An update from Lesley Writtle – Deputy Chair

January 3, 2025

As we begin 2025, I’d like to wish you and your families a very Happy New Year and thank you for your efforts and hard work in what has been a significant 2024 for the Trust.

There have been many a milestone met, including the three-phase move to the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital which has seen more than 300 patients successfully transferred from City and Sandwell Hospitals in a meticulously planned operation carried out in October and November.

This was a combined effort from not only the acute sector, but from those working within the wider organisation. It couldn’t have been done without the contributions from our community, operational, support and admin colleagues. Each and every person was essential to the success of the move.

It is indeed you – our colleagues – which have made the Midland Met #morethanahospital.

The hard work will continue into 2025 and beyond. Last year saw real success within the delivery of our community services. Our award-winning Paediatric Virtual Ward has seen more than 4,000 bed days saved by treating our youngest patients at home who would otherwise have been cared for in our hospitals.

Meanwhile, as NHS England this week released figures showing early-stage cancer detection was at its highest level on record, it’s important to recognise the various screening programmes delivered by the Trust, such as the Targeted Lung Health Checks and Bowel Cancer Screening service. These have played an integral part in detecting the disease at an early stage over the past year.

Throughout the year, and indeed my time here, I’ve seen colleagues demonstrating on our values – Ambition, Compassion and Respect – through their actions on a daily basis and I look forward to seeing how we will continue to deliver the best healthcare to our population over the coming year. Whether that is in our acute setting at the Midland Met, via our satellite sites in the community or within the patient’s home. It has been an honour to sit as Deputy Chair at SWB in 2024.

And I’m sure our incoming interim Chief Executive Diane Wake will also find it a real privilege to lead such a dedicated and compassionate workforce from Monday 6 January.