Monthly archives: April 2024

iPM upgrade: 24 April, 1am – 8am

Please be aware an essential iPM upgrade will be taking place on Wednesday 24 April from 1am – 8am to ensure the Trust’s system remains up to date and stable.  There will be no change to functionality.

During this time Unity will remain available; however, the systems detailed below will be unavailable for up to seven hours:

• 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. Paper requests will be required to process all pathology samples during downtime.
• New results will not be visible in Unity during this time but will be sent once the systems come back up. – The laboratory will prioritise urgent requests from ED, ITU/CCS, AMU, coronary care and paediatrics/neonates during this period. Urgent results will be phoned to the requestor.
• 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.

My Part in Midland Met – Dionne Mullings

The successful opening of Midland Metropolitan University Hospital relies on many people, teams and stakeholders. Once open, it will have a far-reaching impact – not only on those we care for but also on colleagues and our community in terms of regeneration, jobs, housing, charitable endeavours and so much more.   

Getting us to Midland Met is a team effort. We all have a part to play in making it #morethanahospital!  

How long have you been at SWB and what is your current role?  

I have had a fantastic career since joining SWB in March 2012. I started as a community midwife, completed a 12-month preceptorship, and gained experience across all areas of maternity. I’ve been a clinical educator and community manager and later transitioned to a service manager role within community medicine (PCCT). 

I’m now a clinical change manager with the Midland Met Project Group. My job involves working closely with clinical teams to standardise hospital procedures and to ensure a smooth transition to our new acute hospital. 

What part does your role contribute to the Midland Met project? 

My role is to standardise the operational aspects of the wards, improve patient care and their stay, and promote the wellbeing of the clinical teams. I also support the socialisation of the Midland Met move to our communities and colleagues, and I’m actively involved with the work around our staff induction. 

We will roll out a new Rhythm of the Day and Ward and Board Rounds. These initiatives are pivotal to the patient experience, and ultimately, we aim to facilitate a smooth transition to Midland Met and provide high-quality patient care. 

In what ways will our new hospital help to shape your role for the better? 

With my role supporting and implementing organisational change, there will be great opportunities to build on the innovation and new technologies that will be part of the day-to-day running of the hospital.  

New technology, spacious, contemporary work areas and the development and transformation of patient pathways will enable teams to give outstanding and quality care from referral through to discharge and beyond. 

The biggest benefit that Midland Met will bring in your opinion is… 

Innovation and the standardisation of services for both patients, colleagues and stakeholders. 

Have you been on a site tour?  

I have seen the impressive facilities at Midland Met, and I’m blown away by what I saw. The building is easily accessible from the car park, and departments are close to each other, allowing teams to deliver their services seamlessly.  

Throughout the new hospital, designated areas for colleagues to relax and take a break are available. The Winter Garden promotes wellbeing as it’s a non-clinical floor for people to step away from work and enjoy a drink or a walk around the hospital outside in the fresh air. It’s a fantastic building and I can’t wait for colleagues to start working there and enjoying the benefits of working in a new, purpose-built hospital.  

National audit of care at the end of life

The national audit of care at the end of life (NACEL) is a national comparative audit of the quality and outcomes of care experienced by the dying person and those important to them; during the last admission leading to death in inpatient facilities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Staff reported measure

The staff reported measure is an online survey collecting feedback from clinical colleagues who are most likely to come into contact with dying patients and those important to them. The survey looks to garner colleague confidence levels in delivering care to dying patients and their views on the working culture.

If you wish to complete this short survey please click here to visit the Nacel survey page on Connect.

The survey closes on Sunday 30 June. For more information please email amelia.hilton@nhs.net.

Unity printing maintenance: 16 May, 10pm – 11pm

Please be aware essential Unity maintenance will be taking place on Wednesday 16 May to ensure the supporting infrastructure remains secure and security compliant. The work is scheduled to begin at 10pm for approximately one hour and should be completed by 11pm.

