Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 26 June
June 26, 2020
By Dr David Carruthers
Toby remains away from work due to ill-health which is why you are hearing from me this week. We wish him well for his recovery and hope he will be returning soon.
Thank you to everyone who is continuing to work hard supporting our patients throughout this tremendous heat, the impact of which is even more significant with the PPE arrangements that must be followed. We are doing all we can to try and reduce temperatures in our very “hot” areas and to make you more comfortable, but thank you for all you are doing to manage this.
The week has, again, been full of new government announcements relating to the response to the pandemic. As with all national guidance, we take our own, considered approach and on Monday we began introducing the wearing of fluid resistant surgical masks in our main clinical buildings. Thank you to our security team and volunteers who are facilitating this arrangement, handing out masks and ensuring that people use the hand sanitiser that is available. These people are doing a difficult role so please ensure that you treat them with respect and courtesy. We are closely monitoring any incidents of verbal abuse and non-compliance which will be thoroughly investigated.
The 2m / 1m social distancing changes, announced nationally may be causing some confusion. Our advice is clear that we should maintain 2m at all times and where this is not possible PPE must be worn. This includes all public and staff only areas, so our office reviews are continuing to be carried out to ensure covid-safe spaces with a 2m distance between desks. You are not required to wear a mask or face covering in covid-safe areas within non-clinical buildings, but if you choose to bring and wear your own, you can.
Next week Heartbeat will be out, which is a special edition focusing on learning and innovation. The magazine features stories from right across the Trust that demonstrate how quickly we have adapted to change, learning from clinical evidence and other areas of practice, particularly throughout the pandemic. Research trials feature throughout the publication and we have a significant contribution to these trails in improving the care and treatment of patients with COVID-19.
This week’s Star of the Week is Alison Rose, who is a bank nurse who has worked tirelessly on AMU throughout the pandemic. Colleagues called out Alison for her unstinting dedication and support, particularly during the most difficult times when patients are at end of life. Alison was nominated for her considerable care and compassion for these patients and their families as well as for her support for colleagues throughout the CPAP training programme. Don’t forget to put in your own nominations before Friday 3rd July for our annual star awards – only seven days to go!
Congratulations also go to Director of People and OD, Raffaela Goodby, who has secured a new role as Chief People Officer with the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust. There will be time to wish her well and thank her for her significant contribution to our Trust before she leaves in October.
Our Annual General Meeting takes place virtually on Thursday 2 July between 5pm and 6.30pm. Do take the time to join in via WebEx – you are all very welcome. This year our guest speakers are Drs James Gwilt and Simon Mitchell, GP partners of Your Health Partnership, the primary care network and group of GP practices who joined the Trust in April. They will be talking through the changes in primary care, how they have adapted to response to COVID-19 and what integration with the Trust means to them. There is also the opportunity to put any questions to our Board members which can be submitted in advance or during the event. Send your questions to swbh.invitation-response@nhs.net and you can join in by following this link on Thursday at 5pm, using the password SWBAGM2020 when prompted.
Later today you can join in the NHS Virtual Pride broadcast from 6pm – grab the link from @VirtualNHSPride (Twitter) or https://www.facebook.com/NHSVirtualPride/ (Facebook) and enjoy the show, celebrating LGBT+ NHS staff and the NHS as an inclusive employer and diversity champion.
Dr David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive