HEARTBEAT October 2020

October 2020 

Sandwell and West Birmingham 

NHS Trust 

The pulse of community health, Leasowes, Rowley Regis, City Hospital, Sandwell General and the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital 

Issue 134 

Inclusion Day brings equality and 

diversity to the forefront Page 3 

Richard Samuda, Trust Chairman, Frieza Mahmood, Joint Acting Director of People and OD, Donna Mighty, Chair BME Staff 

Network and Andrew Mould, Chair Disability and Long Term Conditions Staff Network were panelists for our first Inclusion 

Day which saw them answer questions from colleagues across our organisation. 

R&D push forward with 

exciting trials in the 

battle against COVID-19 

Page 5 

weAssure you 

are ready for an 

inspection 

Page 9 

Dr Sarb Clare 

honoured with 

an MBE 

Page 11 

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! 

The flu jab 

Pages 16 & 17

Welcome to your October 

edition of Heartbeat. 

This month we have lots of 

exciting news to share with 

you. Take a peek inside to find 

out all about our ABBA inspired 

flu campaign, and we look at 

Speak Up Month 2020. 

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 

swbh.comms@nhs.net 

HELLO 

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: 

FROM THE CHAIR 

Celebrating our differences and diversity 

It has been great to see the promotion 

across the Trust for Black History Month 

and I enjoyed taking part in our virtual 

Inclusion Day on 19 October. I was struck 

by the number of people who took part 

as well as the range of views and ideas 

that came forwards. The diversity of our 

organisation is a fantastic feature that we 

must celebrate and ensure that we continue 

to evolve. I heard people talk passionately 

about the need to create a more inclusive 

organisation, both for our staff and 

volunteers as well as for our patients. 

Our November Trust Board meeting will 

be discussing this really important matter 

and we will look to have assurance over 

proactive plans going forwards. The 

disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on 

people from different backgrounds makes 

this even more of a priority at this time. 

If you weren’t able to take part in the day 

I would urge you to look at the films that 

were made of the main speaker sessions. 

The guest speakers had inspiring and 

challenging stories to tell that can both 

deepen our own understanding and provide 

guidance on what we can put in place to 

change our Trust for the better. 

I also want to pay tribute to our staff 

network chairs and vice-chairs who are 

working hard to hear views from across the 

organisation and take ideas forwards. Lots 

of people are part of our staff networks for 

disability, BAME and LGBTQ+ and there is 

always more opportunity for others to get 

involved. All the details are available on our 

intranet site, Connect, so do make contact 

and see how you can join the growing 

group of colleagues sharing ideas and 

challenging the Trust to make a difference. 

It is clear that there is much we have done 

and are doing to further develop inclusion 

and celebrate diversity. Feedback also 

highlights areas where our efforts have 

been less joined up than they should have 

been and not embedded in all parts of our 

organisation. 

I recognise that speaking up about 

occasions where you have experienced or 

observed prejudice can be uncomfortable 

but I want to encourage you to do so. Our 

Non-Executive Director lead for speaking 

up, Lesley Writtle, is looking with colleagues 

at the speak up culture we have here and 

seeing how we can continue to enhance 

both the opportunities to speak up as well 

as the ease of speaking up, and ensuring 

that action is taken as a result. 

Through speaking up and listening up, as 

referenced in this month’s QIHD shared 

learning topic, with a positive, pro-active 

response to those who have raised concerns 

we can create a safer and healthier place to 

work. 

Richard Samuda, Trust Chairman 

Chairman, Richard Samuda

Inclusion Day gives colleagues 

opportunity to speak and be heard 

Monday 19 October saw us hold our 

first Inclusion Day – a virtual event that 

included a Q&A panel and a series of 

talks. 

Kicking off the event was an ‘Ask the Panel 

Event’ chaired by Nick Bellis, HR Business 

Partner and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 

Lead. The panel consisted of: 

• Richard Samuda, Trust Chairman 

• Frieza Mahmood, Joint Acting 

Director of People and OD 

• Donna Mighty, Chair BME Staff 

Network 

• Andrew Mould, Chair Disability and 

Long Term Conditions Staff Network. 

