Heartbeat October 2019
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<strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
Sandwell and West Birmingham<br />
NHS Trust<br />
The pulse of community health, Leasowes, Rowley Regis, City and Sandwell Hospitals Issue 121<br />
The Greatest Star Awards <strong>2019</strong> - Recognising<br />
outstanding achievements at SWB pages 16 and 17<br />
Chosen by you! The winners of the Star Awards <strong>2019</strong> voted for categories – Medical Education<br />
Administration Team, Richard Burnell, Organisational Development Specialist Trainer, Critical Care and<br />
Critical Care Follow Up Team and the Domestic Abuse Team<br />
Have you had<br />
your flu jab?<br />
page 3<br />
Sharing is caring<br />
- new car sharing<br />
scheme is launched<br />
page 5<br />
Midland Met<br />
takes a big<br />
step forward<br />
page 6<br />
Quiet period<br />
launches in<br />
critical care<br />
page 22
HELLO<br />
FROM THE CHAIR<br />
Star Awards show the very best<br />
of SWB<br />
Welcome to the <strong>October</strong> edition<br />
of <strong>Heartbeat</strong>. As always, there has<br />
been so much happening in and<br />
around our Trust.<br />
This month we take a look back at<br />
the glitzy Star Awards. Critical care<br />
has introduced a dedicated quiet<br />
time and Tower Hill Medical Practice<br />
launched a new eye care service. Our<br />
exec team have been leading the way<br />
with this year’s flu campaign and Unity<br />
continues to make a positive impact.<br />
There’s all this, plus so much more to<br />
catch up on. Enjoy!<br />
Contact us<br />
Communications Team<br />
Ext 5303<br />
swbh.comms@nhs.net<br />
Communications Department<br />
Ground Floor, Trinity House<br />
Sandwell Hospital<br />
Published by<br />
Communications Team<br />
Sandwell and West Birmingham<br />
Hospitals NHS Trust<br />
Designed by<br />
Medical Illustration,<br />
Graphics Team<br />
Sandwell and West Birmingham<br />
Hospitals NHS Trust<br />
Submit an idea<br />
If you’d like to submit an idea<br />
for an article, contact the<br />
communications team<br />
Ext 5303<br />
swbh.comms@nhs.net<br />
Stay updated<br />
We send out a Communications<br />
Bulletin via email every day and you<br />
can now read <strong>Heartbeat</strong> articles<br />
throughout the month on Connect.<br />
Don't forget you can follow us on:<br />
Our annual star awards ceremony is<br />
always an uplifting evening where we<br />
are privileged to recognise the best<br />
achievements from across our 6000+<br />
workforce. This year, more than ever,<br />
I was delighted to see the range of<br />
guests who were shortlisted for our 19<br />
categories and those who, on the night,<br />
secured the trophy.<br />
Many of these are unsung heroes within<br />
our Trust who are rarely recognised, but<br />
their manager, colleague, patient or relative<br />
thought them worthy of being considered<br />
for an award. Among the nominations of<br />
over 500 their stories shone through and<br />
they truly are deserving winners.<br />
Of course, everyone who is nominated has<br />
done something remarkable and our awards<br />
night would need to be several hours longer<br />
to recognise the fantastic achievements of<br />
all our staff during the previous year. That’s<br />
why our annual awards scheme is just one<br />
way of recognising the commitment of so<br />
many within the Trust.<br />
I wanted to remind you of the many ways<br />
you can ensure your team or colleagues<br />
get the recognition they deserve. We<br />
launched earlier this year our employee of<br />
the week award, which is now given weekly<br />
rather than monthly. The award is open to<br />
anyone, clinical and non-clinical, who has<br />
gone above and beyond in their daily work.<br />
Details of how to enter are in this magazine<br />
and on the Connect intranet site.<br />
Our long service awards recognise years of<br />
service to the NHS and when I attend this<br />
ceremony I remain so proud of the years of<br />
dedication and selfless service that are given<br />
by so many to support our patients and<br />
relatives.<br />
Every week the Trust features one of our<br />
colleagues as a NHS hero in the local<br />
newspaper. These heroes are people who<br />
lead interesting lives both inside and outside<br />
work and the feature helps our local<br />
population understand a bit more about<br />
the fantastic staff we have working here as<br />
well as the varied roles on offer. Our heroes<br />
are often published within this <strong>Heartbeat</strong><br />
magazine.<br />
A simple “thank you” and “well done”<br />
goes a long way. The Shout-out scheme via<br />
Connect enables you to write a short note<br />
to a colleague for something they have<br />
done that deserves praise. During the Unity<br />
go live fortnight we saw Shout-outs come<br />
in for scores of people who demonstrated<br />
their commitment to patient care by<br />
supporting colleagues round the clock in<br />
getting to grips with the new electronic<br />
patient record.<br />
Colleague stories are also shared in<br />
<strong>Heartbeat</strong> for all to read so if your team or<br />
an individual has done something amazing<br />
don’t hesitate to get in touch with the<br />
communications team – details on the<br />
facing page. The most newsworthy stories<br />
are often published in the local, regional<br />
and even national media and you can see<br />
where our Trust features in the “SWB in the<br />
news” section of Connect.<br />
Finally, a reminder: I wrote last month<br />
about the national staff survey and since<br />
then you will all have received an email<br />
or letter to your home address with an<br />
invitation to complete the national staff<br />
survey. As well as informing national policy<br />
on NHS workforce issues, this survey is<br />
vital in telling us how we compare to other<br />
organisations so we can improve and make<br />
SWB a great place to work. Please take<br />
the time to complete your survey, which<br />
is entirely anonymous. The responses are<br />
carefully reviewed and acted upon to make<br />
improvements.<br />
Richard Samuda – Trust Chairman<br />
Richard presents his annual personal Care<br />
Integrator award to Primary Care Liaison<br />
Manager, Dottie Tipton
Board members lead by example<br />
ahead of new flu season<br />
Our Trust Board stepped forward once<br />
again this year to be some of the<br />
first few colleagues to have their flu<br />
vaccinations as we launched this year’s<br />
flu campaign.<br />
The campaign started on 1 <strong>October</strong> with<br />
both clinical and non-clinical colleagues<br />
lining up to get their four shields to get<br />
their four shields of protection from the<br />
virus.<br />
This year, keen to have their jabs, the<br />
Board invited the flu fighters along to<br />
their <strong>October</strong> meeting at the Midland Met<br />
Hospital to get their vaccinations.<br />
Paula Gardner, Chief Nurse vaccinated some<br />
of the team and highlighted the importance<br />
of keeping our patients and colleagues safe<br />
and healthy.<br />
She said: “I was pregnant just over 22<br />
years ago with my second daughter. Six<br />
weeks in to my pregnancy I contracted the<br />
flu. What we didn’t know at the time was<br />
that this would have absolutely infiltrated<br />
my daughter’s heart. She ended up with<br />
a large ventricular septal defect (VSD)<br />
and several holes within her myocardium.<br />
Experts attributed this to me contracting the<br />
flu which is why it’s vital you're protected<br />
against the flu virus.”<br />
Dinah McLannahan, Acting Director of<br />
Finance echoes these thoughts.<br />
She said: “The flu can be spread without<br />
you even knowing you have it. Around<br />
half of the confirmed influenza infections<br />
are sub clinical which potentially means<br />
infected staff may pass on the virus to<br />
vulnerable patients, colleagues and family<br />
members.”<br />
She added: “According to recent figures<br />
from Public Health England, it’s estimated<br />
an average of 8,000 people die from flu<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
in England each year. This is why it is so<br />
important everybody at our Trust gets the<br />
jab.”<br />
If you are yet to have your flu jab<br />
there is still time! If you wish to have<br />
your vaccination, or would like more<br />
information, please contact our<br />
occupational health and wellbeing team<br />
on ext. 3306 or look at the clinic times<br />
and information on Connect.<br />
Chief Nurse Paula Gardner took the lead in ensuring all executive team colleagues were ready for<br />
winter and protected against flu.<br />
Toby Lewis - Chief Executive<br />
Waseem Zaffar - Non Executive Director<br />
Chief Nurse Paula Gardner vaccinates David Carruthers - Medical Director<br />
and Rachel Barlow - Chief Operating Officer.<br />
3
Slimming World class on site helps<br />
improve health and wellbeing<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
She’s helped overweight men and<br />
women shed a whopping 896 stone<br />
in two years. Now Slimming World<br />
consultant Mandy Hill working her<br />
magic in our workplace.<br />
The mum of two holds weekly early<br />
morning sessions at Sandwell Hospital.<br />
Mandy hopes to inspire colleagues and<br />
residents to follow in the footsteps of her<br />
previous clients. “The total amount of<br />
weight lost by my members is phenomenal<br />
and I am so proud of every one of them,”<br />
she said.<br />
“I have two groups on a Tuesday and<br />
members support and encourage each<br />
other. No matter what the reason for them<br />
walking through the doors, we will help<br />
enable them to achieve their dreams.<br />
“The diet lifestyle change is very flexible. It<br />
means there are a lot of things you can still<br />
eat – like bread, pasta and rice. But it’s also<br />
about healthy eating which I know is very<br />
high on the agenda at the Trust.”<br />
The sessions also mean a return back to her<br />
roots. Mandy used to work at the hospital<br />
as a dental nurse and an oral health educator<br />
before she was medically retired. Diagnosed<br />
with severe rheumatoid arthritis it left her with<br />
reduced mobility and sparked her own weight<br />
loss journey.<br />
Mandy ballooned to a size 22 and became<br />
desperately unhappy. But after joining<br />
Slimming World she was able to lose 3.5 stone<br />
despite being reluctant to go along.<br />
“I had been really miserable at the time of<br />
joining the group,” she explained. “I had put<br />
on lots of weight because of my condition and<br />
then my husband Tim had to also medically<br />
retire as a paramedic when he was involved in<br />
an accident at work.<br />
“Tim suggested Slimming World to me. When<br />
I went along to my first session I was convinced<br />
I wouldn’t be able to lose weight on that diet.<br />
But as the weeks went on the pounds kept<br />
on slipping off and I started to feel like myself<br />
again.”<br />
In <strong>October</strong> 2017, Mandy was a size 14 and<br />
became a Slimming World consultant running<br />
groups around West Bromwich. Members were<br />
overjoyed with their weight loss results.<br />
“Every week in my sessions there are<br />
inspirational stories that people share about<br />
their journeys” she said. “Sharing your own<br />
story helps to encourage others to realise that<br />
they too can achieve. The greatest thing that<br />
Slimming World Consultant, Mandy Hill is<br />
ready to lead the charge in weight loss<br />
stops us is a lack of belief in ourselves, but the<br />
other members show us that we can.”<br />
The sessions are on every Saturday, starting at<br />
7.30am for colleagues and 8am for members<br />
of the public. They take place on the first floor<br />
of the Palliative Care Hub, situated behind the<br />
antenatal building on Hallam Street.<br />
For more information around joining<br />
offers call Mandy on 07592 508852.<br />
NHS National Staff Survey<br />
– take part for a chance to<br />
win £200 worth<br />
of vouchers<br />
The national staff survey has launched. All colleagues have<br />
been approached for their feedback either by email or in the<br />
post. Please take part as the survey is a unique opportunity to<br />
see how we compare to other Trusts on things like working<br />
environment, staff morale, job satisfaction, and management<br />
support. Results will be reviewed and acted upon so we can<br />
make our organisation a great place to work.<br />
Complete the survey to be automatically put into a prize draw.<br />
If you are one of the first 100 people to respond you could win<br />
£200 worth of shopping vouchers. There will also be further<br />
opportunities to win; with £50 worth of shopping vouchers being<br />
available to six lucky winners!<br />
Responses are strictly confidential - no one from the Trust will see<br />
your completed survey or be able to identify individual responses.<br />
4
Sharing is caring - new car scheme<br />
helps Trust go green<br />
Colleagues have been racing to sign<br />
up to our innovative new car sharing<br />
scheme that makes it easier than ever<br />
to share journeys to and from work<br />
across our Sandwell, City and Rowley<br />
Hospital sites.<br />
<strong>Heartbeat</strong> caught up with Sustainability<br />
Officer, Fran Silcocks to find out about the<br />
new scheme. She said “Research suggests that<br />
nearly half of people would journey share with<br />
someone they know, yet many people travel<br />
each day with empty seats. This is why it makes<br />
perfect sense to car share.<br />
“We've partnered with Faxi who specialise in<br />
innovative carpooling programmes. A leader in<br />
their field, the new system offers a smartphone<br />
app which connects people so they can car<br />
share to and from work. The app offers superb<br />
map design with real-time location and traffic<br />
information. It makes it easy to partner with<br />
someone keen to be green.”<br />
Carpooling is also a great way to reduce your<br />
monthly commuting bill whilst also reducing<br />
your carbon footprint. Don’t just take our<br />
word for it though - Dawn Hall, Waste and<br />
Decommissioning Manager has been car<br />
sharing and is a real advocate of the scheme.<br />
She said “I believe it's everybody’s responsibility<br />
to do what they can to reduce congestion on<br />
our roads. It improves the quality of air we<br />
breathe which is why I car share into work as<br />
much as I can. If I’m unable to do this, I use<br />
public transport like the bus or the metro.”<br />
She added: “I hope that my colleagues across<br />
