Heartbeat: May 2019

May 2019
Sandwell and West Birmingham
NHS Trust
The pulse of community health, Leasowes, Rowley Regis, City and Sandwell Hospitals Issue 116
Working together to get the
most from Unity page 3
Top and left to right – Bethan Downing, Deputy Director of People and Organisation Development, with the
Lyndon 5 team who won a prize for writing the best poem about the benefits of Unity as part of the 28–Day
Challenge; Medical Director, Dr David Carruthers chaired a “Question Time” panel debate on Unity for senior
medical colleagues; nearly 1,000 colleagues set up their favourites on Unity during the Favourite Fairs
Trust marks
How well do
Clean air
Futuristic
Speak Up Day
you wash
pledge signed
training on offer
your hands?
in radiology
page 4
page 9
page 12
page 23

FROM THE CHAIR
Contact us
Communications Team
Ext 5303
swbh.comms@nhs.net
HELLO
Welcome to the May edition of
Heartbeat. In this month’s edition,
learn more about the benefits of
Unity on page 3. The centrespread
highlights all the activities that
have been taking place to get us
ready for our electronic patient
record. Ensure you get involved.
On page 23, find out more about the
amazing futuristic simulator technology
being used to improve ultrasound
training in radiology.
Communications Department
Ground Floor, Trinity House
Sandwell Hospital
Published by
Communications Team
Sandwell and West Birmingham
Hospitals NHS Trust
Designed by
Medical Illustration,
Graphics Team
Sandwell and West Birmingham
Hospitals NHS Trust
Our vision remains to be the best
integrated care organisation in the NHS
Our Trust Board meets in public every
month and the whole Board (non–
executive and executive members) sets
aside a full day so that we can have the
opportunity to visit services, meeting
colleagues, patients and relatives, as well
as discuss formal business.
In May we were at Rowley Regis Hospital
the day after Speak up Day so the focus of
the conversations in visits after the meeting
was around our ability as an organisation to
encourage and support colleagues to speak
up when they see or hear of something that
is a safety concern. Our twice–yearly speak up
days provide a valuable opportunity to touch
base and see what more we can and should
be doing. Thank you to those colleagues who
took part in Speak up Day and shared their
experiences and suggestions for how we can
improve.
Our vision as a Trust remains to be the best
integrated care organisation in the NHS so I
am always pleased to see tangible evidence
of this when we visit services or hear from
patients who come to talk to Board members
about their experiences of our care. Our award–
winning end of life service does just that, by
partnering with local groups and providers
including Crossroads, Age Concern and
hospices so that care for the patient and their
families is seamless and supports the wishes
of those who are dying. Dying Matters Week
in May enables and encourages us all to have
those conversations with our loved ones, so
that those wishes are well understood and our
connected palliative care service, in partnership
with relatives, will do all they can to make those
wishes a reality.
Another example of our integrated care
ambition coming to life is the addition of new
GP practices to our SWB family, in collaboration
with local GP partners. We welcome those
teams who now have their employment with
us and are excited about the opportunities
to deliver primary care, joining it up with the
secondary, specialist and community services
that we run day to day. Our GP partners are
very usually a key front door to the NHS – if we
are to move to a model of care which is using
public health data and targeting improved
outcomes in terms of wider improvements
in life experiences, then we need to leverage
the knowledge and insights that GP practices
often have of our patients and their family
circumstances and needs.
Part of our integration programme is illustrated
by our service provision supporting patients
throughout their whole lives, from birth
onwards, and the new school nursing contract
for Sandwell forms an important part of that
offer. One in six of our patients are children, a
fact we often overlook, but from the time that
people are born in our maternity units or in
the community, our midwifery teams, health
visitors, school nurses, children’s nurses and
paediatricians will have contact with many
within our population. And our children’s
care doesn’t stop there. The Birmingham
and Midland Eye Centre care for thousands
of children and have made changes to the
environment in order to care for them better.
Our Trust Board meeting in July will have a
focus on children and I am looking forward to
seeing good examples of what we do well, and
our plans to further enhance our care for the
younger people in our society.
Integration helps us to join up care around our
patients and throughout their whole lives, from
cradle to grave, as is the founding principle
of the NHS. I am proud that we are at the
forefront of that ethos.
Richard Samuda – Trust Chairman
Submit an idea
If you’d like to submit an idea
for an article, contact the
communications team
Ext 5303
swbh.comms@nhs.net
Stay updated
We send out a Communications
Bulletin via email every day and you
can now read Heartbeat articles
throughout the month on Connect.
Don't forget you can follow us on:
Chairman, Richard Samuda at the recent Iftar celebrations with with Paediatrics Consultant and
Chair of the Muslim Liaison Group, Ali Akbar and Non–executive Director, Waseem Zaffar

Working together to get the
most from Unity
Imagine a new system that will make
the way we work safer and more
efficient? That is exactly what Unity
will do for you and your patients.
Even if you work in a department that
uses other systems like Badgernet or
Sytem1, our electronic patient record
will join up what we know about care.
So what are the biggest benefits?
• Safety: Electronic prescribing will replace
paper drug charts. This will mean the
information can be viewed in different
places at the same time, but also that
transcription errors will reduce.
• Quality: Simplified and standardised
ordering will improve speed, accuracy and
legibility. If you attended a Favourite Fair
to set up your favourites, the orders you
need most will be easy to access.
• Time: Unity will make it much quicker to
submit orders, process investigations and
produce reports, freeing you up to care. It
will also make handover simpler and again
we will all use a single approach.
Another integral part of Unity is the clinical
decision support system which aims to
present the right information at the right
time, provides recommendations for best
practice (based on clinical guidelines and
evidence–based medicine), and delivers
alerts when a chosen action deviates from
recommended practice or could cause an
error. We have worked hard to get the
balance between too many alerts and the
right prompts!
Putting Unity into place is just the first
step. Every clinical group and directorate is
now working towards a set of optimisation
measures. This reflects the fact that we will
all get the most from Unity if we all make
good use of Unity. One person opting out
affects the body of knowledge on which we
all rely. That is why individuals and teams
will, after go–live, get data driven feedback
on your use of Unity, and how it compares
to your colleagues and peers. We will be
working intensively with individuals to make
sure that we achieve optimal use over a six
month period.
In the last few weeks, the 28–Day
Challenge has focused on increasing
everyone’s skills, knowledge and
confidence, while Favourite Fairs gave
colleagues the opportunity to customise
their settings on Unity and make it easier
to use. Over 95% of colleagues have now
undertaken basic training. E–learning
modules are also on the way next month
to support further training and the Play
System means that you can test your skills
and knowledge in a safe environment. All
of us will undertake a core competency
assessment in the next few weeks against
the key Unity skills we need, and each local
team will also be going through testing and
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
assessment before go–live.
Digital champions will have an important
role to play in the coming months. We
now have more than 900 across the
Trust, who will help to resolve issues
and support anyone who may be
struggling to use Unity. The first part of
digital champions training, focusing on
soft skills, has been launched. All line
managers will also, as part of their role,
become super users, able to coach team
members in how to get the most from
the system.
As an organisation, our IT infrastructure
has been upgraded and more work is
being done to ensure it can support
Unity. All devices are being tested and
new ones introduced in areas that
need them. These are some of the key
criteria that the Board has adopted
before go–live to make sure that we
have a successful launch. The Chief
Executive’s Friday message will give you
more information each week on our
countdown.
There is a huge amount going on to be
ready for the new system – we need
everyone to play their part.
The Unity project team are working to ensure we all get the most from our electronic patient record
3

Trust’s Speak Up Day
shows culture of openness
On 1 May senior leaders across the
Trust and Freedom to Speak Up
Guardians spent time talking to
individuals and departments about the
importance of speaking up if they see
an issue of concern. The event was the
Trust’s 5th Speak Up Day that aimed
to raise awareness of the different
routes available to colleagues to raise
a concern, and the support available to
them.
The day saw hundreds of colleagues
complete a Speak Up Day survey to better
understand whether staff feel we have
the right environment to have a positive
speak up culture. The questions asked for
views on SWB as a place where everyone
gets heard, where it is safe to propose new
ideas, whether clear feedback is given and
acted upon and teams empowered to make
decisions.
Many colleagues completed the survey
online but even more had the opportunity
to speak to a member of our senior
leadership team or a Guardian and share
their views in person.
Sandra Kennelly is a Freedom to Speak Up
Guardian who spent time on the day with
a variety of community teams including
district nursing teams and the community
heart failure team. Sandra said: “Thank you
to all the teams for sharing their thoughts
on speaking up. We had some very healthy
and honest debates and agreed that
speaking up wasn’t always easy to do. We
may have different experiences of speaking
up but we all agreed that it felt like the
right thing to do and we must keep trying
to find ways. Ultimately speaking up can
help to improve how we deliver services,
Oldbury District Nursing team on Speak Up Day. (L–R, top row first) Kirsty Tooth, Lucie Southall,
Gurjit Kaur, Sharon Lamb, Christine Summers.
work closer with our community colleagues
and prevent staff wanting to leave."
Dinah McLannahan, Acting Director of
Finance, visited some wards at City Hospital
and spoke to colleagues about their
experiences. “We talked about money,
perhaps inevitably! It was interesting to
hear that staff perceived that good control
over how we spend our money meant
that the Trust had no money, when in fact
the opposite is true, specifically because
we do control expenditure on smaller, or
non–essential items such as stationery. I also
talked with staff about how they feel about
speaking up here.”
Martin Sadler, Chief Informatics Officer,
spent time talking to people on the shuttle
bus. “I had a captive audience and we had
good conversations about speaking up.
There were some issues raised in relation to
feedback that has been given but people
not feeling like it has made a difference.
There is clearly more we can do to ensure
we listen and act.”
Toby Lewis, Chief Executive, said: “It has
been fascinating going round departments
talking to colleagues from orthotics,
respiratory physiology, ward managers, IT,
anticoagulation and others. There have
been lots of very diverse views except
on one question – ‘is it safe here to raise
concerns and ideas?’– always, from every
person I listened to.”
The community heart failure team believe that
speaking up is the right thing to do
Director of Governance Kam Dhami (left) talks
to Christine Cowley on Speak Up Day
Dinah McLannahan, Acting Director of
Finance with D19 colleagues
4