The event was also a chance for colleagues 

to hear from external speakers around the 

topics of disability, trans awareness and 

inclusion. 

Speakers on the day included: 

• Dean Eales from AccessAble who 

develop detailed access guides to places 

for those with mobility needs. The Trust 

has partnered with them to provide access 

guides to our sites, departments and wards 

so that patients, visitors and staff can check 

out accessibility before arriving. The aim 

of the project is to help alleviate anxiety 

when visiting the hospital, as a patient 

you are likely to be anxious about your 

appointment, but imagine also worrying 

about whether the service you need is 

accessible or not. Find out more 

www.AccessAble.co.uk 

• Nesta Williams, a leading consultant 

in equality and engagement. Nesta’s 

work supports organisations such as 

Health Education England, Royal College 

of Nursing, and NHS England and NHS 

Improvement. Through her commitment 

to equality and inclusivity, Nesta developed 

the HEARTS© to Hearts leadership 

model - 6 steps to sustainable leadership, 

organisational transformation, employee 

engagement, equality, diversity, civility and 

inclusion and is a member of the working 

group, Coalition for Action on Racial Equity 

& Justice (CAREJ). 

• Katie Neeves, who shared her own 

journey on being transgender. Katie formed 

Cool2BTrans to support and inspire other 

trans people and also to educate the 

general public on trans issues. She helps 

organisations with diversity and inclusion 

by providing trans awareness training in an 

entertaining way by using her infectious 

sense of humour. Find out more https:// 

cool2btrans.co.uk/katies-blog/ 

Heartbeat caught with Nick Bellis, who 

told us: “It was fantastic that we were 

COVID-19 

able to bring a wide variety of people 

together who were able to share their 

experiences. 

“The feedback from colleagues and the 

questions they raised will really help 

inform our work and potentially revise 

our equality, diversity and inclusion 

plans going forward. There was a clear 

message that colleagues want to be 

able to speak and be heard and for 

any actions to be shared more widely. 

There is also certainly a need to resource 

the work we are doing with equality, 

diversity and inclusion, therefore a paper 

will go to December’s Board looking at 

how we achieve that given the number 

of actions we need to deliver. 

“We have a big equality, diversity and 

inclusion agenda over the coming year 

as we continue to strive to be a more 

inclusive health provider and employer. 

The plan is to run a quarterly event and 

would welcome ideas of the issues to 

cover in future events.” 

For further information or to give 

your ideas email estelle.hickman@ 

nhs.net. 

Engagement score goes up in latest 

weConnect survey 

connec 

“There are however some concerning 

comments and some frustrations that 

colleagues have expressed. As you know, 

responses to the survey are anonymous 

and therefore we can’t track comments to 

certain departments or directorates, but we 

can see what we can do as a Trust about 

things that don’t seem right. 

Understanding how teams and 

individuals feel about their role and 

their work within our Trust is vital 

and we have recently received the 

results from the latest quarterly 

weConnect survey that asked 

one quarter of our organisation a 

number of questions relating to 

morale, influence and advocacy. 

The good news is our overall 

engagement score has gone up slightly 

to 3.96 (out of 5) and we aspire to 

reach a sore of 4.0 so we are very close 

to achieving that goal. The directorates 

included in this quarterly survey were 

admitted care, nursing services, imaging, 

community medicine, system transformation, 

paediatrics and ophthalmology. 

Acting Chief Executive, David Carruthers 

said: “Thank you to everyone who completed 

the survey. It is clear that many of you feel 

very positively about your role and how 

the Trust has supported you during the 

pandemic. People have reported positively 

about the quality of care that is available here 

and whether you would recommend this 

organisation to family and friends. 