the organisation will embrace car sharing. By<br />
doing this it may also help to reduce parking<br />
pressures across our sites.”<br />
To download the Faxi app go to https://get.faxi.<br />
co.uk/swbh-nhs/ and register using your NHS<br />
email.<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
Here you can join our secure SWB<br />
community – view colleagues with similar<br />
routes and times – and connect and<br />
organise your carpools.<br />
If you have any other questions, please<br />
contact Francesca.silcocks@nhs.net.<br />
Sustainability Officer, Fran Silcocks with Waste and Decommissioning Manager, Dawn Hall<br />
showcasing the car sharing app<br />
Positive views as Tower Hill begins<br />
eye care service<br />
Patients with age-related macular<br />
degeneration can now receive<br />
intravitreal injections at Tower Hill<br />
Medical Practice in Perry Barr. This<br />
These injections into the eye help to preserve<br />
and can even improve vision. The procedure<br />
helps patients to stay independent. It helps<br />
to reduce falls, prevent injury and generally<br />
service is delivered by ophthalmology improve mental wellbeing. The move enables<br />
clinicians from our organisation Access Fairs theatres at both Sandwell and City Hospitals to<br />
every Tuesday - part of the ongoing<br />
To ensure<br />
focus<br />
that you<br />
on more<br />
don’t<br />
advanced<br />
face any<br />
care<br />
delays<br />
procedures.<br />
at<br />
assessment of services and desire<br />
go-live,<br />
to<br />
the Muriel Unity Gillgrass, team are 85, running of West Access Bromwich, was one<br />
provide closer to home care.<br />
Fairs where you can check that your login<br />
details work and that you have the right<br />
level of access.<br />
It’s essential that everyone who will use<br />
Unity attends an Access Fair. If you can’t log<br />
in, or don’t have the right level of access,<br />
then the Unity team will get this sorted for<br />
you.<br />
Access Fairs will be running every day<br />
Mr Jawad (centre-left) and the other members of the team now operating out of Tower Hill<br />
Medical Practice<br />
of the first to utilise the new service at Tower<br />
Hill. Speaking to <strong>Heartbeat</strong> she said “I came in<br />
today to have an injection in my right eye and it<br />
went very well. Everybody is very friendly and it<br />
was completed in a nice room. I’ve never been<br />
here before, so it was quite an experience.”<br />
“By moving this service into the community we're<br />
able to expand our capacity to treat patients”<br />
explained Muhammad Jawad, Ophthalmology<br />
Consultant. "Those that have experienced the<br />
procedure are impressed with the quiet and<br />
calmer environment. It’s helpful for patients,<br />
particularly those who live in this area.”<br />
Laura Young, Directorate Lead Nurse for<br />
Ophthalmology added “The GP practice at<br />
Tower Hill provides an alternative to patients<br />
having to come into a busy hospital. It supports<br />
our closer to home care vision. The facilities at<br />
Tower Hill comply with all the environmental<br />
and infection control measures expected in<br />
a hospital. The familiarity of a GP surgery<br />
may help to reduce anxiety for our patients.<br />
We're pleased to be working in partnership<br />
with Tower Hill practice and look forward to<br />
developing our relationship further.”<br />
5
Thank Crunchie for Dr Nick!<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
Telling his story the Trust Board,<br />
sixteen year old Jasim Talib was<br />
only four months old when he<br />
was diagnosed with a severe<br />
dairy allergy after being rushed<br />
to hospital following a severe<br />
reaction to porridge. He explained:<br />
“Throughout my childhood I was<br />
always acutely aware of food, and<br />
the danger of eating the wrong<br />
thing. Primary school was very hard<br />
as I felt left out, as I couldn’t have<br />
hot school dinners, but had the same<br />
sandwiches every day. Holidays were<br />
hard too, as I had to take an extra<br />
suitcase of dairy free food I could<br />
safely eat, and hot food choices<br />
abroad meant a diet of chips as<br />
they were the only things that were<br />
considered safe from dairy.<br />
“Chocolate treats were a big problem too<br />
during my childhood, as parties and school<br />
events invariably produced chocolate bars<br />
as prizes, so if I ever won anything I was<br />
unable to eat it, but brought it home for my<br />
parents.<br />
“However all that changed when Dr Nick<br />
Makwana told my mum about a treatment<br />
to cure my dairy allergy, which sounded<br />
Young patient Jasim Talib with his mum Nasmah Talib and our Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner<br />
good, but at first I was nervous, as I’d lived<br />
my whole life staying away from dairy. But it<br />
was exciting too, so I started the treatment<br />
which took six months to cure me. It began by<br />
me drinking milk that was diluted with water.<br />
Gradually the amount of milk was increased<br />
until I could drink a whole glass. That was<br />
amazing. I couldn’t get enough of it! Then,<br />
Dr Nick suggested I try to eat something dairy,<br />
and I knew immediately what I wanted to<br />
try. A Crunchie! It felt like I’d been waiting all<br />
my life for this taste, and it was wonderful!<br />
Crunchies are now my favourite chocolate bar.<br />
“It is thanks to Dr Nick that I want to become a<br />
paediatrician like him, and help other children<br />
like me. He changed my life so I’d like to follow<br />
in his footsteps.”<br />
z<br />
Midland Met takes a big step forward<br />
Saturday 12 <strong>October</strong> saw us take<br />
step closer to the opening of the<br />
Midland Metropolitan Hospital<br />
following an announcement from<br />
the Chancellor of the Exchequer.<br />
It means the Trust can work towards<br />
completion of the construction contract<br />
with preferred bidder Balfour Beatty so that<br />
they can restart work on the super hospital,<br />
based in Smethwick. Chancellor of the<br />
Exchequer, Sajid Javid, said “It is absolutely<br />
right that the Midland Metropolitan<br />
Hospital is completed so that doctors and<br />
nurses working for our NHS across the West<br />
Midlands can deliver excellent care in brand<br />
new, state-of-the-art facilities.”<br />
The news has been welcomed by Toby<br />
Lewis, Chief Executive. He said “Midland<br />
Met is a vital regeneration project for<br />
Smethwick, and part of the wider<br />
Commonwealth Games development across<br />
Work on the long awaited Midland Met will<br />
soon be restarting<br />
Birmingham, including Perry Barr.<br />
“We are working hard to open the hospital in<br />
2022, and getting Balfour Beatty on site from<br />
December <strong>2019</strong> alongside our new Facilities<br />
Management partner, is a key step in that<br />
journey. Today’s announcement by the Treasury<br />
is hugely welcome news. We are working<br />
round the clock to conclude commercial close,<br />
and the agreement of the Final Business Case<br />
and appointment of a Preferred Bidder is the<br />
last national approval hurdle overcome.”<br />
“The promise from Government in February<br />
2018 was that no local NHS funds would need<br />
to be diverted to remedy the national collapse<br />
of Carillion. That promise has been honoured<br />
in full, which has the overt support of all local<br />
stakeholders from across political divides.<br />
“We very much wish to deliver on the dividend<br />
across Sandwell and west Birmingham that<br />
uses the opening of the long-awaited new<br />
specialist acute hospital to release workforce<br />
time and NHS funds to better support primary,<br />
mental wellbeing and preventative services<br />
locally.<br />
“Our integrated care plans for local<br />
neighbourhoods are at the forefront of work<br />
in the Midlands to create a sustainable future<br />
NHS, and we look forward to delivering<br />
real change and better outcomes for the<br />
communities that we serve.”<br />
6
Free NHS Wi-Fi service helping<br />
connect the disconnected<br />
There’s something in the air – it’s new<br />
and it’s free!<br />
The days of people desperately waving their<br />
phones at the nearest window are now at an<br />
end thanks to the introduction of free Wi-Fi<br />
across our Trust. The new service launched<br />
recently thanks to a grant from NHS Digital and<br />
is available across our organisation, bringing<br />
free wireless internet access to patients, visitors<br />
and colleagues on our site.<br />
The Wi-Fi service launched recently following in<br />
the footsteps of Unity and has already begun<br />
to have a positive impact on patients, letting<br />
those in our wards reconnect with their family,<br />
friends and loved ones whilst they rest and<br />
recuperate without the worry of running up<br />
bills on their mobile phones.<br />
Welcoming the new service to the Trust,<br />
<strong>Heartbeat</strong> spoke to Chief Informatics Officer,<br />
Martin Sadler. He said, “We introduced free<br />
NHS Wi-Fi service so that patients, visitors,<br />
students and colleagues can access the internet<br />
when they need to from their own devices,<br />
helping them to stay connected.”<br />
“All you need to do is connect to NHS<br />
Wi-Fi on your device, accept the terms and<br />
conditions and you’ll be connected to the<br />
internet, without the need to register or enter<br />
any passwords. Like all public Wi-Fi services we<br />
encourage you to use it appropriately and only<br />
use it for things that you would be happy for<br />
other people to know about.”<br />
NHS Wi-Fi is available now.<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
Getting online has never been easier than<br />
with introduction of our NHS<br />
Wi-Fi<br />
7
On yer bike! Femi rides to fundraise<br />
YOUR TRUST CHARITY<br />
@SWBHCharity To donate<br />
to the Your Trust Charity text<br />
“SWBH16 £5” to 70070<br />
Femi Kuforiji rode for success<br />
Caring Femi Kuforiji and the<br />
widening participation team have<br />
taken part in a static bike ride to<br />
London. All the money raised will go<br />
towards supporting homeless young<br />
people.<br />
Femi is a project support officer for the Live<br />
& Work NHS Apprenticeship programme.<br />
He took on the 136 mile challenge in the<br />
main reception area at Sandwell Hospital.<br />
The exercise bikes were kindly supplied<br />
by Sandwell Gym, owned by Jagdish Lal.<br />
The event took place on 28 <strong>October</strong> and<br />
personal trainers from the gym were also on<br />
site to show their support.<br />
Femi explained “Throughout the world,<br />
vulnerable young people live in constant fear.<br />
There are lots of triggers for homelessness such<br />
as troubled family dynamics, health-related<br />
issues, or being victims of circumstances.<br />
“As temperatures plummet, cold weather can<br />
prove disastrous for young people sleeping<br />
on the streets. It can increase the risk of<br />
developing hypothermia and frostbite. Some<br />
have even been reported as dying due to<br />
sleeping rough in cold weather.<br />
"In 2017/18 statistics from the Youth<br />
Homelessness Databank showed that over<br />
100,000 young people were homeless or at the<br />
risk of being homeless. We're passionate about<br />
alleviating homelessness in our society. We<br />
work collaboratively with St Basils on the Live<br />
& Work NHS Apprenticeship programme. This<br />
scheme provides apprenticeship opportunities<br />
and living accommodation within the hospital<br />
to young people who are either homeless or at<br />
risk of homelessness.<br />
“There is so much we can do to support<br />
vulnerable young people. You can help by<br />
donating to this fundraising event.”<br />
To donate please visit: https://<br />
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/<br />
liveandworkprogramme<br />
Dinah takes on Urban Ultra-marathon<br />
London<br />
Whilst the rest of us were still in our<br />
slippers on the morning of Saturday 5<br />
<strong>October</strong>, one devoted colleague was<br />
already out in her trainers and raring to<br />
go, not simply to run a regular marathon,<br />
but to run a 55km ultramarathon.<br />
Acting Director of Finance Dinah McLannahan<br />
is not averse to a challenge and every step of<br />
the 55km she ran stands in testament to her<br />
tenacity. Starting at the Woolwich tunnel in<br />
East London, Dinah joined some of the fittest<br />
runners in England to take on one of the<br />
toughest challenges.<br />
Sharing her experience, Dinah said, “When<br />
I saw the opportunity for an ultramarathon,<br />
I jumped at the chance and began training.<br />
Along with raising money for charity, it’s a<br />
huge personal achievement."<br />
Dinah completed an arduous 15 week<br />
training programme in preparation for her<br />
biggest challenge yet. Almost two years to<br />
the day after arriving at the Trust, Dinah<br />
joined 280 runners in London and began her<br />
epic endeavour. Dinah ran the distance in an<br />
impressive 8 hours 13 minutes and raised over<br />
£1,200 in sponsorship!<br />
Having travelled through nine boroughs,<br />
Dinah concluded in Richmond. Recalling her<br />
ultramarathon she said, “The last 12 miles<br />
were hard, but the first 24 were surprisingly<br />
ok! It was one of the best things I have ever<br />
done. There were some brilliant views and the<br />
course was never boring. I'm so proud and<br />
happy to have raised such a good amount for<br />
the charity. I skipped across the finish line, I<br />
was so delighted to finish. Only three bruised<br />
toenails too, so I'm glad it’s not summertime<br />
and I can cover them up!”<br />
If you'd like to join in with raising funds<br />
for Your Trust Charity there are lots of<br />
ways to get involved. Whether you want<br />
to run a marathon like Dinah, climb a<br />
mountain or have a bake sale, get in touch<br />
with the team on ext. 4847. Alternatively,<br />
you can email trustcharity@nhs.net.<br />
Catching her breath at the half way<br />
mark, Dinah was met by family members’<br />
floods of encouragement to complete the<br />
ultramarathon<br />
8
Making Unity changes happen:<br />
A basic guide<br />
There are really two types of issues that can arise in using Unity.<br />
In most cases we need to help a user and their colleagues in a team to develop expert<br />
knowledge of the product. As we all know now there is a right way to use Unity. If we<br />
follow that the system works well, not just for us and our patients, but for the next user.<br />
That’s what we call Optimisation.<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
