Monthly archives: August 2024
Agile working – A guide to Clickshare
Our SWB Estate consultation has closed, but we’re continuing to offer agile working support ahead of our move to Midland Met.
Today, we’re sharing our guide to Clickshare, here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/WHhX_YfMiJw
To take a look at how to set up in an agile working space click here:
Midland Met Bus coming to City – Thursday 8 February
On Thursday 8 February between 10am – 3pm the Midland Met bus will be at City outside the BTC to provide information about Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) and address any questions or topics of interests.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about MMUH and stay informed.
Our Midland Met bus is visiting a site near you
Rev up your excitement as we’re coming to a neighbourhood near you!
We’ve transformed a disused patient transport van into a rolling billboard for the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital and have been driving into our local communities to let them know what’s happening.
We are talking about the new hospital, what services will remain at Sandwell and City Hospitals and what will transfer to Midland Met.
We want our communities and colleagues to know that Midland Met is more than a hospital, so come and talk to us at one of the engagement sessions.
Check out the dates and locations of where our Midland Met bus will be visiting:
| Venue | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Sandwell Hospital Outpatients Department, Little Lane, West Bromwich | Tuesday 30 April, 10am – 3pm |
| Aston Pride Community Health Centre, 74 Victoria Road, Birmingham, B6 5HA | Wednesday 1 May, 10am – 3pm |
| Birmingham Treatment Centre, City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham | Tuesday 7 May, 10am – 3pm |
| Nishkam Healthcare Trust, 21-23 Soho Road, Birmingham, B21 9SN | Tuesday 14 May, 10am – 2pm |
Changes to Drug Test Requesting on Unity
Drug screen requesting is changing to provide a streamlined, efficient and cost-effective service.
From 29 July 2024 you will need to request the specific tests that you require. The options for requesting these and indications for testing are summarised below. Other toxicology test requesting remains unchanged. Please contact the laboratory with any questions (swbh.toxicology@nhs.net).
Please see the summary for this below –
| Test | Utility / Indication | Turn-around time target | Contact |
| OST Prescribing Set (EDDP / 6-MAM) | For methadone prescribing | 1 hour from arrival | Biochemistry |
| Drugs of abuse (DOA) screen, urine | For initial presentations where there is suspicion of drug use | 1 working day (urgent available – contact laboratory) | Toxicology |
| Unknown drugs screen (TOF) | Suspicion of drugs not included in DOA screen / DOA screen has not answered clinical question | 1 working day (urgent available – contact laboratory) | Toxicology |
| Synthetic cannabinoids | Suspicion of synthetic cannabinoid use – these are not detected by DOA or TOF | 1 working day (urgent available – contact laboratory) | Toxicology |
For further information – please see the wider document here.
NHS e-referral service (E-RS) upgrade: 9 August, 4pm – 10 August, 4am
Please be aware that an essential national NHS upgrade will be taking place to the e-Referral service (e-RS) from Friday 9 August 4pm, to Saturday 10 August 2024, 4am.
During this time colleagues will be unable to access the NHE e-Referral service (e-RS) via the Choose and Book icon on Connect e-Referral Service (ncrs.nhs.uk)
- Slot polls may be impacted and may not run overnight Friday/Saturday.
- Slot polls should run as scheduled overnight on Saturday/Sunday.
- AG01 reports (Advice and Guidance extracts) will be unavailable for the first half of Saturday
Further information is available on the NHS e-Referral Service release information page.
Important message from Richard Beeken, Chief Executive
Dear colleagues
Very rarely do I write out to all staff via email, as this is a form of communication which can be overused. Instead, I tend to wait until Fridays and send out my thoughts and reflections on particular issues in the form of my weekly blog, “The Friday Message”. This week, however, I feel compelled to write about a hugely upsetting and important subject and do so before Friday comes. That subject is the violence, racism and thuggery being witnessed on the streets of many towns in England and Northern Ireland and the impact it will be having on colleagues of colour.
Please see link below to a well-crafted message from the Chief Executive of NHS England, Amanada Pritchard, about this subject. Amanda’s message sums up very well indeed, how I feel about this and expresses support to all non-white colleagues, be they British or from other countries. I encourage all colleagues to read it – it is a message for you, our NHS staff:
Any reasonable citizen of our country will be revulsed and deeply upset by what we have witnessed in recent days. There will be many colleagues who, by virtue of their faith or the colour of their skin, will feel anxious and alarmed at this moment in time in their own community, or in the care setting that they work. For those colleagues I would like to express my thanks and admiration to you for the work you do – it underpins #OurNHS and the NHS could not survive without your dedication, service, and strong values. I would also like to express that I stand with you in the seemingly never-ending process of making our own NHS, for all its imperfections, an example of what multi-cultural tolerance and diversity of thought and life experience, can be to the rest of the country. In our Trust, we embody the ambition, respect and compassion we must seek in wider society.”
Black Country 0-18 years online resource available
The Black Country Integrated Care Board have created a one-stop shop for all medical information for those aged between 0-18 years old.
You’ll find clear information on common childhood illnesses, including advice on what ‘red-flag’ signs to look out for, where to seek help if required and how long your child’s symptoms are likely to last.
There is also a dedicated section for professionals, to support those who work with children and young people to keep up to date with the latest guidance and best practice.
To access the website, click here
To read more about the programme of work click here
Watch out for medical impersonators!
Recently, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority shared a fraud alert after an individual attended an NHS Trust to work an agency shift in someone else’s name. The photo ID he presented had a photograph of a male, but the name of a female staff member who was supposed to be completing a shift as a Mental Health Support Worker. See Impersonating a medical professional alert sheet for details.
This poses a risk for both patients and staff as pre-employment checks would not have been completed on the attending worker. Please be vigilant and ensure that photo ID is closely checked on agency workers, and that the correct person is reporting for an agency shift at the Trust.
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.
Fraud, Bribery and ID Verification Awareness Session – 6 September
RSM are holding a Fraud, Bribery and ID Verification Awareness Session on Friday 6 September 10am – 1pm.
The awareness session is predominately aimed at staff working within NHS recruitment teams, but is open to anyone that has an interest in this area, particularly around the review of identification documents. The material is also transferable to non-NHS organisations in the Health sector and other sectors.
The session will cover:
- The Fraud and Bribery Acts, and how offences under these acts can be committed within the NHS;
- A summary of the NHS employment check standards, which covers right to work checks, ID checks, professional registration and qualification checks, criminal records checks and employment history, and reference checks;
- Various recruitment and NHS case studies;
- Verification of documents; including passports and driving licences; and
- How to report any fraud concerns you have.
To register for the session please click here.
12 Lead ECG cascade training now available
Colleagues who wish to become cascade trainers are invited to book onto ‘ 12 lead ECG cascade training’ the sessions will be classroom based and will begin the first week of August.
The training can be booked via ESR. Colleagues must complete the pre-reading as well as the module 12 lead ECG training via Centric Cortex.
For those who wish to complete the competencies in 12 lead ECG, they must complete the other modules above as well as the competency booklet but will not need to attend the ESR training.
Colleagues will then need to complete the practical module with a cascade trainer for their clinical area.
Both competency booklets can be found here
Note: Maximum of 10 members of staff per session. This training is open to all band 5 nurses and above.
If you require more information regarding the training, please contact the Nursing Education Team
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