Monthly archives: January 2025

Unity printing maintenance: 20 February, 10pm – 11pm

Please be aware essential Unity maintenance will be taking place on Thursday 20 February 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 Thursday 20 February Unity printing will be unavailable for up to one hour 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.

Keeping you safe with security training across our SWB Estate

As part of the continued work in reducing the potential of violence and aggression across our SWB sites, our vigilant security officers are undertaking their annual CPI training.

CPI training (restraint training) highlights safety, consistency, and restraints – as a last resort. The training enables our security team to identify and understand aggressive behaviours so they can not only create a safer environment from the outset of their work, but de-escalate and adjust their own behaviour as they see situations arising. It’s imperative that as a Trust we confidently rely on the decision-making skills our security officers have developed to respond appropriately and ensure the safest outcome for all involved.

CPI training is certified with the Restraint Reduction Network and approved by the Bild Association of Certified Training. This program can also be customised, allowing for adjustments to training based on individual roles and risk levels. This enables colleagues that regularly encounter complex or dangerous behaviours to gain the skills to confidently mitigate the risk.

Ian Oliver, Head of Soft FM, commented: “Our security team have voiced their request for more support and training. We’re proud to invest in our security officers’ personal development. Not only, can this make the team feel more valued, but helps create a safer environment for our colleagues, patients and visitors. We are also encouraging our #Bekind campaign, reminding individuals that security are ordinary people behind the uniform.

“Additionally, we’re bringing a much-needed visible presence to our ED departments, to prioritise the safety of everyone.”

Five top tips for Star Awards nominations

Our Star Awards 2025 will highlight the hard work of our colleagues and volunteers, both on the frontline and our supporting services.

Nominations are still open, so get thinking about those colleagues who have gone above and beyond this year, been part of something extra special or made a positive difference to the way we work or the quality of care our patients receive. Our Star Awards nominees are colleagues who consistently demonstrate our values – ambition, respect, and compassion – so have a think of people around you that showcase these values in their everyday work and make a real difference to our patients, our people, and our population.

Be sure to check out this short video to help you with your nominations.

To nominate an individual or team, please click here.

Nominations close Friday 31 January, 5pm.

For further details about all of our award categories, please click here.

If you have any questions regarding the Star Awards, please contact the communications team on 0121 507 5303 or email swbh.comms@nhs.net

West Midland Maternal Medicine Network – 25 February

The West Midland Maternal Medicine Network will be hosting a webinar on Tuesday 25 February, 6.30pm – 7.30pm.

Dr Lizemarie Wium (Kings College London) will present on the management of infectious diseases in pregnancy.  All NHS staff are welcome to attend this event.

Note: you MUST use an NHS email address to attend this event. Do not use personal email addresses, there is potential for Patient Identifiable Information to be displayed and you will be denied entrance to the event with a non-NHS email.

To register, use the QR code.

For more information and if you have any difficulty booking on using the QR Code, please email carole.edwards9@nhs.net

International Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day, Sunday 26 January

Sunday 26 January is International Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day.

Kawasaki Disease always presents with a persistent fever of 5 days or more. There are some other symptoms which might appear, and which can be helpful to doctors when diagnosing Kawasaki Disease. Sometimes these symptoms might come and go quickly and appear at different times, but it is important to tell your doctor if you see them.

Some symptoms may not appear at all, but if a child has any two of the following symptoms, along with a persistent high fever for 5 days, please THINK Kawasaki Disease.

Symtoms include:

• A rash
• Red, bloodshot eyes (not sticky, like conjunctivitis)
• Sore lips, mouth and a “strawberry” tongue
• Red swollen fingers and toes, which might be tender to touch
• A swollen glands in the neck – often just on one side.

The majority of poorly children will not have Kawasaki Disease – the important thing is to know Kawasaki Disease so you can think Kawasaki Disease when it matters.

The Kawasaki Disease Awareness Animation can be viewed here.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 24 January

Dear Colleagues,

I can hardly believe this is already my third Friday message to you all. I feel truly settled at SWB, and that’s thanks to the warm welcome you’ve given me.

Thank you to everyone who has shared your thoughts and feedback with me. I want to start this week’s message with some updates on a few key items.

Long Service Awards: Several of you have inquired about the long service awards program at SWB, which has been on hold since the COVID pandemic. The NHS thrives on the dedication, commitment, and hard work of our staff, and these awards honour the loyalty and exceptional service many of you have demonstrated over the years.

I am committed to reinstating these awards as soon as possible and ensuring that anyone who has not been recognised in the past five years will receive their award. We will communicate the details of this process in the coming weeks, and I look forward to celebrating the countless contributions and positive differences you make in the lives of your patients and colleagues.

TeamTalk: You may have noticed that we paused TeamTalk this month due to a scheduling conflict in my diary. I also want to use this time to revamp the session a bit. Historically at SWB, TeamTalk has been for those in leadership roles, but I am keen to make it an inclusive opportunity for everyone to attend and participate. We will share more information on this soon.

In the second part of my message, I want to focus on compassion and care—two pillars of healthcare and essentials in our daily interactions with colleagues, patients, and visitors.

It is our collective responsibility to foster an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. Compassion is not just a value we uphold at SWB; it’s central to everything we do. By showing empathy and understanding towards one another, we can create a supportive and collaborative workplace. Simple acts of kindness, active listening, and offering help when needed can significantly improve someone’s day.

