Monthly archives: August 2023

Message from our pensions team: Do you know about retire and return and partial retirement?

Retire and return – This is an option for members of the NHS Pension Scheme to retire from their current post and return into a new role. This option requires the employment to be terminated and a new contract is given. The member returns after a 24 hour break with a new contract.

Draw down or partial retirement – This is when a member is taking all or a percentage of their pension but continues on the same contract in the current role. The Member speaks with the Manager of the Department who will be able to discuss options with the member and agree an arrangement that works for both the member and the employer.  The member must return with a reduction of pensionable pay by at least 10% and no break is required.

The pensionable pay must stay at the reduced level for at least 12 months after you take partial retirement, or you’ll no longer be eligible for the pension you’ve taken. During this period, you may still be able to do additional work that doesn’t count towards your pension, such as overtime or bank work but it is the responsibility of the member to opt out of the pension scheme on any additional bank work done. Please click here for further details.

Note: Managers  must not terminate the post on ESR for partial retirements or draw downs. Once agreed the member is eligible to reduce their pensionable pay please amend hours or pay via ESR.

For more information please call 0121 507 6655 option 3 (lines open from 10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday).

Notice Fraud: Summer 2023

During 2023, fraudsters have been looking to take advantage of us.

Click here to see the full Notice Fraud Summer 2023 information sheet in full.

Don’t forget – all suspicions of fraud should be reported to the Local Counter Fraud Specialist Sophie Coster (Tel: 07436 268747), Chief Finance Officer, Dinah McLannahan; or NHSCFA by calling 0800 028 40 60.

Message from our pensions team: Total rewards statements now available

Total rewards statements (TRS) provide a personalised summary of what your NHS pension is worth at 31 March, as well as details of your pay, pension and employee benefits.

You can now access your TRS online by clicking here and via ESR (electronic staff record).

Fraud and bribery survey

The Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) survey is designed to help us understand your level of knowledge and your view of how fraud and bribery are dealt with within SWB and the wider NHS. The results of this survey will help assess the effectiveness of the counter fraud work and the gifts and hospitality section focuses on what can and can’t be accepted under your organisation’s policy. The results of both of these sections also identify where additional training or publicity may be beneficial.

Taking part in this survey helps in the fight against fraud, which the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) estimates to cost the NHS £1.2bn every year. This would be enough to fund an additional 35,000 nurses.

The survey is anonymous, your responses and any comments are submitted directly to RSM and treated in strictest confidence. No responses or comments will be reported to management at an identifiable level.

To complete this short survey please click here.

Unity maintenance : 30 August, 7am – 9am

Essential Unity maintenance will be taking place on Wednesday 30 August to ensure the Trust’s EPR system remains stable. The work is scheduled to begin at 7am for approximately two hours and should be completed by 9am.

During this time Unity will remain available and we are not expecting any issues with Unity functionality such as documentation and meds admin, Powerchart or FirstNet.

However, during the maintenance, the Trust will not have any resilience in place for Capman and Unity Medical devices if an unexpected issue were to occur. We would therefore recommend that business continuity plans be on standby for Capman and Unity Medical devices during the above time.

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

As always, should you have any further queries please do contact the IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 or via Chat with the IT Service Desk.

Take the leap of a lifetime for Your Trust Charity: 23 September

Your Trust Charity are inviting colleagues to take the leap of a lifetime from a 160ft bungee jump at the Cliff Lakes Waterpark in Birmingham to raise funds for the charity.

The jump is taking place on Saturday 23 September however if you wish to take part you will need to book by Wednesday 13 September.

Your Trust Charity invites you to raise a suggested target of £50 per person (or £200 for a team of four) and will support you to set up your own free JustGiving page. Each participant will need to pay a £78 registration fee to the event organiser which includes entry into the waterpark with breath taking views, the challenge itself, and the opportunity to finish your day off with a drink and snack overlooking the stunning lake!

For more information and to book your place, please click here.

Maternity coffee shop now offering Costa

Our coffee shop based in maternity at City is now serving Costa coffee. This is branded coffee and a coffee machine with a full Costa menu in place.

The shop is open from 10.30am – 1.30pm.

Maintenance affecting Trust reports service: 29 August, 7pm – 8pm

Please be aware that an essential maintenance will be taking place on Tuesday 29 August from 7pm – 8pm to the supporting infrastructure for the SWB Trust reports system. This will help continue to ensure the reporting system remains security compliant and should take around two hours.

During the upgrade, SWB Trust Reports service will be unavailable for approximately five minutes from 7.15pm. The upgrade has been scheduled at this time to try to minimise impact and the overall works should be completed by 8pm.

The activity will be closely monitored by 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 or via Chat with the IT Service Desk.

D26 moving to D30 next Tuesday

D26 ward at City Hospital will be moving to D30 ward from Tuesday 29 August at 10am. This is so a new security buzzer system can be fitted on the ward as the work will be noisy and disruptive for patients.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

For more information please email joseph.lobban1@nhs.net.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 25 August

Earlier this week I wrote to you with my initial thoughts on the verdict in the trial of Lucy Letby, and it is right that I continue with some further reflections I have had since then. As the news settles into the public psyche it is inevitable that some messages from the extensive reporting from the trial could be misconstrued to turn the horrific actions of one individual into a representative behaviour of the caring profession. This is uncomfortable but not unexpected and I would urge you to ignore anything unfiltered you read from the tiny section of the population who are wired to think like this.

Instead within our organisation we should focus on our values – Ambition, Respect, and Compassion – and the behaviours that demonstrate those values. Look not at isolated comments on social media but at your colleagues and the positive comments from your patients, colleagues, and family members if you are feeling disturbed by current events.

We will get through this together and will have different strategies to help. Something that helps me is speaking to colleagues and observing our behaviours in practice, by seeing how individuals demonstrate our values in the little day to day things that cumulatively make such a difference. I’ve picked three quotes to share in this message representing each value – these quotes by our colleagues have helped me see past the horror of Lucy Letby and underlined the consideration running through our organisation. A fundamental part of that consideration for others is the willingness to Speak Up when you are concerned by something you have seen. We are extremely active in ensuring all colleagues have a route to speak up, and you can read more on Connect here about how to raise your concern. Please do not walk by and ignore, please use your voice to help those that follow you.

Here are three inspirational quotes from our colleagues dealing with each of our values:

Clair Finnemore, Therapy Lead for Stroke Services, said: “For our patients the life changing impact a stroke can have on a patient’s life and that of their family, drives me to ensure our service provides the best outcomes for our patients. Ambition to me means I am always looking for new and innovative ways to deliver therapy to support our patients to achieve their maximum possible recovery during their rehabilitation journey.

Our incoming Chief Registrar, Dr Amelia Lloyd commented: “For me respect is acceptance of individuality, it is about bringing out the best in colleagues and seeing uniqueness as strength. Having a team that is inclusive and accepting of people, demonstrating kindness in the little things is the team I want to be part of.”

Laverne Gordon, Nursing Associate added: “Compassion for me is doing the very best I can, to ensure that the patient feels welcome and valued; and has a positive hospital experience. I treat every patient as I would want my loved ones to be treated. I treat every patient as a unique individual, and I see them as more than just their illness. I place the patient at the centre of their care, promoting and encouraging them in the making of decisions regarding their care – empowering them. I also treat every patient with respect, kindness, dignity, compassion, understanding, courtesy, and honesty.

If you would like to share a quote on how you live any of our three values, please email swbh.comms@nhs.net