New era for GP surgery as it joins
our SWB family
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
Great Bridge Health Centre staff are welcomed to Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust by
Director of Partnerships and Innovation Dave Baker (third from right) and Dottie Tipton, Primary Care
Liaison Manager (second left). Left to right are Danielle Gourlay, Dottie Tipton, Kathleen Davies,
Kuldeep Samarai, Dave Baker, Charlotte Ball, and Tahira Khan.
We welcomed two GP surgeries to our
SWB family this month – with a third
joining us on 1 June to deliver “closer
to home” care to thousands of patients.
One Sandwell GP practice will operate over
two sites – Great Bridge Health Centre and
Lyndon Health Centre (formerly Parsonage
Street GP Practice) which we will run in
collaboration with Your Health Partnership.
We will be working with Broadway Health
Centre in Birmingham to deliver care at
Heath Street Health Centre, formerly known
as Summerfield GP Practice.
Working with partners, our organisation
will embrace the opportunity to work
differently which may see some patients
having their care delivered by consultants in
a primary care setting, and seeing increased
consultant–led clinics opening closer to
home.
For many patients, they will see the benefit
of having almost all their NHS services (with
the exception of mental health) delivered
by one organisation that includes, primary
care, acute and community services.
Dottie Tipton, Primary Care Liaison
Manager, said: “We have successfully
launched our first GP Practice which
incorporates two surgeries – Great
Bridge Health Centre and Lyndon Health
Centre.
“We have been liaising closely with
colleagues at both sites, with members
of the primary care team embedded
at the surgeries, giving them a warm
welcome to the Trust. The teams at all
sites will continue to deliver great care
to thousands of patients. It’s an exciting
time for our organisation as we grow
further within our community.”
Toby Lewis, Chief Executive said: “The
new arrangements are a chance to do,
to learn and to build trust. We want to
move fast to provide the very best long
term conditions care for children and
for adults that redefine traditional home
and hospital boundaries.”
Dr Simon Mitchell, Executive Partner
at Your Health Partnership added:
"Your Health Partnership is delighted
to have the opportunity to work with
the hospital Trust to deliver primary care
services in West Bromwich. We have a
well–established relationship with the
Trust and believe the opportunity to
work together in this way will create
lots of exciting new ways to improve the
health of the patients whilst continuing
to deliver great quality general practice."
Nominate on Connect or contact the
communications team for a paper nomination form
Nominations for our
2019 Star Awards
are now open.
Do you know a team or
individual who deserves to
be recognised? Nominate
by Friday 28 June.
Amazing acts – Death–defying feats – Incredible people
For more information contact the communications team
0121 507 5303, swbh.comms@nhs.net @SWBHnhs, #SWBHawards19, SWBHnhs
5

Working against the odds to improve
experience of homeless patients
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
There has been a huge increase in
homelessness over the past few
years and this continues to rise
with shocking figures revealing that
one in 73 people are now homeless
in Birmingham. This rise has been
linked to spiralling rents, welfare
cuts and a lack of social housing.
Following an annual review in 2018,
the charity ‘Shelter’ revealed that an
astonishing 15,538 were recorded as
‘homeless’ in Birmingham.
Despite these horrific statistics, our
homeless patient pathway (HPP)
team continues to work against the
odds improving the experience of our
homeless patients by providing much
needed interventions such as securing
accommodation, advice and signposting,
food, clothing and toiletries.
Helen Taylor, Lead Nurse for HPP plays
a fundamental role in ensuring that
we continue to support our homeless
patients.
She said: “The majority if not all of our
homeless patients face rates of physical
ill health several times higher than the
general population, often combined by
mental ill health and substance misuse.
In addition to this, depression is also
Our homeless patient pathway team work
to reduce homelessness across Sandwell and
Birmingham. L–R: Alycia Deacon, Housing
Navigator; Helen Taylor, Lead Nurse and Louise
Edwards, Housing Navigator
extremely common, with homeless people
being nine times more likely to take their own
life than the general population. With this
mind, it’s vital we continue to support this
client group as they are some of the most
vulnerable in our community.”
HPP aims to reduce homelessness across
Sandwell and Birmingham by either securing
suitable accommodation on discharge or
signposting to the relevant agencies for
additional support. They assist our homeless
patients by helping them to access services to
manage their situations of crisis.
Helen believes we are achieving this but we
must continue to maintain the high standards
so the service can maintain its success.
Colleagues can assist with this by identifying
homeless patients and referring to the team
as soon as possible so they have adequate
time to respond and achieve a safer discharge.
A perfect example of this was a young
vulnerable patient who was helped by the
team and has now completely turned his
life around.
Helen said: “The patient was made
homeless due to family conflict and
was only 19 years old at the time. The
patient was suicidal due to debt issues
and homelessness and had attempted to
take his own life on multiple occasions.
After being admitted into City Hospital he
was immediately referred to the homeless
team. The support of HPP ensured stable
supported accommodation as well as
external agency referrals to address his
mental health and financial difficulties.
They also offered community follow up, GP
registration, food and clothing. Following
on from the interventions from HPP the
patient is still sustaining a tenancy, has
returned to full time employment and
enjoying a healthier lifestyle by attending
his local gym three times a week.”
If anyone would like to help and support
this cause please contact the homeless team
direct using the details below:
• Helen Taylor – Lead Nurse on 07580
677913, helen.taylor54@nhs.net
• Louise Edwards – Housing Navigator on
07580 677884, louise.edwards@nhs.net
• Alycia Deacon – Housing Navigator on
07989 148281, alycia.deacon@nhs.net
Five weeks before the ban
2019
5
JULY
As the weeks fly by, we are now
looking at only five weeks to go,
before our Trust goes smokefree on
5 July, meaning that there will be no
smoking allowed anywhere on our
sites, including in cars parked in staff
carparks.
Respiratory Consultant, Dr Ziaudeen Ansari
is urging smokers to quit
If you’ve used or passed by any of our
designated smoking shelters at Rowley,
City or Sandwell recently, you might have
noticed some new posters reminding smokers
of the forthcoming ban, and signposting
them to services to help them quit. Whilst
smoking will be banned outright, you will
still be allowed to vape in a limited number
of designated shelters outside on our sites
and under cover which will be clearly signed.
The vaping shelters have been chosen for
their location which is monitored by CCTV,
and anyone caught smoking in the vaping
shelters, or anywhere on our sites following
the ban may receive a £50 penalty fine.
Respiratory Consultant, Dr Ziaudeen Ansari
said: “It is very frustrating to see patients in
our respiratory clinics who present with COPD
and lung cancer due to smoking, as they have
already damaged their lungs due to smoking,
without realising the consequences of their
behaviour. However stopping smoking even
after diagnosis will help their breathing, so I
would urge anyone who smokes to stop in
order to improve their lung health.”
As we countdown to the ban, you will see
more communications talking about the
benefits of going smokefree, and if you’ve
got a story to tell or would like to actively
support the campaign please contact
vanya.rogers@nhs.net. We are seeking
champions who would like to get involved
in our publicity campaign to promote
healthy smokefree messages. We’re
looking for both colleagues who will deliver
messages in English and those who are
fluent in a language other than English,
who would be happy to be filmed delivering
simple messages to our communities
about our smokefree campaign. We’re also
looking for staff members with children who
could deliver smokefree messages for an
external audience. If you have a child aged
five or older please get in touch with
anuji.evans@nhs.net.
6

The clock is ticking – new parking
arrangements coming into force
Work has been on going to develop
Elizabeth Suite will have received letters
alternatives to offset the loss of parking
outlining their transfer to New Square
capacity while the development of the
which will also commence from Monday
new health centre and multi storey car
1 July. However there will be an appeal
parks (MSCP) are built at Sandwell and
process based on mobility and exceptional
City.
circumstances.
There will be changes for all colleagues who
• Colleagues who live within one mile
access City and Sandwell carparks.
radius, and are based at, Sandwell
Hospital should have received letters
Changes at Sandwell Hospital
informing them that their access to park
The health centre development at Sandwell
at Sandwell Hospital during the day will
is due to start in summer, which means the
be restricted from 3 June. The restrictions
new arrangements for Sandwell will need to
will now apply from Monday 1 July.
be in place from Monday 1 July, not 3 June
• We have invested in a car sharing app–
as previously notified.
based management system and will
be introducing a car sharing permit. A
Some of you have already volunteered
detailed comms brief will follow for car
to transfer to New Square – thank you.
sharing applications when the scheme is
Applications are still being accepted from
launched.
Sandwell based colleagues, you can get a
copy on Connect or contact
• A A ‘Pay As You Park’ scheme will be
diane.alford@nhs.net.
introduced which will allow colleagues
to park at any site for a daily fee. The
Just to clarify:
scheme will go live on 1 July.
• Work is underway to create the additional
• The current occasional user car park
80 spaces on the Sandwell site.
permit will be closed to any new
• The relocation for colleagues who have
applicants or top ups to current permits
volunteered to transfer to New Square will
from Friday 28 June. Existing credits will
start on Monday 1 July.
be honoured until 31 December.
• Colleagues based in Trinity House and
• Standard discounted public travel passes
(five per cent discount) for colleagues are
currently available.
• An additional public travel pass scheme
is being launched for colleagues who
hand back their parking permit where the
discount will be 50 per cent for the first
year. You will not be allowed to park on
any Trust site or New Square if you take up
this option.
Changes at City Hospital
• The one mile radius restriction zone will
also apply at City Hospital.
• There will be a re–organisation of the car
parks while multi storey car park is being
built.
• There will be changes to the locations of
and capacity of various car parks.
• Extra spaces will be provided at City as
at Sandwell, to accommodate the loss of
spaces.
Further information regarding the
arrangements at City will be available soon.
Keep an eye out for regular updates
about car parking in the communications
bulletin. If you have any queries please
email diane.alford@nhs.net
Sandwell and
West Birmingham
NHS Trust
ANNUAL
GENERAL
MEETING 2019
This year's AGM will be held at
Sandwell Hospital, Education Centre
on 20 June from 6pm to 8pm.
Please join us as we launch our
annual report and quality accounts.
There will be an opportunity to meet
our patients and to discuss the
delivery of our 2020 Vision.
7

Helpforce mobility scheme sees new
training to support patients on D43
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
Twenty eager volunteers gathered
to take part in new training to help
patients stay active and mobile
whilst staying on ward D43 at
Sheldon block, City Hospital. The
training is part of our volunteering
scheme, that has had funding from
national volunteering organisation
Helpforce, and has already been
running on OPAU at Sandwell and
our assessment units at City.
Jane Burton, Senior Ward Charge
Nurse on D43 told Heartbeat: “This
is significant as we are educating
volunteers and improving the service
provided, which helps to improve both
ourselves and them.”
The training also gave volunteers an
understanding of what to expect
in certain situations. Colleagues
brought along some of the games and
reminiscence equipment used to help
patients with dementia whilst they are in
Our volunteers attended training to support patient mobility
hospital.
Sarah Oley, Advanced Physiotherapist in Acute
Medicine said: “This is a very exciting project
that we started in OPAU in Sandwell, and at
AMU in City. Now we are continuing it in D43
too. The idea is that the volunteers are here to
support colleagues and patients.
“The volunteers are so compassionate and
their readiness to help means a lot to us.”
Yunus Hussain, Volunteer on D47 ward
added: “I found the training session very
informative and educational. It was a really
positive experience as I enjoy engaging
with other volunteers who are doing similar
roles to me; it is nice knowing that they are
there with the same motivation, which is to
help.”
Free books handed out to patients
on World Book Night
To mark World Book Night our
library and knowledge service
handed out free copies of the novel
Close Enough To Touch to more than
a hundred inpatients at Sandwell,
City and Rowley Regis Hospitals.
The event is held every year on 23 April,
and is organised by the Reading Agency,
which also donated the books.
The library and knowledge service joined
forces with the volunteer service to read
extracts of the novel to inpatients so
they could have a taste of the story.
“It was a very successful day for us, as
the team travelled around the hospitals
and managed to reach a lot of patients,”
said Preeti Puligari, Library Services
Manager. “We were very grateful to
the Reading Agency who supplied 160
copies of the book and they were very
well received by the inpatients.
“It was a really nice gesture and also
something a little bit different. It meant
that patients had something to start
reading on World Book Night. Such
Stacey Richards, Assistant Librarian reads to
patients at Sandwell Hospital to mark World
Book Night.
schemes will enable us to tackle ‘loneliness’
on the wards and encourage ‘reading for
life’.”
Volunteer, Brian Guest, who had been based
at Sandwell Hospital, said: “It was a really
uplifting day and I enjoyed meeting the
different patients.
“They seemed to enjoy the reading and
were very thankful to us when we gave
them a copy of the book. Some were very
interested and said they would read the
book. I even bought a copy for my wife
afterwards as the book sounded like a great
read.”
The Mobile and Home Library Service from
Sandwell Council took its van to Rowley
Regis Hospital and several patients signed
up to the free delivery service which follows
the patient from hospital to care home and
finally to their own home.
Nicola Ager, Service Development Librarian
added: “The patients were interested in the
home library service and were very pleased
to receive a copy of the book.”
Volunteer Liz Powell, who also read to
inpatients, said: "It was very interesting to
take part in the World Book Night session,
and I’m proud to be part of an NHS service
that offers other experiences for patients,
alongside excellent healthcare.”
To take this forward on all the wards, the
library services will be exploring the use of
audio books so that it can benefit those
patients who are poorly and unable to read.
8

