Monthly archives: May 2024
Wellbeing facilities at the Trust
Here at the Trust, we are lucky to host two on site gyms for staff to use free of charge.
If you are looking to get fit this year, improve your mental health or simply go for a walk.
You can find more information and sign up through the following link: https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/od/occupational-health-and-wellbeing-service/sandwell-gym/
We also offer free health check monitor machines and Sandwell, City and Rowley.
- Ground Floor, Trinity House, Sandwell
- Ground Floor, Occupational Health, Sandwell
- Ground Floor, BTC, City
- Ground Floor, Reception, Rowley
Nationally agreed Delirium Assessment tool – 4AT
Elderly patients have always been required to be assessed for Delirium on both admission and post-operatively, and there have always been many tools to do this. However now it’s been nationally agreed that only the 4AT Delirium Assessment tool should be used from now on. Not to be confused with the AMT (Abbreviated Mental Test) for use in assessing patients for Dementia.
What is 4AT?
- Simple and short delirium detection tool designed for easy and effective clinical use.
- It’s the most-validated delirium tool in literature with <27 diagnostic test accuracy in recent studies.
- Proven in routine care, high completion rates and delirium detection at expected clinical rates.
- To find out more information about 4AT visit their website ( https://www.the4at.com/s/4AT)
Where to use 4AT?
4AT should be used on all elderly patients on admission, this would be first used on ED or AMU and for any patients where delirium or cognitive impairment is suspected.
How do I access the 4AT form?
Colleagues can now access the 4AT form via Unity. To access the form please see our user guide: https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/4at-delirium-screening-unity-guide/
View the Effective Change Improvements page https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/governance/clinical-effectiveness/sharing-effective-change-improvements/
Please contact the Clinical Effectiveness team for more information
What is Mental Health Awareness Week?
Mental Health Awareness Week runs from Monday 13 May through to Friday 19 May.
This year’s theme focuses on movement to improve your mental health.
The benefits of movement for mental health range from improving your mood, reducing anxiety and lowering stress levels.
How can you find your moment for movement? Is it going for a walk in nature? attending a new fitness class? Or simply taking five minutes from your desk to move.
This week is all about finding your #MomentsforMovement to improve your mental health.
Here at the Trust, we have a range of facilities to help you do that.
Did you know we have a range of outdoor spaces here at the Trust?
Taking five minutes out of your day can improve your mental health, especially when heading outside. Across the Trust, we have a wide range of outdoor spaces where staff can take five minutes to visit, walk around or even just take a break.
These include:
- Courtyard Gardens – Sandwell
- City Gardens outside the main spine – City
- Gardens at Rowley
- Winter Garden on Level 5 as well as a further six gardens at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.
Let’s get physiotherapy!
Did you know that the Trust offers a physiotherapy service, who are here to support you and your rehabilitation?
Clinics are run in the physiotherapy departments at Sandwell (Lewisham Street) and City Hospital (1st floor, near A&E).
If you require physiotherapy support or advice, please contact the MSKO team on 0121 507 2664, option 1 or email swbh.mops@nhs.net.
Contact PAM for your counselling needs
The Trust has recently launched the PAM Wellness Solutions Employee Assistance Program.
This is a free and confidential service providing employees with emotional support, practical information and structured counselling for issues affecting their social, physical, financial and general wellbeing.
If you wish to access support, you can contact PAM on 0800 882 4102 whereby your call will be answered by a qualified counsellor who will be a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Alternatively, the NHS provide ‘ Talking Therapies ‘ a mental health service for those aged over 18 who are suffering from anxiety and depression and just need that person to talk to.
The services offered are:
- Talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies, and guided self-help
- Help for common mental health problems, like anxiety and depression
If you would like to find out more about Talking Therapies, please visit here.
Midland Met begins CQC registration
As we continue on our journey to open Midland Met to patients in October 2024, one crucial milestone needs to be achieved – our Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration.
The CQC, an independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, ensures that healthcare providers meet rigorous standards, assuring the public of quality and safety. The successful registration with the CQC is a regulatory requirement and a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional care at Midland Met.
Understanding the complexity of the CQC registration process, SWB has taken a proactive approach by initiating the preparations well in advance. In January, CQC inspectors visited Midland Met to familiarise themselves with the site, gaining insights into the scale of the project and meeting with members of our senior leadership team.
The assessment process will involve a comprehensive examination of the services at our new hospital and the environment in which they will take place. It will include site visits, discussions with clinical teams, and a meticulous review of documents and data. The phased assessment is scheduled between June and August to secure registration by mid-September 2024.
Kam Dhami, Chief Governance Officer, said: “The site visit was a chance for the CQC to see the site and begin to understand the scale of our clinical transformation, our approach to workforce preparedness and operational readiness. The tour clocked up over 10,000 steps, so a great orientation to Midland Met and a positive step forward on our journey towards opening.”
Have you ever taken a self-care assessment? We have one right here
Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately to take care of or be good to ourselves, helping to improve our physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing.
In most cases incorporating better self-care activities into our lives is easy to do, inexpensive and doesn’t require a lot of time. In the main it will probably just involve small tweaks and small additions to what we currently do. What is needed, however, is the commitment to actually doing something, as it won’t just happen by itself.
If you would like to know more about what self-care is and take an assessment.
We also have other resources available such as the benefits of drinking water, and how to improve your sleep, to find out more information here.
A Guide to Dysphagia training available to staff
Due to recent incidents within the Trust, we ask that all inpatient clinical/patient-facing staff including those working in the Emergency, SDEC and Discharge lounges complete the training.
Our E-learning “A Guide to Dysphagia” is live on Centric Cortex (In Library, under Mandatory/Other Training Courses).
There are 3 modules. Each is short. Followed by a multiple-choice course assessment once all modules are completed.
Priority 1 – Dysphagia safety briefing: Identifying and managing the condition (6mins)
Priority 2 – Modifying Dysphagia through a texture-modified diet (IDDSI overview – 8mins)
Priority 3 – Correctly mixing thickened drinks for dysphagia patients (9mins)
In total, this shouldn’t take much more than 30 minutes.
If you only have a few minutes to spare please prioritise Module 1.
Dates for bookable face-to-face sessions are still to be confirmed so please look out for further comms about this in due course.
REMINDER: Referrals to Adult Inpatient Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) are made via Unity > Requests & Care Plans. Please can we ask that referrals are made promptly at the point of identifying need for SLT input and that you provide detail in the “Other Clinical Details’ box as to what your concerns are e.g. “coughing on fluids”, “slurred speech”, “oral intake for comfort at end of life”. This will greatly help us triage and prioritise patients based on need and urgency. Thank you.
If you have any questions, please contact Ellie Savage (ellie.savage1@nhs.net) or Becky Johnson (rebecca.johnson17@nhs.net)
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