Monthly archives: January 2024

Expect delays: Planned roadworks in and around Dudley Road

Work has begun on Dudley Road between the Old Windmill and Aberdeen Street directly outside City Hospital. This work is expected to take place through until July. The work on Dudley Road is expected to steadily expand westward and works on the section from Lee Bridge to Icknield Port Road will start in April.

Resurfacing of Spring Hill is planned for February. This will result in several weeks of night works which will include full road closures to protect the workforce (Western Road to Middleway 9pm – 6am).

With this in mind, we advise colleagues to plan in advance and allow extra time when travelling to and from City Hospital during this period.

Note: Urgent priority will be given to emergency vehicles.

iPM maintenance: 29 January 10pm – 12am

Please be aware essential iPM maintenance will be taking place today to ensure the Trust’s system remains stable. The work is scheduled to begin at 10pm for approximately two hours and should be completed by midnight.

During this time iPM will be available; however colleagues may experience brief disconnections and be forcibly logged off the system but will be able to log straight back in.

Colleagues may experience minor iPM delays but iPM should be used as normal.

In the event issues or unexpected prolonged downtime then the following services will be affected:

• Brand new patients to the trust should be allocated a prenumbered RXK label and iPM updated as per ED BC plans for new patients not already on iPM. The allocated RXK number will become the patients actual RXK number and can be used immediately for ordering any diagnostic investigations via the BCP processes.
• Patients new to the Trust will not be visible in Medisoft – full BCP required.
• Orders placed in Unity will not go to Radiology/Pathology during this time but will be sent once the systems come back up – BCP required.
• New results will not be visible in Unity during this time but will be sent once the systems come back up.
• Inpatients admitted from ED will not show up in iPM until the systems are back up.
• Inpatients transferred between Wards will show on Capman and Unity but not on iPM until the systems are back up.
• Inpatients discharged during this time will not show as discharged in iPM until the systems are back up.
• Any new baby registrations will not be able to be completed until the systems are back up – BCP required.

Colleagues will need to ensure they revert to BCPs for blood tests and imaging requests during this time. Other Unity functionality such as documentation and meds admin will not be affected by this activity. Desktop alerts will be issued from 8pm advising colleagues about the maintenance.

The activity will be closely monitored by our support vendor 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.

Stay vigilant: iTunes voucher fraud

We have recently been made aware of a recent attempt to impersonate an NHS manager. This is usually done to make requests of staff to purchase iTunes vouchers from their own funds, or to make urgent payments that would bypass your controls. The email was received from an @ntlworld.com address so the domain cannot easily be blocked.

Once contact is made fraudsters will make requests such as

• Urgently purchasing iTunes or other vouchers and emailing the serial numbers
• Making an urgent payment to a new beneficiary
• Sending details of outstanding invoices

Nobody within the NHS should ever contact you from a personal email address to make such requests and will never ask you to bypass or breach procedure. If you receive any contact or request that appears suspicious you should check this with your manager using a known contact method, such as their work email or their phone number.

Don’t forget – all suspicions of fraud should be reported to NHSCFA by calling 0800 028 40 60.You can also report fraud anonymously on 0800 028 4060 or online.

In case you missed it: Measles update regarding cases in Birmingham and Solihull from the ICS

Colleagues from across Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System gave and update on the system’s response to measles on Tuesday 23 January.

You can watch the ICS Briefing on YouTube and also view the presentation slides. If you have any queries or feedback, including suggestions of topics you would like hear about, please contact the Communications Team at NHS Birmingham and Solihull by emailing communications.bsolicb@nhs.net.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 26 January

As chief executive you never stop saying ‘thank you’ to people for their efforts and their resilience and the last week has given me plenty of opportunity to say this.  I feel there is no better way than to reflect my gratitude in my weekly message to colleagues.

Firstly, I would like to thank those executive colleagues who stepped up to handle much of my responsibilities while I was laid low with what I suspect as my sixth bout of COVID-19. I repeatedly tested negative but my word, it certainly felt like COVID-19!  Like colleagues in patient facing roles or roles closer to the “front line”, my colleagues picked those additional responsibilities up without complaint and did so on top of already very pressured day jobs.  I am hugely appreciative of their help.

