Monthly archives: June 2023

Safeguard system upgrade: 13 June

We will be upgrading the safeguard system (incident reporting) on Tuesday 13 June between 10am – 1.30pm. This means the safeguard system will be unavailable to colleagues during this time period.

For more information please call ext. 6259.

This week is legs matter week

Legs matter week aims to increase awareness, understanding and prevent harm for lower leg and foot conditions. Insufficient action on leg and foot conditions is harming people including our patients. The current reality in the UK is that people with leg and foot conditions are not being treated adequately or in time and, as a result, are being harmed. Harm includes unnecessary pain, infection, amputation, hospitalisation, loss of livelihood, social isolation, anxiety, and depression.

As part of legs matters week, Legs Matters are hosting a variety of free digital events around the awareness week between 12 – 16 June. To find out more about these events and join, please click here.

Patient and visitor survey now live

We have recently launched our patient and visitor survey. This survey is aimed at understanding the travel behaviours of patients, visitors and contractors who access all of the SWB sites. The results will help us to improve travel to and from our sites now and in the future.

The survey can be accessed by clicking this link – https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SWBT_VisitorSurvey/

Please share with your teams and ask your patients to complete this survey. The close date is Sunday 9 July.

Postcards have been printed and the volunteers will support distribution. Please email francesca.silcocks@nhs.net if you would like paper copies to be sent to your area.

Join the LGBTQ+ Network at Sandwell Pride: 25 June

Our LGBTQ+ Network will be supporting this year’s Sandwell Pride taking place at Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich, Sunday 25 June 2023, 2pm – 7pm.

This is the second Sandwell Pride, following last year’s successful event which was attended by approximately 5,000 people. A Pride walk is planned to take place on the day. This is a family (and pet) friendly event and all are welcome – no need to sign up and free entry. The network will have a tent at the event along with our Black Country ICB partners and will be giving information about our staff networks and have a relaxing sofa area in which to chill and take a break from the day’s festivities.

There is entertainment planned throughout the day and lots of different event spaces and vendors.

There is no need to sign up, colleagues can just attend.

For further details please click here.

For more information or to find out how you can support the network contact please email k.gillamprice@nhs.net or Andrew.churm@nhs.net.

Urgent Communications Update: Unity Issue Resolved

Gambling awareness workshop: 21 June

Aquarius are hosting a gambling awareness workshop on Wednesday 21 June, 6pm – 8pm at Molineux Stadium, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4QR aimed at anyone who is affected by gambling or wants to increase their awareness of the topic.

For more information or to book on to this workshop, please email healthadmin@wolves.co.uk or call 07971 900 257.

Research, the NHS and you – NIHR Conference for people new to research: 21 September

Are you working within or with the NHS and curious about research with motivation to learn more? Are you a healthcare professional who wants to explore how to combine research and service delivery in your busy working life? Are you interested to find out the opportunities research could provide for your career development? Then this conference is for you!

Join the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on Thursday 21 September, 10am – 4.30pm at ExCel, London as we explore the importance of research in the NHS and how healthcare professionals across the NHS can support, deliver and lead research. The conference is free to all delegates and open to anyone working with and within the NHS.

To join the conference and find out more please click here.

Urgent Communications Update: Unity Issues

Updated flexible working policy

Flexible working plays a vital part in delivering the Trust’s People Plan and help to embed flexible working as one of the key ways of achieving our People objective to “cultivate and sustain happy, productive and engaged staff”. Improving the way in which we approach flexible working can help to improve staff experience through providing greater choice in when, where and how people work, in balance with the needs of the service. In turn, this helps to improve work-life balance, health and wellbeing and allows us to attract and retain a wider, more diverse range of colleagues to work in our Trust. The Trust’s Flexible Working Policy has now been revised to support our commitment to supporting flexibility in our working lives.

The new flexible working policy, which incorporates many of the elements from the interim Flexible Working Procedure introduced in September 2021, is now available on Connect and can be accessed by clicking here.

 Key features of the policy

• All colleagues have the right to request flexible working from the first day of their employment. There is no qualifying length of service.
• Colleagues can make more than one flexible working request per year.
• Colleagues can make a flexible working request regardless of the reasons and regardless of their role, grade or department they work in.
• Flexible working arrangements can be short term or long term in nature.
• There are a range of flexible working options available for staff as set out in the Flexible Working Policy.
• Colleagues and managers are asked to have regular and informal discussions about current or future flexible working needs through normal communication channels. This may be at induction, during PDRs, at 1:1 meetings or as part of team meetings. The purpose of this is to explore the individual’s needs and wishes and what options might be available to help employees think about whether they want to make a request.

Key changes to the policy

• Clarification of timelines for flexible working applications and the need to fast track these wherever possible if the request is of an urgent nature.
• The definitions for short term arrangements.
• Clarity on the length of review periods and trial periods
• Pathways for flexible working where this is linked to a health condition (i.e., via the Trust’s Policy for Managing Sickness Absence)
• Arrangements for the review of historical flexible working arrangements. (This should be done in a sensitive manner being mindful of any contractual implications, with reference to the relevant guidance notes that will be available shortly).
• The need for compromise wherever possible.

The key to finding the right flexible working solution is through constructive dialogue and a willingness to listen and seek compromise.

NHS England have published guides for both managers and individuals to support with flexible working conversations which you can access here by clicking here.

New retirement policy launched

The Trust’s new retirement policy has now been launched and can be accessed by clicking here.

The policy sets out the process to follow when an individual wishes to retire, as well as how to claim the retirement gift (for those with 20 or more years SWB service). It also promotes the use of flexible retirement to support colleagues who may wish to work differently, to work for longer.

Retirement flexibilities allow individuals to access certain pension benefits while remaining in, or returning to, the NHS workforce, with the option to build up further pension if they wish. This is a response to the changing world of work and feedback from colleagues as to how they would like to manage their retirement.

Flexible retirement can help individuals retire gradually and work flexibly for longer, passing their skills and knowledge to colleagues, aiding succession planning and ensuring high quality care for patients. At the same time, it can help support  work life balance and financial wellbeing for individuals.

There are a range of flexible retirement options available in the NHS Pension Scheme (these differ depending on the relevant NHS Pension scheme the individual is in:

• Step down
• Wind down
• Retire and return
• Draw down
• Late retirement enhancement
• Early retirement reduction buy out (ERRBO)

Further information can be found here.

Managers should consider and promote flexible retirement options as a way for the Trust to retain valuable colleagues.

Key changes

• Updated process for resigning and applying for pension upon retirement.
• Simplified authorisation process for claiming the retirement gift.
• Updated information on the flexible retirement options available in the NHS pension scheme.
• Amended Retire and Return process (e.g. amended approval process and key considerations; clarity on the process for returning to the individual’s original role or to a different role; removal of the requirement for the return to be on a fixed term contract (this will be dictated by the need for the post); salary upon return in line with the applicable national T&Cs and normal recruitment and selection process; minimum break in employment of 24 hours; inclusion of an appeal process).