Hands on for hand hygiene
Infection control nurses have once
again been getting hands on with hand
hygiene this month as they took to the
wards to reinforce the message that
clean hands save lives.
Following in the footsteps of the World
Health Organisation’s annual Hand Hygiene
day, the team armed with an innovative
Surewash training system took to the wards
of City Hospital to challenge colleagues to
test their skills at washing their hands.
The state–of–the–art Surewash system uses
camera tracking to scan your hand washing
technique offering advice and guidance on
how to improve. And for those colleagues
who are competitive the system lets your
show off your hand washing skills by
washing your hands against the clock to
see if you can beat the record time set by
colleagues.
To find out more about the work of the
infection control team and the use of
Surewash, Heartbeat spoke to Infection
Prevention and Control Nurse Advisor,
Susan Ward.
Senior Ward Sister, Joy Walker uses the
Surewash handwashing training system
She said: “Today we’re trying to promote
and reinforce the importance of good hand
hygiene in healthcare and in particular the
role this plays in stopping the incidence
and spread of healthcare associated
infections. As an infection control team we’re
well aware that as much as we mandate that
colleagues wash their hands, unless they do so
effectively we are still likely to have infections
being transmitted. The Surewash system
aims to ensure that colleagues are trained to
effectively wash their hands and we’re able to
do this both through training and through its
assessments.”
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
When the team stopped off on ward D25, a
queue quickly grew as colleagues took their
turns to take the challenge with Matron, Jo
Mansell commenting: “This is a great way
to engage colleagues, it’s quick, fun and
helps us prove that staff are well trained
and know what they are doing when it
comes to hand hygiene.”
Along with effective hand washing,
colleagues are advised to follow the 5
moments of hand washing to ensure that
they wash their hands when necessary:
1. Before touching a patient
2. Before cleaning/aseptic procedures
3. After body fluid exposure/risk
4. After touching a patient
5. After touching patient surroundings
For more information on infection
prevention and control, contact the
team on ext. 5900.
Kiranjit Phanasan – face mask fit
tester extraordinaire
D17 ward are breathing easy following
the actions of a determined ward
manager. On learning that her ward
was particularly low on compliance
with infection control face mask fit
testing, Acting Ward Manager, Kiranjit
Phanasan took it in to her own hands
to make amends and bring the ward
back up to standard.
Sharing the story of D17’s rise to IPC
compliance, Acting Matron, Tracy Weston
said, “D17 has had a number of staff
changes and with this we found that there
were quite a few colleagues who were out
of date with their fit testing. As soon as I
made Kiranjit aware of this she took charge
of the situation, and leading by example she
enrolled herself in to the fit testing course.
“Following completing the fit testing
training, Kiranjit borrowed one of the fit
testing machines and set to work testing
every team member on D17 until they were
all tested.”
Whilst most people would stop here,
Kiranjit then went on to fit test other
gynaecological areas including the
emergency gynae assessment areas, the
Macmillan CNS team, doctors in training,
registrars, surgical care practitioners and
anyone else she could get her hands on a fit
a mask to.
Singing the praises of Kiranjit, Matron, Tracy
Weston continued, “This was a tremendous
effort and achievement by Kiranjit to not only
ensure her own ward was safe but to then take
the time to help other departments too.
Congratulating Kiranjit on her hard work,
Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Advisor,
Kas Aheer said, “Well done Kiranjit for taking
the lead for ensuring the safety of colleagues,
we’re continuing to train more and more fit
testers so that we can ensure everyone has had
the opportunity to be fit tested.”
If you would like to be a face mask fit
tester, training is available through the
infection control team, contact
ext 5900.
Kiranjit Phanasan took it in to her own hands
to ensure colleagues were fit tested
9

Safety is at forefront of fun
kids’ books
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
@SWBHCharity To donate
to the Your Trust Charity text
“SWBH16 £5” to 70070
Children’s books which aim to
prevent accidents and teach
youngsters and parents about
keeping safe were launched at our
organisation earlier this month.
The range of stories feature the
escapades of Dog, Duck and Cat, with a
strong message about how children can
stay safe in a way that is fun and age
appropriate.
The event took place within paediatrics
outpatients and the emergency
Eddie Edmead, Major Grants Manager for Your
Trust Charity, with Sandwell Council’s Tracey
Jobber, Senior Play Development Officer, and
Samantha Harman, Play Services Manager, at the
launch of the Dog, Duck and Cat books in our
paediatrics department.
department at Sandwell Hospital but the
books will be available in all areas across our
sites where children are treated.
The books have been produced by the Dog,
Duck & Cat Trust, and funded by Your Trust
Charity, after Consultant Paediatrician, Dr
Maria Atkinson ran the Birmingham Half
Marathon to raise money to pay for the
printing costs. She had heard about the series
through her work as the child death lead.
Dr Atkinson said: “I took over as the child
death lead for our organisation last year. Part
of this role involves sitting on the Sandwell
Child Death Overview Panel where all
paediatric deaths are investigated with an
emphasis on learning and preventative work
to address any themes which emerge.
“Through that work I was told about
Dog, Duck and Cat – a great resource
developed by Jon Bull, Head of DECCA and
Debbie Brown from Sandwell and West
Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group
Child Death Lead.
“These stories and online resources address
preventable causes of child death such as
drowning, choking and safe sleeping.
“I ran the Birmingham Half marathon for
the first time last year and raised £500 for
Your Trust Charity for the printing of books
and posters to launch the books within our
workplace. Volunteers will carry out regular
story time sessions in our paediatrics areas
to promote this important preventative
work.”
The books will be freely available within the
paediatric areas for patients to take home
and read. A cake sale also took place at the
event to raise further funds to pay for more
books to be printed, and regular fundraising
drives be held in future.
Eddie Edmead, Major Grants Manager
for Your Trust Charity, added: “This is an
excellent initiative which we are proud to
be supporting. The charity funds various
projects which are focused around young
people and our aim is to enhance the
patient journey. These books will be an
invaluable resource for youngsters and
their parents and prove a great educational
tool.”
Cycle race raises over £700 for our
smallest patients and their families
Congratulations to Nick Thompson
and Jonathan Rhodes who took
part in this year’s Birmingham Velo
raising in excess of £700 for our
neonatal unit.
Funds raised will go towards a finger
print scanner for the neonatal unit so
that parents can enter the unit more
easily, removing one of the barriers
between mother and baby. It will also
help to support the busy colleagues who
will spend less time answering the door
bell and more time caring for families.
Nick and Jonathan were coaxed into
competing by Louise Thompson, Infant
Feeding Co–ordinator who is leading the
fundraising campaign. She explained: “Nick
is my husband and loves mountain biking
and Jonathan, who is our neighbour enjoys
road racing. They both really enjoyed the
ride and said there was a great atmosphere
around the course with lots of support
from spectators. They were impressed
with how well it was organised and were
pleased with their official time of 6 hours
21 mins.
“I was delighted that Nick and Jonathan
were able to step in help us get nearer to
our goal of raising £4,000 – the amount
required for the scanners. I am pleased that
we are now half way to funding it.”
Nick Thompson and Jonathan Rhodes took
part in the Birmingham Velo to raise funds
for neonates
10

Corrine’s marathon run to help
enhance family time on neonatal unit
Corrine Dacosta took part in the London Marathon and raised £500 for the neonatal unit
When Corrine Dacosta, Sister on the
neonatal unit decided to take up
running for weight loss, little did
she realise it would end up with her
running the London Marathon.
That’s exactly what she did and we caught
up with Corrine who told us more. She said:
“When I took up running, the club I joined
were very encouraging about running the
marathon. So I applied and was lucky to get
in.”
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
Corrine decided to use the opportunity
to raise money for the neonatal unit.
“I wanted to raise funds to promote
the neurodevelopment of our babies
and enhance our families’ time on the
neonatal unit,” she said. “And I was
delighted to raise £500. I’m thankful to
everyone who supported me.”
When talking about her marathon
experience, Corrine said she would have
liked to have completed the run in five
hours. “I did it in 5 hours 43 minutes,”
she explained. “It was a lot harder than
I expected even though I’d trained
really hard but I’m just glad I had the
opportunity to run it and complete it!
“Getting to the finishing line was
absolutely emotional, my feet ached so
bad but I couldn’t believe I’d actually
done it! It was an amazing feeling and
all I kept thinking was – I need to do
that again.”
Janice flies the flag for procurement
in the Black Country
It’s an annual awards ceremony that
recognises colleagues with exceptional
qualities that single them out as future
procurement leaders in the NHS.
Our very own Janice Nelson, Clinical
Procurement Specialist Nurse who
works across our Trust, Russells Hall and
Walsall Healthcare has scooped the NHS
Procurement Champion award at this year’s
NHS in the Midlands Excellence in Supply
Awards.
Heartbeat caught up with Janice who was
beaming with pride for being recognised
in such a way. She said: “I am extremely
humbled that the team put me forward
for this award. It was a complete surprise
because I didn’t find out until the short list
was announced.
“I’ve been in this role for a year now and
I’m enjoying every minute of it. There is a
real opportunity to make a difference and
work closely with clinicians to ensure we
procure top quality products. Over the past
few months we have worked together
as a team to put in place processes and
Janice Nelson was named NHS Procurement
Champion at the NHS in the Midlands
Excellence in Supply Awards 2019
strategies to ensure we are able to engage
more closely with clinicians in order to get
a good outcome for our patients. This win
is a reflection of the work we are doing as
a team.”
Speaking of the win, Elena Slater, Head
of Clinical Product Management – The
Black Country Alliance thinks Janice has
a bright future in procurement.
She said: “Janice is a unique future
leader within clinical procurement. Not
only is she a highly skilled midwife,
health visitor and nurse prescriber, but
she has project management experience
as well which makes her perfect for this
role.
“Aligning three sets of clinicians over
multiple specialities is a challenge which
requires confidence, assertiveness and
a tough skin. Janice has managed this
challenge so well in such a short time
and every one she works with respects
and listens to her valuable clinical
judgement. Even when there are difficult
conversations and meetings she always
says how much she loves her job and the
difference she is making.”
Congratulations Janice!
11

