Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 17 July
July 17, 2020
I am really pleased to announce that a new interim chief nurse is joining us on Monday. Kathy French has worked in a number of acute Trusts for several years and most recently as Director of Nursing, AHPs and Psychologists at the Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. She joins Sarah Carr-Cave, the new deputy chief nurse who started last week. I am sure you will all welcome Kathy and Sarah to the organisation as they get to know the SWB family.
Last weekend the COVID-19 testing facility in the car park of the Midland Met offices relocated and we are grateful for the part that we have been able to play in providing space for one of the regional testing sites. The relocation is due to our need to use and expand the car park once more as we have hundreds more people scheduled to join the construction site team, progressing the works on our new hospital. Balfour Beatty are leading the way in the construction industry in terms of adapting practice in light of COVID-19 and have created new welfare facilities for staff within the Midland Met building itself that allows for safe, socially distanced handwashing, dining facilities and changing areas as the building programme expands. It is great to see their enthusiasm to keep going and not lose time on the build programme, as well as the effective ways they are supporting their staff to ensure safety.
I want to congratulate the surgical team for their recent successful recruitment activities that have seen a good number of job offers that will fill vacancies and help the teams to be fully staffed. The medicine and emergency care group have a series of planned recruitment activities throughout July where they are focusing on nurse recruitment and what we can offer for new starters. The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital is one part of a compelling story for our organisation, along with our commitment to personal development and career progression, with opportunities for people from a range of diverse backgrounds supporting the vibrant communities in Birmingham and Sandwell.
Investment in careers and personal development is a key attribute of our Trusts that helps people stay, as well as being a big draw for new starters. This, combined with the opportunities that MMUH brings, puts us in a unique place across the country to attract and retain talented staff to grow their careers here. Our star of the week, Anita Kaur, is a great example of one of the new career pathways. Anita is a nurse associate and was nominated for her outstanding work supporting patients with diabetes in the community and providing education and training to staff so that these patients can be safely managed at home, avoiding a trip to hospital. Congratulations, Anita. I know that Anita was overwhelmed to receive this award but was at pains to stress that her whole team have supported her along with a great manager.
Our staff BME network met this week and I heard from those who attended about the opportunities it offered for people to tell their stories and share experiences of working within our organisation both during and prior to the pandemic. I am grateful to members of the network for their support in our revised risk assessment process, their helpful challenge and help in giving a voice to people from all ethnic backgrounds. I am sorry that people have not always experienced equality of opportunity in the past and hope that some of the initiatives we have in place can continue to expand to support people’s career development, enabling us to have better representation at senior levels within the Trust. The network’s ideas, enthusiasm and support are greatly welcomed and thank you to Donna, Mark and the team for leading the way in this important agenda.
The individual risk assessments for COVID-19 remain vital so please make sure that you complete the short form that is now available online here. The assessment is mandatory so you can expect someone to be in touch with you if your form has not been completed and returned. These assessments are to ensure you have the right protection in place as you work here and to keep you and your colleagues safe. If you do have queries about it then feel free to talk to Dr Masood Aga who can help.
You will have seen in the COVID-19 weekly bulletin that the number of patients who are testing positive for COVID-19 is low, in line with low numbers coming into the emergency department. This must not allow us to become complacent. The situation in Leicester and other areas of concern across the country should be a reminder to all of us of the importance of maintaining good infection control practices, social distancing, handwashing and wearing masks in our clinical buildings. As you have so brilliantly stepped up to manage our response to this pandemic, let’s make sure we stay alert to continue to reduce the risk of transmission in our local areas and within our Trust.
David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive