Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 28 August
August 28, 2020
Overnight on Wednesday we successfully transitioned to an updated version of the Cerner Millennium electronic patient record that has meant a big upgrade to Unity. Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to ensure this transition has been as seamless as possible. On the whole the upgrade has been a real success and will give us a more stable system and safer experience for patients and colleagues. The system looks almost completely the same and the processes and practices you have learned have not changed. We have identified a problem with some IV prescribing where fields may not populate as expected. The solution is being worked on with Cerner and details of a temporary fix are in today’s communications bulletin. Thank you for your co-operation and your usage of business continuity arrangements during the upgrade process.
Thank you to all our teams for supporting patients attending our emergency departments. We have seen particular pressure at Sandwell that has led in some cases to waits that are longer than we would want for our patients. I am really pleased that our performance has been improving over the last few days. When seen in the figures reported for the region, our Trust performance against the four hour target has improved by 3%. This is due to great work and commitment by the medicine and emergency care team, the capacity team and other groups who support the department. This is not about chasing a target but about how we can provide safe care for our patients. There are many challenges to achieving this but one of the key factors is to ensure that our patients who are fit to be discharged can be safely taken home early in the day, allowing space for patients who need admitting to transfer to the right ward / assessment unit, without waiting unnecessarily long in ED. This is, as always, a whole Trust effort so thank you for your hard work. As our performance shows, the hard work is paying off.
Of course, we recognise that the environment and working across two sites is not ideal and has an impact on the care we can provide for patients in ED which is why we are continuing to press ahead with determination to complete the building of the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. I’m pleased to report that our construction partners, Balfour Beatty, are progressing well and have made, with our support, a number of new working arrangements to meet the guidelines for COVID-19, providing safe environments for their employees and sub-contractors. The team have created new welfare facilities within the building site and Director of System Transformation, Rachel Barlow, accompanied local MP Mr John Spellar on a visit this week. Mr Spellar is fully supportive of the new hospital and we thank him for his advocacy. Like us, John is keen to see the hospital open so that patients can benefit from the new facilities and improved patient care that we will be able to provide.
It wouldn’t be a Friday message if I didn’t mention COVID-19! We continue to progress our restoration and recovery arrangements, scheduling appointments and procedures for patients based on clinical prioritisation. We are seeing patients turn down their surgery or miss diagnostic appointments on our sites. This continues to be a real area of concern and we are doing what we can to reassure patients of the safety of our services. This week we filmed the process of coming to hospital for surgery so that patients can clearly see the arrangements that we have in place to keep them safe. If you have friends or family who are concerned please talk to them. If they are worried they can talk to their clinical teams about those concerns. It is important that those with health issues are able to get the tests and treatment they need and feel confident in the services we provide at the Trust.
At the same time, we continue to closely monitor the numbers of COVID-19 cases in the community and support both Birmingham and Sandwell local authorities with the measures they are putting in place and the messages they are sharing with the public to avoid local lockdowns. As schools go back next week and business continue to open up, it is more important than ever, as I have said repeatedly, that we set the right example by following social distancing guidelines, regular handwashing and use of the correct PPE. This is vital even when you are at work and in frequent contact with colleagues. You are not in a work bubble. You must maintain your distance from those you work with, unless you have the right PPE and protection and need to have close contact to deliver patient care.
Congratulations to our star of the week, Paulette Duzan. Paulette is a team leader in our health visiting service and was nominated by several of her colleagues for the support she has given them during the pandemic. She has set up daily meeting with staff in the Oldbury team to enable colleagues working from home and shielding to remain connected to the team. Pauline’s example of kindness and consideration for others sets a brilliant example and makes her a deserving employee of the week. Congratulations too to Jessica Downing, an apprentice who has achieved a distinction in level 3 business administration – a great result, well done.
The vote for four categories of our annual star awards opens on Tuesday 1 September so please get involved and cast your vote. Details will be in Tuesday’s communications bulletin. Good luck to all those who are shortlisted. And, good luck to our very own Kelly Stackhouse who is shortlisted for bowel cancer nurse of the year which will be announced this evening.
I wish you all a pleasant bank holiday weekend and thank you to those who are at work. I head off on annual leave for a fortnight and have arrangements in place for very capable deputising from Dinah Mclannahan, Chief Finance Officer. I expect to be continuing in the acting Chief Executive role on my return with some additional support for the Medical Director responsibilities.
David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive