Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 16 June

June 16, 2023

This week has seen us face the significant challenges of again coping with a reduced workforce, as both the British Medical Association (junior doctors) and Unite (involving ward service officers and porters) have taken industrial action. All these professions are a vital part of our SWB family, and I would like to thank you all for pulling together to continue to provide excellent patient care, whilst also supporting colleagues who have chosen to take industrial action.

The role of junior doctors is one that is quite often misunderstood. This week we have shared an informative video on our social media channels, talking about the importance of these doctors in the care we provide. It’s an interesting watch which you can find here.

Earlier in the week I was delighted to attend the third Midland Met Away Day. I was, as always, humbled by the enthusiasm and sheer hard work that our staff are showing. I was impressed by the resilience of colleagues to ensure the build and fit out continues at pace, whilst continuing to deliver the best care for our patients in all of our core locations and changing our service pathways quite radically to meet the business case assumptions.

Rachel Barlow, Managing Director of the MMUH Programme Company, opened the event by sharing some anecdotes, slides and a video highlighting the massive progression which has been made over the past few months. The handover of the site to us, and opening the doors to our first patients, is beginning to feel very real now.

At the event we focussed on getting colleagues ready for the move, and we talked about bed right-sizing – or, more simply ensuring that we will fit into the new hospital at a safer bed occupancy level than we have now. One of the key milestones this year is to reduce bed numbers by 86 by November so that this can be achieved. We are progressing well towards this target, having already closed 32 beds to date with the remaining target closing during coming months.

We cannot close beds without both avoiding admissions and reducing length of stay – two elements of “good practice” which we need to have embedded across the organisation by the time we occupy our new hospital.

We could not have got this far without your hard work and commitment, by changing the way in which we care for patients that do not always need to be treated in a hospital, but in a place which is best for them and their individual care needs. Now we need to keep the momentum going to reach where we need to be in a few months’ time.

One of the other topics of the afternoon was around enabling colleagues to be equipped and ready for the move. Many colleagues will be changing their base of work and some the change may also affect the way in which they work. To ensure that this is managed professionally and correctly, the Management of Change (MOC) process will shortly be underway. I understand that this is a process which may cause a level of concern and anxiety for some, however, I want to reassure you that this process is for your benefit and to support you formally through the forthcoming changes.

Over the coming weeks and months, you will be invited to discuss the MOC process with your line manager supported by HR and operational leaders. This is your opportunity to raise any concerns, gain reassurance and find out more about your new working environment and the support you will receive during the transition.

Workforce colleagues have created materials to support and help you if you are going through MOC or leading it with your team. You can find FAQs, and training dates (for managers ) on Connect. These will inform colleagues and guide managers through the changes that may affect them.

I would encourage you to watch the video that was shared at the event here and continue to look at news and updates available on the intranet to learn more about our Midland Met journey.

Finally, hopefully you will have noticed my red tie in today’s Friday message pictures. I am wearing it in support of the #Red4Research campaign which is taking place today – I talked a lot about the importance of research in my message last week and it has been great to see so many of you wearing red today in support. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in research at SWB – I am sure the team would love to hear from you. You can find out more on their Connect page.

Richard