Heartbeat October 2019

October 2019 

Sandwell and West Birmingham 

NHS Trust 

The pulse of community health, Leasowes, Rowley Regis, City and Sandwell Hospitals Issue 121 

The Greatest Star Awards 2019 - Recognising 

outstanding achievements at SWB pages 16 and 17 

Chosen by you! The winners of the Star Awards 2019 voted for categories – Medical Education 

Administration Team, Richard Burnell, Organisational Development Specialist Trainer, Critical Care and 

Critical Care Follow Up Team and the Domestic Abuse Team 

Have you had 

your flu jab? 

page 3 

Sharing is caring 

- new car sharing 

scheme is launched 

page 5 

Midland Met 

takes a big 

step forward 

page 6 

Quiet period 

launches in 

critical care 

page 22

HELLO 

FROM THE CHAIR 

Star Awards show the very best 

of SWB 

Welcome to the October edition 

of Heartbeat. As always, there has 

been so much happening in and 

around our Trust. 

This month we take a look back at 

the glitzy Star Awards. Critical care 

has introduced a dedicated quiet 

time and Tower Hill Medical Practice 

launched a new eye care service. Our 

exec team have been leading the way 

with this year’s flu campaign and Unity 

continues to make a positive impact. 

There’s all this, plus so much more to 

catch up on. Enjoy! 

Contact us 

Communications Team 

Ext 5303 

swbh.comms@nhs.net 

Communications Department 

Ground Floor, Trinity House 

Sandwell Hospital 

Published by 

Communications Team 


Hospitals NHS Trust 

Designed by 

Medical Illustration, 

Graphics Team 


Hospitals NHS Trust 

Submit an idea 

If you’d like to submit an idea 

for an article, contact the 

communications team 

Ext 5303 


Stay updated 

We send out a Communications 

Bulletin via email every day and you 

can now read Heartbeat articles 

throughout the month on Connect. 

Don't forget you can follow us on: 

Our annual star awards ceremony is 

always an uplifting evening where we 

are privileged to recognise the best 

achievements from across our 6000+ 

workforce. This year, more than ever, 

I was delighted to see the range of 

guests who were shortlisted for our 19 

categories and those who, on the night, 

secured the trophy. 

Many of these are unsung heroes within 

our Trust who are rarely recognised, but 

their manager, colleague, patient or relative 

thought them worthy of being considered 

for an award. Among the nominations of 

over 500 their stories shone through and 

they truly are deserving winners. 

Of course, everyone who is nominated has 

done something remarkable and our awards 

night would need to be several hours longer 

to recognise the fantastic achievements of 

all our staff during the previous year. That’s 

why our annual awards scheme is just one 

way of recognising the commitment of so 

many within the Trust. 

I wanted to remind you of the many ways 

you can ensure your team or colleagues 

get the recognition they deserve. We 

launched earlier this year our employee of 

the week award, which is now given weekly 

rather than monthly. The award is open to 

anyone, clinical and non-clinical, who has 

gone above and beyond in their daily work. 

Details of how to enter are in this magazine 

and on the Connect intranet site. 

Our long service awards recognise years of 

service to the NHS and when I attend this 

ceremony I remain so proud of the years of 

dedication and selfless service that are given 

by so many to support our patients and 

relatives. 

Every week the Trust features one of our 

colleagues as a NHS hero in the local 

newspaper. These heroes are people who 

lead interesting lives both inside and outside 

work and the feature helps our local 

population understand a bit more about 

the fantastic staff we have working here as 

well as the varied roles on offer. Our heroes 

are often published within this Heartbeat 

magazine. 

A simple “thank you” and “well done” 

goes a long way. The Shout-out scheme via 

Connect enables you to write a short note 

to a colleague for something they have 

done that deserves praise. During the Unity 

go live fortnight we saw Shout-outs come 

in for scores of people who demonstrated 

their commitment to patient care by 

supporting colleagues round the clock in 

getting to grips with the new electronic 

patient record. 

Colleague stories are also shared in 

Heartbeat for all to read so if your team or 

an individual has done something amazing 

don’t hesitate to get in touch with the 

communications team – details on the 

facing page. The most newsworthy stories 

are often published in the local, regional 

and even national media and you can see 

where our Trust features in the “SWB in the 

news” section of Connect. 

Finally, a reminder: I wrote last month 

about the national staff survey and since 

then you will all have received an email 

or letter to your home address with an 

invitation to complete the national staff 

survey. As well as informing national policy 

on NHS workforce issues, this survey is 

vital in telling us how we compare to other 

organisations so we can improve and make 

SWB a great place to work. Please take 

the time to complete your survey, which 

is entirely anonymous. The responses are 

carefully reviewed and acted upon to make 

improvements. 

Richard Samuda – Trust Chairman 

Richard presents his annual personal Care 

Integrator award to Primary Care Liaison 

Manager, Dottie Tipton

Board members lead by example 

ahead of new flu season 

Our Trust Board stepped forward once 

again this year to be some of the 

first few colleagues to have their flu 

vaccinations as we launched this year’s 

flu campaign. 

The campaign started on 1 October with 

both clinical and non-clinical colleagues 

lining up to get their four shields to get 

their four shields of protection from the 

virus. 

This year, keen to have their jabs, the 

Board invited the flu fighters along to 

their October meeting at the Midland Met 

Hospital to get their vaccinations. 

Paula Gardner, Chief Nurse vaccinated some 

of the team and highlighted the importance 

of keeping our patients and colleagues safe 

and healthy. 

She said: “I was pregnant just over 22 

years ago with my second daughter. Six 

weeks in to my pregnancy I contracted the 

flu. What we didn’t know at the time was 

that this would have absolutely infiltrated 

my daughter’s heart. She ended up with 

a large ventricular septal defect (VSD) 

and several holes within her myocardium. 

Experts attributed this to me contracting the 

flu which is why it’s vital you're protected 

against the flu virus.” 

Dinah McLannahan, Acting Director of 

Finance echoes these thoughts. 

She said: “The flu can be spread without 

you even knowing you have it. Around 

half of the confirmed influenza infections 

are sub clinical which potentially means 

infected staff may pass on the virus to 

vulnerable patients, colleagues and family 

members.” 

She added: “According to recent figures 

from Public Health England, it’s estimated 

an average of 8,000 people die from flu 

CORPORATE AND GENERAL 

NEWS 

in England each year. This is why it is so 

important everybody at our Trust gets the 

jab.” 

If you are yet to have your flu jab 

there is still time! If you wish to have 

your vaccination, or would like more 

information, please contact our 

occupational health and wellbeing team 

on ext. 3306 or look at the clinic times 

and information on Connect. 

Chief Nurse Paula Gardner took the lead in ensuring all executive team colleagues were ready for 

winter and protected against flu. 

Toby Lewis - Chief Executive 

Waseem Zaffar - Non Executive Director 

Chief Nurse Paula Gardner vaccinates David Carruthers - Medical Director 

and Rachel Barlow - Chief Operating Officer. 

3

Slimming World class on site helps 

improve health and wellbeing 


NEWS 

She’s helped overweight men and 

women shed a whopping 896 stone 

in two years. Now Slimming World 

consultant Mandy Hill working her 

magic in our workplace. 

The mum of two holds weekly early 

morning sessions at Sandwell Hospital. 

Mandy hopes to inspire colleagues and 

residents to follow in the footsteps of her 

previous clients. “The total amount of 

weight lost by my members is phenomenal 

and I am so proud of every one of them,” 

she said. 

“I have two groups on a Tuesday and 

members support and encourage each 

other. No matter what the reason for them 

walking through the doors, we will help 

enable them to achieve their dreams. 

“The diet lifestyle change is very flexible. It 

means there are a lot of things you can still 

eat – like bread, pasta and rice. But it’s also 

about healthy eating which I know is very 

high on the agenda at the Trust.” 

The sessions also mean a return back to her 

roots. Mandy used to work at the hospital 

as a dental nurse and an oral health educator 

before she was medically retired. Diagnosed 

with severe rheumatoid arthritis it left her with 

reduced mobility and sparked her own weight 

loss journey. 

Mandy ballooned to a size 22 and became 

desperately unhappy. But after joining 

Slimming World she was able to lose 3.5 stone 

despite being reluctant to go along. 

“I had been really miserable at the time of 

joining the group,” she explained. “I had put 

on lots of weight because of my condition and 

then my husband Tim had to also medically 

retire as a paramedic when he was involved in 

an accident at work. 

“Tim suggested Slimming World to me. When 

I went along to my first session I was convinced 

I wouldn’t be able to lose weight on that diet. 

But as the weeks went on the pounds kept 

on slipping off and I started to feel like myself 

again.” 

In October 2017, Mandy was a size 14 and 

became a Slimming World consultant running 

groups around West Bromwich. Members were 

overjoyed with their weight loss results. 

“Every week in my sessions there are 

inspirational stories that people share about 

their journeys” she said. “Sharing your own 

story helps to encourage others to realise that 

they too can achieve. The greatest thing that 

Slimming World Consultant, Mandy Hill is 

ready to lead the charge in weight loss 

stops us is a lack of belief in ourselves, but the 

other members show us that we can.” 

The sessions are on every Saturday, starting at 

7.30am for colleagues and 8am for members 

of the public. They take place on the first floor 

of the Palliative Care Hub, situated behind the 

antenatal building on Hallam Street. 

For more information around joining 

offers call Mandy on 07592 508852. 

NHS National Staff Survey 

– take part for a chance to 

win £200 worth 

of vouchers 

The national staff survey has launched. All colleagues have 

been approached for their feedback either by email or in the 

post. Please take part as the survey is a unique opportunity to 

see how we compare to other Trusts on things like working 

environment, staff morale, job satisfaction, and management 

support. Results will be reviewed and acted upon so we can 

make our organisation a great place to work. 

Complete the survey to be automatically put into a prize draw. 

If you are one of the first 100 people to respond you could win 

£200 worth of shopping vouchers. There will also be further 

opportunities to win; with £50 worth of shopping vouchers being 

available to six lucky winners! 

Responses are strictly confidential - no one from the Trust will see 

your completed survey or be able to identify individual responses. 

4

Sharing is caring - new car scheme 

helps Trust go green 

Colleagues have been racing to sign 

up to our innovative new car sharing 

scheme that makes it easier than ever 

to share journeys to and from work 

across our Sandwell, City and Rowley 

Hospital sites. 

Heartbeat caught up with Sustainability 

Officer, Fran Silcocks to find out about the 

new scheme. She said “Research suggests that 

nearly half of people would journey share with 

someone they know, yet many people travel 

each day with empty seats. This is why it makes 

perfect sense to car share. 

“We've partnered with Faxi who specialise in 

innovative carpooling programmes. A leader in 

their field, the new system offers a smartphone 

app which connects people so they can car 

share to and from work. The app offers superb 

map design with real-time location and traffic 

information. It makes it easy to partner with 

someone keen to be green.” 

Carpooling is also a great way to reduce your 

monthly commuting bill whilst also reducing 

your carbon footprint. Don’t just take our 

word for it though - Dawn Hall, Waste and 

Decommissioning Manager has been car 

sharing and is a real advocate of the scheme. 

She said “I believe it's everybody’s responsibility 

to do what they can to reduce congestion on 

our roads. It improves the quality of air we 

breathe which is why I car share into work as 

much as I can. If I’m unable to do this, I use 

public transport like the bus or the metro.” 

She added: “I hope that my colleagues across 

the organisation will embrace car sharing. By 

doing this it may also help to reduce parking 

pressures across our sites.” 