Process Flow “I have a problem with Unity…”<br />
I cannot achieve what<br />
I want to with Unity<br />
• My super user cannot help me<br />
• I have an error<br />
• I can’t log in<br />
• I have a device issue<br />
Use eCoach to see context<br />
sensitive help, look at relevant<br />
SOPs and QRGs, Videos<br />
Check<br />
Self<br />
Service<br />
Contact local<br />
super users<br />
Suggestion: create a regular<br />
forum for super users to pool<br />
knowledge<br />
Log call on portal or x4050 – which is open 24/7<br />
Triaged inside IT<br />
including to Clinical<br />
Workflow Leads of<br />
Cerner AMS<br />
If this impacts clinical care and<br />
introduces a hazard please state<br />
this, don’t forget to complete an<br />
incident form in Safeguard as with<br />
all other incidents<br />
First time Login<br />
provided<br />
Trainers answer my<br />
question via remote<br />
instruction, remote in or<br />
bespoke support<br />
Informatics<br />
resolve my<br />
Unity problem<br />
Device<br />
problem<br />
fixed<br />
There is a second scenario, where we<br />
may need to change how Unity is set<br />
up or configured. There is a process<br />
to consider whether an idea like that<br />
should happen. Here’s how that works.<br />
A safety case can be made to the weekly<br />
Service Change request meeting chaired<br />
by Martin Sadler and Liam Kennedy.<br />
If the case is less urgent (most are less<br />
urgent) then your clinical group digital<br />
committee will consider your case is<br />
a priority. In doing that they will be<br />
particularly interested in whether your<br />
team is already performing optimally<br />
on Unity. Priority will be given to high<br />
performing teams’ requests.<br />
If you need help talk to your IT Business<br />
Relationship Manager (IT-BRM) whose<br />
names and details are on the right<br />
hand side column. BRMs are not an<br />
alternative to 4050! But they will help<br />
you to navigate the ways to improve<br />
your digital performance.<br />
Service Change Request Form<br />
• Completed by BRM<br />
• Description of desired outcome and drivers<br />
• Case for change: benefits planned or risk<br />
rating<br />
– Utilise current risk rating matrix<br />
• Impact assessments<br />
– Risk / hazard, Cross Unity, Interfaces, Reports,<br />
Workflow, SOP, QRG, Training content<br />
• Checklist of stakeholder engagement<br />
– Owner / champion<br />
– Those affected<br />
– Check with others for unexpected impacts<br />
• Feasibility: technical possibility<br />
• Financial Impact: cost to implement,<br />
equipment, savings<br />
Single form developed<br />
throughout the lifecycle<br />
of the change request<br />
Authored by the BRM<br />
with the request owner<br />
Reviewed by<br />
appropriate<br />
stakeholders<br />
GROUP NAME EMAIL ADDRESS<br />
Medicine and Emergency Care Dom LeGros dlegros@nhs.net<br />
Corporate John Rigby john.rigby2@nhs.net<br />
Surgical Services Sana Shah sana.shah2@nhs.net<br />
Imaging (and pathology links) Julian Mansell julian.mansell@nhs.net<br />
Women and Child Health and Primary Care, Community and Therapies Sarah Cooke sarah.cooke@nhs.net<br />
9
Pharmacy in focus<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
During September and <strong>October</strong> the<br />
pharmacy department celebrated<br />
World Pharmacist Day and World<br />
Pharmacy Technician Day – events<br />
that celebrated the importance of<br />
pharmacy technicians.<br />
In our organisation we have a team of<br />
over 130 pharmacy colleagues consisting<br />
of pharmacists, technicians and pharmacy<br />
support staff. They support all aspects of<br />
medicines use from advice on medication<br />
safety to clinical queries and staff training.<br />
You’ll find the team working across<br />
many different different areas including<br />
dispensaries, procurement, ward-based<br />
services, training and education, medicines<br />
information and aseptic services.<br />
Ilka Fisher is a lead Electronic Prescribing<br />
Medicines Administration (EPMA) technician<br />
Ilka Fisher – Lead EPMA technician<br />
based at Sandwell pharmacy. Ilka steered the<br />
Unity EPMA build from development through<br />
to its successful launch. With her team she<br />
maintains the EPMA catalogue and all the<br />
other safety aspects of electronic prescribing.<br />
This ensures patients have their drugs safely<br />
prescribed and administered.<br />
Ilka said “Awareness days like these are<br />
important as they help to highlight the work<br />
the wider pharmacy team does across the<br />
Trust. We work in many areas in a variety of<br />
roles in addition to dispensaries.”<br />
She added “With the introduction of Unity<br />
we’ve worked collaboratively with a lot of<br />
different areas. Across the wider team, ward<br />
based pharmacists were out and about<br />
supporting training and coaching. Everyone<br />
worked to ensure the change to digital was<br />
smooth and, most importantly that patient<br />
safety wasn’t compromised.”<br />
Follow our pharmacy team at<br />
@SWBHPharmacy to stay up to date<br />
with all the latest news.<br />
On Connect you’ll find the latest<br />
updates on medicines shortages, safety<br />
bulletins and opening times. If you have<br />
experienced any medicine related incidents<br />
or near misses in your area it's important<br />
to fill out an IR1 form. This helps to detect<br />
issues that may be happening across the<br />
Trust. It also helps the team to take steps<br />
to stop errors from happening.<br />
Colleagues in pharmacy department celebrate World Pharmacist Day and World Pharmacy Technician Day<br />
<strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong> staff lottery results<br />
1 st £194.50<br />
Elizabeth Crisp<br />
2 nd £116.70<br />
Karen Morsley<br />
3 rd £77.80<br />
Amanda Jowett<br />
10<br />
Don’t forget that Your Trust Charity lottery costs just £1 a month and anyone<br />
who works for the Trust can join. Payment is deducted from your wages each<br />
month. To take part email amanda.winwood@nhs.net.
Shout out has been a regular feature<br />
in <strong>Heartbeat</strong> and it is fantastic to see<br />
colleagues regularly taking the time<br />
to give positive feedback to each<br />
other.<br />
We regularly receive positive feedback<br />
from our patients too, and this month<br />
we wanted to share some of those<br />
heart-warming messages which have<br />
been sent following the launch of Unity.<br />
To: Lorna Bagshaw, Chetna Kallappa<br />
and paediatric nursing team<br />
Excellent team approach to stabilising<br />
a sick baby in ED on the morning of 'Go<br />
Live'! Everyone stayed calm and worked<br />
together to ensure safe care was<br />
delivered, embracing the unity system!<br />
From: Rebecca Talbot<br />
To: Amber Markham and Dean<br />
Farrington<br />
A huge shout out to Amber & Dean<br />
for their continued support to all<br />
staff for Unity go-live. Their patience<br />
and teaching has been paramount in<br />
helping staff navigate through the new<br />
system and feel at ease. Their presence<br />
in bed spaces is of great help and staff<br />
feel more confident with Unity. Their<br />
dedication to the Unity project has<br />
been outstanding and they are huge<br />
assets to CCS.<br />
From: Suki Kalon<br />
To: Fiona Boddy<br />
It is indescribable how Fiona has<br />
worked tirelessly across the two AMUs<br />
over the 'go-live' weekend supporting<br />
the staff both emotionally and<br />
technically always with her 'positive<br />
pants' on. No amount of words can<br />
thank you enough Fiona!<br />
From: Claire Obiakor<br />
SHOUT<br />
To: Imy Hussain<br />
OUT<br />
Imy has been helping us get practices set<br />
up to see our Unity system through HIE.<br />
He has rung back every practice that has<br />
contacted the primary care team with a<br />
technical issue this week, making sure that<br />
practices see the full benefit of real time<br />
data and it also means clinical teams here<br />
can see the GP record.<br />
From: Dottie Tipton<br />
To: Jenny Mynett<br />
Thank you for your support! You were<br />
an absolute star supporting Professor<br />
Hughes in the Chemical Pathology clinic at<br />
Sandwell OPD this morning.<br />
From: Rachel Clarke<br />
To: Mark Padley<br />
Dr Padley came to Rowley Regis Hospital<br />
on Sunday on his day off to support Go live<br />
and to try out systems that would enable<br />
him to support his colleagues, The GPs<br />
on the community wards have emailed<br />
each other daily with hints and tips that<br />
allow for some really effective working.<br />
Dr Padley also remotely transcribed some<br />
medications for one of our City wards from<br />
Rowley, really demonstrating team work<br />
and how amazing our unity has opened up<br />
a whole new way of working.<br />
From: Justine Irish<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
To: Helen Whiles<br />
So much hard work with Unity. Constantly<br />
on hand to help everyone. I would be lost<br />
without her!<br />
From: Christine Davies<br />
To: Ed Fogden<br />
Ed has been a real leader and helping<br />
hand since Unity go-live on Saturday. He<br />
has helped, supported and coached in<br />
both City and Sandwell AMUs, helping<br />
consultants, junior doctors and nurses<br />
with all aspects of Unity while also leading<br />
the Gastroenterology team with go-live.<br />
Thanks Ed!<br />
From: Craig Simpson<br />
To: All Sandwell ED staff<br />
I would like to say a huge well done and<br />
thank you to all the staff in ED at Sandwell<br />
Hospital. I cannot nominate one person<br />
in particular as the whole team have<br />
supported each other throughout the<br />
launch of Unity and continue to do so. You<br />
have been absolutely brilliant learning to<br />
adapt to the new system throughout these<br />
busy periods. I am sure you will continue<br />
to be the best and be an expert at Unity<br />
by the end of this month! Well done team.<br />
Keep up the good work!<br />
From: Sarah Jones<br />
To: Claire Jones<br />
Claire has been absolutely fabulous with<br />
all her help and support. She has managed<br />
to get the Surgical department using<br />
Unity and has been very supportive and<br />
reassuring to staff and patients. All Claire's<br />
help has led to a smooth running in OPD at<br />
Sandwell Hospital<br />
From: Jaz Verdi<br />
To: Sandwell Emergency Department<br />
Domestics Team<br />
Annabel has ensured Unity has gone<br />
as smooth as it can in City ED. She has<br />
introduced the staff resus trolley (with<br />
support from Cliona Magee) which is<br />
stocked daily with food and drinks to help<br />
staff replenish during busy times. She has<br />
been in the department every day and<br />
when not there supporting staff from<br />
home.<br />
From: Zoe Crookes<br />
To: Grace Finn<br />
I was in a very busy A&E on Monday 23<br />
September, the 2nd day of Unity. Grace<br />
came down to volunteer her services after<br />
work to speak to patients regarding why<br />
they were waiting longer than usual. It<br />
was good to see Grace explaining to the<br />
patients waiting as I could see from their<br />
body language that this helped ease their<br />
concerns. Well done Grace for volunteering<br />
after a busy day! I was there as a patient<br />
on that day and thank you to all the A&E<br />
staff too.<br />
From: Lavinia Hines<br />
11
See me – Know me...for my ability, not<br />
my disability<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
Poor communication, delays in<br />
diagnosis and failures to recognise<br />
pain. These are all common<br />
complaints of people with a learning<br />
disability. To combat this a team of<br />
learning disability specialists are<br />
making it their mission to ensure we<br />
provide the same safe and effective<br />
care to patients with learning<br />
disabilities.<br />
When a patient is unable to communicate<br />
verbally, how do you know if they are in<br />
pain? How do you know if they consent to<br />
a procedure? Do they have the capacity to<br />
consent? These are issues colleagues face<br />
regularly. Until recently there has been little<br />
guidance on best practice.<br />
This month, the learning disability team<br />
set off on a whirlwind tour of the Trust to<br />
share their knowledge with colleagues.<br />
<strong>Heartbeat</strong> caught up with Learning<br />
Disability Project Facilitator, Pauline<br />
Richards. She said “Whilst the care<br />
provided by our colleagues to patients<br />
living with learning disabilities and or<br />
autism can be good, there still remains<br />
gaps where it should be better. Staff that<br />
are passionate and usually have a personal<br />
interest in this field are a great resource<br />
to us all and should be supported and<br />
encouraged to share their skills and knowledge<br />
to others. This would go a long way to<br />
prevent and minimise the often variable and<br />
unpredictable levels of service this group of<br />
patients receives. The roadshows provided by<br />
the learning disability team have given staff<br />
the opportunity to come forward and ask<br />
questions and learn how small changes can<br />
have a big impact on patient care and positive<br />
outcomes.”<br />
Following in the footsteps of the roadshows,<br />
the team will be hosting a free learning<br />
disability and autis-m conference on 6<br />
Team lead the way in the care of patients with learning disabilities<br />
November at City Hospital. This will take place<br />
at the postgraduate centre from 8.30am till<br />
4pm.<br />
The conference will show how colleagues can<br />
improve the patient experience. They'll also get<br />
to hear from patients with learning disabilities.<br />
Attendees will receive a certificate that can be<br />
used as evidence of continuous professional<br />
development.<br />
Book your tickets online at https://<br />
seemeconference.eventbrite.co.uk.<br />
Alternatively, please contact Shazia Akhtar<br />
on ext 6445.<br />
A Managed Equipment Services (MES)<br />
Managed Equipment Services (MES)<br />
A Managed Equipment Services (MES)<br />
Siemens Healthineers is proud to be working in partnership with Sandwell and<br />
West Birmingham Siemens Healthineers NHS Trust, is proud providing to be working dedicated in partnership support with and rapid Sandwell response and in<br />
radiology, West to Birmingham help achieve NHS more Trust, providing for less and dedicated meet support the demands rapid on response services. in<br />
radiology, Siemens to Healthineers help achieve is more proud for to less be working and meet in partnership the demands with on Sandwell services. and<br />
West Birmingham NHS Trust, providing dedicated support and rapid response in<br />