Our patients trust us with their care during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives, and it is our duty to treat them with the utmost compassion and respect. I understand the challenges, especially when dealing with frustrated and agitated patients, which sometimes leads to acts of violence and aggression. This is particularly true within ED and AMU at the moment. This week, I have been having discussions on how we can improve this and ensure we are doing everything possible to support our staff.

We have excellent security officers here at SWB, and just yesterday, they underwent their annual CPI restraint training. This training helps the team identify and understand aggressive behaviours, allowing them to create a safer environment from the start and de-escalate situations as they arise. We will continue to support our security team to ensure they have everything they need to help keep you safe.

The security office is located within the ED corridor, and their response time is some of the best I’ve seen. Additionally, we have a visible security presence within the department to reassure both staff and patients.

A violence and aggression working group focused on ED has been established and is currently looking at ways to improve the patient experience within the department. This includes adding more seating, clear zoning, digital screens for better patient information, and a food and drink offer.

We will also be launching a new #BeKind communications campaign, featuring the children of some of our colleagues. This campaign will highlight the important message that there is a person behind the uniform—someone with loved ones at home who comes to work to make them proud, not to be abused.

Physical and verbal abuse of our staff will not be tolerated. Please continue to report all incidents of violence and aggression and remember that we have a range of support options available through our health and wellbeing services.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Diane

Human Living Library – help us choose a name

A Living Library brings people together to share experiences, challenge stereotypes and raise awareness of the lived experience of others. Based on the Human Library movement, a Living Library recruits volunteers to act as human books and tell their personal stories, sharing their lived experiences with staff that choose to “borrow” a human book.  It provides a safe space for conversations to support colleagues, share best practice and use the power of personal conversation to positively challenge prejudice or discrimination.

In 2023, the OD team organised an online Human Library event which was well received. In response to the feedback, we aim to launch our own SWB version in April/May 2025.

Our why?

We are committed to creating safe spaces for colleagues to share their stories, learn more about each other and foster a greater understanding of each other. The end goal, to create a sense of belonging for all colleagues.

The Human Library is a global innovative, a hands on learning opportunity that hosts personal conversations designed to challenge stigma and stereotypes.

We truly believe that our version of the Human Library will support our ambition of creating a kind, compassionate work environment.

Help us choose a name

Ahead of launching, we really want you to vote for a name for such a Living Library. Here is the list below for you to choose from or suggest one that best fits our SWB Family values:

• Inclusion Library
• Living Library
• SWB People Library
• Other

To vote, please click here.

If you are comfortable in becoming a “book” and sharing your story with colleagues at one of our future events, please do get in touch with d.mighty@nhs.net and preeti.puligari1@nhs.net

Amber weather alert: Strong winds expected into the weekend

Storm Eowyn may cause significant disruption due to extremely strong winds throughout today and into the weekend with the Met Office issuing an amber weather alert for the West Midlands.

What to expect:

• There is a good chance that flying debris could result in a danger to life
• Damage to buildings and homes is likely, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down
• Roads, bridges and railway lines are likely to close, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights
• There is a good chance that power cuts, possibly prolonged, could occur and possibly affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
• Large waves are likely and beach material is likely to be thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
• It is likely there will be falling branches and some uprooted trees

This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. Please refer to the Trust’s Severe weather plan.

All areas should have business continuity plans agreed with their staff. These should include:

• Working with colleagues regarding their ability to report for work if transport systems are affected
• Agreeing working arrangements for severe weather in advance, including potentially the need for staff to stay overnight

Colleagues are expected to make every reasonable effort to attend work (including using public transport when they wouldn’t normally) providing it is safe to do so.

• If not able to reach their normal base, to attend an alternative base if that is easier to reach.
• To work from home (if applicable and agreed with their manager)
• Colleagues unable to attend work or work from home, to notify their managers ASAP and required to either take the day as annual leave or time in lieu (to be agreed locally).
• Colleagues who are able to walk in but are not rostered to work may be asked to support their work area.  This is not mandatory and will be based on mutual agreement and rescheduling of work duties

Please ensure that all staff contact details are up to date and that you have a plan in place so that you are aware of any issues at departmental level.

DoLS and MCA training sessions

We will be hosting a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Mental Capacity Act (MCA) training sessions across the Trust.

The training is aimed at staff in patient facing roles. Year 3 student nurses are also welcome to join the session. The training will include topics such as the criteria of a DoLS, who needs a DoLS, how to complete a DoLS form and where a DoLS form is sent. The training will also cover the Mental Health Act 2005 and lastly flow charts on how to access and complete MCA and DoLS via Unity.

Date – Thursday 13 March and Wednesday 9 April

Time – 10am – 12pm

Venue – MMUH, Lifts A or E, Level 5. Education Centre, Lecture Theatre

To book please email r.begum19@nhs.net

Unity maintenance: 3 February, 8pm – 1am

Please be aware an essential Unity Maintenance will be taking place on Monday 3 February, 8pm overnight to Tuesday 4 February to 1am by our support vendor Cerner/Oracle to ensure the Trust’s EPR system remains up to date and compliant. This work is scheduled for approximately five hours.

During this time Unity should remain fully available.

As part of this activity, the Trust will not have any resilience in place for all Unity services if an unexpected issue were to occur and we go into unplanned Unity downtime. We would therefore recommend that all areas have their business continuity plans and 724 Unity downtime computers on standby during the above time.

The activity will be closely monitored by Oracle and 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.