Secondly, I would like to thank the clinical and managerial teams who have worked manfully to keep our urgent and emergency care pathways as safe as possible, during the last couple of weeks of relentless “winter pressures”.  There are too many people to list here, but the professionalism and positivity shown by many in the face of service pressures which could severely compromise patient care standards at times, is very impressive.  So, thank you.

Thirdly, I want to thank the team on Lyndon 2 at Sandwell, who “flipped” a surgical inpatient area to a medical one in less than 24 hours and did so without complaint or escalation.  I do not underestimate either the logistics of this ask, nor the frustrations surgical teams must feel during winter when medical patients “outlie” in their beds, yet this team’s response to managing medical patients in a safer and more systematic way, was exemplary, thank you.

So, the theme of this week’s message is showing appreciation for a job well done or a responsibility shared by a colleague.  It takes little effort and little time to thank people, yet it still means so much.  It is often done too little, as well.  During these extremely difficult times, when tempers are frayed, in which professional standards feel compromised, saying thank you and retaining our civility is so important.

Yesterday, Rachel Barlow (Managing Director, MMUH Programme Company) and I were delighted to welcome Victoria Atkins, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands for a visit to Midland Met.

The visit enabled us to showcase the progress of MMUH and discuss the support we need to ensure that it delivered in the way it needs to be, to offer the best care for our patients and population.

Whilst the tour was relatively short, we had the opportunity, to take the party to some key areas of focus, the winter garden on Level 5, the wonderful midwifery-led care in maternity and our expansive ED areas.

Both the Secretary of State and the Mayor were hugely impressed with the progress of the building work, the MMUH purpose and vision and the facilities which will be available for staff and patients and the local community.

So, in the spirit of saying thank you, thank you to everyone who is working so hard on getting us set for our move to MMUH. Whilst we set-up the programme company to have a real focus on opening the new hospital, I know there are lots of colleagues doing work on MMUH on top of their core work – so thank you – and having walked around again yesterday – trust me, it will all be worth it.

Have a good week.

Richard

COVID-19 and Flu vaccination update

COVID-19 vaccinations will be limited in supply from Friday 26 January to Friday 2 February. If you wish to have your Covid-19 vaccination, please get in contact with the vaccination team on 07977 687 586

Therefore, from Monday 5 February, the vaccination clinic will only administrate flu vaccinations. If you would like to have your flu vaccination, please contact the team for further information on 07977 687 586

Expect delays Sunday: West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

As you may be aware, this Sunday West Bromwich Albion host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Hawthorns.

With over 26,000 people expected to be travelling to the match from the local area, we advise colleagues to plan in advance and allow extra time when travelling to and from Sandwell and City Hospital as well as community sites throughout the day.

Cervical Cancer Awareness Week 22 January – 26 January

Did you know every day in the UK, two women lose their lives to cervical cancer, and nine more receive a life-changing diagnosis?

To know the signs of how you can spot cervical cancer, watch our very own Jo Harvey to find out more.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MCprlBbok6A

To find out more about cervical cancer, visit the NHS website here. 

Notice Fraud: Winter 2024

The RSM NHS counter fraud newsletter provides insights into current fraud trends and risks, our counter fraud work, and recent fraud cases.

Click here to see the full Notice Fraud Winter 2024 information sheet in full.

Don’t forget – all suspicions of fraud should be reported to NHSCFA by calling 0800 028 40 60.You can also report fraud anonymously on 0800 028 4060 or online.

World Cancer Day – we need you!

As World Cancer Day approaches we are looking to share the stories of those staff who have beaten the disease as part of an awareness campaign.

We are looking for cancer survivors who were treated at the Trust and work here to be featured in a video, on the Trust’s social media channels.

The aim of the video is to promote the cancer services available at the Trust and to highlight those who have been cancer free, thanks to the care they have received.

This video will also feature patients, so if you have any loved who would like to be part of the campaign, please put them in touch with us. We’d only need 5 -10 minutes of your time.

If you would like to take part or would like to find out more information, please contact Hermione, Communications Department, hermione.crump@nhs.net.