The MES The radiology, is MES stabilising is stabilising to help costs achieve costs and and more enabling enabling for less long-term and meet access the access demands to to broader broader on services. solutions solutions – –<br />
delivering delivering financial financial certainty certainty and and access to to innovative technologies for for the the<br />
Sandwell Sandwell The MES West and is stabilising West Birmingham costs and community.<br />
enabling long-term access to broader solutions –<br />
delivering financial certainty and access to innovative technologies for the<br />
Sandwell and West Birmingham community.<br />
partnership with Siemens Healthineers<br />
partnership with Siemens Healthineers<br />
partnership with Siemens Healthineers<br />
• A trusted partner<br />
• A trusted • Vendor-neutrality<br />
partner<br />
• Vendor-neutrality<br />
•• Equipment A• trusted Equipment partner lifecycle management<br />
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•• Access Vendor-neutrality<br />
• to Access the latest to the technology latest technology<br />
•• Flexibility Equipment • Flexibility lifecycle management<br />
•• Peace Access • of Peace to mind the latest of mind technology<br />
• Flexibility<br />
• Peace of mind<br />
120 people in GB&I<br />
120 people dedicated in GB&I to MES<br />
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dedicated dedicated to MESto MES<br />
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dedicated to MES<br />
We are the leading<br />
imaging provider We are in the GB&I leading<br />
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12
Staying alive – Restart a<br />
heart goes back to school<br />
Cardiac arrests might seem like<br />
something you only see on Holby<br />
City, but you’d be surprised to hear<br />
that there are over 30,000 every<br />
single year with a staggeringly low<br />
average survival rate of 1 in 10 if<br />
they occur out in the community.<br />
Worryingly, statistics highlighted in<br />
research carried out by the Resuscitation<br />
Council found that less than half of<br />
bystanders in the UK would intervene if<br />
they witnessed someone collapse. Most<br />
stated their lack of ability, confidence or<br />
knowledge as being the biggest barrier<br />
standing in the way of them providing<br />
life-saving interventions.<br />
This month the national restart a heart<br />
day campaign launched and focused<br />
on out of hospital cardiac arrests. As<br />
you would guess, cardiac arrests are<br />
indiscriminate and will strike without<br />
warning.<br />
The resuscitation team packed their army<br />
of resus manikins and set their sights on<br />
training pupils at Broadway Academy in<br />
Perry Barr in the lifesaving art of Cardio<br />
Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).<br />
The team presented their eye opening<br />
facts to a sea of 11-19 year old pupils.<br />
They followed up with hands on<br />
demonstrations with pupils who eagerly<br />
took to learning the lifesaving CPR<br />
techniques.<br />
Resuscitation Officer, Dawn Martin said,<br />
“The key to our work today is to show<br />
pupils that they could save someone’s<br />
life with a very simple technique. All<br />
they have to do is if they find someone<br />
unconscious and not breathing is to call<br />
for help and begin CPR until help arrives.<br />
People have been put off in the past<br />
when CPR has been referred to as the<br />
‘kiss of life’. In reality, providing chest<br />
compressions in the right way can keep<br />
someone alive long enough for help to<br />
arrive.<br />
“In the UK we’ve got a long way to go.<br />
Our survival rates for cardiac arrest are<br />
approximately 10 per cent. In some of our<br />
neighbouring Scandinavian countries, the<br />
rates are closer to 25 per cent. The biggest<br />
difference is that children are taught first aid<br />
and CPR from a very young age.”<br />
Hopefully, with their newly acquired lifesaving<br />
skills, pupils at Broadway Academy will be<br />
CORPORATE AND GENERAL<br />
NEWS<br />
Resuscitation Officer, Dawn Martin shares her lifesaving knowledge with 1,200 pupils at<br />
Broadway Academy<br />
Grant Stewart, Head of Inclusion at Broadway Academy gets his life saving lesson<br />
able to step in and save a life should they<br />
ever need to.<br />
If you'd like more information on<br />
updating your basic lifesaving training<br />
or gaining some more skills, contact the<br />
Deteriorating Patient and Resuscitation<br />
Team on ext. 6173. You can also email<br />
swbh.resuscitationtraining@nhs.net.<br />
Star of the Week<br />
Is our new recognition scheme replacing the<br />
monthly compassion in care award.<br />
You can nominate colleagues for their contribution to delivering a high quality service.<br />
For further information and to nominate, visit Connect.<br />
13
DISCOVER<br />
WHAT<br />
YOU’RE<br />
MADE OF<br />
FIND OUT WITH US AT WLV.AC.UK<br />
14
THANK YOU<br />
to all our sponsors...<br />
A Smarter Approach to Healthcare IT<br />
instant intelligence<br />
15
WINNERS<br />
CONGRATULATIONS ONE & ALL<br />
Flu Peer Vaccinator of the Year<br />
Simerjit Rai<br />
2020 vision prize for Integrated Care Pioneer of<br />
the Year Alcohol Team<br />
Award for Equality and Diversity Champion<br />
Joanne Simpson<br />
Digital Leader of the Year<br />
Andy Churm<br />
Distinguished Service Award<br />
Carroll Brashier<br />
Excellence in Education Prize<br />
Manoj Sikand<br />
Excellence in Research Prize<br />
Sarah Clamp<br />
Fundraiser of the Year<br />
Sally Gutteridge<br />
Learner of the Year<br />
Security Team<br />
New Leader<br />
Janice Barrett<br />
Patient Safety Award<br />
Sarah Oley<br />
Prize for Innovation<br />
Coronary Artery Disease Management Team<br />
Amazing acts - Death-defying feats - Incredible people
Stars in their eyes<br />
a look back at the Star Awards <strong>2019</strong><br />
On Friday 11 <strong>October</strong> sponsors and special guests<br />
gathered to recognise the hard work, innovation and<br />
dedication of colleagues from across our Trust. It was an<br />
evening of celebration as we recognised the teams and<br />
individuals that make our workplace a great place to be.<br />
We must say a special thank you to all our sponsors. Their<br />
support meant that our event was fully funded. This year our<br />
headline sponsors were the University of Wolverhampton, HCI<br />
Group and Siemens Healthineers.<br />
Over the past 12 months, we received the largest number of<br />
nominations in the history of the Star Awards. Nominations<br />
included acts of kindness and stories of overcoming hurdles<br />
to provide outstanding leadership. Each nomination had<br />
a common thread – our organisation is made up of some<br />
remarkable people.<br />
More than 30 members of staff and 21 teams were shortlisted<br />
for awards. These included Employee of the Year, the Prize for<br />
Innovation and the Distinguished Service Award to name but<br />
a few.<br />
Four awards were chosen by staff. We opened the vote<br />
to colleagues, allowing everyone to help decide the most<br />
deserving winners. These awards were Non-Clinical Team of<br />
the Year, Clinical Team of the Year (Children), Clinical Team of<br />
the Year (Adults) and Employee of the Year.<br />
The glitzy awards ceremony was held at Aston Villa FC. Des<br />
Coleman, a former EastEnders star and now ITV weatherman<br />
hosted the event. A versatile and popular performer, Des<br />
opened the ceremony with a Billy Ocean classic and had<br />
everyone up on the dance floor. Guests were also treated to<br />
a spectacular light show from Circus Uncertainty along with<br />
music from Liam Price.<br />
Congratulations to everybody that was shortlisted and to<br />
all of our winners. Your dedication and hard work is what<br />
makes our Trust a special place to work. We’re already looking<br />
forward to our 2020 awards ceremony and planning has<br />
begun. We look forward to celebrating even more NHS heroes<br />
in the coming year.<br />
See Connect for more information about all our winners.<br />
The Green Award<br />
Cancer Service<br />
Volunteer of the Year<br />
Manish Pandit<br />
Clinical Team of the Year (Adults)<br />
Critical Care and Critical Care Follow up<br />
Clinical Team of the Year (Children)<br />
Domestic Abuse Team<br />
Non-Clinical Team of the Year<br />
Medical Education Administration Team<br />
Employee of the Year<br />
Richard Burnell<br />
Quality of Care Award<br />
Ajay Hira<br />
Chairman’s Award for Notable Contribution to<br />
the Local Health and Social Care System<br />
Dottie Tipton<br />
Local Primary Care Award for the Most Valued<br />
Service in the Trust<br />
Friar Park District Nursing Team<br />
r e c o g n i s i n g outsta n d i n g commitment
Hints and tips see City ED through<br />
Unity go-live<br />
MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY<br />
CARE<br />
Support with Unity came in many<br />
different forms during the golive<br />
fortnight. There were digital<br />
champions, super users, floorwalkers,<br />
the IT helpdesk and a wealth of<br />
printed materials available in all<br />
areas. Some colleagues even took the<br />
initiative to produce their own.<br />
In the emergency department at City<br />
Hospital, senior sister Amy Roberts took<br />
the lead with her team. “At our study day<br />
we thought flash cards would be a good<br />
idea so that we had a quick reference guide<br />
in our pocket for the tasks we would be<br />
performing most,” she said.<br />
“One of my colleagues recommended a<br />
board with our pocket guide on, and gaps –<br />
made from post-it notes – where we could<br />
write hints and tips to help each other out.”<br />
It was a collaborative process, with everyone<br />
encouraged to add to the board and share<br />
their knowledge with the rest of the team.<br />
Over time they were able to develop a<br />
central location filled with loads of useful<br />
tips which made a hectic go-live experience<br />
a little easier.<br />
“It was stressful to start with as we had a<br />
really busy department with multiple people<br />
walking in just before go-live. At 5am we<br />
went live and ten minutes later our first<br />
patients were booked on. The team we had<br />
on that night and all weekend were great.<br />
They worked so hard and supported each other<br />
really well,” said Amy.<br />
“It was challenging at one point when we<br />
had a nine-hour wait in ED, but the staff<br />
resus trolley was loaded with snacks to help<br />
us get through and the extra staff members<br />
were really helpful. There were a few worries<br />
and difficult moments but everyone pulled<br />
through.”<br />
Amy was quick to thank others for their<br />
support in the run-up to go-live and beyond.<br />
“IT helped us the week before by installing<br />
scanners, moving computer screens and<br />
answering our long list of demands! Our<br />
matron Annabel Bottrill and consultant Cliona<br />
Magee made sure we had snacks to help with<br />
go-live and have been a constant support<br />
throughout.<br />
Colleagues in ED supported each other during Unity go live<br />
“There have been a lot of difficulties but<br />
Dom Le Gros has been great – always on<br />
the end of an email or phone call to guide<br />
us through. Also our floorwalkers have<br />
been brilliant.”<br />
Time is of the essence in a busy area like ED<br />
and one of the major advantages of Unity<br />
is its ability to speed up the documentation<br />
process, releasing more time to care. As<br />
Amy explains, patient records are now<br />
clearer and more accessible.<br />
“We can actually read the doctors’<br />
handwriting now! From a nurse in<br />
charge point of view I can see everyone’s<br />
observations at a glance and I don’t need<br />
to chase beds. I can add to the nursing<br />
documentation and see outstanding tasks,<br />
allowing us to support each other,” she<br />
said.<br />
Unity 'How to' board in City ED<br />
SWBH<br />
intranet at your fingertips<br />
Do you find it difficult to stay up<br />
to date with everything that’s<br />
happening in our organisation?<br />
We have just launched a brand<br />
new app which aims to give you<br />
the ability to access information<br />
that would normally be found on<br />
the intranet from the comfort of<br />
your mobile phone.<br />
Sandwell and<br />
West Birmingham<br />
NHS Trust<br />
Download the app from Apple<br />
App Store or Google Play<br />
Store on to your Trust mobile<br />
phone or your personal mobile<br />
phone by searching for ‘SWBH<br />
myConnect’.<br />
For more information contact<br />
the Communications team<br />
on 0121 507 5303 or email<br />
swbh.comms@nhs.net<br />
18
FGM survivor says clinic is<br />
“much-needed”<br />
A female genital mutilation (FGM)<br />
survivor has welcomed a new clinic run<br />
by our Trust that will offer expert care<br />
for victims of the procedure. The “onestop”<br />
support clinic will open in the<br />
coming weeks at Summerfield Primary<br />
Care Centre in Winson Green.<br />
Figures show that Birmingham has the<br />
highest rate of reported new cases of FGM.<br />
In Sandwell and West Birmingham there were<br />
310 cases reported in 2018/19. Hilary Garratt,<br />
Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England, said<br />
“These new NHS clinics will benefit hundreds<br />
of women who have suffered this most severe<br />
form of abuse and violence. These are clinics<br />
for women, run by women.<br />
“We’ve listened closely to survivors and their<br />
advocates and designed these brand new<br />
services with them. These clinics, and the<br />
highly-trained staff who will work in them<br />
represents a real step-change in the quality and<br />
timeliness of support the NHS provides.”<br />
Mum of four, Sarata Jabbi, was aged just<br />
seven when she underwent the horrific act<br />
in The Gambia and said the facility is “muchneeded”.<br />
Her parents took her and her sisters<br />
to have the procedure after buying them new<br />
clothes and telling them that they were going<br />
to a party.<br />
Sarata began campaigning in 2002 after<br />
working as a journalist and being made aware<br />
that the practice was child abuse and not a<br />
religious requirement. She continued raising<br />
awareness after coming to the UK in 2010.<br />
Sarata said “This is a much needed clinic and<br />
will give many victims a safe and confidential<br />
way to seek help. There are many women from<br />
The Gambia, Somali, Eritrea and other African<br />
countries that have suffered. They desperately<br />
need treatment as a result of FGM. It is a very<br />
good initiative. It's important that the voices of<br />
the victims are being heard”.<br />
The clinic is one of eight to open across the<br />
UK, as announced by NHS England as part of<br />
its Long Term Plan earlier in September. It has<br />
been commissioned by Sandwell and West<br />
Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group<br />
(CCG).<br />
The NHS network of clinics will work with<br />
local community groups. They'll be working<br />
to prevent future cases of FGM by seeking to<br />
change the culture and thinking around it.<br />
This will include education on the medical and<br />
psychological impact of FGM. As well as this, it<br />
will focus on the legal implications of carrying<br />
out or participating in it.<br />
The network will be led by specialist doctors,<br />
WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH<br />
midwives and nurses. It will provide<br />
access to specially-trained counsellors for<br />
emotional support, as well as FGM Health<br />
Advocates for advice on accessing other<br />
services locally.<br />
Alison Byrne, Specialist Midwife for FGM<br />
will be running the facility. She said: “It's in<br />
the heart of the community and will help<br />
many women who sometimes are unsure<br />
about how to access care or treatment<br />
after undergoing this procedure. We want<br />
to push out the message that this clinic is<br />
there for them to access and can be done<br />
so discreetly in the strictest of confidence."<br />
Michelle Carolan, Chief Officer for Quality<br />
at Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG<br />
added: “As the majority of women who<br />
have had FGM come into contact with NHS<br />
services once they are pregnant - usually<br />
between the ages of 25 and 35 – the<br />
Birmingham clinic will prioritise swift<br />
support and treatment for women between<br />
18 and 25, before they become pregnant.<br />
The service will also be available to women<br />
outside of childbearing years.”<br />
Alison Byrne, Specialist Midwife will be leading the FGM clinics<br />
19
Neonatal unit make Unity work<br />
for them<br />
WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH<br />
All areas of the Trust have their own<br />
unique characteristics, and great<br />
effort has gone into making sure<br />
that Unity has been customised to<br />
take account of this. The neonatal<br />
unit is more complex than most but<br />
they have succeeded in modifying<br />
the system so that it works for them.<br />
Ward Manager, Sally Haycox explained:<br />
“There are not many units in the country<br />
that run a full neonatal system on Unity.<br />
They use aspects of it but not the full<br />
thing. Unity had to be bespoke for us. We<br />
practised on the generic Play System but a<br />
bespoke programme had to be built for us<br />
so the staff had no experience of the actual<br />
programme until we went live.<br />
“It actually went very well. They took<br />
everything on board and ran with it. Yes,<br />
we had issues just like everyone else, but<br />
with the super users, the floorwalkers<br />
and all the support we had, the majority<br />
of issues were addressed. There are still<br />
build issues that we need to take forward<br />
into phase two but I don’t think they’re<br />
insurmountable.<br />
“Credit needs to go to my nursing team.<br />
The sort of people they are and the<br />
environment we’re in – we’re an intensive care<br />
unit, we’re an ED unit, we’re almost a hospital<br />
within a hospital – their mindset is that they’ll<br />
tackle anything that comes their way and they’ll<br />
do their best. They have in this case.”<br />
Dr S Sivakumar, the speciality lead for neonates,<br />
was there to support the implementation firsthand<br />
and he was equally impressed. There had<br />
been some tension in the days before go-live as<br />
they raced to get everything ready in time. This<br />
involved finalising standard operating procedures,<br />
quick reference guides, workflows and order sets,<br />
running training sessions for doctors and nurses,<br />
and devoting quality improvement sessions<br />
completely to Unity, but it all went to plan.<br />
“Unity has overcome many problems and I’m<br />
quite impressed with the build, especially in terms<br />
of prescriptions and infusions. We’re grateful to<br />
the pharmacists, who worked extremely hard<br />
to get these complex medications sorted in the<br />
finest detail so we were able to prescribe them.<br />
That was one of the major worries we had but<br />
it’s working well. There is ongoing work on<br />
gentamicin and vancomycin prescriptions to<br />
make them completely risk-free,” he said.<br />
“Because of the hard work of various colleagues,<br />
from the clinical side as well as the Unity and<br />
managerial side, we’ve made it a success. I’m<br />
pleased to say that in the first couple of weeks<br />
the neonatal unit has been top in areas like<br />
results endorsement despite the complexity of the<br />
work.<br />
“Clinical documentation is good in Unity but<br />
can be slow as some of the information also<br />
needs WOMEN to be replicated AND in CHILD neonatal BadgerNet HEALTH<br />
and maternity BadgerNet because the interface<br />
between the three systems is poor. We have<br />
requested an upgrade to neonatal BadgerNet<br />
to match the maternity version, which will help<br />
to speed up the documentation process.”<br />
Neonatal colleagues have taken to Unity<br />
well, noting that the standardised process for<br />
ordering tests and medication is much quicker<br />
than before and easier for trainees to replicate<br />
in other areas. A couple of the team shared<br />
their thoughts on the new system.<br />
Eleanor Taylor, a sister on the neonatal unit,<br />
said: “I was actually quite worried about it at<br />
first but I’ve found it to be ok. It’s easier not<br />
having to manually write everything. I like the<br />
fact that you can do your notes throughout<br />
the day and they’re done for handover. There<br />
are some issues that are being addressed so<br />
we’ll just have to wait and see.”<br />
Vidya Santharam, Neonatal Registrar, said: “I<br />
think it’s good in lots of respects. It’s nice to<br />
have everything in one place. Once we learn<br />
how to navigate it more effectively, I can see<br />
how we’ll be able to do things quicker. At the<br />
moment it’s a bit slow because we’re all still<br />
learning. I can see the positives and I think it<br />
will be good in the long run.”<br />
The neonatal team<br />
20
Learning never stops for the<br />
surgical unit<br />
“Every day’s a school day” was the<br />
motto regularly repeated on the City<br />
surgical unit during the Unity go-live<br />
fortnight. Ward Manager, Jo Mansell<br />
and her team had done plenty to<br />
prepare for the launch of our new<br />
electronic patient record but were keen<br />
to ensure that the learning process<br />
never stops.<br />
Preparations for Unity, including individual<br />
training, team competencies and regular<br />
practise on the Play System, had been coordinated<br />
by Jo Mansell and ward clerk Jo<br />
Leake, but everyone impressively rose to the<br />
challenge.<br />
“From a ward and surgical services<br />
perspective we wanted to be as prepared<br />
for go-live as possible,” says Jo Mansell. “I<br />
always think that we should be proactive<br />
rather than reactive. We set up a training<br />
room on D27 with devices and desktops.<br />
It’s a nice quiet environment. Jo Leake<br />
supported staff to do their training, for the<br />
benefit of them, the team, and ultimately<br />
the patients.”<br />
A positive and engaging approach was<br />
key, particularly with those who were<br />
feeling anxious about change. “Staff were<br />
supported with additional IT training to give<br />
them the reassurance and encouragement<br />
to help them through their e-learning,”<br />
explained Jo Leake.<br />
Having put in all the groundwork over the<br />
course of several months, the City surgical<br />
unit were ready for go-live on Saturday 21<br />
September. There were still some nerves<br />
as the switchover started in the early<br />
hours of the morning, but also a sense of<br />
camaraderie and excitement. Everyone was<br />
in it together.<br />
“We had a Unity snack station to look<br />
after everyone’s wellbeing and keep their<br />
morale up. I made goodie bags for everyone<br />
who was working during go-live,” said Jo<br />
Mansell. “These included the snacks, health<br />
and wellbeing leaflets and the Unity pocket<br />
guides.”<br />
Jo Leake added: “It felt a little bit daunting<br />
initially, but knowing that there was support<br />
there from the Unity team and floorwalkers<br />
was reassuring and the staff felt more<br />
comfortable. The nurses in charge over the<br />
weekend, Charlene Thames on Saturday,<br />
and Jade Howell on Sunday, really stepped<br />
up to the plate. Everyone did. I was proud<br />
to be part of it.”<br />
The team soon became accustomed to this<br />
new way of working and are continuing to<br />
enhance their knowledge of Unity as each<br />
day goes by – finding solutions and sharing<br />
SURGICAL SERVICES<br />
tips. The experience has brought them<br />
all closer together and given them a<br />
greater understanding of each other’s<br />
roles.<br />
This has helped to make things much<br />
smoother and more efficient in several<br />
respects. “Every time we’ve requested<br />
a porter they’ve been here within five<br />
minutes and all the information is on<br />
their device,” said Jo Mansell.<br />
“The turnover with pharmacy, in<br />
terms of ordering medication and the<br />
discharge process, is much quicker and<br />
safer. We’re also doing the drug round in<br />
half the time it had taken previously.”<br />
Dom Le Gros, who supported the team<br />
in his role as business relationship<br />
manager, saw a real togetherness<br />
in their work: “If we think back to<br />
when all this started, and the naming<br />
competition, Unity was chosen because<br />
it was uniting patient records, but in<br />
actual fact it’s done a lot more than that<br />
and united the organisation.”<br />
City surgical unit supported by workstream lead Dom Le Gros prepare for Unity<br />
21
New era comes with new ear<br />
SURGICAL SERVICES<br />
It is well known that critical care is not<br />
the quietest of clinical environments.<br />
This can be due to a number of factors<br />
such as medical equipment monitors,<br />
and all the activity associated with<br />
looking after critically unwell patients.<br />
Catherine Beddowes, Critical Care Follow<br />
up Support Service Senior Sister explained:<br />
“We know that we work in a busy<br />
environment and that patients can suffer as<br />
a result of sensory overload, experiencing<br />
delirium as a result. People who suffer<br />
delirium can get confused and agitated<br />
with their clinical outlook and psychological<br />
wellbeing affected. Lack of sleep, oxygen<br />
and the medication they need can all<br />
work to produce delirium in a patient, but<br />
environmental factors are most important.<br />
“So as a team we came up with the idea<br />
to introduce quiet time in critical care. This<br />
is to address some of the environmental<br />
factors that can affect patients’ equilibrium.<br />
“We’ve also introduced aids to sleep such<br />
as eye masks and earplugs, to reduce glare<br />
and minimise noise.<br />
Catherine Beddowes, Critical Care Follow<br />
up Support Service Senior Sister posing with<br />
the sound ear<br />
“Educating our colleagues is vital in<br />
changing the environment as they can<br />
hugely affect the sound levels on the ward.<br />
Using charitable funds we purchased a<br />
sound ear. This is a visual display of noise<br />
levels in the department. There are three<br />
levels – green, amber and red which<br />
immediately show colleagues what the<br />
Putting the 'fun' in fundraising<br />
Whilst fundraising used to be shaking<br />
a tin in the hopes that someone would<br />
drop a few coins in, you’ll no doubt<br />
be aware that Your Trust Charity have<br />
been breaking away from the outdated<br />
traditions and have had a flurry of<br />
fantastic fun fundraisers.<br />
From Bristnall Hall Academy students<br />
joining forces with West Midlands Fire<br />
Service for the day to launch a spectacular<br />
car wash to amazing feats of human<br />
endurance with colleagues across the Trust<br />
climbing mountains, running across London<br />
and jumping out of airplanes – all in aid of<br />
our very own Your Trust Charity.<br />
Not all fundraising has to be hard work,<br />
hair raising or white-knuckle, some can<br />
be family friendly, relaxed and enjoyable<br />
and that’s exactly the spirit the Community<br />
Heart Failure Team and Respiratory Team<br />
had in mind when on a warm sunny<br />
evening in June a 27 strong team took on<br />
an informal 5k challenge around Sandwell<br />
Valley Park in West Bromwich.<br />
Sharing her thoughts on the run,<br />
Community Heart Failure Specialist Nurse<br />
Jacqui Elson-Whittaker said, “It was an<br />
informal, private fundraising event for the<br />
community heart failure and respiratory<br />
teams, respected trust funds aiming to raise<br />
money for patient specific equipment. It<br />
also demonstrated how the two teams<br />
have integrated, not only sharing care for<br />
community patients and their families, but<br />
looking after our health and wellbeing in<br />
the wonderful outdoors.”<br />
current noise level is. At the moment<br />
we have only bought one ear, and are<br />
trialling it in City critical care. We are<br />
planning to buy another three, with two<br />
ears for each unit, providing cover across<br />
the clinical environment.<br />
“Already, after five weeks colleagues are<br />
very aware of it and have changed their<br />
behaviour.<br />
“We’ve also introduced quiet time<br />
from 3pm - 4.30pm where we dim the<br />
lighting and ask visitors not to visit. This<br />
is to give our patients time for complete<br />
rest without any distractions.<br />
“We consulted with colleagues who<br />
work with patients on the unit, and they<br />
were wholeheartedly supportive of the<br />
initiative. Even relatives have embraced it<br />
as it gives them a breathing space, and<br />
time to look after themselves.<br />
“All routine nursing care is done<br />
outside of this time, and only clinical<br />
emergencies break the quiet. The<br />
initiative has been well received by<br />
all colleagues with our junior doctors<br />
particularly welcoming the move. The<br />
trust is introducing a quiet protocol<br />
across all ward areas in coming weeks."<br />
With their fantastic fun run completed,<br />
the community heart failure team and<br />
respiratory team managed to raise over<br />
£500.<br />
If you would like to get involved<br />
with some fundraising, get in touch<br />
with Your Trust Charity on ext 4847<br />
or email trustcharity@nhs.net<br />
Community respiratory and heart failure team get their running shoes on for their 5k at Sandwell<br />
Valley Park<br />
22
Shockwaves felt through<br />
foot health team<br />
Leading the new treatment, Clinical Lead<br />
Podiatrist, Tom Calderbank<br />
Patients experiencing debilitating heel<br />
pain are being offered a shocking new<br />
treatment, thanks to help from the League<br />
of Friends charity.<br />
Leading the new treatment, Clinical Lead<br />
Podiatrist Tom Calderbank explained “Plantar<br />
fasciitis is a condition where you have pain<br />
on the bottom of your foot, around your heel<br />
and arch. It makes up over 25 per cent of<br />
our caseload in the Biomechanics clinic. It’s<br />
estimated that it could affect up to 10 per cent<br />
of the UK population.<br />
“Although conservative treatments including<br />
insoles, exercises or corticosteroid injection<br />
therapy can help the majority of patients<br />
we see, a significant number are left with<br />
excruciating pain if the treatment does not<br />
work.<br />
“The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has been<br />
offering shockwave therapy for some time.<br />
Many of our patients have been travelling out<br />
of our area to have this treatment. This led<br />
PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES<br />
AND THERAPIES<br />
us to make a bid for funding from the<br />
League of Friends, to make a difference to<br />
our patients locally.<br />
“Shockwave therapy has been evidenced<br />
to be both safe and cost effective.<br />
Called Extracorporeal Shock wave therapy<br />
(ESWT), it is non-invasive. It uses inaudible,<br />
high energy sound waves to stimulate<br />
tissue repair. The treatment is delivered in<br />
four treatments of 10 minutes over four<br />
weeks.<br />
“Our initial clinic proved so successful<br />
we've recently had to put on a second<br />
one every week to cater for the numbers<br />
of patients who need the treatment. Initial<br />
feedback from patients is excellent.”<br />
The clinics run at Oldbury Health<br />
Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays.<br />
Community nurses turn<br />
specialist practitioners<br />
At the end of August, three of our top<br />
nurses were successful in qualifying<br />
as specialist practitioners in district<br />
nursing.<br />
Nursing is at the heart of our organisation.<br />
Recently three of our nurses have<br />
completed the Specialist Community<br />
Nursing (SCN) District Nursing BSc<br />
(Hons) degree at the University of<br />
Wolverhampton.<br />
Chantelle Kenyon, Susan Oliver and<br />
Harbinder Gill from our community<br />
nursing service all completed the 12<br />
month course. It involved both theory and<br />
clinical practice elements from assignments<br />
to completion of the Queen’s Nursing<br />
Institute domains in clinical care. The<br />
qualification is equal to either a degree or<br />
postgraduate diploma.<br />
Susan Knight, Practice Education Lead<br />
and Black Country Practice District Nurse<br />
Team Leader is thrilled for Chantelle, Susan<br />
and Harbinder. She said “I’m delighted<br />
with their achievements. They can all hold<br />
their heads up high knowing they have<br />
secured band 6 clinical posts at the Trust.<br />
They've made me feel so proud. I’m sure<br />
their friends and families feel the same<br />
way too.”<br />
Qualifying as a specialist practitioner in district<br />
nursing can be very challenging. Individuals<br />
have to show higher levels of judgement and<br />
discretion in practice. They must also work<br />
within the nursing and midwifery professional<br />
standards of practice.<br />
Susan added “The course tests your ability<br />
to be able to balance both theory and<br />
practical elements of learning. The amount<br />
of academic work in addition to working<br />
clinically is at a higher level.”<br />
Congratulations to Chantelle, Susan,<br />
and Harbinder!<br />
Chantelle Kenyon, Susan Oliver and Harbinder Gill from our community nursing service<br />
23
Survival corner helps McCarthy ward<br />
through Unity go-live<br />
PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES<br />
AND THERAPIES<br />
Going live with Unity involved<br />
plenty of late nights and long shifts<br />
for colleagues across the Trust. Many<br />
teams took different approaches to<br />
ensuring that morale and motivation<br />
never wavered during this period.<br />
Their efforts paid off.<br />
McCarthy ward at Rowley Regis Hospital<br />
went to the trouble of creating a Unity<br />
survival corner – a place for people to go if<br />
they were feeling stressed or unsure what<br />
to do. It was kept well-stocked with snacks<br />
and helpful information.<br />
“We thought if we put everything in<br />
there – all the information like the quick<br />
reference guides and the leaflets – that<br />
would be helpful. Particularly for family<br />
and relatives, so they can find out what<br />
Unity’s about,” explained senior sister Lady<br />
Ann Ordona on Sunday 22 September, the day<br />
when Sandwell and the community sites went<br />
live.<br />
“I think the corner reassures the staff as well. If<br />
you want a bit of a breather, sit down for two<br />
minutes and have a snack. I think the more you<br />
pressure yourself to find solutions the harder<br />
it becomes. You feel the negativity and start<br />
thinking that you can’t do it. But if you sit<br />
down there, have a quick break and think ‘We<br />
can do this’, then that’s much better.”<br />
This positive attitude contributed to a successful<br />
go-live. Lady Ann was proud of her team and<br />
thankful for the support they’d received. “It<br />
was a bit hectic but we’re happy. We’re familiar<br />
with the system but there are still parts where<br />
we need to refresh our knowledge. The quick<br />
reference guides are very good and we had<br />
the floorwalkers who can remind us how to do<br />
certain things,” she said.<br />
“All the managers have been here since first<br />
thing in the morning and as a PCCT group<br />
we’re helping and supporting each other.<br />
The feeling of having support around you –<br />
physically and emotionally – boosts you up.<br />
You share the same feelings and you think ‘We<br />
can make it.’ If the acute and the main spine<br />
can do it, we can do it.”<br />
After overcoming some initial teething<br />
problems, and spending some time<br />
reacquainting themselves with Unity,<br />
colleagues on McCarthy ward began to feel<br />
some of the benefits of using the system.<br />
They’re confident that even more will come<br />
with time too.<br />
“We’re definitely noticing some advantages,”<br />
said staff nurse Beth Hill. “Ordering<br />
medications is so much easier. It’s just a couple<br />
of clicks. It’s also good that if anyone makes<br />
any changes you can all see them.”<br />
Lisa Slater, HCA, added: “I’m getting used to<br />
the system now and I’m finding it easier. I’m<br />
getting quicker each day. The support’s been<br />
absolutely brilliant. If we’ve needed anything<br />
the Unity team have helped us straightaway.”<br />
Colleagues ready themselves for Unity by visiting the Unity survival corner on McCarthy ward<br />
24
Digital transformation done the<br />
Andy Churm way!<br />
For Andy Churm, Unity is just the<br />
beginning.<br />
The launch of Unity has seen a massive shift<br />
across the organisation, from the front line<br />
to colleagues working in local communities.<br />
Behind the scenes, Andy will now be working<br />
to expand the use of System One, bridging<br />
the gap between the two systems. He's<br />
recently taken on the position of practice<br />
education digital lead. This came out of the<br />
changes created through the implementation<br />
of mobile working for district nurses.<br />
“I was on secondment for a year helping to<br />
set up mobile working for district nurses. That<br />
involved helping to get all the existing systems<br />
set up into an electronic format. As well as<br />
that we needed to get them on System One<br />
Mobile,” Andy told <strong>Heartbeat</strong>.<br />
“With that rolled out, it became clear that<br />
there were some gaps in documentation. We<br />
hadn’t covered getting the paper items into a<br />
digital format, so there’s been a lot of work to<br />
get new templates sorted.”<br />
“It all carries on; workflows need to continue.<br />
It became clear the original two days a week<br />
secondment was evolving into a new position<br />
and now it has.”<br />
The new role officially began last month. It<br />
will see Andy continue his previous work but<br />
under a much-expanded remit. He'll be working<br />
on systems that still need to be reconfigured<br />
and so much more. Watch this space!<br />
Andy Churm - Practice Education Digital Lead<br />
PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES<br />
AND THERAPIES<br />
Trust celebrates inaugural AHP day<br />
This <strong>October</strong> colleagues across our<br />
workplace celebrated Allied Health<br />
Professions (AHP) Day. Throughout the<br />
week commencing 14 <strong>October</strong>, colleagues<br />
shared with the wider organisation why<br />
it's of such significance.<br />
The special day raises awareness of all the<br />
allied professions. It also recognises the<br />
achievements of local services and their<br />
impact on patient care and population<br />
health.<br />
AHP Day takes place on 14 <strong>October</strong><br />
as there are a total of 14 allied health<br />
professions many of which are represented<br />
in our organisation. These 14 roles are:<br />
• Art therapists<br />
• Drama and music therapists<br />
• Chiropodists and podiatrists<br />
• Dietitians<br />
• Occupational therapists<br />
• Operating department practitioners<br />
• Orthoptists<br />
• Osteopaths<br />
• Paramedics<br />
• Physiotherapists<br />
• Prosthetists<br />
• Orthotists<br />
• Radiographers<br />
• Speech and language therapists<br />
Alice Harvey, Respiratory Physiotherapist<br />
believes it's an essential day to recognise<br />
across the organisation.<br />
She said: “AHP Day is a really important as<br />
it helps to raise the profile of AHPs both<br />
across our workplace and the NHS as a<br />
whole. It is a good way to encourage both<br />
colleagues and patients to learn about what<br />
we do, the variety of our jobs and the scope<br />
of practice.”<br />
“Putting patients first is a top priority and<br />
AHPs certainly contribute towards that.<br />
AHPs play a fundamental role in patient<br />
care within our organisation by offering<br />
a diverse range of skills in their specialist<br />
fields,” Russell Stanton, Clinical Lead for<br />
Foot Health told <strong>Heartbeat</strong>.”<br />
“AHPs provide tailored programmes of care<br />
resulting in improved outcomes for the vast<br />
majority of our patients.”<br />
Sandra Kennelly, Clinical Team Leader and<br />
Speak Up Guardian is a real advocate of<br />
the awareness day.<br />
She said: “AHPs are now one of the largest<br />
healthcare workforces within the NHS<br />
so it makes sense to celebrate them and<br />
highlight their hard work. The day allows<br />
everyone to thank our AHPs for their<br />
dedication to the Trust over the last 12<br />
months.”<br />
Russell Stanton, Clinical Lead for Foot Health<br />
25
Support worker becomes star<br />
super user for imaging<br />
IMAGING<br />
Unity has put different demands on<br />
colleagues as established ways of<br />
working have had to change. Some<br />
have adapted more quickly than<br />
others, becoming the first port of<br />
call for any issues that arise.<br />
Imaging support worker Adrian Reynolds<br />
has emerged as the department’s star super<br />
user. Confident at using computers and<br />
different IT systems, he was already being<br />
asked to help out before Unity came along.<br />
Over the last few weeks his skills have been<br />
in even higher demand.<br />
“We do have other super users in the<br />
department but I seem to be the main<br />
one,” laughed Adrian. “I don’t mind<br />
helping anybody, no matter what it is.<br />
That’s what I’m here for as a support<br />
worker. I’ve been helping members of staff.<br />
Even those from different departments have<br />
been asking for me. I’ve really been enjoying it.”<br />
Having devoted a lot of time to exploring the<br />
e-learning modules at home and on his phone,<br />
Adrian’s knowledge of Unity has become an<br />
invaluable resource for others to tap into. There’s<br />
more to do but there’s been some encouraging<br />
progress.<br />
“Everyone’s getting used to Unity now - slowly<br />
but surely. There are still bits that people don’t<br />
understand but I’m here to learn and then I can<br />
pass that knowledge on. I’m still learning now.<br />
It’s a challenge but I like challenges,” he said.<br />
As well as his technical knowledge, Adrian has<br />
also been able to provide emotional support<br />
in difficult situations. “Go-live was a bit nervewracking.<br />
Some people were panicking if things<br />
went wrong but as a super user I was trying to<br />
keep everyone cool and calm. It went ok. It’s<br />
something that’s new to everybody but we’re<br />
getting used to it.”<br />
As colleagues become more accustomed to Unity,<br />
and more comfortable at using it, the system’s<br />
benefits are gradually being realised. This will<br />
only improve over time with optimisation but<br />
Adrian has already noticed a few key points.<br />
WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH<br />
“You get more information about the patient<br />
in PowerChart, especially inpatients when<br />
we’re doing ultrasound, MRI or CT. The<br />
information’s much clearer as well, especially<br />
the notes. Sometimes when the notes came<br />
down you couldn’t read the doctor’s writing<br />
but it’s much clearer on the screen.”<br />
Adrian has been part of the imaging<br />
department, working across City and Sandwell<br />
sites for 15 years. Although he’s still got a way<br />
to go to match the 41 years his mum spent<br />
with the Trust, his impact is clear to see. Louise<br />
Thomson, Imaging Support Team Leader, is full<br />
of praise for what he’s done with Unity.<br />
“He’s been amazing. He’s been a real go-to<br />
person and he’s used up a lot of his own time<br />
as well, going around imaging as a whole,”<br />
she said. “He’s been covering everything from<br />
nuclear medicine to maternity, inpatients and<br />
outpatients, and he’s been a massive support<br />
to everybody. His knowledge and time has<br />
been invaluable.”<br />
Adrian Reynolds, superstar super user helping to make the move to Unity smooth for everyone<br />
26
The imaging team say a fond<br />
farewell to John Courtney<br />
___________<br />
Name: ___________________________________________<br />
John Courtney, Principal Physicist, retired<br />
from the Trust at the end of September<br />
after 40 years’ service.<br />
John qualified with a maths and physics<br />
degree from the University of Warwick and,<br />
a master’s degree in medical physics from<br />
the University of Aberdeen. He soon became<br />
established as someone valuable to have on<br />
the team. As a trainee, he ran the embryonic<br />
nuclear medicine service at Sandwell hospital.<br />
A long, successful career unfolded. John<br />
worked in the medical physics department at<br />
the neurosciences centre. He was influential<br />
with the introduction of the first CT systems<br />
and, in diagnostic x-ray equipment quality<br />
assurance, dose optimisation and radiation<br />
protection. As if that wasn’t enough, John<br />
IMAGING<br />
also trained and became a laser safety advisor.<br />
<strong>2019</strong> <strong>Heartbeat</strong> crossword<br />
Dr William H Thomson and Dr John Courtney<br />
Over the years John took on many extra<br />
responsibilities. He gave one-to-one tuition<br />
to radiologists. For the past three years,<br />
he was a member of the Royal College of<br />
Radiology Physics Education Board. Keen<br />
to inspire the next generation John visited<br />
schools highlighting science careers to<br />
pupils.<br />
Name: ___________________________________________<br />
John is best described as someone<br />
that would never say no. He is warmly<br />
remembered for his helpful attitude and<br />
pleasant, mild manner. He leaves a big<br />
gap to fill and the team is grateful for his<br />
selfless dedication and commitment.<br />
<strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>Heartbeat</strong> crossword<br />
<strong>October</strong> <strong>2019</strong> He<br />
Date: Date: ________________<br />
Take a break:<br />
2<br />
in this month's <strong>Heartbeat</strong><br />
3<br />
1<br />
5<br />
2<br />
4<br />
1<br />
Test your knowledge of the news in this<br />
month's <strong>Heartbeat</strong> by completing this<br />
crossword. You can e–mail your answers to<br />
swbh.comms@nhs.net and all correct answers<br />
will be put into a draw to win vouchers – good<br />
luck!<br />
5<br />
4<br />
3<br />
3<br />
5<br />
4<br />
Across<br />
3. How many shields of protection does the flu jab offer?<br />
5. Who hosted the Star Awards?<br />
Across<br />
3. How many shields of protection does the flu jab offer?<br />
5. Who hosted the Star Awards?<br />
Down<br />
1. How many allied health professions are there?<br />
2. Who ran the ultra-marathon<br />
4. What bank revamped the cinema room at Leasowes?<br />
27
Pulse<br />
News in brief from around our organisation<br />
If you have a story you would like to appear<br />
on the Pulse page, please email a photo and a<br />
short explanation to swbh.comms@nhs.net<br />
Wellbeing hampers boost<br />
morale on wards<br />
Our paediatric units across the<br />
organisation have introduced<br />
wellbeing hampers to help support<br />
colleagues during the more<br />
demanding times of their shifts.<br />
The hampers which are now in place<br />
at both paediatric units at City and<br />
Sandwell contain a variety of treats and<br />
confectionery from breakfast cereals and<br />
soups to tights and toiletries.<br />
When patients are pouring through the<br />
doors it’s sometimes easy to forget to look<br />
after yourself. The new hampers provide a<br />
little treasure chest of treats waiting in the<br />
wings should someone need something to<br />
energise themselves.<br />
Though very much a team effort, Joanne<br />
Wright, ward manager on Lyndon<br />
One ward has played a massive role in<br />
implementing the wellbeing baskets<br />
across the Trust. She said: “There are<br />
occasions where staff are very busy and<br />
will go the extra mile often sacrificing<br />
their own comfort. Whether it be<br />
something small like a snag in your tights<br />
or being at work and having something to<br />
tie your hair with, the wellbeing baskets<br />
can easily compensate for such things.”<br />
The wellbeing baskets are self-sufficient<br />
in the sense that when a colleague takes<br />
an item, they then replace it ready for the<br />
Lyndon One ward with their basket of goodies and treats. L-R: Kayleigh Dickens, Sister; Suneeta<br />
Singh, HCA and Joanne Wright, Ward Manager<br />
next person. This means that everything<br />
is readily available and stocked up with all<br />
the essentials.<br />
There has been lots of positive feedback<br />
about the hampers with clinical colleagues<br />
across the Trust praising the innovative<br />
idea.<br />
“The baskets are a simple but effective<br />
idea and make perfect sense,” Cheryl<br />
Newton, Director of Nursing told<br />
<strong>Heartbeat</strong>. “I think going forward; they<br />
could potentially be introduced across<br />
many other areas within the hospital so<br />
that should there ever be someone in<br />
need, it’s only a hamper away.”<br />
She added: “I have to also say a big<br />
thanks to all ward managers including<br />
Joanne Wright for having the perseverance<br />
in introducing the hampers. Without their<br />
initial kindness, none of this would have<br />
been possible.”<br />
A trip down memory lane for<br />
Maureen and Monica<br />
It was a trip down memory lane for two<br />
former nurses who returned to City<br />
Hospital 60 years after they completed<br />
their training.<br />
Maureen Jones and Monica Beirne,<br />
aged 81, visited the site to mark their<br />
anniversary and were greeted by Research<br />
Nurse, Jenny Porter, who has a keen<br />
interest in the history of the site.<br />
She took them on a tour which ended<br />
with a small tea party in the chapel, where<br />
they all shared their favourite memories.<br />
Monica said: “It all seems different now.<br />
The corridors were so plain before and<br />
there was the smell of Lysol everywhere.<br />
“And of course the nurses’ home is now<br />
(Left to right) Glenys Welch with Monica<br />
Beirne, Maureen Jones and Jenny Porter<br />
derelict, but it’s where we spent our three<br />
years. My husband Tom would visit and<br />
he’d always miss the last bus home so had<br />
to walk the nine miles back to Dudley.<br />
“He had to make sure he left before<br />
curfew though at 10pm as the matron<br />
would come round with her little dog<br />
trying to sniff out anyone who wasn’t<br />
supposed to be there.<br />
“She also used to let the dog onto<br />
the wards - there certainly wasn’t any<br />
infection control procedures back then!”<br />
Both Maureen and Monica carried out<br />
their training between 1956 and 1959<br />
before they both left to work at other NHS<br />
trusts.<br />
Jenny added: “It was wonderful to meet<br />
Maureen and Monica for the first time<br />
and hear about their time here. It may<br />
have been brief but it certainly made a<br />
lasting impression on them. They were<br />
keen to return and take a look around<br />
some of their ‘old haunts’ and it was a<br />
pleasure to be able to do this.”<br />
28
Diane Halliley<br />
Interim Associate Director of Quality and Assurance<br />
Welcome to Interim Associate Director<br />
of Quality and Assurance, Diane<br />
Halliley.<br />
Diane has had a varied career to date.<br />
Having held various roles across NHS Trusts,<br />
she brings a wealth of experience into her<br />
new role as interim associate director of<br />
quality and assurance.<br />
Diane began her career working at South<br />
Birmingham Health Authority. From there<br />
she’s held various roles all with one thing in<br />
common – a strong patient focus. Moving<br />
on from being head of customer services<br />
and patient safety at NHS Leicester City,<br />
Diane held positions at The Wirral Teaching<br />
Foundation NHS Trust, London Ambulance<br />
Service, and Heart of Birmingham NHS Trust<br />
among others.<br />
Over her career, Diane has gained extensive<br />
experience within operations management,<br />
governance, compliance and risk<br />
management in the NHS. Diane has worked<br />
both in cities and rural locations. This has<br />
allowed her to explore similar issues across<br />
trusts whilst devising bespoke solutions for<br />
each. It’s these skills that she’ll be using to<br />
place a strong emphasis on achieving the<br />
best possible quality standards. As always,<br />
patient safety will be a key area of interest<br />
for Diane.<br />
New to the organisation, Diane is keen to<br />
get out and meet staff across our Trust. If<br />
you see her about be sure to say hello and<br />
give her a warm welcome to Sandwell and<br />
West Birmingham.<br />
Outside of work Diane enjoys going to<br />
the gym and spending quality time with<br />
her family. A mum of three, she recently<br />
got married and is yet to set off on her<br />
honeymoon. That’s set to take place in<br />
2020 with a trip of a lifetime to Cambodia.<br />
A keen traveller, Diane’s favourite holiday<br />
destination to date is Hawaii.<br />
Diane Halliley<br />
Wave goodbye to…<br />
Peter Secrett<br />
Pharmacist Team Leader<br />
Pharmacist Team Leader, Peter Secrett<br />
has retired from the Trust after<br />
dispensing his last medicine at the end<br />
of the summer.<br />
Peter started with us in January 1985 as an<br />
MPhil student in the pharmacy department.<br />
In 1987 Peter was promoted to clinical<br />
pharmacist and he played a fundamental<br />
role at the Birmingham and Midland Eye<br />
Centre (BMEC).<br />
From the 80s - 00s, Peter gained an array<br />
of experience and expertise in a variety<br />
of pharmacy roles. He worked as a GP<br />
pharmacist at the Smethwick Pathfinder as<br />
well as a medicines information manager at<br />
the Trust.<br />
Peter's final role was as a team leader.<br />
He managed and supported pharmacy<br />
colleagues that provide a service to the<br />
surgery wards, day units, theatres and<br />
BMEC. He also acted as the main pharmacy<br />
contact for these areas.<br />
Since his teenage years, Peter wanted to<br />
be a pharmacist. He was captivated with<br />
medicine for as long as he remembers.<br />
That didn't change over his three-decade<br />
career. “From about 14, I wanted to be<br />
a pharmacist. I was always fascinated<br />
with medicines and how these act on the<br />
body to treat disease. I wanted to use this<br />
knowledge in a practical way and working<br />
in the NHS seemed a logical choice.”<br />
“For over 30 years the Trust has been a<br />
stable organisation whilst at the same time<br />
moving forward and innovating. This is seen<br />
with the Midland Met Hospital and with<br />
Unity.”<br />
Peter’s colleagues speak highly of him and<br />
feel he will be irreplaceable. Emma Graham-<br />
Clarke, Consultant Pharmacist said: “Peter<br />
was one of the first people I met when I<br />
started at City Hospital in 1985. He was<br />
committed to doing the best for his patients<br />
or for anyone who asked for help. We'll<br />
miss him.”<br />
Suki Tagger, Chief Pharmacy Technician and<br />
Renate Boethling, Senior Pharmacist echo<br />
these sentiments.<br />
Suki said: “Peter was more than my line<br />
manager. He supported me through my<br />
accreditation and, helped build a new team<br />
in medicines information making us feel<br />
welcome.”<br />
Renate said: “Peter has been a pillar of<br />
the department supporting staff through<br />
difficult changes.”<br />
Peter Secrett<br />
29
Letters, of less than 200 words please, can be sent to the Communications Department,<br />
Trust Headquarters, Sandwell Hospital or by email to swb–tr.SWBH–GM–<strong>Heartbeat</strong>@nhs.net<br />
YOUR RIGHT TO BE HEARD<br />
Smokefree should be better<br />
policed<br />
Dear <strong>Heartbeat</strong>,<br />
Whilst I am a strong supporter of the nonsmoking<br />
drive, I am less enthralled by the<br />
ongoing policing of the issue.<br />
I share an office that sits on an outside wall<br />
of ED where smokers gather all the time.<br />
Having an open window means a regular<br />
flow of nicotine and other herbal cigarettes<br />
drifting into the office and me having to step<br />
outside and politely ask the offenders to stop<br />
smoking or move off site. Thankfully most of<br />
the requests are met with a polite nod, and<br />
only the occasional unpleasant words. Can I<br />
ask how will further policing of smoking on<br />
the site be achieved and can we have a huge<br />
no-smoking sign about six feet high on the<br />
wall outside the office, or even a sprinkler<br />
outlet?<br />
Kind regards<br />
Dermot Reilly, City ED<br />
Staff smoking outside in<br />
uniform due to smokefree<br />
Dear Sir<br />
Whose absurd idea was this no smoking zone<br />
at City hospital?<br />
Since all smoking was banned on the hospital<br />
grounds we now have a situation where staff<br />
are sitting on the wall at the front of the<br />
hospital - in their uniforms in large groups<br />
smoking, drinking coffee and eating, leaving<br />
all their rubbish on the floor outside the<br />
hospital - including hundreds of fag ends,<br />
used coffee cups and empty plastic bottles.<br />
It also gives the impression to the general<br />
public that our staff have nothing better to<br />
do. I have also been nearly hit by discarded lit<br />
fag ends.<br />
This whole situation brings the hospital into<br />
disrepute and makes staff look lazy and<br />
reflects on non-smoking staff such as myself<br />
and the disgusting mess around the side of<br />
the hospital by A&E needs sorting.<br />
Non Smoking member of staff.<br />
Dear Colleagues<br />
The Trust Board took the decision on 5th<br />
July 2018 (the NHS 70th birthday) that the<br />
next anniversary of the NHS would be the<br />
moment our Trust sites went completely<br />
smoke free. We prepared for the smoking<br />
ban over the subsequent 12 months, by<br />
alerting staff, patients and visitors to the<br />
ban, informing them that there were<br />
alternatives on offer with help to quit<br />
and that fines would be in place for people<br />
who do not comply. We were well aware<br />
that having smoke free sites would lead to<br />
more people smoking across our boundaries,<br />
and, although unsightly, I am convinced,<br />
because of the large number of people who<br />
have told me, that the ban has encouraged<br />
more people to quit, giving them the best<br />
chance of reversing the damaging effects of<br />
smoking. This is a price I feel is worth paying<br />
to protect the health of our communities for<br />
the longer term.<br />
Our smokefree implementation has been<br />
praised by the national leader for public<br />
health in England, and many are coming to<br />
learn from us about our approach.<br />
I hope that you will continue to encourage<br />
your colleagues who smoke to access the<br />
right support that enables them to cut down<br />
or quit smoking that will give themselves the<br />
best opportunity of long-term health.<br />
Kind regards<br />
Toby Lewis, Chief Executive<br />
Unhelpful issuing of parking<br />
notices to staff<br />
Hi <strong>Heartbeat</strong>,<br />
I’m aware that spaces are short because of the<br />
changes and building of a new multi-storey<br />
carpark. However, the issuing of Parking Charge<br />
Notices to staff is wholly unhelpful. Especially as<br />
Parking Notices and are un-enforceable in law.<br />
When returning back to Sandwell Hospital after a<br />
morning QIHD meeting I was under time pressure<br />
to set up the outpatient department and clinic<br />
ready for the clinic start.<br />
I was unable to find a parking space and saw that<br />
there are deep gaps at the end of a parking bay<br />
where there are white hatchings for pedestrians<br />
only, with another car parked there already.<br />
While this wasn’t an official parking space my car<br />
wasn’t causing any obstruction. On my return<br />
from work I found a Parking Charge Notice.<br />
Now while I accept I wasn’t parked in an official<br />
parking space, I do work cross site several times a<br />
week. I do pay my monthly parking fee out of my<br />
wage and expected to arrive on time for work. I<br />
find it wholly unacceptable and quite arrogant for<br />
SWBH to enlist the help of a parking firm to pin<br />
these notices on our cars, requesting between<br />
£25 & £50 be paid.<br />
QIHD is mandatory so I have to try and park on<br />
return from City in the afternoon when spaces<br />
are few and far between. Parking in the morning<br />
isn’t a problem usually. It would be interesting to<br />
find out how many companies try to fine their<br />
staff while parking in a paid for car park which<br />
fails to supply enough spaces!<br />
We cannot park on the road as it is a nuisance<br />
for residents. I was advised not to park in New<br />
Square as I need to work across site and it will<br />
add an extra 15 minutes travel time every time I<br />
travel across.<br />
Using the Shuttle bus isn’t an option because it<br />
is over full at mornings and afternoons especially<br />
QIHD days. Needless to say I will NOT be paying<br />
the fine!<br />
Regards<br />
Anon<br />
Dear Colleague<br />
Thank you for your letter regarding car<br />
parking and the issuing of Parking Charge<br />
Notices (PCNs). As you point out car parking<br />
on our main hospital sites is under increased<br />
pressure at the moment due to the number<br />
of construction projects that are taking<br />
place across the trust. Additional car parking<br />
spaces have been introduced at City (70<br />
behind Summerfield House) and 250 at New<br />
Square.<br />
With regards to the issuing of PCNs; our<br />
security team and smoking wardens will issue<br />
a PCN to any vehicle that is in violation of<br />
our car parking policy. This includes vehicles<br />
parked in places that cause obstruction to<br />
other vehicles or pedestrians. All of the<br />
signage across the trust states that vehicles<br />
are to be parked in designated parking bays,<br />
and by your own admission you state that<br />
you weren't parked in a designated bay. As<br />
such, you received a correctly issued PCN.<br />
There is a PCN appeals process. This process<br />
reviews all the information submitted and<br />
decides whether the notice is upheld or<br />
revoked. Details can be found on the back of<br />
the issued notice.<br />
Regarding your point about the legality of<br />
PCNs I refer you to the recent judgement<br />
at the court of appeal in the case of Beavis<br />
v Parking Eye. It stated that ‘Parking on<br />
someone else’s land is a privilege and not a<br />
right to be abused’. The judgment confirms<br />
that parking charges which are issued are<br />
legally enforceable. This judgement provides<br />
much needed clarity for motorists who<br />
receive a parking charge notice. It serves<br />
as a significant reminder to motorists that<br />
when parking on private land they do so<br />
in accordance with the conditions that<br />
the landowner is entitled to place upon<br />
them. Motorists should always take time to<br />
consider signage on public or private land<br />
to ensure they understand and comply with<br />
their obligations.<br />
Post appeal fines that remain unpaid will<br />
result in the suspension of car park access<br />
for the individual so that that permit can be<br />
reassigned to someone else.<br />
Kind regards<br />
James Pollitt, Assistant Director Strategic<br />
Development<br />
30
Toby writes about… getting things done<br />
round here<br />
TobyLewis_SWBH<br />
TOBY’S LAST WORD<br />
Thank you to everyone who contributed to<br />
our Star Awards. This edition of <strong>Heartbeat</strong><br />
is packed with comment on the ceremony<br />
and the teams involved. Our Employee,<br />
or Star, of the Week scheme kicks off in<br />
coming days with greater prominence.<br />
So please do nominate someone<br />
for that. We have absolutely loads of<br />
good practice, and extra milers, in our<br />
organisation and we are determined to do<br />
more to say thank you. Of course, these<br />
are precisely the projects that our weLearn<br />
programme, maybe through our QIHD<br />
posters, are trying to disseminate across our<br />
organisation.<br />
The theme of this month’s column is about<br />
making things happen. The Trust is a big<br />
place. We have almost 7,000 working here,<br />
and over 3,000 who have worked here<br />
a long time. Sometimes it can seem as if<br />
getting something done is like wadding<br />
through treacle. Sometimes it can seem as<br />
if you have to have worked here a while,<br />
and know someone who knows someone,<br />
to make change happen. I want to set<br />
out some of the ways in which you<br />
can influence how we work and how<br />
things work around here. Of course, that<br />
is precisely what the weConnect Pioneer<br />
programme is about: Teams working to<br />
make change happen local to them. The<br />
second wave of that programme is out<br />
to application now, so do please consider<br />
opting into that.<br />
Let’s start with the basics of change: You.<br />
It does not matter how long you have<br />
worked here, or even if you are on the<br />
payroll. As a student, volunteer, or<br />
employee, we absolutely want your<br />
ideas and suggestions. Most people<br />
who join us have worked somewhere else,<br />
often somewhere else in the NHS, and it<br />
is incredibly unlikely that that somewhere<br />
else did not have at least one thing better<br />
than our SWB version! Your line manager<br />
is a good place to start. Not sure who your<br />
line manager is? Let us know that, as your<br />
line manager will doing your PDR, but more<br />
importantly unlocks most of how change<br />
happens. Only met your line manager when<br />
you started? To be clear I am expecting<br />
every line manager to spend time with<br />
everyone in their team one to one not less<br />
than every month. None of us can work<br />
well at work without feedback.<br />
The Trust is organised into directorates.<br />
We have 23 of them. Each has a clinical<br />
lead and a directorate manager. Our<br />
corporate 7 have at least one director<br />
within them. The 16 clinical directorates are<br />
then grouped into 5 units, led by a group<br />
director, and supported by a director of<br />
nursing and of operations. That triumvirate<br />
sit on the Clinical Leadership Executive. The<br />
group directors attend the Trust’s Board.<br />
All of our plans, investments, risk registers,<br />
incidents, and complaints, are considered<br />
through the window of our directorates,<br />
our groups and our Trust.<br />
Often the question of getting things done<br />
comes down to a perception that there “is<br />
no money”. In the main that perception<br />
is complete nonsense. The Trust has its<br />
financial challenges, but each year we<br />
invest or recycle around £20m. So unless<br />
your idea is hugely expensive, chances<br />
are it is not money that stands in the<br />
way. Often ideas stall because of time;<br />
competing pressures or just the time to<br />
get things moving. That is why we have<br />
invested in Quality Improvement Half Days<br />
to create ring-fenced time to take forward<br />
ideas, talk about them, share them and<br />
make choices about them.<br />
But time matters in another way – timing.<br />
The NHS works, and the Trust is no<br />
different, on a cycle. In November and<br />
December <strong>2019</strong> and in January 2020,<br />
plans are being made for April 2020<br />
to March 2021. In fact in our Trust we try<br />
and create a two year cycle – taking us to<br />
Midland Met, or thereabouts. It is in this<br />
cycle that we decide on things like:<br />
• How to spend our ring-fenced training<br />
budget<br />
• How to prioritise clinical equipment<br />
bids, both big and small<br />
• Which new jobs and roles and services<br />
we plan to create for the future<br />
• How to move money from one team to<br />
another or one expenditure to another<br />
• Where to put service improvement<br />
resources to support teams to deliver<br />
• How to deliver our Quality Plan, and<br />
other elements of our 2020 vision.<br />
That does not mean if your great idea<br />
misses that window all is lost, but it does<br />
explain why I am writing this in this edition<br />
of <strong>Heartbeat</strong>. Your directorate and group<br />
teams have huge budgets and support.<br />
They absolutely can make in-year decisions<br />
after April, especially if the team itself is in<br />
budget and inside establishment. But if<br />
you have a great idea now is definitely<br />
the time to be pressing it once again<br />
on your local management team, and I<br />
very much hope they are asking you for<br />
your ideas.<br />
Now, we spend a lot of time asking for<br />
ideas. Incident reports generate ideas and<br />
action. The risk register is absolutely central<br />
to how the Board and other committees<br />
work. Your feedback in weConnect, or in<br />
the current anonymous NHS staff survey,<br />
does drive decision making. The chairman<br />
will be determined to hold the executive<br />
to account for why changes are made<br />
and how they respond to these feedback<br />
loops, or those of Freedom to Speak up<br />
Guardians. Our trade union colleagues<br />
campaigned for many years on the<br />
issue of band 2 and band 3 jobs, and<br />
effective <strong>October</strong> 1st <strong>2019</strong> we have put<br />
in place a skills and pay escalator that<br />
allows individuals to progress in clinical<br />
areas from one to the other role. It’s a<br />
big place, SWBH, or SWB NHS, and it is easy<br />
to have your voice feel like it is echoing, or<br />
is met by a sense that nothing ever changes<br />
round here. Sometimes things change too<br />
slowly, or too quickly. But you absolutely<br />
can make a difference.<br />
If you have been scanning this article for a<br />
reference to Unity here it is. If you want to know<br />
how to change Unity, take a look at page 9.<br />
Reducing our reliance on single<br />
use plastics<br />
We need your help<br />
We are asking colleagues to collect<br />
empty crisp packets at work instead of<br />
throwing them into the general waste<br />
bins. You can collect in any receptacle<br />
(ideally re-use an empty cardboard box)<br />
then send to the estates department at<br />
City or Sandwell Hospital labelled ‘crisp<br />
packets for recycling’.<br />
Why are we recycling our empty crisp<br />
packets?<br />
Terracycle will collect the empty crisp<br />
packets free of charge and recycle<br />
them. The Trust receives points (the<br />
more crisp packets we send, the<br />
more points we receive) and these can<br />
be redeemed into financial donations<br />
to charity<br />
It reduces the amount of general<br />
waste we generate (and the<br />
associated costs)<br />
It’s the right thing to do<br />
environmentally.<br />
31
What's on - November <strong>2019</strong><br />
EVENT DATE TIME VENUE<br />
Learning Disability Conference 6 8am – 4pm Wolfson Lecture Theatre, City Hospital<br />
Trust Board 7 9.30am – 1pm<br />
QIHD 14 Morning session Trust-wide<br />
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce,<br />
Edgbaston<br />
Clinical Leadership Executive 26 2pm – 5pm Conference Room, Education Centre<br />
Team Talk 27<br />
TRUST-WIDE EVENTS<br />
11am<br />
1pm<br />
WELLBEING EVENTS DATE TIME VENUE<br />
Rowley Regis Hospital<br />
City and Sandwell Hospitals<br />
Experiencing Grief and Loss 5 10am – 1pm The Berridge room, Sandwell Hospital<br />
Introduction to Mindfulness 14 10am – 1pm The Berridge room, Sandwell Hospital<br />
Sleep Hygiene and Relaxation 19 10am – 1pm The Berridge room, Sandwell Hospital<br />
Suicide Awareness 28 10am – 1pm Surgical Skills Room, Postgrad, City Hospital<br />
Closing date for weconnect Pioneer Team applications 4<br />
Black History Month – Desert Island Discs 6<br />
Pioneer team wave 1 surveys distributed 11<br />
World Antibiotic Awareness Week 11<br />
World Diabetes Day 14<br />
12 hour dance-a-thon 15<br />
National NHS Staff Survey closes 29<br />
Essential training workshop for charitable funds 29<br />
DATE<br />
Your Trust Charity<br />
Carol Concert<br />
‘Bringing our community together’<br />
Join us at All Saints Church, All Saints Way, West Bromwich B71 1RU for our first charity<br />
carol concert and evening of festivities, raising funds for Your Trust Charity ‘Sing it Better<br />
appeal’ and our Chaplaincy Service.<br />
On Wednesday 4th December, we will be joined by local schools and choirs to<br />
welcome in the festive season.<br />
Doors open @ 5.30pm<br />
Concert starts @ 6.00pm<br />
Tickets are available from the link below<br />
https://ytccarolconcert<strong>2019</strong>.eventbrite.co.uk<br />
or from<br />
amanda.winwood@nhs.net donna.mighty@nhs.net<br />
For more information, please email<br />
trustcharity@nhs.net or call 0121 507 4847<br />
**Please note you will still need to order your free ticket but will not be charged when<br />
placing your order<br />
Tickets cost £10 for adults, free for under 16s** Refreshments will be available.