“Some comments reflected a lack of 

equal opportunity for colleagues from all 

backgrounds which is something I am keen 

to see addressed. The Inclusion Day in 

October was a good way for people to raise 

issues and ideas. It was also a good way 

to learn about the experiences of people 

from different backgrounds, whose stories 

were powerful and thought-provoking. Do 

get in touch with our staff network chairs, 

with Frieza Mahmood, Nick Bellis or Estelle 

Hickman if you want to get involved.” 

You can read the weConnect survey 

report on Connect. 

3

A labour of love 

COVID-19 

With so much going on in the world, 

it’s easy to overlook the positives. 

We’ve all become used to dealing 

with multiple tasks at once as we 

juggle everything 2020 has had 

to throw at us. One person that 

knows what it can be like balancing 

priorities is our very own Infection 

Prevention and Control Nurse 

Advisor, Gemma Charles. 

At the start of 2020, Gemma found 

out that she was going to take on a 

whole new chapter in her life as a new 

mum. As the Coronavirus pandemic 

began to unfold, she saw first hand the 

nervousness of expectant mums who 

were unsure of what pregnancy would 

be like during a pandemic. She told us: 

“My experience as an inpatient has been 

extremely positive. I began this journey 

in antenatal at the start of 2020 and, 

nine months later, I have given birth 

Baby Dawson with mum, Gemma Charles 

to my daughter, Dawson, on the serenity 

suite at City Hospital. Every member of staff 

I encountered was a credit to the Trust. I 

can’t speak highly enough of my experience, 

especially in the situation we find ourselves in 

at the moment.” 

After giving birth, Gemma had to return to 

the hospital. She recalled: “My encounters 

with colleagues extended beyond the birth of 

Dawson. I had to visit accident and emergency 

as she became unwell after returning 

home. She was transferred to Lyndon 1 

at Sandwell where all of the staff were 

fantastic - they couldn’t have done enough 

for us. She was an inpatient for two nights 

there. When we returned home, we had 

visitors from midwives and health visitors 

who were incredibly helpful.” 

Gemma added: “I have worked for the 

Trust for ten years and I was a student here 

before that for three years. I can honestly 

say the care we have received on every 

step of this journey has been outstanding. 

It made me feel very proud to work for 

the organisation. In a time where a lot is 

uncertain, I felt very safe and secure in the 

hands of colleagues and within the Trust. 

Thank you to everyone that has helped me 

along the way.” 

Helen Hurst, Director of Midwifery 

commented: “We are delighted that 

Gemma has shared her positive experience 

with us. We strive to deliver woman, baby 

and family centred care of the highest 

quality. We value feedback from our ladies 

and families as they are integral to shaping 

our service.” 

Book of memories comes together 

As we move through the second 

wave of COVID-19, colleagues 

have been sharing their stories 

and memories of the first wave, 

when we braced ourselves for the 

unknown and turned to each other 

for support. 

The stories are now being pulled 

together into a book of our memories 

and colleagues can share their stories for 

inclusion in the book. You do not have 

to be a writer - the comms team will 

work with you to produce your editorial. 

All you need to do is tell us you are 

interested in being part of the project. 

If you know of a colleague who would 

be keen to take part, you can nominate 

them and, we’ll do the rest. We plan 

for the book to be a lasting reminder of 

the year and a valued piece of our Trust 

history. 

To give you a flavour of the content, 

here we read a snippet of Clinical 

Endoscopist Warren Chapman’s story as 

he recalls how he was torn when his son 

who had returned from a teaching role 

in Beijing started talking about returning 

to China. 

He explained: “When I first became aware 

of COVID 19, last December I had a sense of 

relief; my son had been working as a teacher 

in Beijing but had recently come back to the 

UK. However, as we went into February, he 

started talking about returning to China. I 

was naturally worried, but then as COVID-19 

seemed to be heading this way anyway, I 

encouraged him to return, which he did 

in early March. I think he made the right 

choice!” 