To download the Faxi app go to https://get.faxi. 

co.uk/swbh-nhs/ and register using your NHS 

email. 


NEWS 

Here you can join our secure SWB 

community – view colleagues with similar 

routes and times – and connect and 

organise your carpools. 

If you have any other questions, please 

contact Francesca.silcocks@nhs.net. 

Sustainability Officer, Fran Silcocks with Waste and Decommissioning Manager, Dawn Hall 

showcasing the car sharing app 

Positive views as Tower Hill begins 

eye care service 

Patients with age-related macular 

degeneration can now receive 

intravitreal injections at Tower Hill 

Medical Practice in Perry Barr. This 

These injections into the eye help to preserve 

and can even improve vision. The procedure 

helps patients to stay independent. It helps 

to reduce falls, prevent injury and generally 

service is delivered by ophthalmology improve mental wellbeing. The move enables 

clinicians from our organisation Access Fairs theatres at both Sandwell and City Hospitals to 

every Tuesday - part of the ongoing 

To ensure 

focus 

that you 

on more 

don’t 

advanced 

face any 

care 

delays 

procedures. 

at 

assessment of services and desire 

go-live, 

to 

the Muriel Unity Gillgrass, team are 85, running of West Access Bromwich, was one 

provide closer to home care. 

Fairs where you can check that your login 

details work and that you have the right 

level of access. 

It’s essential that everyone who will use 

Unity attends an Access Fair. If you can’t log 

in, or don’t have the right level of access, 

then the Unity team will get this sorted for 

you. 

Access Fairs will be running every day 

Mr Jawad (centre-left) and the other members of the team now operating out of Tower Hill 

Medical Practice 

of the first to utilise the new service at Tower 

Hill. Speaking to Heartbeat she said “I came in 

today to have an injection in my right eye and it 

went very well. Everybody is very friendly and it 

was completed in a nice room. I’ve never been 

here before, so it was quite an experience.” 

“By moving this service into the community we're 

able to expand our capacity to treat patients” 

explained Muhammad Jawad, Ophthalmology 

Consultant. "Those that have experienced the 

procedure are impressed with the quiet and 

calmer environment. It’s helpful for patients, 

particularly those who live in this area.” 

Laura Young, Directorate Lead Nurse for 

Ophthalmology added “The GP practice at 

Tower Hill provides an alternative to patients 

having to come into a busy hospital. It supports 

our closer to home care vision. The facilities at 

Tower Hill comply with all the environmental 

and infection control measures expected in 

a hospital. The familiarity of a GP surgery 

may help to reduce anxiety for our patients. 

We're pleased to be working in partnership 

with Tower Hill practice and look forward to 

developing our relationship further.” 

5

Thank Crunchie for Dr Nick! 


NEWS 

Telling his story the Trust Board, 

sixteen year old Jasim Talib was 

only four months old when he 

was diagnosed with a severe 

dairy allergy after being rushed 

to hospital following a severe 

reaction to porridge. He explained: 

“Throughout my childhood I was 

always acutely aware of food, and 

the danger of eating the wrong 

thing. Primary school was very hard 

as I felt left out, as I couldn’t have 

hot school dinners, but had the same 

sandwiches every day. Holidays were 

hard too, as I had to take an extra 

suitcase of dairy free food I could 

safely eat, and hot food choices 

abroad meant a diet of chips as 

they were the only things that were 

considered safe from dairy. 

“Chocolate treats were a big problem too 

during my childhood, as parties and school 

events invariably produced chocolate bars 

as prizes, so if I ever won anything I was 

unable to eat it, but brought it home for my 

parents. 

“However all that changed when Dr Nick 

Makwana told my mum about a treatment 

to cure my dairy allergy, which sounded 

Young patient Jasim Talib with his mum Nasmah Talib and our Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner 

good, but at first I was nervous, as I’d lived 

my whole life staying away from dairy. But it 

was exciting too, so I started the treatment 

which took six months to cure me. It began by 

me drinking milk that was diluted with water. 

Gradually the amount of milk was increased 

until I could drink a whole glass. That was 

amazing. I couldn’t get enough of it! Then, 

Dr Nick suggested I try to eat something dairy, 

and I knew immediately what I wanted to 

try. A Crunchie! It felt like I’d been waiting all 

my life for this taste, and it was wonderful! 

Crunchies are now my favourite chocolate bar. 

“It is thanks to Dr Nick that I want to become a 

paediatrician like him, and help other children 

like me. He changed my life so I’d like to follow 

in his footsteps.” 

z 

Midland Met takes a big step forward 

Saturday 12 October saw us take 

step closer to the opening of the 

Midland Metropolitan Hospital 

following an announcement from 

the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 

It means the Trust can work towards 

completion of the construction contract 

with preferred bidder Balfour Beatty so that 

they can restart work on the super hospital, 

based in Smethwick. Chancellor of the 

Exchequer, Sajid Javid, said “It is absolutely 

right that the Midland Metropolitan 

Hospital is completed so that doctors and 

nurses working for our NHS across the West 

Midlands can deliver excellent care in brand 

new, state-of-the-art facilities.” 

The news has been welcomed by Toby 

Lewis, Chief Executive. He said “Midland 

Met is a vital regeneration project for 

Smethwick, and part of the wider 

Commonwealth Games development across 

Work on the long awaited Midland Met will 

soon be restarting 

Birmingham, including Perry Barr. 

“We are working hard to open the hospital in 

2022, and getting Balfour Beatty on site from 

December 2019 alongside our new Facilities 

Management partner, is a key step in that 

journey. Today’s announcement by the Treasury 

is hugely welcome news. We are working 

round the clock to conclude commercial close, 

and the agreement of the Final Business Case 

and appointment of a Preferred Bidder is the 

last national approval hurdle overcome.” 

“The promise from Government in February 

2018 was that no local NHS funds would need 

to be diverted to remedy the national collapse 

of Carillion. That promise has been honoured 

in full, which has the overt support of all local 

stakeholders from across political divides. 

“We very much wish to deliver on the dividend 

across Sandwell and west Birmingham that 

uses the opening of the long-awaited new 

specialist acute hospital to release workforce 

time and NHS funds to better support primary, 

mental wellbeing and preventative services 

locally. 

“Our integrated care plans for local 

neighbourhoods are at the forefront of work 

in the Midlands to create a sustainable future 

NHS, and we look forward to delivering 

real change and better outcomes for the 

communities that we serve.” 

6

Free NHS Wi-Fi service helping 

connect the disconnected 

There’s something in the air – it’s new 

and it’s free! 

The days of people desperately waving their 

phones at the nearest window are now at an 

end thanks to the introduction of free Wi-Fi 

across our Trust. The new service launched 

recently thanks to a grant from NHS Digital and 

is available across our organisation, bringing 

free wireless internet access to patients, visitors 

and colleagues on our site. 

The Wi-Fi service launched recently following in 

the footsteps of Unity and has already begun 

to have a positive impact on patients, letting 

those in our wards reconnect with their family, 

friends and loved ones whilst they rest and 

recuperate without the worry of running up 

bills on their mobile phones. 

Welcoming the new service to the Trust, 

Heartbeat spoke to Chief Informatics Officer, 

Martin Sadler. He said, “We introduced free 

NHS Wi-Fi service so that patients, visitors, 

students and colleagues can access the internet 

when they need to from their own devices, 

helping them to stay connected.” 

“All you need to do is connect to NHS 

Wi-Fi on your device, accept the terms and 

conditions and you’ll be connected to the 

internet, without the need to register or enter 

any passwords. Like all public Wi-Fi services we 

encourage you to use it appropriately and only 

use it for things that you would be happy for 

other people to know about.” 

NHS Wi-Fi is available now. 


NEWS 

Getting online has never been easier than 

with introduction of our NHS 

Wi-Fi 

7

On yer bike! Femi rides to fundraise 

YOUR TRUST CHARITY 

@SWBHCharity To donate 

to the Your Trust Charity text 

“SWBH16 £5” to 70070 

Femi Kuforiji rode for success 

Caring Femi Kuforiji and the 

widening participation team have 

taken part in a static bike ride to 

London. All the money raised will go 

towards supporting homeless young 

people. 

Femi is a project support officer for the Live 

& Work NHS Apprenticeship programme. 

He took on the 136 mile challenge in the 

main reception area at Sandwell Hospital. 

The exercise bikes were kindly supplied 

by Sandwell Gym, owned by Jagdish Lal. 

The event took place on 28 October and 

personal trainers from the gym were also on 

site to show their support. 

Femi explained “Throughout the world, 

vulnerable young people live in constant fear. 

There are lots of triggers for homelessness such 

as troubled family dynamics, health-related 

issues, or being victims of circumstances. 

“As temperatures plummet, cold weather can 

prove disastrous for young people sleeping 

on the streets. It can increase the risk of 

developing hypothermia and frostbite. Some 

have even been reported as dying due to 

sleeping rough in cold weather. 

"In 2017/18 statistics from the Youth 

Homelessness Databank showed that over 

100,000 young people were homeless or at the 

risk of being homeless. We're passionate about 

alleviating homelessness in our society. We 

work collaboratively with St Basils on the Live 

& Work NHS Apprenticeship programme. This 

scheme provides apprenticeship opportunities 

and living accommodation within the hospital 

to young people who are either homeless or at 

risk of homelessness. 

“There is so much we can do to support 

vulnerable young people. You can help by 

donating to this fundraising event.” 

To donate please visit: https:// 

uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ 

liveandworkprogramme 

Dinah takes on Urban Ultra-marathon 

London 

Whilst the rest of us were still in our 

slippers on the morning of Saturday 5 

October, one devoted colleague was 

already out in her trainers and raring to 

go, not simply to run a regular marathon, 

but to run a 55km ultramarathon. 

Acting Director of Finance Dinah McLannahan 

is not averse to a challenge and every step of 

the 55km she ran stands in testament to her 

tenacity. Starting at the Woolwich tunnel in 

East London, Dinah joined some of the fittest 

runners in England to take on one of the 

toughest challenges. 

Sharing her experience, Dinah said, “When 

I saw the opportunity for an ultramarathon, 

I jumped at the chance and began training. 

Along with raising money for charity, it’s a 

huge personal achievement." 

Dinah completed an arduous 15 week 

training programme in preparation for her 

biggest challenge yet. Almost two years to 

the day after arriving at the Trust, Dinah 

joined 280 runners in London and began her 

epic endeavour. Dinah ran the distance in an 

impressive 8 hours 13 minutes and raised over 

£1,200 in sponsorship! 

Having travelled through nine boroughs, 

Dinah concluded in Richmond. Recalling her 

ultramarathon she said, “The last 12 miles 

were hard, but the first 24 were surprisingly 

ok! It was one of the best things I have ever 

done. There were some brilliant views and the 

course was never boring. I'm so proud and 

happy to have raised such a good amount for 

the charity. I skipped across the finish line, I 

was so delighted to finish. Only three bruised 

toenails too, so I'm glad it’s not summertime 

and I can cover them up!” 

If you'd like to join in with raising funds 

for Your Trust Charity there are lots of 

ways to get involved. Whether you want 

to run a marathon like Dinah, climb a 

mountain or have a bake sale, get in touch 

with the team on ext. 4847. Alternatively, 

you can email trustcharity@nhs.net. 

Catching her breath at the half way 

mark, Dinah was met by family members’ 

floods of encouragement to complete the 

ultramarathon 

8

Making Unity changes happen: 

A basic guide 

There are really two types of issues that can arise in using Unity. 

In most cases we need to help a user and their colleagues in a team to develop expert 

knowledge of the product. As we all know now there is a right way to use Unity. If we 

follow that the system works well, not just for us and our patients, but for the next user. 

That’s what we call Optimisation. 


NEWS 

Process Flow “I have a problem with Unity…” 

I cannot achieve what 

I want to with Unity 

• My super user cannot help me 

• I have an error 

• I can’t log in 

• I have a device issue 

Use eCoach to see context 

sensitive help, look at relevant 

SOPs and QRGs, Videos 

Check 

Self 

Service 

Contact local 

super users 

Suggestion: create a regular 

forum for super users to pool 

knowledge 

Log call on portal or x4050 – which is open 24/7 

Triaged inside IT 

including to Clinical 

Workflow Leads of 

Cerner AMS 

If this impacts clinical care and 

introduces a hazard please state 

this, don’t forget to complete an 

incident form in Safeguard as with 

all other incidents 

First time Login 

provided 

Trainers answer my 

question via remote 

instruction, remote in or 

bespoke support 

Informatics 

resolve my 

Unity problem 

Device 

problem 

fixed 

There is a second scenario, where we 

may need to change how Unity is set 

up or configured. There is a process 

to consider whether an idea like that 

should happen. Here’s how that works. 

A safety case can be made to the weekly 

Service Change request meeting chaired 

by Martin Sadler and Liam Kennedy. 

If the case is less urgent (most are less 

urgent) then your clinical group digital 

committee will consider your case is 

a priority. In doing that they will be 

particularly interested in whether your 

team is already performing optimally 

on Unity. Priority will be given to high 

performing teams’ requests. 

If you need help talk to your IT Business 

Relationship Manager (IT-BRM) whose 

names and details are on the right 

hand side column. BRMs are not an 

alternative to 4050! But they will help 

you to navigate the ways to improve 

your digital performance. 

Service Change Request Form 

• Completed by BRM 

• Description of desired outcome and drivers 

• Case for change: benefits planned or risk 

rating 

– Utilise current risk rating matrix 

• Impact assessments 

– Risk / hazard, Cross Unity, Interfaces, Reports, 

Workflow, SOP, QRG, Training content 

• Checklist of stakeholder engagement 

– Owner / champion 

– Those affected 

– Check with others for unexpected impacts 

• Feasibility: technical possibility 

• Financial Impact: cost to implement, 

equipment, savings 

Single form developed 

throughout the lifecycle 

of the change request 

Authored by the BRM 

with the request owner 

Reviewed by 

appropriate 

stakeholders 

GROUP NAME EMAIL ADDRESS 

Medicine and Emergency Care Dom LeGros dlegros@nhs.net 

Corporate John Rigby john.rigby2@nhs.net 

Surgical Services Sana Shah sana.shah2@nhs.net 

Imaging (and pathology links) Julian Mansell julian.mansell@nhs.net 

Women and Child Health and Primary Care, Community and Therapies Sarah Cooke sarah.cooke@nhs.net 

9

Pharmacy in focus 


NEWS 

During September and October the 

pharmacy department celebrated 

World Pharmacist Day and World 

Pharmacy Technician Day – events 

that celebrated the importance of 

pharmacy technicians. 

In our organisation we have a team of 

over 130 pharmacy colleagues consisting 

of pharmacists, technicians and pharmacy 

support staff. They support all aspects of 

medicines use from advice on medication 

safety to clinical queries and staff training. 

You’ll find the team working across 

many different different areas including 

dispensaries, procurement, ward-based 

services, training and education, medicines 

information and aseptic services. 

Ilka Fisher is a lead Electronic Prescribing 

Medicines Administration (EPMA) technician 

Ilka Fisher – Lead EPMA technician 

based at Sandwell pharmacy. Ilka steered the 

Unity EPMA build from development through 

to its successful launch. With her team she 

maintains the EPMA catalogue and all the 

other safety aspects of electronic prescribing. 

This ensures patients have their drugs safely 

prescribed and administered. 

Ilka said “Awareness days like these are 

important as they help to highlight the work 

the wider pharmacy team does across the 

Trust. We work in many areas in a variety of 

roles in addition to dispensaries.” 

She added “With the introduction of Unity 

we’ve worked collaboratively with a lot of 

different areas. Across the wider team, ward 

based pharmacists were out and about 

supporting training and coaching. Everyone 

worked to ensure the change to digital was 

smooth and, most importantly that patient 

safety wasn’t compromised.” 

Follow our pharmacy team at 

@SWBHPharmacy to stay up to date 

with all the latest news. 

On Connect you’ll find the latest 

updates on medicines shortages, safety 

bulletins and opening times. If you have 

experienced any medicine related incidents 

or near misses in your area it's important 

to fill out an IR1 form. This helps to detect 

issues that may be happening across the 

Trust. It also helps the team to take steps 

to stop errors from happening. 

Colleagues in pharmacy department celebrate World Pharmacist Day and World Pharmacy Technician Day 

October 2019 staff lottery results 

1 st £194.50 

Elizabeth Crisp 

2 nd £116.70 

Karen Morsley 

3 rd £77.80 

Amanda Jowett 

10 

Don’t forget that Your Trust Charity lottery costs just £1 a month and anyone 

who works for the Trust can join. Payment is deducted from your wages each 

month. To take part email amanda.winwood@nhs.net.

Shout out has been a regular feature 

in Heartbeat and it is fantastic to see 

colleagues regularly taking the time 

to give positive feedback to each 

other. 

We regularly receive positive feedback 

from our patients too, and this month 

we wanted to share some of those 

heart-warming messages which have 

been sent following the launch of Unity. 

To: Lorna Bagshaw, Chetna Kallappa 

and paediatric nursing team 

Excellent team approach to stabilising 

a sick baby in ED on the morning of 'Go 

Live'! Everyone stayed calm and worked 

together to ensure safe care was 

delivered, embracing the unity system! 

From: Rebecca Talbot 

To: Amber Markham and Dean 

Farrington 

A huge shout out to Amber & Dean 

for their continued support to all 

staff for Unity go-live. Their patience 

and teaching has been paramount in 

helping staff navigate through the new 

system and feel at ease. Their presence 

in bed spaces is of great help and staff 

feel more confident with Unity. Their 

dedication to the Unity project has 

been outstanding and they are huge 

assets to CCS. 

From: Suki Kalon 

To: Fiona Boddy 

It is indescribable how Fiona has 

worked tirelessly across the two AMUs 

over the 'go-live' weekend supporting 

the staff both emotionally and 

technically always with her 'positive 

pants' on. No amount of words can 

thank you enough Fiona! 

From: Claire Obiakor 

SHOUT 

To: Imy Hussain 

OUT 

Imy has been helping us get practices set 

up to see our Unity system through HIE. 

He has rung back every practice that has 

contacted the primary care team with a 

technical issue this week, making sure that 

practices see the full benefit of real time 

data and it also means clinical teams here 

can see the GP record. 

From: Dottie Tipton 

To: Jenny Mynett 

Thank you for your support! You were 

an absolute star supporting Professor 

Hughes in the Chemical Pathology clinic at 

Sandwell OPD this morning. 

From: Rachel Clarke 

To: Mark Padley 

Dr Padley came to Rowley Regis Hospital 

on Sunday on his day off to support Go live 

and to try out systems that would enable 

him to support his colleagues, The GPs 

on the community wards have emailed 

each other daily with hints and tips that 

allow for some really effective working. 

Dr Padley also remotely transcribed some 

medications for one of our City wards from 

Rowley, really demonstrating team work 

and how amazing our unity has opened up 

a whole new way of working. 

From: Justine Irish 


NEWS 

To: Helen Whiles 

So much hard work with Unity. Constantly 

on hand to help everyone. I would be lost 

without her! 

From: Christine Davies 

To: Ed Fogden 

Ed has been a real leader and helping 

hand since Unity go-live on Saturday. He 

has helped, supported and coached in 

both City and Sandwell AMUs, helping 

consultants, junior doctors and nurses 

with all aspects of Unity while also leading 

the Gastroenterology team with go-live. 

Thanks Ed! 

From: Craig Simpson 

To: All Sandwell ED staff 

I would like to say a huge well done and 

thank you to all the staff in ED at Sandwell 

Hospital. I cannot nominate one person 

in particular as the whole team have 

supported each other throughout the 

launch of Unity and continue to do so. You 

have been absolutely brilliant learning to 

adapt to the new system throughout these 

busy periods. I am sure you will continue 

to be the best and be an expert at Unity 

by the end of this month! Well done team. 

Keep up the good work! 

From: Sarah Jones 

To: Claire Jones 

Claire has been absolutely fabulous with 

all her help and support. She has managed 

to get the Surgical department using 

Unity and has been very supportive and 

reassuring to staff and patients. All Claire's 

help has led to a smooth running in OPD at 

Sandwell Hospital 

From: Jaz Verdi 

To: Sandwell Emergency Department 

Domestics Team 

Annabel has ensured Unity has gone 

as smooth as it can in City ED. She has 

introduced the staff resus trolley (with 

support from Cliona Magee) which is 

stocked daily with food and drinks to help 

staff replenish during busy times. She has 

been in the department every day and 

when not there supporting staff from 

home. 

From: Zoe Crookes 

To: Grace Finn 

I was in a very busy A&E on Monday 23 

September, the 2nd day of Unity. Grace 

came down to volunteer her services after 

work to speak to patients regarding why 

they were waiting longer than usual. It 

was good to see Grace explaining to the 

patients waiting as I could see from their 

body language that this helped ease their 

concerns. Well done Grace for volunteering 

after a busy day! I was there as a patient 

on that day and thank you to all the A&E 

staff too. 

From: Lavinia Hines 

11

See me – Know me...for my ability, not 

my disability 


NEWS 

Poor communication, delays in 

diagnosis and failures to recognise 

pain. These are all common 

complaints of people with a learning 

disability. To combat this a team of 

learning disability specialists are 

making it their mission to ensure we 

provide the same safe and effective 

care to patients with learning 

disabilities. 

When a patient is unable to communicate 

verbally, how do you know if they are in 

pain? How do you know if they consent to 

a procedure? Do they have the capacity to 

consent? These are issues colleagues face 

regularly. Until recently there has been little 

guidance on best practice. 

This month, the learning disability team 

set off on a whirlwind tour of the Trust to 

share their knowledge with colleagues. 

Heartbeat caught up with Learning 

Disability Project Facilitator, Pauline 

Richards. She said “Whilst the care 

provided by our colleagues to patients 

living with learning disabilities and or 

autism can be good, there still remains 

gaps where it should be better. Staff that 

are passionate and usually have a personal 

interest in this field are a great resource 

to us all and should be supported and 

encouraged to share their skills and knowledge 

to others. This would go a long way to 

prevent and minimise the often variable and 

unpredictable levels of service this group of 

patients receives. The roadshows provided by 

the learning disability team have given staff 

the opportunity to come forward and ask 

questions and learn how small changes can 

have a big impact on patient care and positive 

outcomes.” 

Following in the footsteps of the roadshows, 

the team will be hosting a free learning 

disability and autis-m conference on 6 

Team lead the way in the care of patients with learning disabilities 

November at City Hospital. This will take place 

at the postgraduate centre from 8.30am till 

4pm. 

The conference will show how colleagues can 

improve the patient experience. They'll also get 

to hear from patients with learning disabilities. 

Attendees will receive a certificate that can be 

used as evidence of continuous professional 

development. 

Book your tickets online at https:// 

seemeconference.eventbrite.co.uk. 

Alternatively, please contact Shazia Akhtar 

on ext 6445. 

A Managed Equipment Services (MES) 

Managed Equipment Services (MES) 

A Managed Equipment Services (MES) 

Siemens Healthineers is proud to be working in partnership with Sandwell and 

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West Birmingham NHS Trust, providing dedicated support and rapid response in 

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 – – 

delivering delivering financial financial certainty certainty and and access to to innovative technologies for for the the 

Sandwell Sandwell The MES West and is stabilising West Birmingham costs and community. 

enabling long-term access to broader solutions – 

delivering financial certainty and access to innovative technologies for the 

Sandwell and West Birmingham community. 

partnership with Siemens Healthineers 



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12

Staying alive – Restart a 

heart goes back to school 

Cardiac arrests might seem like 

something you only see on Holby 

City, but you’d be surprised to hear 

that there are over 30,000 every 

single year with a staggeringly low 

average survival rate of 1 in 10 if 

they occur out in the community. 

Worryingly, statistics highlighted in 

research carried out by the Resuscitation 

Council found that less than half of 

bystanders in the UK would intervene if 

they witnessed someone collapse. Most 

stated their lack of ability, confidence or 

knowledge as being the biggest barrier 

standing in the way of them providing 

life-saving interventions. 

This month the national restart a heart 

day campaign launched and focused 

on out of hospital cardiac arrests. As 

you would guess, cardiac arrests are 

indiscriminate and will strike without 

warning. 

The resuscitation team packed their army 

of resus manikins and set their sights on 

training pupils at Broadway Academy in 

Perry Barr in the lifesaving art of Cardio 

Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). 

The team presented their eye opening 

facts to a sea of 11-19 year old pupils. 

They followed up with hands on 

demonstrations with pupils who eagerly 

took to learning the lifesaving CPR 

techniques. 

Resuscitation Officer, Dawn Martin said, 

“The key to our work today is to show 

pupils that they could save someone’s 

life with a very simple technique. All 

they have to do is if they find someone 

unconscious and not breathing is to call 

for help and begin CPR until help arrives. 

People have been put off in the past 

when CPR has been referred to as the 

‘kiss of life’. In reality, providing chest 

compressions in the right way can keep 

someone alive long enough for help to 

arrive. 

“In the UK we’ve got a long way to go. 

Our survival rates for cardiac arrest are 

approximately 10 per cent. In some of our 

neighbouring Scandinavian countries, the 

rates are closer to 25 per cent. The biggest 

difference is that children are taught first aid 

and CPR from a very young age.” 

Hopefully, with their newly acquired lifesaving 

skills, pupils at Broadway Academy will be 


NEWS 

Resuscitation Officer, Dawn Martin shares her lifesaving knowledge with 1,200 pupils at 

Broadway Academy 

Grant Stewart, Head of Inclusion at Broadway Academy gets his life saving lesson 

able to step in and save a life should they 

ever need to. 

If you'd like more information on 

updating your basic lifesaving training 

or gaining some more skills, contact the 

Deteriorating Patient and Resuscitation 

Team on ext. 6173. You can also email 

swbh.resuscitationtraining@nhs.net. 

Star of the Week 

Is our new recognition scheme replacing the 

monthly compassion in care award. 

You can nominate colleagues for their contribution to delivering a high quality service. 

For further information and to nominate, visit Connect. 

13

DISCOVER 

WHAT 

YOU’RE 

MADE OF 

FIND OUT WITH US AT WLV.AC.UK 

14

THANK YOU 

to all our sponsors... 

A Smarter Approach to Healthcare IT 

instant intelligence 

15

WINNERS 

CONGRATULATIONS ONE & ALL 

Flu Peer Vaccinator of the Year 

Simerjit Rai 

2020 vision prize for Integrated Care Pioneer of 

the Year Alcohol Team 

Award for Equality and Diversity Champion 

Joanne Simpson 

Digital Leader of the Year 

Andy Churm 

Distinguished Service Award 

Carroll Brashier 

Excellence in Education Prize 

Manoj Sikand 

Excellence in Research Prize 

Sarah Clamp 

Fundraiser of the Year 

Sally Gutteridge 

Learner of the Year 

Security Team 

New Leader 

Janice Barrett 

Patient Safety Award 

Sarah Oley 

Prize for Innovation 

Coronary Artery Disease Management Team 

Amazing acts - Death-defying feats - Incredible people

Stars in their eyes 

a look back at the Star Awards 2019 

On Friday 11 October sponsors and special guests 

gathered to recognise the hard work, innovation and 

dedication of colleagues from across our Trust. It was an 

evening of celebration as we recognised the teams and 

individuals that make our workplace a great place to be. 

We must say a special thank you to all our sponsors. Their 

support meant that our event was fully funded. This year our 

headline sponsors were the University of Wolverhampton, HCI 

Group and Siemens Healthineers. 

Over the past 12 months, we received the largest number of 

nominations in the history of the Star Awards. Nominations 

included acts of kindness and stories of overcoming hurdles 

to provide outstanding leadership. Each nomination had 

a common thread – our organisation is made up of some 

remarkable people. 

More than 30 members of staff and 21 teams were shortlisted 

for awards. These included Employee of the Year, the Prize for 

Innovation and the Distinguished Service Award to name but 

a few. 

Four awards were chosen by staff. We opened the vote 

to colleagues, allowing everyone to help decide the most 

deserving winners. These awards were Non-Clinical Team of 

the Year, Clinical Team of the Year (Children), Clinical Team of 

the Year (Adults) and Employee of the Year. 

The glitzy awards ceremony was held at Aston Villa FC. Des 

Coleman, a former EastEnders star and now ITV weatherman 

hosted the event. A versatile and popular performer, Des 

opened the ceremony with a Billy Ocean classic and had 

everyone up on the dance floor. Guests were also treated to 

a spectacular light show from Circus Uncertainty along with 

music from Liam Price. 

Congratulations to everybody that was shortlisted and to 

all of our winners. Your dedication and hard work is what 

makes our Trust a special place to work. We’re already looking 

forward to our 2020 awards ceremony and planning has 

begun. We look forward to celebrating even more NHS heroes 

in the coming year. 

See Connect for more information about all our winners. 

The Green Award 

Cancer Service 

Volunteer of the Year 

Manish Pandit 

Clinical Team of the Year (Adults) 

Critical Care and Critical Care Follow up 

Clinical Team of the Year (Children) 

Domestic Abuse Team 

Non-Clinical Team of the Year 

Medical Education Administration Team 

Employee of the Year 

Richard Burnell 

Quality of Care Award 

Ajay Hira 

Chairman’s Award for Notable Contribution to 

the Local Health and Social Care System 

Dottie Tipton 

Local Primary Care Award for the Most Valued 

Service in the Trust 

Friar Park District Nursing Team 

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 

Unity go-live 

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY 

CARE 

Support with Unity came in many 

different forms during the golive 

fortnight. There were digital 

champions, super users, floorwalkers, 

the IT helpdesk and a wealth of 

printed materials available in all 

areas. Some colleagues even took the 

initiative to produce their own. 

In the emergency department at City 

Hospital, senior sister Amy Roberts took 

the lead with her team. “At our study day 

we thought flash cards would be a good 

idea so that we had a quick reference guide 

in our pocket for the tasks we would be 

performing most,” she said. 

“One of my colleagues recommended a 

board with our pocket guide on, and gaps – 

made from post-it notes – where we could 

write hints and tips to help each other out.” 

It was a collaborative process, with everyone 

encouraged to add to the board and share 

their knowledge with the rest of the team. 

Over time they were able to develop a 

central location filled with loads of useful 

tips which made a hectic go-live experience 

a little easier. 

“It was stressful to start with as we had a 

really busy department with multiple people 

walking in just before go-live. At 5am we 

went live and ten minutes later our first 

patients were booked on. The team we had 

on that night and all weekend were great. 

They worked so hard and supported each other 

really well,” said Amy. 

“It was challenging at one point when we 

had a nine-hour wait in ED, but the staff 

resus trolley was loaded with snacks to help 

us get through and the extra staff members 

were really helpful. There were a few worries 

and difficult moments but everyone pulled 

through.” 

Amy was quick to thank others for their 

support in the run-up to go-live and beyond. 

“IT helped us the week before by installing 

scanners, moving computer screens and 

answering our long list of demands! Our 

matron Annabel Bottrill and consultant Cliona 

Magee made sure we had snacks to help with 

go-live and have been a constant support 

throughout. 

Colleagues in ED supported each other during Unity go live 

“There have been a lot of difficulties but 

Dom Le Gros has been great – always on 

the end of an email or phone call to guide 

us through. Also our floorwalkers have 

been brilliant.” 

Time is of the essence in a busy area like ED 

and one of the major advantages of Unity 

is its ability to speed up the documentation 

process, releasing more time to care. As 

Amy explains, patient records are now 

clearer and more accessible. 

“We can actually read the doctors’ 

handwriting now! From a nurse in 

charge point of view I can see everyone’s 

observations at a glance and I don’t need 

to chase beds. I can add to the nursing 

documentation and see outstanding tasks, 

allowing us to support each other,” she 

said. 

Unity 'How to' board in City ED 

SWBH 

intranet at your fingertips 

Do you find it difficult to stay up 

to date with everything that’s 

happening in our organisation? 

We have just launched a brand 

new app which aims to give you 

the ability to access information 

that would normally be found on 

the intranet from the comfort of 

your mobile phone. 

Sandwell and 

West Birmingham 

NHS Trust 

Download the app from Apple 

App Store or Google Play 

Store on to your Trust mobile 

phone or your personal mobile 

phone by searching for ‘SWBH 

myConnect’. 

For more information contact 

the Communications team 

on 0121 507 5303 or email 


18

FGM survivor says clinic is 

“much-needed” 

A female genital mutilation (FGM) 

survivor has welcomed a new clinic run 

by our Trust that will offer expert care 

for victims of the procedure. The “onestop” 

support clinic will open in the 

coming weeks at Summerfield Primary 

Care Centre in Winson Green. 

Figures show that Birmingham has the 

highest rate of reported new cases of FGM. 

In Sandwell and West Birmingham there were 

310 cases reported in 2018/19. Hilary Garratt, 

Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England, said 

“These new NHS clinics will benefit hundreds 

of women who have suffered this most severe 

form of abuse and violence. These are clinics 

for women, run by women. 

“We’ve listened closely to survivors and their 

advocates and designed these brand new 

services with them. These clinics, and the 

highly-trained staff who will work in them 

represents a real step-change in the quality and 

timeliness of support the NHS provides.” 

Mum of four, Sarata Jabbi, was aged just 

seven when she underwent the horrific act 

in The Gambia and said the facility is “muchneeded”. 

Her parents took her and her sisters 

to have the procedure after buying them new 

clothes and telling them that they were going 

to a party. 

Sarata began campaigning in 2002 after 

working as a journalist and being made aware 

that the practice was child abuse and not a 

religious requirement. She continued raising 

awareness after coming to the UK in 2010. 

Sarata said “This is a much needed clinic and 

will give many victims a safe and confidential 

way to seek help. There are many women from 

The Gambia, Somali, Eritrea and other African 

countries that have suffered. They desperately 

need treatment as a result of FGM. It is a very 

good initiative. It's important that the voices of 

the victims are being heard”. 

The clinic is one of eight to open across the 

UK, as announced by NHS England as part of 

its Long Term Plan earlier in September. It has 

been commissioned by Sandwell and West 

Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group 

(CCG). 

The NHS network of clinics will work with 

local community groups. They'll be working 

to prevent future cases of FGM by seeking to 

change the culture and thinking around it. 

This will include education on the medical and 

psychological impact of FGM. As well as this, it 

will focus on the legal implications of carrying 

out or participating in it. 

