Annual Review 2009 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

Partnership working
The Trust works closely with its commissioners, other provider organisations, the strategic health
authority, local authorities, carers and other local organisations and is an active member of the Local
Strategic Partnerships for Sandwell and Birmingham.
The most significant work with partners is in relation to the Right Care Right Here programme where
the Trust and its two main commissioners share a long-term strategy with the involvement of the two
mental health trusts and two local authorities. Through Right Care Right Here, the Trust is involved in
work with organisations such as Advantage West Midlands in developing plans for the new hospital and
the regeneration of Grove Lane in Smethwick. The Trust is also working in partnership with Centro and
National Express to improve public transport access to existing and new healthcare facilities.
Working with other local providers is important to the Trust and we deliver a range of services in
conjunction with other acute Trusts, specialist trusts and other provider services. This includes a close
relationship with Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust to provide the Sandwell-Walsall-Birmingham Breast
Screening Service. We also participate in a number of region-wide specialty networks such as the Pan
Birmingham Cancer Network and Neonatal Network.
PPI Forums were abolished by statute in April 2008 and replaced with Local Involvement Networks
(LINKS). Rather than having one forum per healthcare organisation, the LINKS cover health and social
care across a local authority area. The Trust continued to support the acute Trust PPI Forum until the
LINKS were established and is now in the process of setting up a patient and carers forum and starting
work with the new LINKS organisations in Sandwell and Birmingham. Members of the former acute trust
and PCT PPI Forums joined other members of the public on monthly Patient Environment Action Team
inspections to report on the cleanliness of the hospitals.
Environmental Matters
The Trust continues to improve its environmental performance and is developing plans for the new
hospital that ensure the hospital is as energy efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. See
page 28 for more details of our environmental initiatives.
Improving the environmental sustainability of the Trust’s operations by responding to the national carbon
reduction strategy is one of the corporate objectives for 2009/10
Performance during 2008/09
The 2008/09 financial year was a successful one both from
an operational and financial point of view. As part of this OFR
(Operational and Financial Review), confirmation of the Trust’s
performance against national targets and planned levels of
patient activity is disclosed.
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