Monthly archives: July 2023
Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 21 July
Thank you for everything you and your teams are doing to provide our patients with the best possible care during the ongoing industrial action. Although we have again met with significant challenges of working with a reduced workforce , our teams have pulled together and been working collaboratively to ensure minimal disruption, for which we are hugely grateful.
Last week signified a milestone in our journey to Midland Met opening . I am delighted to announce that the new hospital is now integrated into the wider SWB IT infrastructure. What took a day to switch on, was the culmination of over two years of planning and hard work by our IT team to get us to that point. Having fully integrated information technology systems should support the delivery of information to ensure patients, carers and health professionals can access the information they need.
A huge thank you to those who organised, attended, and presented at the MMUH Consultants Open Day which took place on 7 July. It was a pleasure to lead sessions alongside colleagues from across the Trust. The purpose of the day was to drive awareness and interest in consultant positions as we prepare for the move to MMUH and beyond. We were delighted that nearly 40 consultants from varying specialities attended the day and feedback was extremely positive. We look forward to receiving applications for posts in the future.
As part of the planning for clinical ways of working at MMUH and across the Trust, we’re also embracing an agile approach to our future administrative and non-clinical working by looking at how our colleagues can work flexibly from different locations, at different times and using mobile devices. This means instead of individual colleagues being allocated offices and desks that only they use, we will have a variety of clinical and non-clinical workspaces available throughout the new hospital and retained estate. These flexible workspaces will allow colleagues to work according to their schedules without being restricted to a particular area.
Midland Met will have over 200 agile working desks, special home admin zones in some areas, and small meeting rooms and interview spaces. All agile working areas will be equipped with a PC, a docking port for laptops, and tap and go technology. Additionally, there are bookable seminar rooms throughout the building and a lecture theatre available in the education centre. Colleagues are also welcome to meet and work from the Winter Garden on the fifth floor which is going to be an amazing space. The Learning Campus on site which will also open in 2024, will offer meeting space and learning facilities. There is still more work to do to conclude future non-clinical and administrative workspace across our entire real estate and we will share more information in the coming weeks.
Don’t forget the Pulse Survey is now into its final week and I would encourage you to have your say. As always, there are a wide range of questions about how you feel about working for the Trust, and there are also two questions specific to MMUH and its progress.
We do use your feedback to address how we work with you, so I urge you to complete the survey before it closes on Friday 28 July. Simply click here from any device – it will take no more than five minutes.
Finally, a reminder that nominations are open for this month’s MMUH More Than Awards, which recognise colleagues who are going above and beyond to support making our new hospital a reality.
Contact occupational health if you need your measles vaccination
With the increase in measle cases across the UK and across the West Midlands area we want to remind colleagues they can get a measles vaccination by calling occupational health on ext. 3306 or emailing swbh.ohreferrals@nhs.net.
Note: Measles is a notifiable disease and all suspected cases should be reported urgently (by phone) to your local UKHSA Health Protection Team.
Staying safe travelling to and from work
It is important colleagues continue to be vigilant on our journey to and from work, particularly when public areas are less busy in the evenings and weekends. Take note of our safety tips:
Chaperone service now available – If you are parked on our sites and finish work in the early hours of the morning, you can contact our security team who will be happy to escort you to your car. If security colleagues are tied up with other matters they may be able to instead offer to monitor you on CCTV if you feel that would provide you with additional safety. To request a chaperone please call the security department on ext. 4133 (City) or ext. 3163 (Sandwell). Further security advice and information via Connect.
Walk with a friend/colleague – Find a friend/colleague who will be taking a similar route.
Ensure you lock your car – Wind up your windows and lock your car as you leave.
Charge your phone – Make sure your phone is fully charged before setting out so that it’ll be working should you need it.
Plan your route – Try to stick to well-lit areas where you know it is likely that there will be people around.
Be alert at all times – Avoid wearing headphones and items of clothing that obscure your vision. When travelling along a road it is safer to walk in the direction of oncoming traffic, so you are visible to drivers.
Keep expensive items hidden – Keep expensive items such as mobile phones and iPods away from sight.
Carry a deterrent – Having a deterrent such as a screech alarm or personal safety device can give you extra peace of mind. Our security team have a stock of keyring torch alarms if anyone would like one for personal security.
Remember to keep where you work secure – Before you leave work, close the windows to prevent any intruders breaking and entering.
If you do encounter any issues call the police on 999. If you are on our sites then call the security team on 2222.
Be in the know about policing and crime alerts in your local area: West Midlands Police are constantly working to improve the flow of information between themselves and the people living and working within the region in order to make a greater impact in the prevention and detection of crime and anti-social behaviour. If you live, work or have an interest in the West Midlands area you can register for a new service offering free messages, crime alerts and witness appeals local to you. To sign up please visit https://www.wmnow.co.uk/.
As a registered recipient, you will not only benefit from free two way messaging but will also receive crime alerts, hear about positive police action in your community, help identify suspected or wanted criminals or learn about community groups, events and meetings in your area.
NHS England questionnaire: Mouthcare and oral hygiene
NHS England are asking colleagues to complete this short survey around mouthcare and oral hygiene. This will support the Midlands infection prevention and control mouthcare collaborative to identify region wide areas of good practice and areas of improvement.
To complete this survey, please click here.
Free Dr Bike and cycle security marking sessions
Sustrans and Transport for West Midlands are offering free Dr Bike and security markings.