The network will be led by specialist doctors, 

WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH 

midwives and nurses. It will provide 

access to specially-trained counsellors for 

emotional support, as well as FGM Health 

Advocates for advice on accessing other 

services locally. 

Alison Byrne, Specialist Midwife for FGM 

will be running the facility. She said: “It's in 

the heart of the community and will help 

many women who sometimes are unsure 

about how to access care or treatment 

after undergoing this procedure. We want 

to push out the message that this clinic is 

there for them to access and can be done 

so discreetly in the strictest of confidence." 

Michelle Carolan, Chief Officer for Quality 

at Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG 

added: “As the majority of women who 

have had FGM come into contact with NHS 

services once they are pregnant - usually 

between the ages of 25 and 35 – the 

Birmingham clinic will prioritise swift 

support and treatment for women between 

18 and 25, before they become pregnant. 

The service will also be available to women 

outside of childbearing years.” 

Alison Byrne, Specialist Midwife will be leading the FGM clinics 

19

Neonatal unit make Unity work 

for them 


All areas of the Trust have their own 

unique characteristics, and great 

effort has gone into making sure 

that Unity has been customised to 

take account of this. The neonatal 

unit is more complex than most but 

they have succeeded in modifying 

the system so that it works for them. 

Ward Manager, Sally Haycox explained: 

“There are not many units in the country 

that run a full neonatal system on Unity. 

They use aspects of it but not the full 

thing. Unity had to be bespoke for us. We 

practised on the generic Play System but a 

bespoke programme had to be built for us 

so the staff had no experience of the actual 

programme until we went live. 

“It actually went very well. They took 

everything on board and ran with it. Yes, 

we had issues just like everyone else, but 

with the super users, the floorwalkers 

and all the support we had, the majority 

of issues were addressed. There are still 

build issues that we need to take forward 

into phase two but I don’t think they’re 

insurmountable. 

“Credit needs to go to my nursing team. 

The sort of people they are and the 

environment we’re in – we’re an intensive care 

unit, we’re an ED unit, we’re almost a hospital 

within a hospital – their mindset is that they’ll 

tackle anything that comes their way and they’ll 

do their best. They have in this case.” 

Dr S Sivakumar, the speciality lead for neonates, 

was there to support the implementation firsthand 

and he was equally impressed. There had 

been some tension in the days before go-live as 

they raced to get everything ready in time. This 

involved finalising standard operating procedures, 

quick reference guides, workflows and order sets, 

running training sessions for doctors and nurses, 

and devoting quality improvement sessions 

completely to Unity, but it all went to plan. 

“Unity has overcome many problems and I’m 

quite impressed with the build, especially in terms 

of prescriptions and infusions. We’re grateful to 

the pharmacists, who worked extremely hard 

to get these complex medications sorted in the 

finest detail so we were able to prescribe them. 

That was one of the major worries we had but 

it’s working well. There is ongoing work on 

gentamicin and vancomycin prescriptions to 

make them completely risk-free,” he said. 

“Because of the hard work of various colleagues, 

from the clinical side as well as the Unity and 

managerial side, we’ve made it a success. I’m 

pleased to say that in the first couple of weeks 

the neonatal unit has been top in areas like 

results endorsement despite the complexity of the 

work. 

“Clinical documentation is good in Unity but 

can be slow as some of the information also 

needs WOMEN to be replicated AND in CHILD neonatal BadgerNet HEALTH 

and maternity BadgerNet because the interface 

between the three systems is poor. We have 

requested an upgrade to neonatal BadgerNet 

to match the maternity version, which will help 

to speed up the documentation process.” 

Neonatal colleagues have taken to Unity 

well, noting that the standardised process for 

ordering tests and medication is much quicker 

than before and easier for trainees to replicate 

in other areas. A couple of the team shared 

their thoughts on the new system. 

Eleanor Taylor, a sister on the neonatal unit, 

said: “I was actually quite worried about it at 

first but I’ve found it to be ok. It’s easier not 

having to manually write everything. I like the 

fact that you can do your notes throughout 

the day and they’re done for handover. There 

are some issues that are being addressed so 

we’ll just have to wait and see.” 

Vidya Santharam, Neonatal Registrar, said: “I 

think it’s good in lots of respects. It’s nice to 

have everything in one place. Once we learn 

how to navigate it more effectively, I can see 

how we’ll be able to do things quicker. At the 

moment it’s a bit slow because we’re all still 

learning. I can see the positives and I think it 

will be good in the long run.” 

The neonatal team 

20

Learning never stops for the 

surgical unit 

“Every day’s a school day” was the 

motto regularly repeated on the City 

surgical unit during the Unity go-live 

fortnight. Ward Manager, Jo Mansell 

and her team had done plenty to 

prepare for the launch of our new 

electronic patient record but were keen 

to ensure that the learning process 

never stops. 

Preparations for Unity, including individual 

training, team competencies and regular 

practise on the Play System, had been coordinated 

by Jo Mansell and ward clerk Jo 

Leake, but everyone impressively rose to the 

challenge. 

“From a ward and surgical services 

perspective we wanted to be as prepared 

for go-live as possible,” says Jo Mansell. “I 

always think that we should be proactive 

rather than reactive. We set up a training 

room on D27 with devices and desktops. 

It’s a nice quiet environment. Jo Leake 

supported staff to do their training, for the 

benefit of them, the team, and ultimately 

the patients.” 

A positive and engaging approach was 

key, particularly with those who were 

feeling anxious about change. “Staff were 

supported with additional IT training to give 

them the reassurance and encouragement 

to help them through their e-learning,” 

explained Jo Leake. 

Having put in all the groundwork over the 

course of several months, the City surgical 

unit were ready for go-live on Saturday 21 

September. There were still some nerves 

as the switchover started in the early 

hours of the morning, but also a sense of 

camaraderie and excitement. Everyone was 

in it together. 

“We had a Unity snack station to look 

after everyone’s wellbeing and keep their 

morale up. I made goodie bags for everyone 

who was working during go-live,” said Jo 

Mansell. “These included the snacks, health 

and wellbeing leaflets and the Unity pocket 

guides.” 

Jo Leake added: “It felt a little bit daunting 

initially, but knowing that there was support 

there from the Unity team and floorwalkers 

was reassuring and the staff felt more 

comfortable. The nurses in charge over the 

weekend, Charlene Thames on Saturday, 

and Jade Howell on Sunday, really stepped 

up to the plate. Everyone did. I was proud 

to be part of it.” 

The team soon became accustomed to this 

new way of working and are continuing to 

enhance their knowledge of Unity as each 

day goes by – finding solutions and sharing 

SURGICAL SERVICES 

tips. The experience has brought them 

all closer together and given them a 

greater understanding of each other’s 

roles. 

This has helped to make things much 

smoother and more efficient in several 

respects. “Every time we’ve requested 

a porter they’ve been here within five 

minutes and all the information is on 

their device,” said Jo Mansell. 

“The turnover with pharmacy, in 

terms of ordering medication and the 

discharge process, is much quicker and 

safer. We’re also doing the drug round in 

half the time it had taken previously.” 

Dom Le Gros, who supported the team 

in his role as business relationship 

manager, saw a real togetherness 

in their work: “If we think back to 

when all this started, and the naming 

competition, Unity was chosen because 

it was uniting patient records, but in 

actual fact it’s done a lot more than that 

and united the organisation.” 

City surgical unit supported by workstream lead Dom Le Gros prepare for Unity 

21

New era comes with new ear 

SURGICAL SERVICES 

It is well known that critical care is not 

the quietest of clinical environments. 

This can be due to a number of factors 

such as medical equipment monitors, 

and all the activity associated with 

looking after critically unwell patients. 

Catherine Beddowes, Critical Care Follow 

up Support Service Senior Sister explained: 

“We know that we work in a busy 

environment and that patients can suffer as 

a result of sensory overload, experiencing 

delirium as a result. People who suffer 

delirium can get confused and agitated 

with their clinical outlook and psychological 

wellbeing affected. Lack of sleep, oxygen 

and the medication they need can all 

work to produce delirium in a patient, but 

environmental factors are most important. 

“So as a team we came up with the idea 

to introduce quiet time in critical care. This 

is to address some of the environmental 

factors that can affect patients’ equilibrium. 

“We’ve also introduced aids to sleep such 

as eye masks and earplugs, to reduce glare 

and minimise noise. 

Catherine Beddowes, Critical Care Follow 

up Support Service Senior Sister posing with 

the sound ear 

“Educating our colleagues is vital in 

changing the environment as they can 

hugely affect the sound levels on the ward. 

Using charitable funds we purchased a 

sound ear. This is a visual display of noise 

levels in the department. There are three 

levels – green, amber and red which 

immediately show colleagues what the 

Putting the 'fun' in fundraising 

Whilst fundraising used to be shaking 

a tin in the hopes that someone would 

drop a few coins in, you’ll no doubt 

be aware that Your Trust Charity have 

been breaking away from the outdated 

traditions and have had a flurry of 

fantastic fun fundraisers. 

From Bristnall Hall Academy students 

joining forces with West Midlands Fire 

Service for the day to launch a spectacular 

car wash to amazing feats of human 

endurance with colleagues across the Trust 

climbing mountains, running across London 

and jumping out of airplanes – all in aid of 

our very own Your Trust Charity. 

Not all fundraising has to be hard work, 

hair raising or white-knuckle, some can 

be family friendly, relaxed and enjoyable 

and that’s exactly the spirit the Community 

Heart Failure Team and Respiratory Team 

had in mind when on a warm sunny 

evening in June a 27 strong team took on 

an informal 5k challenge around Sandwell 

Valley Park in West Bromwich. 

Sharing her thoughts on the run, 

Community Heart Failure Specialist Nurse 

Jacqui Elson-Whittaker said, “It was an 

informal, private fundraising event for the 

community heart failure and respiratory 

teams, respected trust funds aiming to raise 

money for patient specific equipment. It 

also demonstrated how the two teams 

have integrated, not only sharing care for 

community patients and their families, but 

looking after our health and wellbeing in 

the wonderful outdoors.” 

current noise level is. At the moment 

we have only bought one ear, and are 

trialling it in City critical care. We are 

planning to buy another three, with two 

ears for each unit, providing cover across 

the clinical environment. 

“Already, after five weeks colleagues are 

very aware of it and have changed their 

behaviour. 

“We’ve also introduced quiet time 

from 3pm - 4.30pm where we dim the 

lighting and ask visitors not to visit. This 

is to give our patients time for complete 

rest without any distractions. 

“We consulted with colleagues who 

work with patients on the unit, and they 

were wholeheartedly supportive of the 

initiative. Even relatives have embraced it 

as it gives them a breathing space, and 

time to look after themselves. 

“All routine nursing care is done 

outside of this time, and only clinical 

emergencies break the quiet. The 

initiative has been well received by 

all colleagues with our junior doctors 

particularly welcoming the move. The 

trust is introducing a quiet protocol 

across all ward areas in coming weeks." 

With their fantastic fun run completed, 

the community heart failure team and 

respiratory team managed to raise over 

£500. 

If you would like to get involved 

with some fundraising, get in touch 

with Your Trust Charity on ext 4847 

or email trustcharity@nhs.net 

Community respiratory and heart failure team get their running shoes on for their 5k at Sandwell 

Valley Park 

22

Shockwaves felt through 

foot health team 

Leading the new treatment, Clinical Lead 

Podiatrist, Tom Calderbank 

Patients experiencing debilitating heel 

pain are being offered a shocking new 

treatment, thanks to help from the League 

of Friends charity. 

Leading the new treatment, Clinical Lead 

Podiatrist Tom Calderbank explained “Plantar 

fasciitis is a condition where you have pain 

on the bottom of your foot, around your heel 

and arch. It makes up over 25 per cent of 

our caseload in the Biomechanics clinic. It’s 

estimated that it could affect up to 10 per cent 

of the UK population. 

“Although conservative treatments including 

insoles, exercises or corticosteroid injection 

therapy can help the majority of patients 

we see, a significant number are left with 

excruciating pain if the treatment does not 

work. 

“The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has been 

offering shockwave therapy for some time. 

Many of our patients have been travelling out 

of our area to have this treatment. This led 

PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES 

AND THERAPIES 

us to make a bid for funding from the 

League of Friends, to make a difference to 

our patients locally. 

“Shockwave therapy has been evidenced 

to be both safe and cost effective. 

Called Extracorporeal Shock wave therapy 

(ESWT), it is non-invasive. It uses inaudible, 

high energy sound waves to stimulate 

tissue repair. The treatment is delivered in 

four treatments of 10 minutes over four 

weeks. 

“Our initial clinic proved so successful 

we've recently had to put on a second 

one every week to cater for the numbers 

of patients who need the treatment. Initial 

feedback from patients is excellent.” 

The clinics run at Oldbury Health 

Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Community nurses turn 

specialist practitioners 

At the end of August, three of our top 

nurses were successful in qualifying 

as specialist practitioners in district 

nursing. 

Nursing is at the heart of our organisation. 

Recently three of our nurses have 

completed the Specialist Community 

Nursing (SCN) District Nursing BSc 

(Hons) degree at the University of 

Wolverhampton. 

Chantelle Kenyon, Susan Oliver and 

Harbinder Gill from our community 

nursing service all completed the 12 

month course. It involved both theory and 

clinical practice elements from assignments 

to completion of the Queen’s Nursing 

Institute domains in clinical care. The 

qualification is equal to either a degree or 

postgraduate diploma. 

Susan Knight, Practice Education Lead 

and Black Country Practice District Nurse 

Team Leader is thrilled for Chantelle, Susan 

and Harbinder. She said “I’m delighted 

with their achievements. They can all hold 

their heads up high knowing they have 

secured band 6 clinical posts at the Trust. 

They've made me feel so proud. I’m sure 

their friends and families feel the same 

way too.” 

Qualifying as a specialist practitioner in district 

nursing can be very challenging. Individuals 

have to show higher levels of judgement and 

discretion in practice. They must also work 

within the nursing and midwifery professional 

standards of practice. 

Susan added “The course tests your ability 

to be able to balance both theory and 

practical elements of learning. The amount 

of academic work in addition to working 

clinically is at a higher level.” 

Congratulations to Chantelle, Susan, 

and Harbinder! 

Chantelle Kenyon, Susan Oliver and Harbinder Gill from our community nursing service 

23

Survival corner helps McCarthy ward 

through Unity go-live 


AND THERAPIES 

Going live with Unity involved 

plenty of late nights and long shifts 

for colleagues across the Trust. Many 

teams took different approaches to 

ensuring that morale and motivation 

never wavered during this period. 

Their efforts paid off. 

McCarthy ward at Rowley Regis Hospital 

went to the trouble of creating a Unity 

survival corner – a place for people to go if 

they were feeling stressed or unsure what 

to do. It was kept well-stocked with snacks 

and helpful information. 

“We thought if we put everything in 

there – all the information like the quick 

reference guides and the leaflets – that 

would be helpful. Particularly for family 

and relatives, so they can find out what 

Unity’s about,” explained senior sister Lady 

Ann Ordona on Sunday 22 September, the day 

when Sandwell and the community sites went 

live. 

“I think the corner reassures the staff as well. If 

you want a bit of a breather, sit down for two 

minutes and have a snack. I think the more you 

pressure yourself to find solutions the harder 

it becomes. You feel the negativity and start 

thinking that you can’t do it. But if you sit 

down there, have a quick break and think ‘We 

can do this’, then that’s much better.” 

This positive attitude contributed to a successful 

go-live. Lady Ann was proud of her team and 

thankful for the support they’d received. “It 

was a bit hectic but we’re happy. We’re familiar 

with the system but there are still parts where 

we need to refresh our knowledge. The quick 

reference guides are very good and we had 

the floorwalkers who can remind us how to do 

certain things,” she said. 

“All the managers have been here since first 

thing in the morning and as a PCCT group 

we’re helping and supporting each other. 

The feeling of having support around you – 

physically and emotionally – boosts you up. 

You share the same feelings and you think ‘We 

can make it.’ If the acute and the main spine 

can do it, we can do it.” 

After overcoming some initial teething 

problems, and spending some time 

reacquainting themselves with Unity, 

colleagues on McCarthy ward began to feel 

some of the benefits of using the system. 

They’re confident that even more will come 

with time too. 

“We’re definitely noticing some advantages,” 

said staff nurse Beth Hill. “Ordering 

medications is so much easier. It’s just a couple 

of clicks. It’s also good that if anyone makes 

any changes you can all see them.” 

Lisa Slater, HCA, added: “I’m getting used to 

the system now and I’m finding it easier. I’m 

getting quicker each day. The support’s been 

absolutely brilliant. If we’ve needed anything 

the Unity team have helped us straightaway.” 

Colleagues ready themselves for Unity by visiting the Unity survival corner on McCarthy ward 

24

Digital transformation done the 

Andy Churm way! 

For Andy Churm, Unity is just the 

beginning. 

The launch of Unity has seen a massive shift 

across the organisation, from the front line 

to colleagues working in local communities. 

Behind the scenes, Andy will now be working 

to expand the use of System One, bridging 

the gap between the two systems. He's 

recently taken on the position of practice 

education digital lead. This came out of the 

changes created through the implementation 

of mobile working for district nurses. 

“I was on secondment for a year helping to 

set up mobile working for district nurses. That 

involved helping to get all the existing systems 

set up into an electronic format. As well as 

that we needed to get them on System One 

Mobile,” Andy told Heartbeat. 

“With that rolled out, it became clear that 

there were some gaps in documentation. We 

hadn’t covered getting the paper items into a 

digital format, so there’s been a lot of work to 

get new templates sorted.” 

“It all carries on; workflows need to continue. 

It became clear the original two days a week 

secondment was evolving into a new position 

and now it has.” 

The new role officially began last month. It 

will see Andy continue his previous work but 

under a much-expanded remit. He'll be working 

on systems that still need to be reconfigured 

and so much more. Watch this space! 

Andy Churm - Practice Education Digital Lead 


AND THERAPIES 

Trust celebrates inaugural AHP day 

This October colleagues across our 

workplace celebrated Allied Health 

Professions (AHP) Day. Throughout the 

week commencing 14 October, colleagues 

shared with the wider organisation why 

it's of such significance. 

The special day raises awareness of all the 

allied professions. It also recognises the 

achievements of local services and their 

impact on patient care and population 

health. 

AHP Day takes place on 14 October 

as there are a total of 14 allied health 

professions many of which are represented 

in our organisation. These 14 roles are: 

• Art therapists 

• Drama and music therapists 

• Chiropodists and podiatrists 

• Dietitians 

• Occupational therapists 

• Operating department practitioners 

• Orthoptists 

• Osteopaths 

• Paramedics 

• Physiotherapists 

• Prosthetists 

• Orthotists 

• Radiographers 

• Speech and language therapists 

Alice Harvey, Respiratory Physiotherapist 

believes it's an essential day to recognise 

across the organisation. 

She said: “AHP Day is a really important as 

it helps to raise the profile of AHPs both 

across our workplace and the NHS as a 

whole. It is a good way to encourage both 

colleagues and patients to learn about what 

we do, the variety of our jobs and the scope 

of practice.” 

“Putting patients first is a top priority and 

AHPs certainly contribute towards that. 

AHPs play a fundamental role in patient 

care within our organisation by offering 

a diverse range of skills in their specialist 

fields,” Russell Stanton, Clinical Lead for 

Foot Health told Heartbeat.” 

“AHPs provide tailored programmes of care 

resulting in improved outcomes for the vast 

majority of our patients.” 

Sandra Kennelly, Clinical Team Leader and 

Speak Up Guardian is a real advocate of 

the awareness day. 

She said: “AHPs are now one of the largest 

healthcare workforces within the NHS 

so it makes sense to celebrate them and 

highlight their hard work. The day allows 

everyone to thank our AHPs for their 

dedication to the Trust over the last 12 

months.” 

Russell Stanton, Clinical Lead for Foot Health 

25

Support worker becomes star 

super user for imaging 

IMAGING 

Unity has put different demands on 

colleagues as established ways of 

working have had to change. Some 

have adapted more quickly than 

others, becoming the first port of 

call for any issues that arise. 

Imaging support worker Adrian Reynolds 

has emerged as the department’s star super 

user. Confident at using computers and 

different IT systems, he was already being 

asked to help out before Unity came along. 

Over the last few weeks his skills have been 

in even higher demand. 

“We do have other super users in the 

department but I seem to be the main 

one,” laughed Adrian. “I don’t mind 

helping anybody, no matter what it is. 

That’s what I’m here for as a support 

worker. I’ve been helping members of staff. 

Even those from different departments have 

been asking for me. I’ve really been enjoying it.” 

Having devoted a lot of time to exploring the 

e-learning modules at home and on his phone, 

Adrian’s knowledge of Unity has become an 

invaluable resource for others to tap into. There’s 

more to do but there’s been some encouraging 

progress. 

“Everyone’s getting used to Unity now - slowly 

but surely. There are still bits that people don’t 

understand but I’m here to learn and then I can 

pass that knowledge on. I’m still learning now. 

It’s a challenge but I like challenges,” he said. 

As well as his technical knowledge, Adrian has 

also been able to provide emotional support 

in difficult situations. “Go-live was a bit nervewracking. 

Some people were panicking if things 

went wrong but as a super user I was trying to 

keep everyone cool and calm. It went ok. It’s 

something that’s new to everybody but we’re 

getting used to it.” 

As colleagues become more accustomed to Unity, 

and more comfortable at using it, the system’s 

benefits are gradually being realised. This will 

only improve over time with optimisation but 

Adrian has already noticed a few key points. 


“You get more information about the patient 

in PowerChart, especially inpatients when 

we’re doing ultrasound, MRI or CT. The 

information’s much clearer as well, especially 

the notes. Sometimes when the notes came 

down you couldn’t read the doctor’s writing 

but it’s much clearer on the screen.” 

Adrian has been part of the imaging 

department, working across City and Sandwell 

sites for 15 years. Although he’s still got a way 

to go to match the 41 years his mum spent 

with the Trust, his impact is clear to see. Louise 

Thomson, Imaging Support Team Leader, is full 

of praise for what he’s done with Unity. 

“He’s been amazing. He’s been a real go-to 

person and he’s used up a lot of his own time 

as well, going around imaging as a whole,” 

she said. “He’s been covering everything from 

nuclear medicine to maternity, inpatients and 

outpatients, and he’s been a massive support 

to everybody. His knowledge and time has 

been invaluable.” 

Adrian Reynolds, superstar super user helping to make the move to Unity smooth for everyone 

26

The imaging team say a fond 

farewell to John Courtney 

___________ 

Name: ___________________________________________ 

John Courtney, Principal Physicist, retired 

from the Trust at the end of September 

after 40 years’ service. 

John qualified with a maths and physics 

degree from the University of Warwick and, 

a master’s degree in medical physics from 

the University of Aberdeen. He soon became 

established as someone valuable to have on 

the team. As a trainee, he ran the embryonic 

nuclear medicine service at Sandwell hospital. 

A long, successful career unfolded. John 

worked in the medical physics department at 

the neurosciences centre. He was influential 

with the introduction of the first CT systems 

and, in diagnostic x-ray equipment quality 

assurance, dose optimisation and radiation 

protection. As if that wasn’t enough, John 

IMAGING 

also trained and became a laser safety advisor. 

2019 Heartbeat crossword 

Dr William H Thomson and Dr John Courtney 

Over the years John took on many extra 

responsibilities. He gave one-to-one tuition 

to radiologists. For the past three years, 

he was a member of the Royal College of 

Radiology Physics Education Board. Keen 

to inspire the next generation John visited 

schools highlighting science careers to 

pupils. 

Name: ___________________________________________ 

John is best described as someone 

that would never say no. He is warmly 

remembered for his helpful attitude and 

pleasant, mild manner. He leaves a big 

gap to fill and the team is grateful for his 

selfless dedication and commitment. 

October 2019 Heartbeat crossword 

October 2019 He 

Date: Date: ________________ 

Take a break: 

2 

in this month's Heartbeat 

3 

1 

5 

2 

4 

1 

Test your knowledge of the news in this 

month's Heartbeat by completing this 

crossword. You can e–mail your answers to 

swbh.comms@nhs.net and all correct answers 

will be put into a draw to win vouchers – good 

luck! 

5 

4 

3 

3 

5 

4 

Across 

3. How many shields of protection does the flu jab offer? 

5. Who hosted the Star Awards? 

Across 

3. How many shields of protection does the flu jab offer? 

5. Who hosted the Star Awards? 

Down 

1. How many allied health professions are there? 

2. Who ran the ultra-marathon 

4. What bank revamped the cinema room at Leasowes? 

27

Pulse 

News in brief from around our organisation 

If you have a story you would like to appear 

on the Pulse page, please email a photo and a 

short explanation to swbh.comms@nhs.net 

Wellbeing hampers boost 

morale on wards 

Our paediatric units across the 

organisation have introduced 

wellbeing hampers to help support 

colleagues during the more 

demanding times of their shifts. 

The hampers which are now in place 

at both paediatric units at City and 

Sandwell contain a variety of treats and 

confectionery from breakfast cereals and 

soups to tights and toiletries. 

When patients are pouring through the 

doors it’s sometimes easy to forget to look 

after yourself. The new hampers provide a 

little treasure chest of treats waiting in the 

wings should someone need something to 

energise themselves. 

Though very much a team effort, Joanne 

Wright, ward manager on Lyndon 

One ward has played a massive role in 

implementing the wellbeing baskets 

across the Trust. She said: “There are 

occasions where staff are very busy and 

will go the extra mile often sacrificing 

their own comfort. Whether it be 

something small like a snag in your tights 

or being at work and having something to 

tie your hair with, the wellbeing baskets 

can easily compensate for such things.” 

The wellbeing baskets are self-sufficient 

in the sense that when a colleague takes 

an item, they then replace it ready for the 

Lyndon One ward with their basket of goodies and treats. L-R: Kayleigh Dickens, Sister; Suneeta 

Singh, HCA and Joanne Wright, Ward Manager 

next person. This means that everything 

is readily available and stocked up with all 

the essentials. 

There has been lots of positive feedback 

about the hampers with clinical colleagues 

across the Trust praising the innovative 

idea. 

“The baskets are a simple but effective 

idea and make perfect sense,” Cheryl 

Newton, Director of Nursing told 

Heartbeat. “I think going forward; they 

could potentially be introduced across 

many other areas within the hospital so 

that should there ever be someone in 

need, it’s only a hamper away.” 

She added: “I have to also say a big 

thanks to all ward managers including 

Joanne Wright for having the perseverance 

in introducing the hampers. Without their 

initial kindness, none of this would have 

been possible.” 

A trip down memory lane for 

Maureen and Monica 

It was a trip down memory lane for two 

former nurses who returned to City 

Hospital 60 years after they completed 

their training. 

Maureen Jones and Monica Beirne, 

aged 81, visited the site to mark their 

anniversary and were greeted by Research 

Nurse, Jenny Porter, who has a keen 

interest in the history of the site. 

She took them on a tour which ended 

with a small tea party in the chapel, where 

they all shared their favourite memories. 

Monica said: “It all seems different now. 

The corridors were so plain before and 

there was the smell of Lysol everywhere. 

“And of course the nurses’ home is now 

(Left to right) Glenys Welch with Monica 

Beirne, Maureen Jones and Jenny Porter 

derelict, but it’s where we spent our three 

years. My husband Tom would visit and 

he’d always miss the last bus home so had 

to walk the nine miles back to Dudley. 

“He had to make sure he left before 

curfew though at 10pm as the matron 

would come round with her little dog 

trying to sniff out anyone who wasn’t 

supposed to be there. 

“She also used to let the dog onto 

the wards - there certainly wasn’t any 

infection control procedures back then!” 

Both Maureen and Monica carried out 

their training between 1956 and 1959 

before they both left to work at other NHS 

trusts. 

Jenny added: “It was wonderful to meet 

Maureen and Monica for the first time 

and hear about their time here. It may 

have been brief but it certainly made a 

lasting impression on them. They were 

keen to return and take a look around 

some of their ‘old haunts’ and it was a 

pleasure to be able to do this.” 

28

Diane Halliley 

Interim Associate Director of Quality and Assurance 

Welcome to Interim Associate Director 

of Quality and Assurance, Diane 

Halliley. 

Diane has had a varied career to date. 

Having held various roles across NHS Trusts, 

she brings a wealth of experience into her 

new role as interim associate director of 

quality and assurance. 

Diane began her career working at South 

Birmingham Health Authority. From there 

she’s held various roles all with one thing in 

common – a strong patient focus. Moving 

on from being head of customer services 

and patient safety at NHS Leicester City, 

Diane held positions at The Wirral Teaching 

Foundation NHS Trust, London Ambulance 

Service, and Heart of Birmingham NHS Trust 

among others. 

Over her career, Diane has gained extensive 

experience within operations management, 

governance, compliance and risk 

management in the NHS. Diane has worked 

both in cities and rural locations. This has 

allowed her to explore similar issues across 

trusts whilst devising bespoke solutions for 

each. It’s these skills that she’ll be using to 

place a strong emphasis on achieving the 

best possible quality standards. As always, 

patient safety will be a key area of interest 

for Diane. 

New to the organisation, Diane is keen to 

get out and meet staff across our Trust. If 

you see her about be sure to say hello and 

give her a warm welcome to Sandwell and 

West Birmingham. 

Outside of work Diane enjoys going to 

the gym and spending quality time with 

her family. A mum of three, she recently 

got married and is yet to set off on her 

honeymoon. That’s set to take place in 

2020 with a trip of a lifetime to Cambodia. 

A keen traveller, Diane’s favourite holiday 

destination to date is Hawaii. 

Diane Halliley 

Wave goodbye to… 

Peter Secrett 

Pharmacist Team Leader 

Pharmacist Team Leader, Peter Secrett 

has retired from the Trust after 

dispensing his last medicine at the end 

of the summer. 

Peter started with us in January 1985 as an 

MPhil student in the pharmacy department. 

In 1987 Peter was promoted to clinical 

pharmacist and he played a fundamental 

role at the Birmingham and Midland Eye 

Centre (BMEC). 

From the 80s - 00s, Peter gained an array 

of experience and expertise in a variety 

of pharmacy roles. He worked as a GP 

pharmacist at the Smethwick Pathfinder as 

well as a medicines information manager at 

the Trust. 

Peter's final role was as a team leader. 

He managed and supported pharmacy 

colleagues that provide a service to the 

surgery wards, day units, theatres and 

BMEC. He also acted as the main pharmacy 

contact for these areas. 

Since his teenage years, Peter wanted to 

be a pharmacist. He was captivated with 

medicine for as long as he remembers. 

That didn't change over his three-decade 

career. “From about 14, I wanted to be 

a pharmacist. I was always fascinated 

with medicines and how these act on the 

body to treat disease. I wanted to use this 

knowledge in a practical way and working 

in the NHS seemed a logical choice.” 

“For over 30 years the Trust has been a 

stable organisation whilst at the same time 

moving forward and innovating. This is seen 

with the Midland Met Hospital and with 

Unity.” 

Peter’s colleagues speak highly of him and 

feel he will be irreplaceable. Emma Graham- 

Clarke, Consultant Pharmacist said: “Peter 

was one of the first people I met when I 

started at City Hospital in 1985. He was 

committed to doing the best for his patients 

or for anyone who asked for help. We'll 

miss him.” 

Suki Tagger, Chief Pharmacy Technician and 

Renate Boethling, Senior Pharmacist echo 

these sentiments. 

Suki said: “Peter was more than my line 

manager. He supported me through my 

accreditation and, helped build a new team 

in medicines information making us feel 

welcome.” 

Renate said: “Peter has been a pillar of 

the department supporting staff through 

difficult changes.” 

Peter Secrett 

29

Letters, of less than 200 words please, can be sent to the Communications Department, 

Trust Headquarters, Sandwell Hospital or by email to swb–tr.SWBH–GM–Heartbeat@nhs.net 

YOUR RIGHT TO BE HEARD 

Smokefree should be better 

policed 

Dear Heartbeat, 

Whilst I am a strong supporter of the nonsmoking 

drive, I am less enthralled by the 

ongoing policing of the issue. 

I share an office that sits on an outside wall 

of ED where smokers gather all the time. 

Having an open window means a regular 

flow of nicotine and other herbal cigarettes 

drifting into the office and me having to step 

outside and politely ask the offenders to stop 

smoking or move off site. Thankfully most of 

the requests are met with a polite nod, and 

only the occasional unpleasant words. Can I 

ask how will further policing of smoking on 

the site be achieved and can we have a huge 

no-smoking sign about six feet high on the 

wall outside the office, or even a sprinkler 

outlet? 

Kind regards 

Dermot Reilly, City ED 

Staff smoking outside in 

uniform due to smokefree 

Dear Sir 

Whose absurd idea was this no smoking zone 

at City hospital? 

Since all smoking was banned on the hospital 

grounds we now have a situation where staff 

are sitting on the wall at the front of the 

hospital - in their uniforms in large groups 

smoking, drinking coffee and eating, leaving 

all their rubbish on the floor outside the 

hospital - including hundreds of fag ends, 

used coffee cups and empty plastic bottles. 

It also gives the impression to the general 

public that our staff have nothing better to 

do. I have also been nearly hit by discarded lit 

fag ends. 

This whole situation brings the hospital into 

disrepute and makes staff look lazy and 

reflects on non-smoking staff such as myself 

and the disgusting mess around the side of 

the hospital by A&E needs sorting. 

Non Smoking member of staff. 

Dear Colleagues 

The Trust Board took the decision on 5th 

July 2018 (the NHS 70th birthday) that the 

next anniversary of the NHS would be the 

moment our Trust sites went completely 

smoke free. We prepared for the smoking 

ban over the subsequent 12 months, by 

alerting staff, patients and visitors to the 

ban, informing them that there were 

alternatives on offer with help to quit 

and that fines would be in place for people 

who do not comply. We were well aware 

that having smoke free sites would lead to 

more people smoking across our boundaries, 

and, although unsightly, I am convinced, 

because of the large number of people who 

have told me, that the ban has encouraged 

more people to quit, giving them the best 

chance of reversing the damaging effects of 

smoking. This is a price I feel is worth paying 

to protect the health of our communities for 

the longer term. 

Our smokefree implementation has been 

praised by the national leader for public 

health in England, and many are coming to 

learn from us about our approach. 

I hope that you will continue to encourage 

your colleagues who smoke to access the 

right support that enables them to cut down 

or quit smoking that will give themselves the 

best opportunity of long-term health. 

Kind regards 

Toby Lewis, Chief Executive 

Unhelpful issuing of parking 

notices to staff 

Hi Heartbeat, 

I’m aware that spaces are short because of the 

changes and building of a new multi-storey 

carpark. However, the issuing of Parking Charge 

Notices to staff is wholly unhelpful. Especially as 

Parking Notices and are un-enforceable in law. 

When returning back to Sandwell Hospital after a 

morning QIHD meeting I was under time pressure 

to set up the outpatient department and clinic 

ready for the clinic start. 

I was unable to find a parking space and saw that 

there are deep gaps at the end of a parking bay 

where there are white hatchings for pedestrians 

only, with another car parked there already. 

While this wasn’t an official parking space my car 

wasn’t causing any obstruction. On my return 

from work I found a Parking Charge Notice. 

Now while I accept I wasn’t parked in an official 

parking space, I do work cross site several times a 

week. I do pay my monthly parking fee out of my 

wage and expected to arrive on time for work. I 

find it wholly unacceptable and quite arrogant for 

SWBH to enlist the help of a parking firm to pin 

these notices on our cars, requesting between 

£25 & £50 be paid. 

QIHD is mandatory so I have to try and park on 

return from City in the afternoon when spaces 

are few and far between. Parking in the morning 

isn’t a problem usually. It would be interesting to 

find out how many companies try to fine their 

staff while parking in a paid for car park which 

fails to supply enough spaces! 

We cannot park on the road as it is a nuisance 

for residents. I was advised not to park in New 

Square as I need to work across site and it will 

add an extra 15 minutes travel time every time I 

travel across. 

Using the Shuttle bus isn’t an option because it 

is over full at mornings and afternoons especially 

QIHD days. Needless to say I will NOT be paying 

the fine! 

Regards 

Anon 

Dear Colleague 

Thank you for your letter regarding car 

parking and the issuing of Parking Charge 

Notices (PCNs). As you point out car parking 

on our main hospital sites is under increased 

pressure at the moment due to the number 

of construction projects that are taking 

place across the trust. Additional car parking 

spaces have been introduced at City (70 

behind Summerfield House) and 250 at New 

Square. 

With regards to the issuing of PCNs; our 

security team and smoking wardens will issue 

a PCN to any vehicle that is in violation of 

our car parking policy. This includes vehicles 

parked in places that cause obstruction to 

other vehicles or pedestrians. All of the 

signage across the trust states that vehicles 

are to be parked in designated parking bays, 

and by your own admission you state that 

you weren't parked in a designated bay. As 

such, you received a correctly issued PCN. 

There is a PCN appeals process. This process 

reviews all the information submitted and 

decides whether the notice is upheld or 

revoked. Details can be found on the back of 

the issued notice. 

Regarding your point about the legality of 

PCNs I refer you to the recent judgement 

at the court of appeal in the case of Beavis 

v Parking Eye. It stated that ‘Parking on 

someone else’s land is a privilege and not a 

right to be abused’. The judgment confirms 

that parking charges which are issued are 

legally enforceable. This judgement provides 

much needed clarity for motorists who 

receive a parking charge notice. It serves 

as a significant reminder to motorists that 

when parking on private land they do so 

in accordance with the conditions that 

the landowner is entitled to place upon 

them. Motorists should always take time to 

consider signage on public or private land 

to ensure they understand and comply with 

their obligations. 

Post appeal fines that remain unpaid will 

result in the suspension of car park access 

for the individual so that that permit can be 

reassigned to someone else. 

Kind regards 

James Pollitt, Assistant Director Strategic 

Development 

30

Toby writes about… getting things done 

round here 

TobyLewis_SWBH 

TOBY’S LAST WORD 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to 

our Star Awards. This edition of Heartbeat 

is packed with comment on the ceremony 

and the teams involved. Our Employee, 

or Star, of the Week scheme kicks off in 

coming days with greater prominence. 

So please do nominate someone 

for that. We have absolutely loads of 

good practice, and extra milers, in our 

organisation and we are determined to do 

more to say thank you. Of course, these 

are precisely the projects that our weLearn 

programme, maybe through our QIHD 

posters, are trying to disseminate across our 

organisation. 

The theme of this month’s column is about 

making things happen. The Trust is a big 

place. We have almost 7,000 working here, 

and over 3,000 who have worked here 

a long time. Sometimes it can seem as if 

getting something done is like wadding 

through treacle. Sometimes it can seem as 

if you have to have worked here a while, 

and know someone who knows someone, 

to make change happen. I want to set 

out some of the ways in which you 

can influence how we work and how 

things work around here. Of course, that 

is precisely what the weConnect Pioneer 

programme is about: Teams working to 

make change happen local to them. The 

second wave of that programme is out 

to application now, so do please consider 

opting into that. 

Let’s start with the basics of change: You. 

It does not matter how long you have 

worked here, or even if you are on the 

payroll. As a student, volunteer, or 

employee, we absolutely want your 

ideas and suggestions. Most people 

who join us have worked somewhere else, 

often somewhere else in the NHS, and it 

is incredibly unlikely that that somewhere 

else did not have at least one thing better 

than our SWB version! Your line manager 

is a good place to start. Not sure who your 

line manager is? Let us know that, as your 

line manager will doing your PDR, but more 

importantly unlocks most of how change 

happens. Only met your line manager when 

you started? To be clear I am expecting 

every line manager to spend time with 

everyone in their team one to one not less 

than every month. None of us can work 

well at work without feedback. 

The Trust is organised into directorates. 

We have 23 of them. Each has a clinical 

lead and a directorate manager. Our 

corporate 7 have at least one director 

within them. The 16 clinical directorates are 

then grouped into 5 units, led by a group 

director, and supported by a director of 

nursing and of operations. That triumvirate 

sit on the Clinical Leadership Executive. The 

group directors attend the Trust’s Board. 

All of our plans, investments, risk registers, 

incidents, and complaints, are considered 

through the window of our directorates, 

our groups and our Trust. 

Often the question of getting things done 

comes down to a perception that there “is 

no money”. In the main that perception 

is complete nonsense. The Trust has its 

financial challenges, but each year we 

invest or recycle around £20m. So unless 

your idea is hugely expensive, chances 

are it is not money that stands in the 

way. Often ideas stall because of time; 

competing pressures or just the time to 

get things moving. That is why we have 

invested in Quality Improvement Half Days 

to create ring-fenced time to take forward 

ideas, talk about them, share them and 

make choices about them. 

But time matters in another way – timing. 

The NHS works, and the Trust is no 

different, on a cycle. In November and 

December 2019 and in January 2020, 

plans are being made for April 2020 

to March 2021. In fact in our Trust we try 

and create a two year cycle – taking us to 

Midland Met, or thereabouts. It is in this 

cycle that we decide on things like: 

• How to spend our ring-fenced training 

budget 

• How to prioritise clinical equipment 

bids, both big and small 

• Which new jobs and roles and services 

we plan to create for the future 

• How to move money from one team to 

another or one expenditure to another 

• Where to put service improvement 

resources to support teams to deliver 

• How to deliver our Quality Plan, and 

other elements of our 2020 vision. 

That does not mean if your great idea 

misses that window all is lost, but it does 

explain why I am writing this in this edition 

of Heartbeat. Your directorate and group 

teams have huge budgets and support. 

They absolutely can make in-year decisions 

after April, especially if the team itself is in 

budget and inside establishment. But if 

you have a great idea now is definitely 

the time to be pressing it once again 

on your local management team, and I 

very much hope they are asking you for 

your ideas. 

Now, we spend a lot of time asking for 

ideas. Incident reports generate ideas and 

action. The risk register is absolutely central 

to how the Board and other committees 

work. Your feedback in weConnect, or in 

the current anonymous NHS staff survey, 

does drive decision making. The chairman 

will be determined to hold the executive 

to account for why changes are made 

and how they respond to these feedback 

loops, or those of Freedom to Speak up 

Guardians. Our trade union colleagues 

campaigned for many years on the 

issue of band 2 and band 3 jobs, and 

effective October 1st 2019 we have put 

in place a skills and pay escalator that 

allows individuals to progress in clinical 

areas from one to the other role. It’s a 

big place, SWBH, or SWB NHS, and it is easy 

to have your voice feel like it is echoing, or 

is met by a sense that nothing ever changes 

round here. Sometimes things change too 

slowly, or too quickly. But you absolutely 

can make a difference. 

If you have been scanning this article for a 

reference to Unity here it is. If you want to know 

how to change Unity, take a look at page 9. 

Reducing our reliance on single 

use plastics 

We need your help 

We are asking colleagues to collect 

empty crisp packets at work instead of 

throwing them into the general waste 

bins. You can collect in any receptacle 

(ideally re-use an empty cardboard box) 

then send to the estates department at 

City or Sandwell Hospital labelled ‘crisp 

packets for recycling’. 

Why are we recycling our empty crisp 

packets? 

Terracycle will collect the empty crisp 

packets free of charge and recycle 

them. The Trust receives points (the 

more crisp packets we send, the 

more points we receive) and these can 

be redeemed into financial donations 

to charity 

It reduces the amount of general 

waste we generate (and the 

associated costs) 

It’s the right thing to do 

environmentally. 

31

What's on - November 2019 

EVENT DATE TIME VENUE 

Learning Disability Conference 6 8am – 4pm Wolfson Lecture Theatre, City Hospital 

Trust Board 7 9.30am – 1pm 

QIHD 14 Morning session Trust-wide 

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, 

Edgbaston 

Clinical Leadership Executive 26 2pm – 5pm Conference Room, Education Centre 

Team Talk 27 

TRUST-WIDE EVENTS 

11am 

1pm 

WELLBEING EVENTS DATE TIME VENUE 

Rowley Regis Hospital 

City and Sandwell Hospitals 

Experiencing Grief and Loss 5 10am – 1pm The Berridge room, Sandwell Hospital 

Introduction to Mindfulness 14 10am – 1pm The Berridge room, Sandwell Hospital 

Sleep Hygiene and Relaxation 19 10am – 1pm The Berridge room, Sandwell Hospital 

Suicide Awareness 28 10am – 1pm Surgical Skills Room, Postgrad, City Hospital 

Closing date for weconnect Pioneer Team applications 4 

Black History Month – Desert Island Discs 6 

Pioneer team wave 1 surveys distributed 11 

World Antibiotic Awareness Week 11 

World Diabetes Day 14 

12 hour dance-a-thon 15 

National NHS Staff Survey closes 29 

Essential training workshop for charitable funds 29 

DATE 

Your Trust Charity 

Carol Concert 

‘Bringing our community together’ 

Join us at All Saints Church, All Saints Way, West Bromwich B71 1RU for our first charity 

carol concert and evening of festivities, raising funds for Your Trust Charity ‘Sing it Better 

appeal’ and our Chaplaincy Service. 

On Wednesday 4th December, we will be joined by local schools and choirs to 

welcome in the festive season. 

Doors open @ 5.30pm 

Concert starts @ 6.00pm 

Tickets are available from the link below 

https://ytccarolconcert2019.eventbrite.co.uk 

or from 

amanda.winwood@nhs.net donna.mighty@nhs.net 

For more information, please email 

trustcharity@nhs.net or call 0121 507 4847 

**Please note you will still need to order your free ticket but will not be charged when 

placing your order 

Tickets cost £10 for adults, free for under 16s** Refreshments will be available.

Heartbeat October 2019

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