Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 6 September
September 6, 2024
Today (6 September) marks one month (30 days) until we open the doors to Midland Met.
I write this message with a mix of emotions, which I am sure many of you recognise.
I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together so far, and I am excited for what lies ahead. However, I also feel anxious, nervous, and a little apprehensive about the next month. These are totally normal feelings when working on a project of this size and scale, particularly when it comes to the latter stages. They are also totally normal feelings when working on something new – I’ve never opened a brand-new hospital before, and I am sure that most of you are in the same boat.
However, if you are feeling overwhelmed, please don’t suffer in silence – talk to someone. There is lots of ways that we can support you.
Having enjoyed some of our ‘Get Set for Midland Met’ walkabouts over the last few weeks, alongside other members of the executive team, there is a tremendous amount of work being done and high levels of enthusiasm across the organisation. The proximity of the grand opening certainly seems to be focusing the mind – positively. Thank you for everything you have done to date, and for everything that you will be doing over the next 30 days.
There are some key things that we do need to focus our attention on, including:
Online Induction: This is vitally important, in fact, it is one of the key safety measures for us opening on the 6th – we are currently standing at only 30.7% of colleagues having completed their online induction. If you are yet to do it, please make it your priority next week. It will take you an hour and a half at the most – and you can complete it in stages. All the information is here:
On-site Induction: Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to lead induction tours. We are making real progress with getting colleagues around the hospital now and when I’ve been at MMUH I have witnessed the excitement and energy from teams who have started to do their on-site inductions, as they exit the building for the first time. If you need to attend, again, please prioritise booking your site tour, especially if you will be moving from Sandwell on the 6th. All the information is here.
If you have a tour booked, please ensure you attend – we do have a high DNA rate at the moment, especially on evening and weekend tours, we simply don’t have the time or capacity for this to continue.
Omnicell Training: As you know, the Omnicell Automated Drug Cabinets have arrived in the Trust, and we now need to ensure that colleagues have undertaken their training. Wards and departments have super-users who have been trained in how to use the system and are rolling out this training to colleagues. Please ensure that you speak to your super user and get booked on a session as soon as possible – we need to ensure that 80% of colleagues have completed their training. Congratulations and thank you to Lyndon 3 and Newton 3 who have already reached 80% and will be going live with the system very soon. Further information is available here.
Operational Readiness: We are currently at 67.4% of our operational readiness checklist, against a target of 69.3% – the focus for September is ensuring that all the above are completed and that non-medical staffing rosters are in place for Midland Met.
Please continue to talk to us; your ongoing feedback is invaluable.
Keep reporting clinical hazards: Clinical Hazard Report Form (office.com)
You can complete this short survey to let us know how you are feeling: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/setformidlandmet
There is also space for you to submit questions, concerns, or tell us what more information you need. There is no such thing as a silly question, if you are thinking it, it’s likely that many of your colleagues are too. So please do ask. In my Friday message over the next few weeks, I will cover some of the frequently asked questions. Ask your questions here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/getsetmidlandmetfeedback
You can click on the links above, you scan the QR code on the graphic.
Finally, there is an exciting opportunity on Wednesday next week (11 September) to take part in the stress testing of the lifts, stairwells, and Winter Garden at Midland Met. We are looking for volunteers who would like to get their steps in! Please ensure that you have your line managers permission before putting yourself forward. If you are interested, please complete this form.
The completion of this state-of-the-art building is not just a testament to our collective efforts, but also a significant milestone in enhancing the healthcare services we provide to the community of Sandwell and West Birmingham. The Midland Met care model will not only offer advanced clinical care, community and acute, but will also be a hub of innovation and excellence, reflecting our organisational purpose of improving life chances and health outcomes.
Keep going.
Kind regards,
Richard