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Monthly archives: November 2024

Dog Therapy guidance now available

 

The patient experience team have been working alongside our clinical teams to ensure that our ‘Dog Therapy’ guidance is in align with other Trust policies.

If you would like to use the service you can read the guidance here, or contact Julie Thompson via email – julie.thompson40@nhs.net for more information.

What you need to know about City after the big move

 

As the final patient moves from City take place on Sunday, 10 November, please note that limited patient services will remain on the main spine until 18 November. These services include:

  • Clinical Immunology and Allergy – D42.
  • Diabetes and Endocrinology in the diabetes centre.
  • Medical Photography (move date to be confirmed)

Patients and colleagues working in these areas will be able to gain access to the main spine via the BTC link bridge – all other access points to the main spine will be closed off.

Signage will be in place notifying people of this, but please be helpful with any queries should people need support to get to where they are going.

Here are some useful things to be aware of:

  • Car parks will be open as normal and can be accessed via the Western Road entrance.
  • Catering facilities will remain in place at the BTC and BMEC.
  • Security patrols will be in place at City Health Campus. Should you need to contact the security team please call 0121 507 4133 or ext 4133.

More broadly the following services will remain on site at City Health Campus:

  • Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre
  • Birmingham Treatment Centre
  • Sheldon
  • Outpatient services
  • Diagnostics
  • Day surgery
  • Pharmacy hub
  • DGM building
  • Ophthalmology A&E

For a full breakdown of how we’ll use our SWB estate click here.

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Are you following the correct procedures for lab requests?

 

We are experiencing an increasing number of calls into the laboratory for requests in Unity.

We ask that colleagues  do not call the laboratory to add on tests as the request will print in the laboratory if the procedure in table 1 (see below) is followed and a member of our team will process the request as soon as possible.

Table 1 gives a step by step procedure for making add on requests. The outlined procedure must be followed for the add on request to be received in the laboratory.

Next training sessions for Siemens Gas Analysers – MMUH

 

The Siemens blood gas analysers trainers will be in Room 501, Lift D, Level 5 on the following dates/times:

Monday 9 December –

  • 10am – 11am
  • 11am – 12pm
  • 12pm – 1pm
  • 2pm – 3pm
  • 3pm – 4pm

Tuesday 10 December –

  • 9am – 10 am
  • 10am – 11am
  • 11am – 12pm
  • 1pm – 2pm
  • 2pm – 3pm

Sessions will start on the hour.

Please contact Point of Care Testing to book your place via email: swb-tr.swbh-poct@nhs.net 

Security advice – Tailgating

 

Swiping people in could risk unauthorised access to patient data, staff across the Trust have the right to stop and ask someone for proof of staff ID before they enter your ward or department.

How to avoid tailgating tips –

  • Query the status of strangers, if safe to do so, especially if they follow you into staff-only areas.
  • Wear your Trust ID pass at all times when in the hospital and ensure it is visible
  • Challenge anyone not displaying an ID card If it is safe to do so.
  • Make sure to secure doors behind you and cabinets when not in use.
  • Maintain a clear desk policy when away from your workstation.
  • Know who to tell if you see anything suspicious or worrying.

Please see a video here for more information on this subject.

In some circumstances, staff are trying to be helpful but letting visitosrs/patients into areas but this means that if they do not take them where they need to go, they end up trapped in areas and we have had several fire alarm activations due to confused patients/visitors breaking the fire break glass to get through a locked door.

This also does not promote the prescribed routes that visitors and patients should be using to navigate through MMUH.

Security is the responsibility of everyone within an organisation.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 15 November

 

Dear colleagues,

Wow – what a week!

Midland Met has now been fully operational for five days and it feels great to have our clinical expertise under one (quite beautiful) roof. It’s a building which still takes the breath away, even when you go back, multiple times.

As we saw post the first move, I know there have been, and will be, teething problems, but please keep escalating them through the right routes and we will resolve them as quickly as possible.

We have seen fewer calls to both our Equans and IT helpdesks this week, which is positive, and we have seen an improvement in colleagues being able to navigate the building. We know that the signage and general wayfinding still isn’t where we want it to be, and in response, Rachel Barlow is leading a working group to develop and improve this quickly. Please do keep telling us what will help make things better for you, our patients, and our visitors.

Remember – there is a useful section on Connect if you are unsure of who you need to speak to regarding an issue.

To contact Equans call 0121 507 4444 or email your request to  SWBH-Helpdesk.uk@equans.com.

To contact IT call 0121 507 4050 or chat with the IT Service Desk.

We are currently in the process of documenting some lessons learned about the move and identifying things that we have done as part of the move, that we now want to see how we could incorporate into our business as usual. One example of this is the patient census. This ran during the week leading up to the move and was significant in driving increased patient discharges home and transfers into community-based locations. Our teams are now looking at how we could use this principle to support our patient flow moving forwards.  Our urgent care safety and experience has, numerically at least, marginally improved since our move, so lets keep improving that work every day.

