Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 3 May
May 3, 2024
Dear colleagues,
As an organisation, we ended the financial year 2023/24 in a good position and supported the Black Country Integrated Healthcare System (ICS) to deliver against its overall financial forecast. Given the pressure that the NHS has been under, with the backdrop of industrial action and reducing waiting lists, not to mention working towards opening a brand-new hospital, this is an achievement – and I would like to thank each and every one of you for the work you have done towards helping us achieve this. I have said this before, but every person in this organisation plays a really important role and we must all share in our success as an organisation.
As you know the coming year holds excitement and challenge in equal measure for our Trust which sees us opening Midland Metropolitan University Hospital whilst taking up the challenge to balance our finances whilst ensuring we get a sustainable model for urgent and emergency care across Sandwell and West Birmingham. Our Trust will need to take a relentless approach to improvement to ensure we reduce waste and improve services for both our staff and our patients and we will share more on this in the coming weeks. At SWB our financial improvement journey will be mainly about reducing waste and making us more efficient while improving the productivity of our services. Efficiency plays a critical role in ensuring that we deliver the best care possible, while making the most of our resources. By identifying and addressing inefficiencies, we can enhance patient experience, improve outcomes, and better support you, our hardworking people. Remember – every pound we spend is contributed to by you in your taxes – the money we spend is, ultimately, yours.
So we have to manage in our finances but we have lots to be excited about this year – our soft-activation activities are ramping up at Midland Met, the October date is getting ever closer. And you should now be receiving two dedicated Midland Met communications updates – I hope this will both keep you informed, but also increase your excitement levels!
By addressing inefficiencies proactively, we can make a significant impact on the quality of care we provide to the people of Sandwell and West Birmingham and the overall effectiveness of our services. I would encourage each of you to put forward any ideas and suggestions on how we can enhance efficiency in your respective areas.
Finally, I would like to wish our midwives across the Trust a very Happy International Midwives Day, which is celebrated this Sunday (5 May). I want to take this moment to celebrate the individual stories of growth and joy that our midwives help facilitate. Each day, they assist in bringing new life into the world, while simultaneously ensuring the health and safety of mothers. This miraculous aspect of their work does not go unnoticed, and the stories of their professionalism and kindness often echo far beyond the walls of the delivery room.
Have a good weekend.
Richard