Then after volunteering to move into critical 

care, Warren found a sense of camaraderie 

with his new work colleagues, as he explains: 

“I was impressed with the autonomy and skills 

of my ITU nursing colleagues and, I enjoyed 

finding out more about their roles. It was also 

good to talk with the other staff that had 

been redeployed and find out about their 

usual jobs. Of course, as I’ve worked in the 

Trust over so many years, I saw a lot of people 

I knew already and, it was good to renew old 

friendships.” 

You’ll be able to read Warren’s full story next 

year on publication of the book, and if you’d 

like to join him in print as a lasting reminder 

of how we worked during the pandemic 

please contact Vanya Rogers, Head of External 

Communications, by email at 

vanya.rogers@nhs.net. 

Warren Chapman - Clinical Endoscopist 

4

Trust leads the way with vital 

COVID-19 research 

David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive joins SIREN 

By Gina Dutton, Head of Research and 

Development 

Our organisation continues to open 

new urgent public health studies and 

we now have projects recruiting in all 

main areas of the Trust, from primary 

care through to critical care. We 

have different types of studies from 

observational data, through point of 

care testing to complex treatment trials. 

PRINCIPLE is recruiting patients in primary 

care, this includes staff members who fall 

ill with suspected COVID and meet the 

eligibility criteria which are anyone over 

65 or over 50 with an underlying health 

condition. The study is currently evaluating 

usual care vs two different antibiotics, so 

if you take part you may be asked to take 

azithromycin or doxycycline or continue 

with usual care. You can sign up via your 

GP if you are a patient of Your Health 

Partnership or via the website if you are not 

www.principletrial.org/participants/how-tojoin-the-trial 

Within the hospitals we have a number 

of studies. REMAP-CAP, predominantly 

from ITU and RECOVERY, wards and ITU, 

are examples of complex platform studies 

which can be quickly adapted to respond to 

results. RECOVERY has now recruited more 

13,000 patients nationally and is publishing 

results and changing current practice, with 

the introduction of dexamethasone into 

standard of care. Our Trust is making a 

substantial contribution to this research. For 

example, we have recruited more patients 

into REMAP-CAP than any other trust in the 

West Midlands and the second highest in 

the country. This study, led in the Trust by Dr 

Jonathan Hulme, is particularly complex and 

involves multiple teams, which makes this 

recruitment rate a particular achievement. 

The SIREN study has now recruited 246 

staff members in the Trust, but we are still 

recruiting new participants. Can you help us 

get to 500? To participate you need to be 

based in an area where there are patients, you 

PREVENTION & 

TESTING 

SIREN 

AMBULATORY CARE 

(GP, OPD &ED) 

PRINCIPLE 

ATOMIC 2 

FALCON 

Current COVID portfolio 

PANCOVID 

COVID-19 

WARD CRITICAL CARE RECOVERY 

PACE 

PSO PROTECTOR 

Our current COVID-19 portfolio of research 

do not need to be in a care role, and 

be willing to have a regular swab and 

antibody test. You do get the results of 

your test. 

The overall aim of this study is to 

determine if previous COVID-19 

infection in healthcare workers confers 

future immunity from having the 

infection again. If you are interested 

in taking part place register on the 

R&D Connect page. We are aware 

that there are lots of colleagues who 

do not have easy access to Connect, 

so you can print the poster and form 

and pass to colleagues to who can’t 

respond electronically. Email swbh. 

randd.staffresearch@nhs.net for posters, 

printable forms and more information. 

At present the Trust is not recruiting 

patients to any vaccine studies. This 

is because, with the exception of the 

very early testing phases, these studies 

tend to run out of community spaces. 

