possible about your nominee. The closing date for all nominations is Friday 23 June, 5pm.

Last year’s winner of this prestigious award was Jason Yap, Consultant. Jason was appointed as a full-time consultant in gynaeoncology at the Pan Birmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre in April 2020 after his sub-speciality training at the centre. His ambition is to establish a progressive model of care to address the unmet physical and psychosexual needs of those affected by radical surgery.

Be sure to also check out this short video showcasing last year’s glitzy awards event.

If you have any questions regarding the Star Awards, please contact the communications team on 0121 507 5303 or email swbh.comms@nhs.net.

Clean Air Day: 15 June

 

Clean Air Day is a UK national air pollution campaign that brings together organisations to raise awareness and aims to tackle pollution.

The World Health Organisation states that poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. Air pollution causes 36,000 deaths per year. Reduce travel where you can – work remotely, travel less to meetings, and facilitate virtual appointments for patients here possible.

What can you do?  You could also consider walking to/from work with colleagues or use the public transport network. If you need to drive, car share or use a low emission vehicle why not register with the KINTO app to buddy up on driving. We also now have around 100 electric vehicle charging sockets across our sites and offer support with purchasing an electric or hybrid vehicle via Tusker.

You can also make positive changes and reduce air pollution by:

Cancer services seeking donations for wellbeing event: 1 July

 

SWB will be hosting its annual cancer wellbeing fair at Walsall Football Club on Saturday 1 July. It’s a unique event that provides opportunity for 350 SWB patients and a family members to celebrate where they are on their pathway. The team are seeking donations as part of the event for the tombola.

Ideal donations include:

  • Nail varnish
  • Gift sets
  • Jewelry

The team are also trying to source Bollywood dancers so please get in touch should you know anyone.

Cancer services going green: As part of the teams effort to become more sustainable, the team are always seeking the below items:

  • Good used bras for 2nd breast cancer research
  • Used trainers or football boots for youngsters locally
  •  Material and wool
  • Card cellophane wrapping
  • Clothes for upcycling
  • ‘Empty silver pill packets that had your medication in (please do not bring any medication)

If you wish to make any donations or find out more about the above projects, please email jennifer.donovan@nhs.net or ian.charles@nhs.net or call 0121 507 2776/2525.

Every Mind Matters: Lift someone out of loneliness

 

Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point and it can have a huge impact on our wellbeing. It’s important to remember that these feelings can pass and that there are lots of ways we can help each other too.

Fancy a cuppa? Fancy a walk? Sometimes reaching out to each other with as little as three words can make a big difference.

As part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are encouraging people to ‘Lift Someone Out of Loneliness’ by taking a simple action to help someone who may be feeling lonely. If we do this regularly, we can all help to lift each other up.

Find out how you can help to lift someone out of loneliness.

Sad passing of Leann Coughlan: Funeral details

 

It is with great sadness that one of our much-loved colleagues, Leann Coughlan who worked for SWB for over 30 years has sadly passed away.

Funeral service details: The family will be having a private service today (Tuesday 13 June). The family ask that only invited people attend the service. The funeral procession will drive past Sandwell hospital between 3.30pm – 3.45pm for those who wish to pay their respects. The procession will go past the physiotherapy department, turn left onto Hallam Street, go past the Sandwell Education Centre and the staff car parks and continue down the road towards McDonald’s. Colleagues are invited to join the family to celebrate Leann’s life at The Ridgeacre, New Gas Street, West Bromwich, B70 0NP from 5pm. Flowers can be sent to Sandwell Crematorium or alternatively donations are being accepted for the community nursing, occupational therapy and palliative care teams and can be made calling Liz Mynett on ext. 2697.

We offer our sincere condolences to Leann’s loved ones at this difficult time.

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