Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 21 July

July 21, 2023

Thank you for everything you and your teams are doing to provide our patients with the best possible care during the ongoing industrial action. Although we have again met with significant challenges of working with a reduced workforce , our teams have pulled together and been working collaboratively to ensure minimal disruption, for which we are hugely grateful.

Last week signified a milestone in our journey to Midland Met opening . I am delighted to announce that the new hospital is now integrated into the wider SWB IT infrastructure. What took a day to switch on,  was the culmination of over two years of planning and hard work by our IT team to get us to that point.  Having fully integrated information technology systems should support the delivery of information to ensure patients, carers and health professionals can access the information they need.

A huge thank you to those who organised, attended, and presented at the MMUH Consultants Open Day which took place on 7 July. It was a pleasure to lead sessions alongside colleagues from across the Trust. The purpose of the day was to drive awareness and interest in consultant positions as we prepare for the move to MMUH and beyond. We were delighted that nearly 40 consultants from varying specialities attended the day and feedback was extremely positive. We look forward to receiving applications for posts in the future.

As part of the planning for clinical ways of working at MMUH and across the Trust, we’re also embracing an agile approach to our future administrative and non-clinical working by looking at how our colleagues can work flexibly from different locations, at different times and using mobile devices. This means instead of individual colleagues being allocated offices and desks that only they use, we will have a variety of clinical and non-clinical workspaces available throughout the new hospital and retained estate. These flexible workspaces will allow colleagues to work according to their schedules without being restricted to a particular area.

Midland Met will have over 200 agile working desks, special home admin zones in some areas, and small meeting rooms and interview spaces. All agile working areas will be equipped with a PC, a docking port for laptops, and tap and go technology. Additionally, there are bookable seminar rooms throughout the building and a lecture theatre available in the education centre. Colleagues are also welcome to meet and work from the Winter Garden on the fifth floor which is going to be an amazing space.  The Learning Campus on site which will also open in 2024, will offer meeting space and learning facilities. There is still more work to do to conclude future non-clinical and administrative workspace across our entire real estate and we will share more information in the coming weeks.

Don’t forget the Pulse Survey is now into its final week and I would encourage you to have your say. As always, there are a wide range of questions about how you feel about working for the Trust, and there are also two questions specific to MMUH and its progress.

We do use your feedback to address how we work with you, so I urge you to complete the survey before it closes on Friday 28 July. Simply click here from any device – it will take no more than five minutes.

Finally,  a reminder that nominations are open for this month’s MMUH More Than Awards, which recognise colleagues who are going above and beyond to support making our new hospital a reality.