The West Midlands Clinical Research 

Network is taking a regional approach 

and vaccine studies are opening at 

Birmingham Airport, Wolverhampton 

and Midlands Partnership Trust. If you 

would like to take part in a vaccine study 

you can register your interest at https:// 

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronaviruscovid-19/research/coronavirus-vaccineresearch/ 

RECOVERY 

TACTIC-R 

ILIAD-7 

ISARIC/CCP 

UKOSS 

REMAP-CAP 

GenoMICC 

Neonatal Complications of Coronavirus Disease 

(COVID-19) Study 

BATS 

Staff as participants 

Treatment trial 

No consent-data only 

Observational/sampling study 

5

COVID-19_MEDIUMINFECTION_MS6251 

Face visor 

Disposable 

gloves 

FFP3 

Long 

sleeved 

gown 

Scrubs 

Fluid 

resistant 

surgical 

face mask 

Disposable 

apron 

Face 

visor 

Disposable 

gloves 

This does not mean that in COVID ward areas this protection 

must be worn all the time or by all entrants 

Face visor 

Disposable 

gloves 

FFP3 

Long 

sleeved 

gown 

COVID-19_HIGHINFECTION_MS6163 

COVID-19 classification changes: 

Farewell to Lilac 

COVID-19 

Please note: If you require new IPC classification posters for your area they can be 

collected from Medical Illustration at City or the Communications Office, Trinity House, 

Ground Floor, Corridor A at Sandwell. 

In response to the changing environment and as we experience 

a significant upswing in numbers of COVID-19 positive patients 

needing our care, we have made the decision to close our Lilac 

stream and revert to Green, Amber and Red wards to ensure we 

can provide safe care for every patient, bringing us fully into line 

with general NHS classifications. 

Green Areas: These are 

areas of low risk where 

patients have been 

self-isolating prior to 

attending or may have 

had a negative COVID-19 

swab result. 

Please ensure you wear 

the correct PPE in this area. 

Fluid 

resistant 

surgical 

face mask 

Disposable 

apron 

GREEN 

AREA 

Handwashing 

Social distancing 

Sandwell and 

West Birmingham 

Disposable 

gloves 

NHS Trust 

This reflects the fact that we are seeing a 

high number of asymptomatic COVID-19 

positive patients in Amber areas and will 

help improve safety with improved flow 

from our busy ED and AMU departments. 

All Lilac wards have now become Amber, 

with all Lilac COVID positive patients 

moving into Red streams. Every patient left 

in our Amber wards will be risk assessed 

and where there is a suspicion of COVID 

being present they will be nursed in an 

appropriate environment while rapid testing 

swab results are awaited. 

What the closure of Lilac wards means 

for you is that it is essential you follow 

infection prevention and control policy and 

procedures strictly to the letter, ensuring 

at all times you adhere to the correct PPE 

for the area you are in. Enhanced PPE is 

available for any colleague whose risk 

assessment requires it. To remind you 

of your obligations see the guidance on 

Connect. 

David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive 

told Heartbeat: “To ensure that all 

colleagues understand and are applying 

the policy correctly, we will be auditing 

COVID-19_GREENAREA_MS6263 

Amber Areas: Formerly 

our blue wards, as you 

can see by the poster 

below nothing has 

changed in terms of PPE 

or swabbing for these 

areas. It just unifies our 

classifications with those 

nationally. 

Sandwell and 


NHS Trust 

MEDIUM RISK 

INFECTION 

AREA 

Please ensure you wear 

the correct PPE in this area. 

Fluid 

resistant 

surgical 

face mask 

Disposable 

apron 

Disposable 

gloves 

Red Areas: These remain 

and represent high risk 

areas where patients 

with confirmed cases 

of COVID-19 are being 

treated or, alternatively, 

where aerosol generating 

procedures are being 

undertaken. 

Sandwell and 


HIGH 

INFECTION 

RISK AREA 

NHS Trust 

Please ensure you wear the correct PPE in 

this area. Within red areas different staff 

will wear different PPE at different times 

with different patients. 