Week long events to celebrate
international nurses and midwives day
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
To celebrate international nurses and
midwives day, we hosted a variety
of events throughout the week to
mark the special occasion.
The first of these events was a study day
workshop in maternity at City Hospital
aimed at midwives. The workshop
covered topics around domestic abuse,
postpartum psychosis, exploitation
and modern day slavery. Royal College
of Midwives (RCM) President Kathryn
Gutteridge was also in attendance.
Charlotte Duhig, serenity midwife, part
of the Sandwell RCM said: “We had
some amazing guest speakers and some
very informative discussions as a result
of this. I would like to thank them all for
taking time out of their day and coming
along, especially Kathryn.”
To mark the special day, wards and
clinical departments were asked to
submit their best practice initiatives
as part of a competition. Judges
were on the lookout for innovative
presentations which illustrated wider
Colleagues attended a study day work shop at City Hospital
multidisciplinary involvement, response
to user feedback, reduction in harm and
improving workforce job satisfaction. After
much deliberation, Newton 3, Lyndon3 and
Lyndon 4 were chosen as the winners for
their work developing clothing closets for
homeless patients, discharge planning packs
and reminiscence rooms for patients suffering
from dementia and delirium.
The special week was topped off with our
Sandwell Education Centre playing host to
an international nurses and midwives day
event which recognised the hard work and
dedication of our nurses and midwives at our
Trust over the last twelve months.
Paula Gardner, Chief Nurse believes the day is
a great way to thank nurses for everything
they do across our community and hospital
sites.
She said: “International nurses and
midwives day is celebrated across the globe
and aims to raise awareness of the fantastic
work nurses and midwives do on a daily
basis, with the awareness day observed
annually on 12 May which is the anniversary
of Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
“I would like to say a massive thank you
to all the colleagues who helped organise
and attended our event as it helped spread
awareness of the work we deliver across
the organisation and will continue to deliver
going forward.”
Leaders make promise to save lives
by reducing air pollution
Chief Executive, Toby Lewis has
vowed to work together with two
other West Midlands organisations to
reduce pollution after signing a clean
air agreement. The declaration comes
following an air quality summit which
took place at Midland Met.
The Memorandum of Understanding was
signed by Toby, Councillor Waseem Zaffar
on behalf of Birmingham City Council, and
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council’s
Councillor Elaine Costigan, Cabinet
Member for Public Health and Protection,
to establish an Air Quality Partnership. The
anticipation is that other agencies will join
this collaboration.
With thousands of people regularly
commuting between Sandwell and
Birmingham, transport improvements and
air pollution issues are cross–boundary.
Therefore the partners will work together
to help reduce levels of pollution in West
Birmingham and Sandwell, establishing a
joint stance on the Birmingham Clean Air
Zone, Sandwell Air Quality Action Plan and
Birmingham Clean Air Strategy.
(front left to right) Toby Lewis, Chief Executive
SWBH, Sandwell Councillor Elaine Costigan,
and Birmingham City Council Councillor
Waseem Zaffar
Toby noted that around 40 per cent of acute
admissions our emergency departments
were due to respiratory distress. He added:
“By signing this agreement we are showing
our commitment to this policy which works
towards providing a better environment
for the people of Sandwell and West
Birmingham. Over the summer, we will work
with our colleagues who travel around the
clean air zone to ensure they are aware
of this policy and we are also looking at
our own fleet of vehicles so that they are
environmentally friendly. We view the
changes being led by the local authorities as
a public health emergency and an economic
opportunity for local people.
Councillor, Elaine Costigan (Labour,
Wednesbury North) said she was excited
about working together in the partnership.
While Councillor, Waseem Zaffar (Labour,
Lozells) of Birmingham City Council
and Non–Executive Director at our Trust
emphasised the need to address health
inequalities in Sandwell and Birmingham and
outlined how the Clean Air Zone is part of
the wider ‘Brum Breathes’ programme.
“The Clean Air Zone is such a simple policy,
but it has a far bigger impact on Sandwell in
terms of health benefits and displacement,”
he said.
The Brum Breathes programme devised by
Birmingham City Council and its partners
sets out what is being done to tackle the
problem and what else is required.
12

Crowds get spring in their steps at
annual wellbeing event
Hundreds of colleagues joined in with
the fun and festivities at the annual
Stepping in to Spring employee
wellbeing and benefits day held at
Sandwell Hospital.
The event which drew crowds from across
the Trust showcased a range of exhibitors
from Your Trust Charity launching their
micro–grants scheme to staff networks
sharing their achievements and stop smoking
advisors sharing their tips on how to kick the
habit.
To find out more about the event, Heartbeat
caught up with Health and Wellbeing
Manager Jenny Wright, she said “Stepping
in to Spring is our annual event which is an
opportunity for colleagues to come out from
the offices and wards and learn about some
of the amazing opportunities we have at
our Trust. Whether they’re looking to join a
staff network, get healthy, quit smoking or
even look to getting a brand new car, the
Caroline Kenny, Stop Smoking Adviser shares
tips on quitting smoking
Stepping in to Spring event is there for them.
“We know that healthy, happy and content
colleagues make for a much better work
environment, not just for their own wellbeing
but also for that of our patients so we
work hard to make sure we have plenty of
opportunities for staff to benefit from whilst
working at our Trust.”
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
The event this year took advantage of
the great weather and took place in a
marquee in the Courtyard Garden at
Sandwell and was a roaring success with
the marquee buzzing with excitement
from all of the great benefits on offer.
Alongside all of the employee benefits
and the wellbeing offer, colleagues who
came along this year found themselves
being entered in to a prize draw with the
opportunity to win some fabulous prizes
including a super car driving experience,
chocolate hamper, gift set and afternoon
tea at the Copthorne Hotel.
You can find out more about staff
benefits by visiting
www.swbhbenefits.co.uk
Care alliances forge to create better
outcomes for patients
Toby Lewis, Chief Executive addresses the new Sandwell Care Alliance
Health organisations, social care
providers and other partners have been
working together over the last few
months to develop two care alliances,
one for Sandwell and one for the
Western Birmingham area covering the
localities of Ladywood and Perry Barr.
As part of the development of these two
alliances, an event was held in each place
for stakeholders to find out more about
the progress of these care alliances and
contribute to how the groups could develop
in the future. They were also a chance to
discuss the emerging primary care networks
in our midst.
Our Chief Executive, Toby Lewis
addressed each event and was joined
by representatives from mental health
trusts, community trusts, local authorities,
Healthwatch, the voluntary services sector
and GP colleagues. Speaking at the
Sandwell event, Toby told stakeholders:
“In Sandwell we are hoping to develop
a shared leadership platform with the
voluntary sector, local authority, mental
health partners, the children’s Trust, and
ourselves, along with primary care, in
what is tentatively labelled the Sandwell
Care Alliance.
“The goal is to improve outcomes over
the long–term, and the approach will
be collaborative, but definitively about
focusing more attention on traditionally
excluded groups and those suffering the
health effects of inequality. The alliances,
and we would expect to create a parallel
one across Ladywood and Perry Barr,
will be our local version of what national
policy and jargon calls an Integrated
Care Place.
“The energy we generated at the event
was encouraging, and I hope we can
convert that into something powerful
and important as we finalise the systems
for care that will, among other things,
support our Midland Metropolitan
Hospital from 2022.
“SWB very much want an alliance to be
effective, not just ornamental.”
13

A flurry of activity helps
to bring Unity to life
The last couple of months have been particularly busy for Unity as preparations for our new
electronic patient record gather pace. Events were going on throughout April and May at
various sites to increase everyone’s awareness and understanding of Unity.
Favourite Fairs – making Unity work
for you
Building on the momentum of a
successful full dress rehearsal and our
recent roadshows, Favourite Fairs were
held across between 29 April and 11
May to help get everyone ready for
when Unity goes live.
The distinctive green Unity t–shirts were
seen around City, Sandwell and Rowley
Regis hospitals during a busy two weeks for
the project. At Favourite Fairs, colleagues
were helped to set up their favourites – the
elements of Unity they will use most within
their role – to make the system much easier
and quicker to use at go–live.
Colleagues at Rowley Hospital set up their favourites
In total, 23 Favourite Fairs were held across
the three main sites, along with seven
smaller sessions at various satellite hubs.
There were evening and Saturday sessions
to cater for all colleagues and we supported
970 in total over the two weeks.
We had some great feedback from
colleagues who attended Favourite Fairs,
explaining how beneficial it was and how
supportive the Unity team were with
helping them to get set up.
Russell Stanton, the clinical lead for the
foot health team, said: “It was really good.
When I arrived, I was given one–to–one
support to set up my favourite folders. This
means that come go–live all our regular
medications, orders and templates are
going to be available to us right at our
fingertips, which will surely make everything
a lot easier.”
Laura Taylor, Professional Development
Sister for cardiology, said: “I had good
support from the Unity team. I was able to
set up the favourites that are essential for
our ward and I can feed back to our team
about it, which was very useful and makes
things more streamlined.”
Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner sets her Unity
favourites
Colleagues take on the 28–Day
Challenge
The Unity 28–Day Challenge started on
29 April. Calendars were delivered to
teams across the Trust with windows
scratched off each day to reveal a new
challenge.
Colleagues take part in the 28–Day Challenge selfie challenge
Unity put through its paces at Question
Time–style panel debate
On 30 April, consultants and senior
doctors from many different specialties
attended an event where they were
able to put their questions directly to
the Unity project team. A productive
discussion ensued on topics such as the
Trust’s IT infrastructure, the advantages
of Unity over other electronic patient
records, and how to optimise our use
of the system once it goes live.
Colleagues were pleased to have their
issues addressed and there was some
positive feedback about how the event
went.
Dr Sally Bradberry, Director of the Poisons
Unit at City Hospital, said: “To be honest, I
was hesitant about whether I was going to
come to this Question Time event but it has
been extremely refreshing and extremely
useful. I’ve been refreshed by the honesty
of the Unity team.
“I’ll go home a believer in IT at the Trust,
which is amazing, and also that Unity will
Many colleagues took part and were able to
increase their familiarity with Unity in a fun
and collaborative way. There was a poetry
competition, a team selfie challenge, and
plenty of practice on the Play System to get
work for us. I think as clinicians we’ve got
to engage now. The baton has almost
been handed to us to say ‘You’ve got a
responsibility to learn, ask questions and go
along to all the training.’ If we do that, and
make constructive suggestions, then I think
we have something that will work and be
brilliant.”
Dr John Morlese, Clinical Director of
Diagnostic Imaging, also enjoyed the event.
He said: “I found the evening very helpful.
It was an excellent opportunity to air issues
and have them resolved. Several of the
questions were applicable to many different
groups of clinicians. It was also interesting
to hear other clinicians’ perspectives.”
Attending the event, and seeing the
importance of the other work going on
around Unity, prompted action from Dr Nick
Makwana, Consultant Paediatrician and
Group Director of Women and Child Health,
to take action to ensure his colleagues were
ready.
everyone up to speed with Unity.
Although it can often be difficult for clinical
colleagues to find time for other things
when they’re busy providing patient care,
the 28–Day Challenge was designed to fit
around their work. The series of bite–sized
tasks was able to help everyone learn more
about Unity, increasing their confidence and
skills.
Teamwork was a key part of the 28–Day
Challenge and will be vital to ensuring that
Unity is a success too. Lots of teams got
involved and enjoyed a different approach
to learning.
“The Unity event was really useful to put
the whole EPR package into context. Having
been to the event it was great to hear
all the work going on behind the scenes
to ensure that the infrastructure is fit for
purpose for when Unity goes live,” he said.
There was some positive feedback from the
Question Time session

CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
Shout out has been a regular feature
in Heartbeat and it is fantastic to see
colleagues regularly taking the time
to give positive feedback to each
other.
We regularly receive positive feedback
from our patients too, and this month
we wanted to share some of those
heart–warming messages which have
been sent via our website and social
media platforms.
To: Brian Guest (Volunteer)
Brian, thank you for all your help with
World Book Night, the support you
provided was fantastic and we couldn’t
have done it without you.
From: Stacey Richards and Sally Barley
To: Ann and Shell (patient transport)
A big shout out to Ann and Shell for
all their help and support they provide
taking patient's home and to other
departments on a daily basis. They are
always polite and patient with staff and
patients.
From: Alice Sibanda
To: Andrea Walker Priory 4
Best medical note entry ever. Clear, precise
and legible with correct amount of detail.
Well done.
From: Lyne Wright
To: Sharon Campbell
Sharon is the phlebotomy supervisor and
we would like to show our appreciation
as we feel that she does not get the
recognition she deserves. Sharon always
goes that extra mile for her patients
and staff and also staff from other
departments. She is a longstanding
member of the NHS and is well known
by staff, patients and relatives old and
new. She always has a smile on her face
for everyone she greets no matter how
stressful our days are and as you can
imagine in a busy phlebotomy department
this can be quite often. Thank you
Sharon for all you do for us, we really do
appreciate you very much.
From: Kerry Burge and Tina Turner
To: Rowley Hospital
Thank you to Rowley staff for all their
great feedback and commitment at Unity
Favourite Fairs.
From: Lukesh Sharma
To: Jo Beasley
Jo is a very supportive team leader. She
always remains calm in stressful situations.
She has extensive knowledge of every role
within the team and is always on hand
to help in busy periods. We would like to
thank her for always being there and we
feel she deserves some recognition for all
her hard work.
From: Sam, Susan and Maureen –
Scheduled Care Booking Team
To: Pauline Mohan, Claire Bolger and
Lyndon 2 nurses
Excellent placement area for student
nurses. Always engaging, supportive
and providing outstanding mentorship
even when presented with difficult or
challenging situations.
From: Theresa Morris
SWBH
Sandwell and
West Birmingham
NHS Trust
intranet at your fingertips
Do you find it difficult to stay up
to date with everything that’s
happening in our organisation?
We have just launched a brand
new app which aims to give you
the ability to access information
that would normally be found on
the intranet from the comfort of
your mobile phone.
Download the app from Apple
App Store or Google Play
Store on to your Trust mobile
phone or your personal mobile
phone by searching for ‘SWBH
myConnect’.
For more information contact
the Communications team
on 0121 507 5303 or email
swbh.comms@nhs.net
16

Youth Health Champions have super
sidekick in SWB library service
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
St Michael’s students show off one of the board games with Nicola Ager (far left) and Preeti Puligari
(far right)
For a lot of the students at St. Michaels
Church of England High School in
Rowley Regis, the focus of the Easter
holidays may well have been chomping
some chocolate and relaxing. But
for the school's Youth Healthcare
Champions there was much more to
discuss and our colleagues were able to
assist.
Our library and knowledge services
partnered with the 21st Century Child
Coordinator for Sandwell Council, Lydia
Dunn, to deliver a training session to a
group of 16 young people at St Michael’s
High School on how to find the best ways
to search for and source health information.
The session came as part of the student's
work on promoting healthcare matters
for people in their own age groups.
Nicola Ager, Service Development
Librarian and Preeti Puligari, Library and
Knowledge Services Manager were on
hand to give tips and answer questions
for the groups whose projects included
topics such as body image.
Preeti said: “This training has equipped
the school children with the right
knowledge to research reliable health
information and cascade health message
to their peers in the borough. The library
has also bought some educational
board games that these school students
could use to deliver this training in the
community.”
Nicola added: “The students engaged
in the discussions well and were very
receptive to the information we were
giving them. We talked to them about
finding good quality health information
for the topics that they will be delivering
information about to other students."
For further information contact the
library services on 0121 5073587 or
email swbh.library@nhs.net.
Library service takes the reigns on
patient information
A new process is in place for colleagues
who wish to update an existing patient
information leaflet or order a new one.
Requests should go directly to the library
service and the team will then work on
producing the leaflet by liaising directly with
the medical illustration department.
A proof of the leaflet will be sent to the
person who has requested the document
and it will need to go through the approval
process, which includes reviews from
patients.
Nicola Ager, Librarian, said: “We aim to
respond to the initial request between six
to ten working days and once we have
completed checks on the first draft, it will
be sent for design.
“We would encourage departments to
first check resources on Eido which can be
found on Connect under Corporate Systems
and BMJ Best Practice can be found on the
Library and Information page on Connect.
“In particular surgical patient information
leaflets can be found on Eido and
downloaded for free. The BMJ Best Practice
patient information leaflets focus more
on diseases rather than procedures but
can also be downloaded for free (NHS
OpenAthens account required).
“We’d also urge departments to check
the renewal dates on existing leaflets so
that they are not left in a situation where
they are urgently requesting an updated
version after the document has expired.”
If you would like to create or update
a patient leaflet, please email swbh.
library@nhs.net or call ext 3587.
17

Neurophysiology are future proof
with phased out fax
MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY
CARE
Following on from Health and
Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock
ordering the phasing out of fax
machines in the NHS by April 2020,
our neurophysiology department
has taken the brave step in pulling
the plug on their fax machine a year
early.
The fax machine in neurophysiology
was finally switched off on 31 March,
however many colleagues were initially
apprehensive explained Sally Walters,
Lead Clinical Scientist: “The medical
secretaries were the most apprehensive
because they have to send reports to
wards at the end of the working day
and many wards don’t have NHS email
addresses.”
However this changed when a
secure email address for all inpatient
investigations was set up allowing
secretaries to send reports quickly and
securely.
Sally added: “Before email they had to
follow safe haven faxing procedures and
call wards to check they had received the
The neurophysiology team have switched off faxes a year early
report. This was extremely time–consuming
because staffing levels were reduced at
these times and they had to wait a long
time before the phone was answered.”
The core reason for having a fax machine
in neurophysiology was to receive referrals
and send reports. This was historically for
internal referrals and external referrals from
GPs and other trusts across the region. But
over the last two years, the department
have developed a departmental email
address and have been receiving and
increase of referrals since.
In addition to this, working alongside the
communications team, neurophysiology
have developed electronic referrals for
internal requests which are also submitted
to the teams email address and the team
have started manually uploading inpatient
reports to CDA.
Sally believes there are numerous benefits
to ditching the fax machine: “The majority
of our processes have now become more
secure, safer, faster and accurate since the
switch off. Queries on referrals can now
be addressed with a quicker response time
because we can email back people directly.
This has resulted in an increased output
across the department which can only be an
advantage for us.”
Faxes will be switched off across our
organisation by the end of the year.
37 years of dedication to
gastroenterology
Dr Carol Cobb has retired after 37
years working for the NHS and 24
years for SWB as a consultant in
gastroenterology and general internal
medicine, since March 1995.
Carol was originally appointed as a part
time consultant funded by a government
initiative to increase numbers of female
consultants in the NHS and build on the
flexible or part–time training initiative
started in early 1980s. Carol went on to join
Hugh Bradby at Sandwell who at the time
was the only gastroenterologist while also
being medical director.
Dr Cobb has helped revolutionise
gastroenterology at the Trust through hard
work and dedication over the last 37 years,
holding vital positions in her profession.
She said: “I’ve had many roles in the Trust
over my 35+ year career such as clinical
Dr Carol Cobb celebrating her retirement
lead gastroenterology, clinical director
of acute and emergency care, clinical
director of acute medicine, deputy director
of medicine, associate medical director
and trust mortality lead where I was lead
medical examiner in implementing this
service in 2018.”
In addition to this, Carol played an
instrumental role in implementing a 24 hour
on call endoscopy service which is one of
countless reasons why she is appreciated by
her peers.
Saying farewell to Carol, Medical Director,
David Carruthers said: “Carol has made a
significant contribution not only to general
medicine and gastroenterology but also to
the establishment of the mortality review
process in the Trust. This has been as lead
for the learning from deaths process and
development of the medical examiner
review system on a local and regional level.”
He added: “This is an important part of the
development of high quality care delivery
to patients and their families at the Trust.
On behalf of the Trust I would like to thank
Carol for this important work over her
career at SWB.”
As part of her retirement, Carol is planning
on getting to know her house and garden
better as well socialise more often with
friends and family and attend her local gym
more frequently.
18

Donation to maternity in memory
of baby Callie
A Black Country family who sadly lost
their little girl Callie (newborn baby)
born in 2016 returned to City Hospital
this month with two very special
surprises to share with the team who
had shown them so much compassion
in their time of need.
Baby Callie Francine Whitehouse was born
on the 1 June 2016 to mom Krystal and
dad Matt Whitehouse at 38 weeks, but
the joyful moment was shattered when the
parents learnt that Callie had a very weak
heartbeat. Sadly despite all of the efforts of
the team in maternity, Callie passed away
shortly after.
In memorial, friends and family rallied
together and began a fundraiser for Baby
Callie, and within weeks this had topped
£2,000. And in remembrance her parents
decided that they wanted to make a
donation to the maternity department
as a thank you for all the support and as
a lasting tribute to their beautiful baby
daughter.
Bereavement Midwife, Mary Molloy meets
Krystal, Matt and Etta Whitehouse at City
Hospital
Making the donation, Krystal shared her
thoughts, “As a family we just wanted to
say thank you to all the staff, they were
amazing and in memory of Callie we
wanted to see if there was anything we
could do to help make the experience of
other parents that much better. The money
we’ve donated will go towards making
the Jasmine Suite a little more inviting and
comfortable, we spent quite a lot of time
in there so we would love to make it a little
more special for other families.”
WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH
Alongside, the surprise donation, Krystal
and Matt introduced staff to Etta,
their daughter who had been born on
Halloween 2017 and delivered by the
same midwife who had delivered Callie.
Meeting the family again, Bereavement
Midwife, Mary Molloy said: “I had
the privilege of meeting Callie and
supporting Krystal, Matt and family at
the most devastating time of their lives.
“We remained in touch and I had the
pleasure of supporting Krystal and Matt
during their next pregnancy and was
delighted to be present at the birth of
Callie’s little sister Etta.
“We are very grateful to Krystal and
Matt for their very generous donation,
which we have spent on making the
Jasmine suite more homely for our
bereaved families.”
PReCePT: Preventing cerebral palsy
in pre–term babies
Colleagues in maternity services celebrate the launch of their PReCePT project
Preterm births are increasing and
more premature babies than ever are
surviving, however, the number born
with cerebral palsy also continues
to rise. Here at SWB, our maternity
department is committed to breaking
the trend and has set out its plans to
join the national PReCePT prevention
campaign.
PReCePT is an evidence based project
developed by the West of England Academic
Health Science Network which looks to
reduce the incidence of cerebral palsy in pre–
term babies by administering intravenous
magnesium sulphate to mothers during pre–
term labour.
The drug which costs approximately £1 per
dose is proven to be effective at reducing the
risk of developing cerebral palsy in babies
born before 30 weeks by approximately
30 per cent. Nationally between 4,000
and 5,000 babies are born pre–term, if all
mothers of at risk babies received the
intervention, we could prevent 200 –
300 from developing the debilitating
condition.
To find out more about the project, we
caught up with Consultant Obstetrician,
Ashwini Bilagi, she said: “PReCePT is
a really simple and straight forward
initiative, all we have to do is identify
mothers at risk of pre–term labour and
make sure that this drug is offered to
them. It’s extremely low cost and the
benefits it offers are significant.
“At our Trust, we’re committed to
making sure that our expectant mothers
get the highest levels of care so we’re
making this project part of our normal
thought process. All of the necessary
equipment to dose and administer the
drug are readied in PReCePT go boxes, so
that when we need to administer a dose,
we have everything ready and waiting.
Our target is to make sure that 85 per
cent of our expectant pre–term mothers
take up the intervention so that their
babies are given every chance at a healthy
start in life.”
To find out more about the initiative
contact Ashwini Bilagi on
a.bilagi@nhs.net
19

