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Monthly archives: September 2024

Do you want four weeks free bus travel and eight weeks at 25 per cent discount? Offer ends today!

 

The Trust is committed to working in more environmentally friendly ways and has in place a Trust Board approved Green Strategic Plan. We are keen to support staff with getting to and from work using active and sustainable modes of travel, particularly with the opening of MMUH.

As part of the West Midlands Bus Scheme, we are offering eligible staff 4 weeks free bus travel and then 8 weeks travel at 25 per cent discount. To be eligible, you must currently be a non-frequent bus user (1-2 times a week or less). This is a programme to encourage modal-shift and is intended to support sustainable travel habits. Those eligible will be supported with free bus travel via Swift technology.

To apply, please complete this questionnaire by clicking here.

The form will be open to applications until Monday 16 September, 7pm. Applications will be processed after the closing date so you will receive your code up to 14 days after applying.

Codes cannot be requested via email. The form must be completed to assess eligibility.

Frequency asked questions:

Can I complete the form multiple times to get more codes?

No, only one form should be completed per person. One application is permitted per individual.

If I have applied for a bus pass in the previous scheme (pre-September), can I apply for this one?

Yes, you are still able to apply for this scheme.

When will I receive my code?

If you are eligible, you will receive a code once the window for the webform closes.

How can I redeem the codes?

  • You can redeem the four week free bus travel code at the website provided in the automated email. Once the code is redeemed, you will order a Swift Card that will provide four weeks free bus travel and eight weeks at 25 per cent discount, the card will come preloaded with four weeks free travel.
  • Once the four weeks is nearly over, you will automatically receive another email with the 25 per cent discount. Once the next four weeks is nearly over, you will automatically receive another email with the final 25 per cent discount.

For more information, please follow the guide.

Shuttle bus service update

 

This Monday and Tuesday, (16-17 September), there may be some delays to the shuttle bus service. Our team will be running trial tests along the route to Midland Met to fine tune the timings.

We know some colleagues use the shuttle bus for cross-site travel, so we ask you to please bear in mind that delays may be possible at the start of the week. These tests are crucial to ensure the service runs smoothly once our new hospital opens on 6 October.

Regular shuttle bus service will resume on Wednesday. Thank you for your understanding.

Black Country Pathology Services – Microbiology refurbishment

 

The reception area within BCPS Microbiology is undergoing refurbishment from 14 – 17 September 2024.

The department remains open and fully operational, but there is a temporary workspace being created to complete reception functions within the main laboratory. Work is being done to minimise the impact this will have, however, there might be a slight increase in the turnaround time of any Microbiology requests during this period.

Please contact the below if you have any queries:

PSIRF Newsletter: first edition

 

Welcome to the PSIF newsletter!

In this first edition, you will find information about important safety alerts, PSIRF themes and any feedback from QIHD. Alongside this, you can submit a sepsis form and a round-up of the recent news that’s been going on within the team.

Click here to read the newsletter.

Black Country ICB Annual General Meeting (AGM) – 19 September

 

Colleagues are invited to attend the Black Country ICB Annual General Meeting ( AGM) on Thursday, 19 September, from 5.30pm – 7.30pm online.

To reserve your spot and ask any questions, please do so here.

 

Friday Message from Lesley Writtle: 13 September

 

Hello, I am Lesley Writtle, Deputy Chair of the Trust and every few weeks I hijack the CEO message so you can learn more about the role I play and the role of the Non-Executive Directors.

This week, I was delighted to present September’s winner of the ARC Star Award to Kirk Johnson, Senior Contracts Manager in Procurement. Kirk was really very surprised as I quietly snuck into the procurement team office. The ARC Star is awarded to a member of our Trust every month, who displays the Trust values of ambition, respect, and compassion in their everyday lives.  Kirk was awarded for his ambition and respect towards his colleagues as procurement can be a hard process to follow and Kirk goes above and beyond to ensure both internal and external stakeholders understand the needs of the patients we care for.  He really impressed me with his care and time to make sure the clinical voice is heard. Thank you Kirk, it was a pleasure to present you with the award and well done. If you would like to nominate someone for an award, click here.

Whilst out and about I also spent some time with colleagues from logistics. Rob on reception in stores was fantastic thanks for the chat and I will visit again. I also met with the uniform team and some of our porters at Sandwell Hospital.  There was a definite air of positivity about the move to MMUH, however I appreciate that there are still some concerns as staff across the Trust have worked here for some time now and moving to a new hospital can be quite daunting and overwhelming, plus you have some very special memories of the place. I understand and can relate to this completely from my time at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and if you are feeling overwhelmed, I would encourage you to chat with your team or  speak to your line manager.

Along with Acting Chief Finance Officer, Simon Sheppard, I also visited Critical Care colleagues at Sandwell who like many others will be moving to MMUH. This team has been working collaboratively with their counterparts at City Hospital and were really looking forward to new working environment. I was also able to see the new Omnicell units our new medicine management system which will see the Trust use the new Omnicell Automatic Dispensing Cabinets (ADCs) and smart carts across the Trust estate.

Whilst on all the visits this week staff were keen to ensure that they had an opportunity to capture memories at both Sandwell and City before they move to the new hospital. I know that the Communications Team have been working on a way to share memories and that will be launched very soon.

