Friday Message from Rachel Barlow – Friday 20 December

December 20, 2024

At Trust Management Committee which took place earlier this week, I started the meeting by asking the team to share their reflections and words that sum up what has been a momentous year for us all, and I wanted to start this week’s Friday message by sharing a couple of them with you and I hope that they are things that really resonate with you all.

Teamwork: Many of you will have heard me say this before, but opening Midland Met was a team sport. Everyone played their role by supporting one another, sharing knowledge, and working collaboratively. This meant that we were able to turn challenges into opportunities and deliver a building and a care model, which has our community services at its heart, that will benefit our local community for generations to come.

Resilience: This has been a journey 10 years in the making – and I know many of you will have been involved with Midland Met from before a brick was even laid. Every step of a journey presents its own hurdles, and Midland Met has had many! But there is a saying (or a song!) that says, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ and that cannot be truer of what I have witnessed on our journey to opening. You all came into your own, particularly towards the end, when we completed six months’ worth of activation in just six weeks – but throughout the project we have all shown great resilience to stay focussed on our mission of opening a worldclass healthcare facility regardless of what construction or COVID threw at us.

As we had into 2025 in just a couple of weeks’ time, lets continue to stay united, resilient, and committed to making a difference to our patients, people, and our population.

2024 has been a phenomenal year, and hopefully you will have seen the launch of our 2025 Star Awards yesterday. Themed ‘The Met Gala,’ these will take place earlier than usual on 14 March 2025, and have eight categories dedicated to Midland Met, alongside eight of our usual Star Awards categories.

Please do look at the information and give some thought to those colleagues or teams who you think have really gone above and beyond this year – I think it might be a record-breaking year, and I think it will be a real challenge for our judging panel to whittle down the nominations to the final shortlist.

You can find more information here.

Earlier this week, we issued some information regarding a difficult decision we have had to make regarding bank rates. It’s no secret that that we, alongside the whole NHS, are facing financial challenges. You will know that we have our own financial improvement programme with a target of saving £44m.

This decision has not been made lightly and is not one that is unique to Sandwell and West Birmingham, with all acute Trusts within the Black Country Integrated Care System making the same move and aligning bank rates across the system.

I understand this is incredibly disappointing for many of you and thank you to those who have given us their feedback. In January, we will be holding some drop-in sessions with both senior nursing and HR leads for you to seek support or ask any questions you may have. Look out for the dates and locations of these which will be published shortly.

Finally, with Christmas just around the corner, I hope you all can take a well-deserved break, spend time with your family and friends, and recharge for the year ahead. Time spent with family and friends is invaluable, and it’s essential to rest and rejuvenate so we can continue to provide the best possible care to our communities.

Thank you to those who will be working over the festive period and thank you for everything you do. I wish you all a joyful, peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.

Take care and enjoy your time with loved ones – you’ve earned it!