Safety and efficiency scores national
award for surgical team
SURGICAL SERVICES
Congratulations to the anaesthesia
and perioperative medicine team,
who have been successful in winning
the Anaesthesia and Perioperative
Medicine Team of the Year category
at this year's BMJ awards after being
recognised for their work in driving
perioperative safety and efficiency
across our organisation.
The award winning department worked
specifically on improving the outcome
of patients who had undergone hip
operations but were also suffering from
other conditions which may have affected
their recovery. The team started a seven
day, consultant–led perioperative trauma
care bundle to improve the outcome of
these patients from the start of their care
to post–surgery.
Jay Susarla, Clinical Director for
Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain
Management, said: “This is undoubtedly
an amazing achievement for the
The anaesthesia and perioperative medicine
team have won this year’s BMJ Anaesthesia
and Perioperative Medicine Team of the Year
department and the Trust.
“It would not have been possible without
the hard work of our perioperative lead,
Dr Subash Sivasubramaniam as well as our
other colleagues who are part of the trauma
and perioperative group, our orthogeretrician
Dr Huma Naqvi, theatre staff and staff on
Newton 3 ward at Sandwell Hospital. It feels
great to be recognised.”
First hosted in 2008, the BMJ Awards are the
UK’s leading medical awards which aim to
recognise the incredible work of healthcare
teams across the country by promoting
excellence. The event celebrates
excellence in the delivery of clinicians
and the teams they work with and the
standard gets more inspirational with
each year.
Professor Ravi Mahajan, President of the
Royal College of Anaesthetists said: “Dr
Susarla and the team at Sandwell and
West Birmingham NHS Trust have shown
leading work in perioperative trauma
care.
“Patient–centred work is key in the field
of anaesthesia and making sure that the
patients are treated from preparing for
surgery to recovery can make a huge
difference.
“The team have shown that perioperative
medicine and taking a new approach
to trauma care can improve outcomes
significantly for patients as well as the
NHS as a whole.”
Congratulations to the anaesthesia
and perioperative medicine team on
winning such a prestigious award!
Volunteers offer critical support
Since its launch in March, our volunteer
service continues to play a vital part in
supporting the loved ones of patients
in both critical care and theatres at
Sandwell.
The role of a theatre and critical care liaison
volunteer is to act as a bridge between
ward and theatre colleagues and the friends
and families of patients in either critical care
or theatres. The volunteers are encouraged
to create a friendly and welcoming
environment whilst a patient is in theatre
or critical care under the guidance and
supervision of Trust colleagues.
This new volunteer project has been
spearheaded by Patricia Hunt, Volunteer
Service Manager who is delighted with its
initial progress.
She said: “The programme only launched
at the back end of March and we have
already had a fantastic interest and uptake.
With seven volunteers already in place
at Sandwell who are absolutely enjoying
their volunteering in critical care and
theatres, we will definitely have to think
about expanding this particular role across
Sandwell and City.”
Volunteers are supporting families of patients
in critical care and theatres
Heartbeat recently caught up with Nazia
Aktar, who is one of the first theatre and
critical care liaison volunteers to find out
about her first couple of months in this role.
What challenges do you face in critical
care?
“Critical care can be a very fast paced
environment with many staff attending to
a variety of patients. This means that there
are also a quite a lot of visitors so it can
be a little difficult at times to build a real
rapport with a small number of people who
visit the patients especially as it can be a
highly stressful situation for them.”
How do you feel about volunteering in
critical care?
“The critical care liaison role has allowed me
to gain confidence in speaking to people
who I don’t know but more importantly,
working in critical care means you build
resilience over time and get stronger
emotionally which is quite important when
doing this kind of volunteering role.”
What do you enjoy most about
volunteering in critical care?
“I enjoy this role very much as it is a
great way to give back whilst learning
new things. Volunteering makes you
feel good about yourself but this role in
particular makes me feel I’m making a huge
difference even if I’m just acting as a point
of contact.”
If you would like to volunteer or to
find out more about the opportunities
to take on a volunteer in your
department, contact the volunteer
service on 0121 507 4855 or email
swbh.volunteer@nhs.net
20

High standards in critical care
services lead to outstanding rating
As some members of the critical care
services team first got a glimpse of the
initial report following an inspection by
the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last
September, ‘powerful’ was one word
that came to mind.
We met up with Amber Markham who
explained more. She said: “When CQC
visited the service we were in the midst
of a very busy period. And to read
their perception of the service as being
outstanding in the caring and well led
domain was truly humbling and a testament
to a service that functions completely as one
team across Sandwell and City hospitals.
“We are so proud to have achieved this as
a team. Everyone in the service does their
bit every day to deliver high quality care. We
hope that this rating reassures our patients
that they are getting the best possible care.”
The latest CQC rating was a culmination of
hard work that has taken place over some
years since the service was rated ‘good’ in
2015.
Amber said: “Following that inspection
we made a few changes including revising
the nursing care plan and incorporating
target ranges for prescriptions. Having all
colleagues in the team working cross site
also helped with standardisation to the way
The critical care team are full of pride at being
rated outstanding by the CQC
we deliver our care.”
Clear communication is essential in getting
the critical care team working in harmony.
Amber agreed: “Communications is vital in
how we do our work. It is important that all
team members are aware of what is going
on and what our priorities are. There are
safety briefings twice a day which set the
standards for the communications for the
day. All colleagues can contribute to ward
rounds and our multidisciplinary meetings.
We also encourage the sharing of positive
outcomes as well as learning from what has
gone wrong.”
Critical care services have a multidisciplinary
meeting twice a week which also looks
at long term care planning for patients.
A follow up service puts in place plans
to get patients off ventilators, discharge
SURGICAL SERVICES
planning, speech and language therapy,
physiotherapy, early vocalisation and
swallowing assessments. There is a team
of nurses who are part of the outreach
team who visit wards and support
colleagues with deteriorating patients.
They help avert or expedite admissions for
patients.
Amber added: “We also support patients
and families by keeping a diary which is
inputted by members of the team and
family members so that patients can have
a record of what has happened while
they are in our care.
“Reducing length of stay is part of our
next steps,” said Amber. We have set up
a CQC working party including medics,
nurses, physios, speech and language
therapists and dietetics which is looking
at how we can continue to improve.
“We also have a patient forum that
meets every three months. It is made
up of patients and their families and the
feedback gained is useful in helping us to
continue to enhance the service that we
provide.”
It’s time to talk about Dying Matters
During Dying Matters Week our
palliative care team held a number
of events to raise awareness about
death and how important it was to
talk about it.
During an open day at the Heart of
Sandwell Day Hospice, visitors were
invited to meet colleagues and patients
who attend the venue which is based at
Rowley Regis Hospital.
Terry Capecci, Palliative Care Nurse,
spoke to Heartbeat about why it was so
important for patients, colleagues and
visitors to be aware about issues around
death and talk about the subject.
She said: “We held an open day at the
hospice as we wanted people to come
and see what we do here and also what
our patients get up to.
“We usually have a group of patients
who come in at around 10am until
2.30pm. During that time, we carry
out creative, art and complementary
therapies, and hold group discussions.
Our occupational therapist comes along
and holds regular talks, and we also have
Terry Capecci, Palliative Care Nurse, at the
Heart of Sandwell Day Hospice
group discussions.
“We play a particular game called Jengo,
which involves patients picking up blocks
that have either a word or sentence on it
that will trigger a discussion. We have some
wonderful reminiscing as a result.”
Terry added: “Dying Matters Week is very
important as we do need to raise the issue of
dying – something people don’t often want
to talk about. It is important for families
to talk about dying, particularly with the
patients that we see at the hospice. We
PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES
AND THERAPIES
open discussions about future wishes
such as will writing, and advanced care
planning.”
Other events that took place during
the week beginning 13 May included a
funeral planning session, palliative care
showcase, and a café style discussion for
colleagues around death.
Dr Anna Lock, Palliative Medicine
Consultant, added: “Dying Matters Week
is a great time to start having those
conversations you've been meaning to
have with friends, family and patients
about what matters to them.
“During this week we're dispelling
some of the myths about death and
dying to help colleagues, public and our
community understand the care and
support available as well as what they
can do themselves to be prepared such as
writing a will, talking to their loved ones
about their funeral and care wishes.”
21

Trust trains STAR carers to help
patients stay at home
PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES
AND THERAPIES
A unique training package has
been devised for care workers by
our iCares colleagues to help them
recognise and treat a range of health
conditions affecting patients in the
community.
Clinical colleagues have worked with
the STAR (Short Term Assessment
Reablement) Service, over the past
month to deliver the valuable sessions.
The STAR Service is run by Sandwell
Borough Council and delivers care
to patients who have recently been
discharged or require home care to avoid
hospital admission.
Training covers a range of conditions,
such as dementia and neurological
disorders as well as looking at functional
activities such as balance. It has been put
together and delivered by occupational
therapists, physiotherapists and nurses
all working for iCares.
Nurse, Theresa Chester, who is also
the Primary Care Co–ordinator for
iCares, said: “The training programme,
funded by the Better Care Fund,
provides training to all the STAR service
workers. Our team, comprising of
occupational therapists, physiotherapists
and nurses, put together a training
Our iCares team with colleagues from the STAR Service
package specifically tailored for carers in the
community.
“From a therapies point of view it covered
the physical side of things, whilst nurses
delivered information on a range of
health topics. This included pressure area,
continence and skin care management, and
how to recognise sepsis.”
The carers can support people with daily
living tasks, such as washing themselves,
dressing skills, meal preparation, mobility
and allows them to remain in their own
homes. It’s a short term service which is
provided for six weeks.
Theresa added: “This training will allow the
carers to have a more focused approach
with the knowledge that the therapists and
nurses have given them.”
Tian Sanderson, an assessor for the STAR
Service, said: “I think the training is really
good as it has helped me to understand
how to recognise the signs and symptoms
of illnesses that can affect our patients. It is
very beneficial for our carers and ultimately
will lead to better care for our patients.”
David Stevens, Executive Director of Adults
Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, said:
“This is a great project which shows the
close working relationship between the
council and our health partners to ensure
residents are getting the best care and
support possible.
“The Better Care Fund is helping us fund
crucial projects and together we are
working hard to keep people out of hospital
and keeping the safe at home where
possible.”
Community nurses lead the way in
mobile working
Earlier this year, colleagues in Yorkshire
and Humber had an opportunity to
hear about how we have embraced
digital patient care, from when the
challenge was first set through to the
completion of the phase one mobile
working rollout across the region.
Denise Owen, Matron for Community
Nurses, and Andy Churm, District Nurse
Clinical Lead (Informatics Secondment for
Mobile Working), were invited to speak at
a Technology for Community Nursing event
hosted by NHS England and Yorkshire &
Humber Academic Health Science Network
in Leeds.
Denise was also asked to take part in a
panel discussion, which operated in a
similar style to Question Time, focusing on
the project’s challenges, risks, opportunities
and successes. During the event Dr Crystal
Oldman of the Queen’s Nursing Institute,
and Heather Caudle of NHS England, came
and spoke to Denise and Andy. They both
congratulated our organisation on the
excellent work that has been done within
the district nurse service around mobile
working and becoming paper–light.
Denise and Andy felt the presentation went
really well and were pleased to be given
the opportunity to share good practice
nationally.
“It was great meeting other NHS colleagues
who are also travelling a digital path, so
that we could share our experiences,” said
Andy. “Many other organisations face the
same challenges as us here at SWB and
having the opportunity to discuss these
challenges and explore some possible
solutions proved to be of great benefit.
It was really motivational to have these
discussions with colleagues who share our
desire to push the digital future of the NHS
into community services.”
Andy Churm and Denise Owen talk about the
digital journey within the district nursing team
22