On Tuesday afternoon we held the 2023/24 Trust Annual General Meeting, it was great  to see members of public and staff attend the first in-person AGM since 2019. I want to say a big thank you to our guest presenters from Stroke Services , Sarah Oley and Clair Finnemore who gave an excellent update on stroke decoupling and what the move to MMUH will mean to them and members of our very own YouthSpace group, Ruqiya, Bill and Raeann, who gave a wonderful, uplifting presentation on the work that they have been involved in. If you didn’t manage to get to the AGM but have any questions you would like to ask, please email Daniel.conway4@nhs.net.

Finally,  we heard at Trust Board this week that the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) National Steering Group has approved our application for Veteran Aware accreditation, which was the 200th application and marks a significant milestone in the national programme. NHS Veteran Aware is an accreditation programme designed to support NHS trusts in understanding and meeting the needs of the Armed Forces community and seeks to deliver better health and wellbeing for the whole of the Armed Forces community

I would like to thank all Armed Forces Champions that were involved in gaining this accreditation.

Have a good week

Lesley

Message from Richard Beeken: Independent investigation of the issues facing the NHS

 

Message from Richard Beeken, Chief Executive:

In July, the new Government appointed Lord Ara Darzi, a surgeon, former health minister and independent peer, to undertake an independent investigation of the issues facing the NHS.

Yesterday (Thursday 12 September), the report was published. The report was to inform the government’s 10-year plan to reform the health service. The report by Lord Darzi offered a comprehensive analysis of the problems confronting the healthcare system and the present state of the NHS in England.

Many of us will not be surprised by the outcomes in the report, in which the NHS has been described as being in a ‘critical condition’. Indeed, Lord Darzi says the problems could take up to eight years to fix.

Key findings from Lord Darzi’s 142-page report include:

  • Deterioration: The health of the nation has deteriorated over the past 15 years, with a substantial increase in the number of people living with multiple long-term conditions
  • Spending: Too great a share of the NHS budget is being spent in hospitals, too little in the community, and productivity is too low
  • Waiting times: Waiting lists have swelled and waiting times have surged, with A&E queues more than doubling from an average of just under 40 people on a typical evening in April 2009 to over 100 in April 2024. 1 in 10 patients are now waiting for 12 hours or more
  • Cancer care: The UK has appreciably higher cancer mortality rates than other countries, with no progress whatsoever made in diagnosing cancer at stage one and two between 2013 and 2021
  • Lasting damage: The Health and Social Care Act of 2012 did lasting damage to the management capacity and capability of the NHS. It took 10 years to return to a sensible structure, and the effects continue to be felt to this day
  • Productivity: Too many resources are being poured into hospitals where productivity has substantially fallen, while too little has been spent in the community.

What next?

The important thing now is about how we move forward to keep doing all the things we do well and towards the NHS we aspire to be on behalf of the patients and population we serve.

The findings of this report will inform a 10-year plan for the NHS. Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has outlined three “big  paradigm shifts“, in the way the NHS operates to ensure its long-term sustainability

  • From hospital to community care
  • From analogue to digital
  • From treating sickness to preventing it.

Within our Trust Strategy we have already anticipated a lot of this and I would like to share some examples with you.

Hospital to community – we are the only Trust in the Black Country and Birmingham and Solihull whose admissions to hospital of the over 65’s and from falls or care homes, is going down.

We have the lowest Length of Stay (LOS), post being declared medically “fit” (NCTR) in the Black Country and our community services investment in things like Urgent Community Response and Virtual Wards , is bearing fruit – it has enabled us to reduce our reliance on acute beds and prove to ourselves that we can fit into our new hospital, MMUH.

From analogue to digital – we have a SMART-enabled hospital and are at the forefront of the machine learning/AI revolution in Radiology.

Treating sickness to preventing it – as a Trust we lead the Place partnerships in Sandwell and West Birmingham and these are set up to work with primary care and public health not just on the better management of chronic disease but also on preventing it, wherever we can.

As a Trust we can be assured by these examples and will work hard to ensure we stay ahead of the game.

We know there is still a long way to go. We will continue to work with all our staff, alongside our health and care partners, to ensure our services meet the needs of local people.

We will update you on the report and what it means for our organisations over the coming days and weeks.

Regards

Richard

 

Book your induction site tour

 

Staff induction site tours at Midland Met are now open for booking.

Thank you to the 885 colleagues who have completed their onsite induction tours.

Site tours are for colleagues who will be primarily based or will work at Midland Met, as part of their role.

If you’re part of the first phase of moves (Sandwell on 6 October), please prioritise your induction site tour. It is essential for you to safely move into Midland Met.

Click here to book your induction site tour and find out more about what to expect here.

For more information, please email swbh.mmuhinduction@nhs.net.

Stress testing Midland Met

 

As we get ready to move into Midland Met, we’ve been stress testing our lifts, stairwells, and the Winter Garden.

Stress testing is an essential task so that colleagues and patients can safely navigate around our new hospital. Take a glimpse at some of the action from site as part of the stress testing that has been taking place this week.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting these activities.

MLR are back

 

Over the past week, Midland Met has once again been busy with activity as we prepare to open our  doors to patients on 6 October. From rigorous stress tests on the building to fine-tuning our equipment, the site is buzzing with progress.

The return of MLR, the team behind our automated guided vehicles (AGVs) means we are putting our high-tech AGVs through their paces as they navigate the hospital.

They will play a key role in the daily movement of goods, supplies, and waste management, alongside our logistics team to keep everything running smoothly.

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