Trust Board Febuary 2010 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

SWBTB (2/10) 035 (a)
Role
Number of
Attendees
Specialities
Consultants 16 Obstetrics, paediatrics, anaesthetics, neonates
Junior Doctors 12 Obstetrics, anaesthetics
Midwives 19 Maternity – including matrons, students,
managers
Nurses 3 Neonates, gynaecology
Health Care Assistants 5 Maternity
Sonographers and other Imaging
12 Imaging
staff
Administrative staff 7 Receptionists, ward clerks, co-ordinators
Key Findings
Most staff remain very positive and enthusiastic about the plans to join up the services and believe that,
in addition to improving services to women, this will offer staff more career opportunities, as long as
issues relating to the changes are managed sensitively.
Staff raised some important issues and they had some positive ideas and contributions to make
as to how issues should be managed and resolved.
The main issues raised include:
• Loss for Sandwell mothers – some staff felt Sandwell mothers will feel let down if they
are unable to give birth in Sandwell and that some will therefore choose to go
elsewhere to have their babies.
• Communication - this is very important to staff, who are keen to ensure that all
information should be available to both staff and local women at the same point in time
to avoid discrepancies.
• Staff support - all groups of staff raised the need to ensure support is available to help
them through the anxieties they have about the changes all options would involve to
their working practices. These anxieties include having to work in a new location,
different shift patterns, working with a new team of colleagues and whether the
changes would affect their job security.
• Travel, transport and parking – is a major concern for many Sandwell staff from both a
patient and staff perspective. This included the ability to travel to City Hospital by public
transport and being able to park at City Hospital if they drive.
• Capacity - staff stressed the importance of having enough birth rooms, in-patient beds,
neonatal cots and ultrasound machines for all the activity that will be concentrated at
City Hospital.
• Students – staff are keen to ensure that any new service model provides good training
opportunities and experience for students in all the professions involved in delivering
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