Heartbeat August 2019

Cigarette stubs get a good sweeping
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
These are the road and path
sweepers that are cleaning up
Sandwell and City Hospitals –
supporting the estates team to
rid our sites of cigarette ends and
litter following our move to go
smokefree.
The new move will help to create
a much improved environment for
patients, visitors and colleagues with
the two mini-sweepers currently on
hire. They can be seen early mornings,
evenings and at weekends, driven by
colleagues from our estates team.
Andrew Mould, Estates Operational
Manager (Engineering), said: “Bringing
in these devices means that we are
ensuring both our sites are thoroughly
cleaned and assist to reduce the number
of cigarette ends and litter. It sends
out a clear message that smoking isn’t
allowed on our sites and that we have
pride in our estate and the environment.
Patients, visitors and colleagues should
move off our grounds if they wish to
smoke and dispose of their rubbish by
using the bins that we have positioned
on the perimeter of our buildings.
Jonathan Robinson, from estates, gets ready to do his rounds in one of the sweepers.
“We will be monitoring how effective
these sweepers are and if we satisfied that
they are improving the general upkeep
of the environment, then we will look at
purchasing some of our own in the future.”
Steve Lawley, Deputy Director of Estates,
added: “Our team want to embrace and
learn from new ways of working with
different equipment so that we are able
to develop our service and improve the
perception of our Trust’s environment.”
The Trust went smokefree on 5 July - the
71st birthday of the NHS – and has banned
smoking across all sites, including cars
parked on our grounds.
Two vaping shops have opened at Sandwell
and City, and some smoking shelters have
been turned into vaping areas.
NHS England has instructed that all
Trusts become smokefree by March
2020.
Donated fans help keep Priory 5 cool
Carl Pinkerton, a regular patient on
Priory 5 at Sandwell General Hospital,
recently donated 10 fans to the ward
to demonstrate his appreciation for
the care he has received. His act of
generosity couldn’t have come at
a better time as a heatwave saw
temperatures rising to above 30°C.
“Over the last year or two Carl has been in
quite regularly. They were long admissions
because he’s been quite poorly. He knows
the ward really well, he knows the staff
and he knows how hot it can get. It was
a gesture of goodwill for the care he’s
received and to benefit other patients,”
explained staff nurse Claire Williams.
“He’s been in and out so many times, at
different times of the year, and he knows
how hot it can get. He knows that on
respiratory wards the chest patients like to
have the fan on them. That’s what he’s seen
and that’s what he’s experienced while he’s
been here so that’s what he thought would
be most helpful for our patients.”
When Carl went home following his most
recent admission, he ordered the fans and
brought them in to Priory 5 to say thanks.
They were spread across the ward and came
in handy during the hot weather at the end
of July, helping staff and patients to keep
cool.
Maureen Jackson, Healthcare Assistant; Karen Berry, Ward Services Officer; Claire Williams, Senior
Staff Nurse
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