Heartbeat: Commitment and collaboration drives Midland Met
May 16, 2022
We have ambitious plans for Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH). Every detail of our new flagship hospital will ensure we offer the best healthcare to the many people that rely on our services.
There is no such thing as a one size fits all approach to healthcare, and our plans reflect that. We are working closely with stakeholders, community representatives, and the public, plus third sector organisations, to ensure we offer personalised care that meets the needs of those we will care for at MMUH.
With so much happening as part of a project of this scale, we must have the right people and processes in place. It allows us to deliver on our promise to open a modern healthcare facility that caters for our local population whilst being forward-looking, innovative and flexible enough to grow with our communities and demand.
We are currently in phase one of our six step change programme. This stage focuses on transformation planning, and one of the areas we are working on is how we can harness the power of Midland Met to create positive social change. Long-term plans include opening a learning campus onsite to develop future healthcare professionals.
The project involves collaboration between SWB, Aston University, Sandwell College, the University of Wolverhampton, Sandwell Department for Work and Pensions and Sandwell Council. This collaborative approach reflects our commitment to work with local organisations who are experts in their areas so that we shape this educational facility to reflect the needs of those that will ultimately benefit from it.
Internally, we have robust governance processes and groups to challenge, debate and effectively prepare for Midland Met. A dedicated Midland Met programme office is set up and governs activities. Several working groups comprising of clinical and operational representatives ensure we make the most informed decisions.
Our governance structure includes regular workstream meetings across our Groups, a dedicated MMUH Steering Group and an MMUH Programme Board led by our executive team. Ultimately everything feeds into our Trust Board and several other assurance and decision-making committees.
Midland Met does not stand alone as a project and benefits from external guidance and partnership working too. Richard Beeken, Chief Executive, explained: “The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital is significant for our population, but it also plays a vital role in the new arrangements for the NHS.
“Changes are being implemented across the country to formalise partnership working so that patients can experience better care through organisations working collaboratively together, rather than in competition. Our Trust is hosted by the Black Country Integrated Care System and is also part of the Birmingham & Solihull system, bringing together health and social care providers and commissioners to make decisions focused on improving care for all, not just within our own boundaries.
“The Black Country Integrated Care Board is being appointed and will formally take up its role on 1 July 2022. At the heart of the plans to improve care for people across the Black Country and West Birmingham is our new hospital because of the benefits in terms of enhanced facilities to provide care and bringing acute clinical teams together rather than separated on different sites
“Partnership working is also being formalised on a more local basis. Our Trust is leading the Sandwell place based partnership – called the Sandwell Health and Care Partnership. Several different members are within this virtual organisation, including local GPs, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council adult and children’s services, voluntary services and patient representatives.
“Jointly, we aim to make Sandwell a better place to live, work and be healthy. Midland Met will enable us to provide better health care for acutely unwell people. It also requires changes for the services in our communities so that people access care more locally, often in their own homes.
“The West Birmingham place-based partnership is following the same model. What is crucial when Midland Met opens is that we have consistent clinical pathways for patients wherever they live.”