FINCH coach trip helps bowel condition
patients take flight
It's always nice to get out and about –
now imagine if you couldn't take a trip
to the out of fear and embarrassment
at the prospect of your body betraying
you. For some patients it is a very real
reality, but thanks to the FINCH group
(faecal incontinence and constipation
healthcare), assistance to those
suffering from potentially life–altering
bowel conditions is available.
It can be a tricky subject to talk about, as
Jodie Smith, Bowel Function CNS at FINCH
explains: "We know that bowels are a
taboo subject and that bowel complaints
can lead to social isolation, but the
feedback demonstrates that even when an
individual has regained control, the social
isolation can persist.”
To help combat this, earlier this year at
one of their quarterly support meetings
the FINCH group proposed pushing social
boundaries more significantly, raising the
idea of a specially tailored coach trip to the
Cotswolds for the simple pleasure of going
‘somewhere different’. The response from
patients was a definite yes.
One such patient was 79–year–old Hazel
Bury, who suffers from anterior resection
syndrome following surgery for bowel
cancer: "The idea was a big cheer up for
us all; people who don't normally get out
Patient Hazel Bury (left) with Bowel Function
CNS, Jodie Smith
and socialise. It gives us a bit more freedom,
to have a day out or a few hours where
we feel we're in control – instead of the
complaints being in control of us.”
FINCH, with sponsorship assistance from
delivery company Respond worked to make
it happen, allowing all those attending on
a highly enjoyable trip the Cotswolds – one
PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES
AND THERAPIES
even rain could not dampen.
Hazel laughs: "That day it poured with
rain but it didn't matter. It was a very
interesting area and we wandered and
wandered and I'm afraid was a bit
late back for the coach because we
wandered a bit too much!"
Further outings are now a possibility for
the patients as it has opened back up a
door thought closed to many.
Jodie adds: "The benefit of a patient
support group is that patients can share
experiences, give advice, and provide
emotional support as they are speaking
to others in a similar situation to
themselves. These patients may not have
anyone else to talk to, and even if they
did it can be most beneficial to speak to
someone outside their immediate circle.
From a patient support group friendships
can be formed and this relief from
isolation is gained.
“That was the whole aim. To help
encourage patients to go out, live their
life and not let their bowels stop them
doing what they want to do."
Virtual patients now a reality with
futuristic training
IMAGING
By using futuristic simulator
technology, our organisation is looking
to improve the ultrasound training we
offer within the radiology department.
Real–feel haptic technology is creating the
sensation of touch in mid–air by using a
simulator and it is being used to train our
colleagues within imaging. It creates a
virtual patient that can be scanned
without discomfort.
We have invested in a device which
responds to movement and pressure so
it enables registrars and radiographers
to accelerate their training in the art of
carrying out a comfortable ultrasound.
There is also a virtual tutor component
that guides the trainee through multiple
modules to extend their knowledge of
normal anatomy and pathologies.
Dr John Morlese, Consultant Radiologist
and Clinical Director for Diagnostic Imaging,
said: “The ultimate aim is for us to improve
our training and inspire members of staff to
become ultrasonographers.
“The simulator responds to the movements
of those using it, and it alerts you to the
amount of pressure you are using.
“There are many ways that this equipment
benefits our patients and our organisation.
Normally we would carry out training on
a patient, who may feel some discomfort
when there is too much pressure applied
during an ultrasound.
“By allowing the clinician, either a registrar
or radiographer, to train using this haptic
technology, they avoid this interaction
with a patient. It also accelerates their
training and enables them to become more
competent in a shorter time frame. It also
offers a taster to those who want to learn
how to carry out ultrasounds.”
The simulator will enable trainees
to acquire complex skills at their
own pace.
Registrar Elnur Kasumov with the Haptic
Scanner at City Hospital
23

Pulse
News in brief from around our organisation
If you have a story you would like to appear
on the Pulse page, please email a photo and a
short explanation to swbh.comms@nhs.net
24
Putting patients first for 30
years – Bernie’s journey
Bernadette Hickling, Midwifery Team
Manager will be retiring in May after
putting patients first in our maternity
wards for just under 30 years.
Bernie started working with the us back
in 1983 as a staff nurse for a year on the
rehabilitation ward on Sheldon block for
six months. She then spent another six
months on the Isolation ward on D12
Bernadette would leave the organisation
in 1984 to train as a midwife at
Birmingham Maternity Hospital. She
would then return in 1989 and has been
here since.
For 24 years, Bernie worked as a
community midwife and then a
community midwife manager covering
areas such as Great Barr, Kingstanding,
Lozells and Aston. From 2013, Bernie
then moved to the antenatal clinic at City
Hospital.
There are multiple challenges a midwife
faces whilst working at the Trust. Our
hospital serves a diverse population
with people from a variety of different
backgrounds and ethnicities.
Bernie said: “Fortunately for us, our
maternity unit offers good practice as we
now have more specialist midwives and
clinics to meet the needs of our complex
population.”
Bernie plans to wind down when she
retires as she will have more time to go
on holidays with her friends and family as
well as her two Border Collie dogs, Kira
and Alfie.
Bernadette Hickling, Midwifery Team
Manager retires after 30 years
From Monte Carlo to Sandwell
– Shirley Bassey’s hospital
radio surprise
When Welsh singing icon Dame Shirley
Bassey turned 80 in January 2017, there
were likely few people as excited by
the milestone than long–time fan Dan
Osmond.
Dan, who assists with shows on
Sandwell Hospital Radio, which provides
entertainment for those on wards at
Sandwell Hospital seven days a week,
even celebrated by playing a one hour
retrospective of her dazzling career in
show business. A career that now covers
over 60 years. So when it came time
for Dan to celebrate a milestone of his
own, colleagues reached out to Bassey to
provide a surprise for him.
Station Manager, Phil Blackstaffe wrote to
the singer in February, to see if she could
assist in helping Dan to celebrate his 30th
birthday with a signed photo as a surprise
and was delighted when the singer, who
has lived in Monaco’s Monte Carlo region
for many years, responded.
Phil wrote: “This would be the icing on
the cake and I know he would cherish it
forever.”
A week of celebrations for
Carol’s retirement
Last month saw a double milestone in the
life of long–time colleague Carol Collins
who has enjoyed a week of celebrations
marking her 60th birthday and her
retirement.
Colleagues from the anticoagulant services
and phlebotomy joined together to
ensure she had a good send off from our
organisation where she has worked for a
number of years.
Carol turned away from a career as a
hairdresser in the nineties, joining our
organisation to work within theatres.
After a career break to take care of her
mother she subsequently returned to work
at City Hospital as a phlebotomist before
joining the haematology department
a few years later. There she took on
work both in the laboratory and in
anticoagulant services. As this service
grew and with the formation of Sandwell
and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Carol
worked full time in anticoagulant services,
providing support in anticoagulant clinics
and visiting patients in their homes.
Fortunately, it was not a case of “Never,
Never, Never” from Bassey, who sent back
a large signed photo, personalised to Dan.
On receiving the photo Dan said: “I knew
Phil was up to something, but I wasn’t
expecting this. When I opened it and read
the letter that came with it I was shocked.
I’m still in shock!”
Sandwell Hospital Radio – “Your Friend at
the Bedside in tune with patient’s needs”
– celebrated its own 30th birthday back in
2015.
Dan Osmond with personalised signed
photo
She was instrumental in implementing the
home visit service that our organisation
provided in north Birmingham and
colleagues joked she would regale them
with stories of trips to the ‘far corners of
Lichfield’ on her return to base. In later
years Carol reduced her working week
to spend time with her grandchildren to
whom she is devoted. Carol will be missed
by all her colleagues and she says she will
miss them all in a variety of different ways.
Carol Collins, celebrating both her birthday
and her retirement

This month we say hello to Mick Laverty
who joined our Board in February
as a non–executive director. Mick is
currently chief executive at the ExtraCare
Charitable Trust.
Before joining ExtraCare he was chief
executive of the Student Loans Company,
a government–funded ‘digital exemplar’
organisation that distributes £18 billion per
annum and has seven million customers.
Mick has also previously been chief executive
of Advantage West Midlands, the regional
development agency for the West Midlands.
He has held a number of non–executive
director roles in the public, private and
charity sectors and is currently a council
member at the University of Birmingham
and non–executive director of Birmingham’s
Hippodrome Theatre.
So what is Mick’s role in the SWB family?
“My aim is to help the Trust achieve its vision
of being renowned as the best integrated
care organisation in the NHS,” said Mick.
“ExtraCare is a housing and social care
charity that builds and runs retirement villages
(including five in Birmingham). In my view,
housing, social care and health need to be
closely aligned to ensure the health and
wellbeing of our communities. So I’m hoping
my housing and social care experience will be
relevant and help me make a contribution at
SWB.”
“My role on the SWB Board includes general
governance with specific responsibilities for
people and organisational development
as Chair of the People and Organisation
Development Committee. Additionally, as
someone from a non–NHS background who’s
worked in a variety of sectors, I hope to add
some value by using my knowledge and
experience from outside the health sector.”
Born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Mick
has lived in the Midlands for most of his life.
He supports Aston Villa and enjoys running,
music, reading and gardening. Mick was
appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for the
West Midlands in 2018.
Mick Laverty
Non–executive Director
Mick Laverty took part in this year’s London
Marathon to raise funds for ExtraCare – he
will have raised over £56k when all the funds
come in
Wave goodbye to…
Olwen Dutton
Trust Deputy Chair
Olwen Dutton has paid tribute to
colleagues as her role as deputy chair
came to an end this month.
Joining the Trust’s board in 2010, Olwen has
been a familiar face around our workplace.
She said: “I have enjoyed every moment
of my time here and I am overwhelmed by
the dedication shown by the staff to the
patients.
“One of the things I’ve really enjoyed has
been working on the quality agenda. I
have been chairing the quality and safety
committee for some years now and it’s been
tremendous.
“What I have really witnessed over those
nine years is a change in focus, so that we
put the quality and care that we give our
patients at the heart of what we do – and
I’m sure that the Trust will continue to do
that.”
Olwen is currently a partner with
Birmingham–based Anthony Collins
Solicitors LLP, and specialises in local
government and other public sector work.
During her time at SWB Olwen’s
responsibilities included chair of the Quality
Pictured second from right, Olwen Dutton’s role as deputy chair has come to an end
and Safety Committee and member of the
Audit Committee.
Olwen added: “I am sorry to be leaving, but
it’s a great place and everyone who works
here really deserves my congratulations
for the dedication that they give on a daily
basis.”
25

Letters, of less than 200 words please, can be sent to the Communications Department,
Trust Headquarters, Sandwell Hospital or by email to swb–tr.SWBH–GM–Heartbeat@nhs.net
YOUR RIGHT TO BE HEARD
26
There aren’t enough blue
badge parking spaces
Dear Heartbeat
This letter is regarding a disabled car parking
space in front of Sheldon block at City
Hospital.
I am a blue badge holder and my shift starts
at 8.30am however, I ensure I’m in the car
park just after 8am.
There are only six spaces for blue badge
holders in front of the Sheldon Block. By the
time I arrive the car park is already full.
With my disability I need to park far away
(although it is Brookfield, it is far away for my
mobility condition I am afraid). It is particularly
hard during the winter/autumn season as I
struggle to walk, and my mobility is worse
in the slope to walk. I end up in pain which
means a bad start to the day.
I really wonder if Trust could look in to this
matter and increase the parking space for
blue badge holders please.
Thank you in anticipation
Anon
Dear colleague,
I am sorry for the problems you are
having accessing a vacant disabled
parking space near your place of work.
I will review whether we can increase
spaces there and I will ensure that the
existing spaces are checked early in the
morning to make sure that cars parked
in those spaces are displaying the
appropriate blue badge.
Across our Trust we aim for five per cent
of spaces to be identified for disabled use.
Kind regards
Steve Clarke, Deputy Director, Facilities
We are sweating in AMU
Dear Heartbeat
We need action not chat! AMU bay F&G
has to tolerate poor air flow, days on end of
warm stuffy air hanging around with ligneous
odours.
The close working environment with
inadequate ventilation is making the work
harder!
There is poor air flow and no one can figure
out why?
The patients are uncomfortable, the relatives
complaining, the staff are sweating please give us
a permanent solution not an excuse!
Kind regards
Anon
Dear colleague,
Thank you for highlighting this problem. We
have asked our controls contractor to fully
investigate the ventilation system serving this
area and will carry out any corrective actions
required. We will also install temperature
monitoring equipment at several points
around bays F&G and the nurse station and
share the results with colleagues working in
the area.
Kind Regards
Malcolm Partridge, Head of Estates
Where is the pay rise for Trust
Bank nurses?
Dear Heartbeat,
All the nurses had a 3% pay rise last year, payable
over three years, that is 1% each year from April
2018. Why have Trust Bank nurses not received
this pay rise? It seems unfair, as they are a
valuable part of the Trust and should receive the
pay rise.
Regards
Anon
Dear colleague
Thank you for your query and we do
recognise that Bank workers are an
extremely valuable part of our workforce,
thank you for your contribution to our
patient care in this Trust.
Our Trust Bank rates are ‘spot rates’ which
have been determined by benchmarking
against other Trusts and providers. They
remain some of the highest bank rates in
the West Midlands, and we also operate the
national Living Wage, which other Trusts do
not. The team review the rates are regularly
to ensure that they are in line with both
neighbouring Trusts and commercial agencies
and to ensure we are rewarding our staff
fairly for the brilliant work that they do.
Kind regards
Raffaela Goodby, Director of People and
Organisational Development
BMEC telephones – why doesn’t
anybody answer?
Dear Heartbeat,
I’m starting to get very concerned about
telephone calls at BMEC at City Hospital.
Whenever I have called them in the past there
is never an answer and when I leave a message
nobody ever gets back to us. I know others
across the Trust have similar struggles getting in
touch with them so I’m guessing patients must
experience similar struggles too. I understand
they’re very busy at BMEC however surely there
should be a dedicated person to answer phones
(at least during the working day)?
Regards
Anon
Dear colleague
We’re really sympathetic to your frustrations
and yes we recognise that both our
colleagues across the Trust and patients
have difficulties in getting through to us
by phone. This is one of our top priorities
to resolve and we’re starting with our
emergency department;
• From the beginning of April, we
increased the capacity of clinical staff
who answer our ED phones taking
queries both internally and from GPs
and patients
• In the middle of April, we changed
our telephone system over to one that
supports queuing; call waiting times
are not yet as short as we would like
them to be however, the system does
at least mean that callers do not have
to redial. Advice and guidance has also
been added to the beginning of the call
to ensure that patients who need access
to other support services with BMEC can
get this quickly.
• The team is reviewing how it can further
improve capacity to the ED phone lines.
On a positive note, in recent discussions with
our switchboard, I’m advised that there has
been improvement in response rates and a
reduction in complaints, however we have
more work to do.
We are now looking at how we can take
learning from the ED phone line project into
our general telephone services.
Please don’t hesitate to get in contact
with me at hilary.lemboye@nhs.net if your
problems continue.
Kind regards
Hilary Lemboye, Deputy Group Director
of Operations for Surgical Services
and Directorate General Manager for
Ophthalmology

Toby writes about …
Our smokefree sites
TobyLewis_SWBH
TOBY’S LAST WORD
In this month’s Heartbeat you
may have read that, with the
help of Arvind Rajasekaran and
Kelly Redden–Rowley from our
respiratory teams, we are helping
to launch an air quality partnership
to try and tackle harmful health
effects from air pollution across
the communities that we serve.
The Birmingham Clean Air Zone,
which goes into operation in
January 2020, is a step towards
tackling emissions. This summer
we will try and make sure all of us
are aware of those changes and
what actions we need to take. As
a Trust we are looking to invest in
electric vehicle technology. And I
am sure that everyone is familiar
with the car parking changes that
we are making as we try and strike
a balance between making it easier
to park and work, whilst supporting
people to use alternatives to our
cars at least some of the week.
Our second initiative to cut down on
single use plastics is our scheme to
recycle empty crisp packets with the
support of TerraCycle. Once collected
the crisp packets are separated by plastic
type, cleaned and made into plastic
pellets to make new recycled products.
Shanice Abbott from Everyone Health, the
organisation which will be delivering Stop
Smoking services in our workplace
Drop off points will be across our sites
during June. The more we provide to
recycle the more points we generate that
can be turned into financial donations for
our charitable causes.
The smoking ban is almost with us. Ten
months on from the NHS’ 70th birthday
we are in the countdown now to the
changes that will happen on 5 July. The
team are ready and poised to change all
of our signage, and to change our current
smoking shelters. Most will go. One will
become a games space for outdoor sport
including table tennis. And some will
become vaping spaces. You might have
come across vaping displays on our sites
and there are more to come. We will
have machines to purchase alternatives
to cigarettes on our sites. There is simply
no point being half–hearted about this.
The smokefree sites project is not about
putting up billboards and virtue–signalling.
It is about making it abundantly clear
the health harms from smoking and the
alternatives that can help anyone to quit.
There is money to be saved and healthy
years to gain from that decision.
If you are at all unsure what the new rules
mean for you then please ask.
Ask your line manager, ask me, ask
Paula Gardner our chief nurse or
David Carruthers our medical director.
Implementation of the changes is going
to need us all to play a part. We will
have smoking wardens on our sites. Our
security teams will be empowered to
help and take details for fines on non–
compliance. We will use all of our security
cameras to record and take images of
anyone breaking the ban. So, to be clear,
our first message – our main message
– is please stop smoking, certainly
at work or on work premises. Our
second, which is hopefully unnecessary,
is that if you do smoke we will take
action. Multiple fines will be treated as
a conduct issue for anyone working for
or volunteering in our Trust. If we are all
going to work to help our patients stop
and ensure visitors do not smoke on our
sites, then everyone wearing our badge
has to carry that message. Our sites
include car parks on our premises, and
extend to the perimeter of those sites. I
know that teams in maternity and
BMEC are making preparation for
how we will help to move people
from our sites if they seek to smoke
in our grounds.
Based on clinical advice there are no
exceptions to our rules. We will
not be escorting people out of our
sites in search of nicotine. Instead
we will be working with patients
to provide patch alternatives as
nicotine replacement therapy. We
completely understand that there
are circumstances where compassion
might suggest relaxing this rule, but
having debated it widely, we have
settled on this simple approach.
Letters to patients and posters to that
effect are being distributed.
It is understood that some colleagues
on a break may choose to leave our
sites and smoke. Uniforms in that
context need to be covered, and you
can find on Connect new guidance
on breaks generally in our Trust.
We want everyone to take their legal
breaks from work. But we are taking
the opportunity to re–clarify some
of the rules that sit around that,
including around aggregating breaks
together. To state the obvious, there
is no provision for a ‘smoking break’
on top of the normal allowances.
The health benefits of giving up
smoking are significant. I wanted to
congratulate everyone who has taken
the opportunity of the upcoming
ban to make lifestyle changes and
choices. There is definitely still time to
make that change, and the support
to do so will continue. As we go into
summer there are all sorts of ways
to relax, unwind and tackle stress
that do not involve reaching for a
cigarette. The Trust wants to help
and to promote those changes with
you and through you. Having taken
the trouble to read this article, please
think through what role you can play
in a few weeks’ time in supporting
our smokefree sites. We are intensely
serious about the air we breathe
and the chance to improve health by
making these changes. We can make
a difference.
27

Events diary June 2019
EVENT DATE TIME VENUE
Public Trust Board 6 9.30am to 12.30pm Rowley Regis Hospital
QIHD 14 AM session Trust wide
Clinical Leadership Executive 25 2pm to 5pm Education Centre, Sandwell Hospital
SWB TeamTalk 26
11am – midday
1pm – 2pm
1pm – 2pm
Committee Room, Rowley Regis Hospital
Education Centre, Sandwell Hospital
Post Graduate Centre, City Hospital
Leadership conference 4 9am – 5pm Bethel Convention Centre, West Bromwich
Annual General Meeting 20 6pm – 8pm Education Centre, Sandwell Hospital
Suicide Awareness 4 10am – 1pm Berridge Room, Sandwell Hospital
Introduction to Managing Anger and
Frustration
4 1.30pm – 4.30pm Anne Gibson Committee Room, City Hospital
Introduction to Mindfulness 18 10am – 1pm Berridge Room, Sandwell Hospital
Mental Health Awareness for Managers 25 10am – 1pm Anne Gibson Committee Room, City Hospital
Weight Loss Clinic 5, 19 12pm–2pm
Jayne Wright Therapy Room, Trinity House,
Sandwell Hospital
NHS Health Check 11, 25 10am–3.30pm
Jayne Wright Therapy Room, Trinity House,
Sandwell Hospital
NHS Health Check 4, 18 10am–3.30pm
Room 1, Occupational Health, Sheldon Block,
City Hospital
April 2019 staff lottery results
May Heartbeat crossword
1st £187.50
217
2nd £112.50
389
May Heartbeat c
3rd £75.00
8
Don’t forget that Your Trust Charity lottery costs just £1 a month and anyone 1
who works for the Trust can join. Payment is deducted from your wages each
month. To take part email amanda.winwood@nhs.net.
3
2
May Heartbeat crossword
3
Take a break:
in this month's Heartbeat
1
2
5
4
3
1
2
5
4
Test your knowledge of the news in this month's
Heartbeat by completing the crossword below. You
can e–mail your answers to swbh.comms@nhs.net
and all correct answers will be put into a draw to
win vouchers – good luck!
4
Across
Down
4. What’s the name of the colleague who received a signed photo from
Dame Shirley Bassey?
5. Which team has switched off their faxes?
1. What
2. What
3. What
Across
Down
4. What’s the name of the colleague who received a signed photo from
5
Dame Shirley Bassey?
5. Which team has switched off their faxes?
1. What kit is being used to training colleagues to wash their hands?
2. What ban is coming into force in July?
3. What agreement has been signed to reduce pollution?