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Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 23 February

February 23, 2024

Life as a CEO is naturally spent in lots of meetings, and in the world of “system working”, I often spend hours online, therefore, wherever possible, I try to ensure that there is space in my diary to get away from my desk and spend time talking to colleagues delivering services – this is where I gather my most important information, from you, our people.

This week I spent time visiting the team at City Emergency Department. Thankfully, for colleagues in the ED and for our patients, the department was safe and calm, however it still was a visit which starkly reminded me of two things:

  1. Our physical estate is shockingly poor in parts.  I could not stop thinking that this is the 21st century and we are one of the richest countries on earth and yet we are providing healthcare for some of the most vulnerable in society, from buildings that should have been closed years ago.  Our move to the Midland Met cannot come soon enough.
  2. The demographic we serve is, on average, both poor and ethnically diverse.  I have had exchanges on social media this week with one of our senior medical colleagues, who is understandably distressed about the housing, employment and lifestyle challenges which often bring people to our EDs and we are often powerless to prevent them from being discharged right back to the conditions which drove their poor health in the first place.  This is why doing everything we can to avoid chronic disease, with partners in primary care, social care and the voluntary sector, has never been more necessary.

I am also available on a Wednesday morning (weekly where my diary allows) for you to join me for a cuppa. This is your opportunity to ask me any questions, raise concerns, share good news, or simply stop by to say hello (I am always happy to talk about my favourite off-work topics – Wolves(!), rock n roll). I rotate these around Sandwell, City and Rowley and they take place in our catering outlets, from 8.30am-9.30am – my next couple of sessions are below. From April, I will be putting on some lunchtime sessions, for those who find it difficult to make the earlier slot.

  • Wednesday 6 March: 8.30am – 9am, Hallam Restaurant, Sandwell
  • Wednesday 20 March, 8.30am – 9am, Archers, City

Please do use these opportunities to come and speak to me, you can keep up to date with where I am on a Wednesday morning via Connect and the comms bulletin, and teams can contact my PA, Sophie Harris to arrange for me to visit their area. Her e-mail address is sophie.harris46@nhs.net

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of phase two of our live and work project, in partnership with West Midlands Youth Homelessness Charity, St.Basils.

For those of you who don’t know about this project, it utilises the old nurse’s accommodation in Hallam Close at Sandwell Hospital, which have been renovated to a very impressive standard. These flats, alongside affordable rent, are offered to young people, aged between 18-25, who are working in health and care.

We know that housing and employment are two of the wider determinants of health, and having access to quality housing and meaningful employment creates an environment in which young people can grow and contribute positively and healthily to society. I am incredibly proud of our involvement in this wonderful project and thank you to everyone who has been involved in getting phase two up and running.

This weekend sees the start of the latest round of industrial action by our doctors in training, who will be staging a full walk out from 7am on Saturday to 23:59 on Wednesday 28 February.

Whilst we are sadly well practiced with our planning providing safe care during these periods, I fully recognise the toll that continued action is having across our entire workforce, and your wellbeing is at the centre of our planning.

We are planning to maintain our elective surgery as much as possible and my thanks goes to colleagues in surgical specialities, especially anaesthetics, for exemplary planning during previous action. Medicine and Emergency Care colleagues have also done a sterling job of managing gaps in their rota, so a huge thank you to colleagues who are stepping in to make sure patients are kept safe, particularly overnight.

You can find out about our extended hours in our food outlets via Connect. I am on-call on Saturday so will be on both sites periodically during the day, and Rachel Barlow will be in on Sunday to support colleagues. We also have senior managers on site during the weekend as well, to oversee safe service delivery.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our response to industrial action, please escalate through your line manager to feed into our tactical planning meetings.

Finally, phase three of our management of change formal consultation ( those changing base to Midland Met) officially launches on Monday. You should by now have had a conversation with your manager about the process and had an opportunity to watch our frequently asked questions video. If you haven’t, I would encourage you to talk to your line manager as soon as possible. The consultation will last for 90 days, until 27 May. This is your opportunity to ask questions and raise any concerns and work with your line managers to find solutions. It is not something to be feared, but please do speak up if you are finding the process hard and need support.

Even if you aren’t affected by the management of change, I would recommend giving the FAQs video a watch, it is very informative and really brings Midland Met to life and the ending will certainly bring a smile to your face.

You can find it here: