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Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 10 May

May 10, 2024

Dear colleagues,

I hope you managed to enjoy a little bit of rest on the bank holiday this week – and how much nicer is it to be finishing our week with some sun – for me, everything feels more positive when the sun shines.

We have packed a lot into this four-day week; events to recognise Dying Matters week, National Staff Networks Day, another of our nursing ‘MOT’ days, the launch of Proud2bOps at SWB and our Trust Board meeting. As I attended some of these events, I was reminded of just how much hard work goes into planning and executing things like this, so for all those have been involved in planning these celebrations – thank you and congratulations on a job very well done.

Let’s start with Dying Matters Week. I addressed this issue in one of my first Friday Messages upon joining the Trust.  As an organisation, we absolutely strive to offer the best possible care, in order that people leave our hospitals in better health than they entered. Unfortunately, we know that this is not always the case, and patients do die in our care, whether that’s in hospital, or we have worked to get them to their preferred place of death, and our Connected Palliative Care Team do some wonderful work in this area.

Conversations about death and dying are still deemed a taboo topic. Dying Matters Week gives us a reminder of the importance of having these conversations and talking about end-of-life care with compassion, understanding and empathy. I particularly liked the comment from Lauren Wood, our mortuary manager, in this video about our mortuary (I would highly recommend giving it a watch if you haven’t already) patient care doesn’t end when a patient dies and leaves the ward – compassionate care continues in our mortuary, and we continue to treat our patients with dignity and respect.

Thank you for taking the time to reflect on the significance of Dying Matters Week. Together, we can help to create a culture of openness and acceptance surrounding end-of-life care, ensuring that everyone receives the support and dignity they deserve.

Our Trust Board meeting took place on Wednesday. Some of the highlights included:

  • Recognition of the significant progress we have made as a Trust last financial year on access standards such as 62-day cancer and diagnostic waits over 13 weeks
  • Noting our good delivery against financial plan expectations last year
  • Formally confirming October as the target date for initiating our move to MMUH
  • Hearing from the aunt of a patient with learning disabilities who died while in our care, about the improvements we need to make to assessing and treating the person, rather than the condition or the disease
  • Recognising the ongoing hard work going into achieving improved CQC standards, should we be inspected this year

Yesterday, I was delighted to attend the launch of Proud2bOPS at SWB and it was wonderful to see the room full of our dedicated and inspirational operational colleagues. As a former NHS general manager myself, I was more than happy to attend and contribute to the event.

Proud2bOPs is a thriving network that supports, connects, and inspires operational leaders in the NHS. It provides operational professionals with the opportunity to connect and share best practices while also developing their leadership skills.

Operational (or general) managers serve as the backbone of our organisation, overseeing the day-to-day operations of our hospitals and services. They work tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently and that our frontline colleagues are equipped with everything they need to deliver excellent patient care. From managing budgets and resources to staffing and implementing quality improvement and staff engagement initiatives, their responsibilities are vast, varied – and very much valued. These leaders also have a vital role to play in ensuring that we are ‘operationally ready’ to move into Midland Met in October. Thank you to you all, for everything you do across this organisation, and I am looking forward to seeing how Proud2bOPs@SWB develops.

Finally, on Sunday 12 May, we celebrate International Nurses Day – a day dedicated to recognising the invaluable contributions of nurses worldwide – held on the birthday of Florence Nightingale.

Our nurses have come together to create a short video, click here to watch.

Nurses are the heart and soul of our organisation, often bringing an air of calm to chaotic situations. Their role extends far beyond administering medication and treatments; they provide comfort, support, and empathy to patients and their loved ones during their most vulnerable moments.  Whether it’s holding a patient’s hand, offering a reassuring smile, or lending a listening ear, nurses play an integral part in a patient’s wellbeing, whether that is nursing them in hospital or their own home.  They are the patient’s advocate.  Thank you for everything you do and for your unwavering compassion and dedication to the patients and population of Sandwell and West Birmingham.

Next week we have a special event to celebrate both our nurses and midwives so do keep your eyes peeled for more information on that.

I always feel proud to be chief executive of this organisation, but when we accomplish so much in a week – it really highlights to me that we have some truly wonderful people within SWB.

I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards,

Richard