If there are things that you have found worked well for you during the planning and move process, I would encourage you to talk to your leadership team about how you can embed them into your future working practices.

Wednesday saw our latest Trust Board meeting take place, which was in fact my last Board as Chief Executive of this remarkable organisation. If you missed my announcement earlier this week, I have made the difficult decision to step down at the end of December 2024. I have been incredibly proud to be at the helm for the last four years, but now we are in a new hospital, it is the right time for me to step aside and for another chief executive to bring fresh ideas to delivering our post-MMUH world, including:

  • Embedding a quality improvement system that works for all and improves our “standard work”
  • Improving our delivery against NHS waiting time standards in urgent and elective care
  • Investing further in team and individual leadership and management development
  • Defining what we mean by “community first” and driving further improvements in population health locally
  • Delivering on the “Fundamentals of Care”
  • Commencing further, strategic estates reconfiguration to improve our environment in all our healthcare locations

You can listen to more about my reasons for this decision by watching the video below.

The Board heard from our Elderly Care Service, who talked about their experience of the team effectiveness and leadership development interventions that they have been undergoing to support their transition to Midland Met.

The purpose of this intervention, which has been undertaken by a number of teams, is to ensure safe patient care, whilst also strengthening team dynamics and supporting staff wellbeing.

The move to MMUH has seen the Elderly Care team transition from five wards into four and merge different leadership styles. The team reported that the OD programme has enabled them to reset the culture of the team in a new environment and optimise clinical productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency.

This work will continue, with more teams benefiting from the work of our OD team.

Community-first is crucial to the Midland Met care model, and I am delighted to welcome our new Interim Chief Development Officer, Sian Thomas into the organisation. Sian joined us from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, where she has been integral to developing their community pathways and out of hospital care. She has also played a pivotal role in the work of their place-based partnership. I think there will be some exciting developments in our community services and pathways in the forthcoming months.

Finally, we are now only two weeks away from close of the staff survey and yesterday, we are only sitting at a response rate of 25% – if you are yet to complete your survey, please ensure it becomes a priority over the next few days. The survey is sent to you via email and will come from Picker – you can simply search ‘Staff Survey 2024’ in your inbox and follow the link. It is really important that we hear the views of a wide range of colleagues, particularly at a time when the organisation is going through so much exciting change.

Thank you.

Have a good weekend.

Richard

Marks & Spencer’s is now open

 

On 14 November, we announced that the Marks & Spencer Food store at Midland Met is now open.

Special guest, Percy the Pig, made an appearance to commemorate the opening of our latest retail store at Midland Met.

Located on level 5, the store can be found next to lift core C and across from the Welcome Centre. You can now pick up your favourite meal deals, snacks and treats on the go, not forgetting the famous Percy Pigs too.

If you’re looking for more options, we do have other food and retail services available. You can try Greggs or treat yourself to a Costa coffee on level zero or visit level five where you’ll find another café serving Costa coffee alongside our wonderful Winter Garden Restaurant.

We also have vending machines on levels two and five and our 24/7 Market Express store will be arriving later this year giving you even more choices.

SWB Benefits portal upgrade

 

Our SWB Benefits portal has been upgraded. To access it please click here and log in using your existing username and password. If you use the SWB Benefits app, you will need to download a new version of the app to access the portal. Search ‘Hapi 2.0’ on the App Store or Google Play.

If you have any queries please contact the helpline on 0800 542 5930.

Reminder: Changes to drug test requesting in Unity

 

Drug screen requesting has changed in Unity to provide a streamlined, efficient and cost-effective service.

This mean users will need to request the specific tests that they require.

The options for requesting these and indications for testing are summarised in the Unity toxicology sheet.

Note: Other toxicology test requesting remains unchanged.  

For more information please email swbh.toxicology@nhs.net

Dementia inpatient training: 18 November

 

Dementia effects all of us, be it our patients, our own loved ones and potentially ourselves in the future as diagnosis rates soar. Across the NHS nationally people living with dementia populate 25% of inpatient beds on average and often sadly are leaving hospital with reduced independence and poorer physical and mental health outcomes. We must all strive to make the experience of people living with dementia using SWB services and that of their carer’s better.

All staff disciplines including nursing and allied staff, doctors and nursing and medical students are very welcome to attend dementia inpatient training.

Better understanding of dementia is key to providing the dedicated care to meet the needs of people living with dementia, and that of their carers.

  • Monday 18 November
  • 1pm – 3pm
  • Sandwell Education Centre – Room 15

To book your place, please email r.begum19@nhs.net


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