Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 12 June
June 12, 2020
Have you submitted anyone for our Star Awards yet?
Please do. At this of all times, it is really important that we recognise the successes in our midst and the incredible achievements of recent times. Heartbeat and Connect have details of the categories, but do not worry about getting that precisely right. Ruth and the team will sift to fit, whether it is our Green award, the prize for research, or one of our teams of the year. If time allows we are hoping for our biggest ever entry.
Today’s QIHD focused on incivility and kindness. And it launched our poster contest too. How we treat one another has always mattered, and we know that when more is being done clinically and managerially remotely via WebEx, small signals and nuances need even more attention. I know very personally that too much time plugged in front of computers can dim the sensitivity one has to people’s feelings and thoughts. None of us can leap out of that yet, with infection rates still high locally, so best that we learn best how to use the systems that we have in place.
I was delighted earlier this week to see more progress being made with our environmental and sustainability agenda. Issues like air quality impact on all us, but actually affect the poorest and most disadvantaged people in our communities the most. Our work continues to tackle that and find the right energy and transport solutions. Our Travel Plan has just won a city bronze award, and we have the great news that the route from the Jewellery Quarter to City is to be one of the priority routes for cycling and walking support. Of course cars remain part of the picture, and we are investing to make sure our fleet is greened and ready for that.
Now the COVID-19 bit! Whether it is bubbles, or the word nosocomial, we are all learning new concepts and ideas as the pandemic evolves. But handwashing and social distancing are still our fundamentals. In schools, businesses, parks and work, we all have a part to play to keep our behaviours right and help others to understand that there is much more to do to manage cross infection. All of us are spreaders. This is not a disease that affects only one, older, part of our society. It was rewarding to be part of yesterday’s Sandwell Health and Wellbeing Board and see the comparative data for care homes in the borough as against others. Of course, there have been tragic deaths and harms, but it is your work that has made those less than elsewhere. We have acted together as one system and protected one another. We need to keep that going – and antibody testing at the Trust is being opened up to partners this week and next to work within that spirit.
That inclusion, vitally, must include our bank employees. As we bear down on agency use and costs, it is even more important that colleagues join the bank and feel valued within it. Bank staff exhibit the highest antibody rates of any SWB staff group so far – which is positive, but could indicate higher rates of prior exposure. So for all sorts of reasons we will focus on making sure that training and wellbeing support for bank employees is as good as for everyone else. Working patterns for many people remain unusual and indeed under review. Our current working from home guidance stays in place, and longer term guidance will follow. At the same time teams are out reviewing office safety across the organisation. That will lead to change by July 17th in some configurations.
There are changes too coming in local general practice. The hot sites for COVID-19 will relocate, and like hospital services, primary care is gradually seeing rising volumes of attendance. There is, as they say, no going back, and so more work in practices will be done remotely. Primary Care is absolutely at the heart of supporting shielders and those with higher underlying risk in the summer months from the virus. Our success with that work will go some way to determining how spiked demand is this coming winter. The winter plan for 2020 is absolutely the focus for the executive and Liam Kennedy will present outline plans when the Board meets in a few weeks’ time. Do come forward with your ideas and suggestions in respect of that, and within that our flu vaccination campaign. There is much now that is uncertain, but we can mitigate risk with smartly executed plans for the months ahead.
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