During this time Unity will remain fully available; however from 10pm until 11pm on Wednesday 16 May Unity printing will be unavailable for up to 60 minutes at the following site locations:

• Sandwell – all areas
• City – all areas
• BMEC – all areas
• BTC – all areas

o This will affect specimen label, requisition, and pharmacy printing.

o Any print jobs submitted during this time will be held and printed once the print servers come back online.

If clinical staff are due to collect a sample between time above, we would advise them to wait until specimen labelling functionality returns. If staff have a very urgent specimen to collect that cannot wait to collect and send to pathology, then a manual pathology request form will need to be completed and sent with the sample. It is envisaged that this requirement will be rare and unlikely at those times.

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.

Vaisakhi and Rama Navami Festivals

Vaisakhi is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. It is celebrated between 13 – 14 April and commemorates the year that Sikishm was established back in 1699.

Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that commemorates the birth of Rama, as known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu and one of the revered deities in Hinduism. Rama is sought to be the symbol of righteousness, good conduct and virtue among Hindus.

A Vaisakhi and Rama Navami celebration will be taking place at City Hospital Chapel on Monday 22 April, and at Sandwell Chapel on Wednesday 24 April from 12pm – 2pm.

Colleagues are invited to meet our Hindu and Sikh Chaplains who will lead with short prayers. Refreshments will be available afterwards.

For further information about the event, from the Chaplaincy team please call ext. 3552/4055.

Pharmacy Abloy devices software update: 18 April

The pharmacy team have received notifications that the Abloy programming devices will have a software update on Thursday 18 April between 4pm – 12am.

During this time, devices will remain offline and will display a blinking light. Users will still be able to charge their keys during this time to enable the continued use of their keys.

Note: A full data transfer will not take place, until after the update. This may delay the length of time it takes for the keys to charge.

If you have any problems with charging keys, speak to pharmacy informatics on ext. 3272.

Heart Failure Awareness Week: 29 April – 5 May

Heart Failure Awareness Week aims to raise awareness about the importance of recognising heart failure symptoms early, getting an accurate diagnosis and receiving optimal treatment. We know that the prognosis of heart failure is worse than some common cancers, and early intervention with evidence-based treatments not only improves morbidity and mortality but potentially avoids hospital admission.

As part of the awareness week,  our acute heart failure and community teams will be teaming up with other colleagues from the Black Country ICS to promote Heart Failure Awareness Week. The team will be visiting the following locations below where they will be promoting the signs and symptoms of possible heart failure and signposting to try and encourage earlier detection as well as educating the public on everything heart failure.

For more information, please email acuteheartfailurenurses@nhs.net.

Education Awareness Skills Day

Our nursing and midwifery clinical education team are hosting multiple drop-in education sessions available to all colleagues who want to receive refresher training. The sessions will cover several topics aimed to develop skills, knowledge and awareness. Topics will include:

• MMUH
• Care Certificate
• Cannulation and venepuncture
• Vital signs
• ECG
• Practice supervisor/assessor
• Catheter management
• Preceptorship

The sessions will take on the following dates:

• Thursday 25 April, 10am – 2pm, Education Centre, Sandwell
• Thursday 2 May, 9am – 11.30am, Rowley
• Thursday 2 May, 12.30pm – 2.30pm, Leasowes
• Thursday 9 May, 10am – 2pm, Postgraduate Centre, City
• Thursday 23 May, 12.30pm – 2.30pm, Harvest View

For more information, please contact the Education Team on ext. 6149.

Join us on a tour of the Midland Met car park

One of the most common questions about Midland Met is about the car park spaces available for colleagues.

Do we have a good amount of parking spaces? The simple answer is yes, we’ve got you covered!

With 1,600 spaces, you’ll never struggle to find a spot to park at Midland Met. And guess what? 1,200 out of the 1,600 parking spaces are for staff members, so there should be plenty to go around for all of us.

Be sure to check out this short video taking you on a whistle-stop tour of level 1 – the dedicated staff parking floor.

Discover your easy guide to Midland Met

Want to get to know our new hospital? Well, you’re in the right place.

Opening its doors in October 2024, Midland Met will be our new acute hospital in Smethwick. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find inside. You can also view it online here.