Cycle security (Free – usually £9.99) – small but permanent marking on your bike and register with National Cycle Database online – help to find your bike if it gets pinched!
Dr Bike – Get your bike safety checked (brakes, gears etc) and any small repairs at no cost.
First 10 participants who take part of the survey will receive a free “sold secure” D lock ( worth £30)
Free Dr Bike and cycle security marking sessions:
- 22 July, 12pm -4pm – ASAN The Workspace, All Saints Road, Wolverhampton
- 1 August, 10.30am – 2.30pm – Aladdins Education, Park Village, Wolverhampton
- 3 August, 12pm – 4pm – Priory Park, Dudley
- 8 August, 11am – 2.30pm – Bert Williams Leisure Centre, Wolverhampton
- 9 August, 11am – 2.30pm – Bread for Life Project, Walsall
- 26 August, 11am – 3pm (to be confirmed) – Wildside Activity Centre, Wolverhampton
Halal dishes now available for Trust colleagues
We have now introduced Halal menu options for Trust colleagues at Hallam Restaurant, Sandwell.
This menu will be available Monday – Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Please ensure you let the catering staff know you’d like Halal. Due to demand for Halal food, this menu will be subject to availability.
Monday – Chicken Jalfrezi £2.95
Tender pieces of cooked chicken breast in a medium spiced tomato curry sauce with onions and diced peppers.
Tuesday – Chilli Con Carne £2.95
Minced beef with red kidney beans cooked in a sauce to a traditional recipe.
Wednesday – Lamb & Potato Curry £2.95
Boneless lamb and potatoes cooked in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, peppers and authentic herbs and spices to a traditional recipe
Thursday — Chicken Tikka Masala Curry £2.95
Chicken Marinated in Tikka Spices, cooked in a Cream Tikka Sauce to traditional recipe
Friday –Butter Chicken £2.95
Chicken in a mild creamy curry sauce
Saturday – Chicken Jalfrezi £2.95
Tender pieces of cooked chicken breast in a medium spiced tomato curry sauce with onions and diced peppers.
Sunday – Lamb & Potato Curry £2.95
Boneless lamb and potatoes cooked in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, peppers and authentic herbs and spices to a traditional recipe
Staff will receive a 15 per cent discount on a selection of items.
welearn Wednesday: National Patient Safety Framework – Patient Safety II
Each month as part of welearn Wednesdays we present a new learning pack identified as a key learning topic from local serious incidents, investigations, complaints, litigation, or coroner cases. The learning may not have a direct link to your area of work; however, the learning provides an opportunity to reflect on some of the wider issues that could be useful for you to consider.
This month we are sharing an overview of the new National Patient Safety Framework – known as Patient Safety II. You may have heard of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) or Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) a new approach to investigating and learning from patient safety events that will replace RCAs.
There is much work to be done by the clinical governance team and specifically the Patient Safety Team to transition to new ways of working. We have to fully transition by the end of this year into early next year: with much to do (mostly for our corporate teams) to move through a number of phases to go live.
We have a stakeholder group established with representatives from each care group and will be commencing awareness sessions for all colleagues over the coming months. As we evolve you will start to hear more about PSIRF and what this means for you and our patients with opportunities to get involved and more informed bespoke sessions being run. In the meantime, look out for the awareness sessions being advertised by our patient safety managers.
For more information please see welearn July newsletter.
If you would like to be involved in the welearn user reference group, please email marsha.jones3@nhs.net.
Industrial action update
Colleagues are reminded that industrial action affecting BMA Consultant medical staff will be taking place from 7am on Thursday 20 July – 7am on Saturday 22 July. This means that “Christmas Day” cover will provided by consultant staff.
We have been planning for this since we knew of the possibility of industrial action and are supportive of colleagues wishing to take part in industrial action if they choose, as well as provide safe care for patients.
More information is available on Connect here.
Are you using Cobas B 221 blood gas analysers in your area – please refer to points two and three
The following measures must be carried out until the upgrade to software version 08.05 or higher is performed to ensure the optimal condition of the system and validity of results generated:
- Monitoring of the on-board stability of the sensor.
Please monitor the in-use time of the MSS cassette manually and ensure it is not used past the specified in-use time – (point of Care Team only – ext. 5352).
- Measures for measured Calcium values above 2.5 mmol/L and Chloride values below 70 mmol/L and above 150 mmol/L.
Please ensure are confirmed with a central laboratory measurement:
- Calcium measurements above 2.5 mmol/L and
- Chloride values below 70 mmol/L or
- Chloride values above 150 mmol/L (Non-physiologically low Calcium values (e.g.during citrate hemofiltration) should not be used for therapeutic decisions).
- Measures for the “Mixed Venous Blood” sample type.
The following parameters are no longer supported in software versions 08.04 and below and must not be used: “Mixed venous” blood type:
- Shunt
- avDO2
- OER
- Qt.
Should you have any questions in relation to this notice, please do not hesitate to contact Roche Technical services team: 0808 100 19 20, option 2
Vulnerable adult review management (VARM) Training
Sandwell Local Authority will be providing bespoke vulnerable adult review management (VARM) training on Monday 4 September. There will be two sessions held via Microsoft teams. You only need to attend one session.
- AM session – 10.30am to 12pm
- PM session – 1.30pm to 3pm
To book onto the training please email r.begum19@nhs.net
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