Aerosol 

Generating 

Procedure (AGP) 

COVID-19 suspected 

or confirmed or not 

been screened 

for symptoms 

Close care of +COVID-19 

patients where rapid 

deterioration 

is likely 

Hand washing Hand washing Hand washing 

compliance through the use of spot checks, 

as we are taking an extremely firm line 

on the appropriate use of PPE within our 

buildings, social distancing whilst at work 

and regular handwashing. 

“We expect all colleagues to comply with 

our PPE policies, that includes wearing 

masks in all Trust buildings and being 

socially distanced from one another. There 

is no such thing as a “work bubble”. Any 

repeated breach of our PPE guidelines will 

result in disciplinary action. We are sorry to 

have to take such a strong line on this but 

we owe it to each other and to our patients 

to do the right thing to protect each other 

and ourselves.” 

To provide added assurance around our 

Lilac/Amber ward changes, all inpatients 

(with exceptions including children under 

the age of 12, patients with dementia or 

anyone with a medical or psychological 

reason who is unable to) will be asked to 

wear a fluid resistant surgical face mask 

while they are out of bed for any reason, 

including sitting in a chair at their own 

bedside. Ward colleagues are encouraged 

to promote patient hand hygiene as well. 

“The reason for this is because of the 

rising number of asymptomatic patients 

that we are finding through our screening 

procedure,” added David. “We simply must 

make every effort to provide as safe an 

environment as we can within our Trust. 

We will provide masks for patients which 

will be distributed to them along with an 

information leaflet on their admission to the 

ward.” 

A flow diagram for the escalation process is 

available on Connect. 

David continued: “Due to the high and 

increasing rate of community infection, 

we must do all we can to reduce infection 

transmission and infection in staff. We are 

therefore asking colleagues in non-clinical 

areas within our Trust – such as offices like 

those at Trust HQ and Trinity House, as 

well as other ‘separate’ areas off the main 

hospital blocks - to wear a mask at all times 

(where there is more than one person in a 

room). This is irrespective of and in addition 

to social distancing measures currently in 

place. Guidance has been produced in the 

form of a Q&A sheet which is available on 

Connect." 

How to wear your mask 

We have all seen people wear masks in 

an incorrect manner – sometimes even 

in truly bizarre ways. It is inevitable with 

the changes above that patients will need 

reminding of this, as well as colleagues. 

The instruction here is simple – your mask 

should cover your mouth and your nose. 

See our ‘dos and don’ts’ graphic below: 

6

Director of Public Health gets candid 

about COVID-19 

Lisa McNally - Director of Public Health, 

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 

Lisa McNally is the Director of the Public 

Health for Sandwell. As we all know the 

borough has been put under additional 

restrictions following a surge in positive 

COVID-19 cases. 

Here, she answers some of our questions 

about COVID-19 in the borough. 

Q 

Have there been any 

common traits to the 

infection hot spots that 

people should look out 

for? 

A 

Any 

Q 

What 

A 

We’ve 

areas with high rates of 

deprivation are vulnerable, 

particularly if there are 

also lots of large, multigenerational 

households. 

Transmission within 

households and extended 

families are drivers of the 

pandemic in our area. 

has been the 

feedback from the people 

of Sandwell been during 

this pandemic? 

had a positive 

response from our local 

community. For example, 

voluntary sector groups 

have been at the heart of 

our pandemic response, as 

have faith groups, school 

communities and, of course, 

local health and social care 

staff. Thousands of people 

are all playing their part 

in getting us through this 

pandemic. 

Q 

How 

A 

Local 

Q 

Sandwell 

A 

As 

Q 

What 

A 

Remind 

can people find the 

latest information and 

guidance on any local 

restrictions? 

restrictions are set by 

central government. Whenever 

they make a change to the 

restrictions affecting Sandwell, 

we’ll provide guidance and 

advice on them. The latest 

information is on our website 

at www.sandwell.gov.uk/ 

coronavirus. We have a specific 

webpage on the Government 

restrictions at www.sandwell. 

gov.uk/localrestrictions 

and its 

surrounding 

areas continue to features as 

a region with high infection 

rates. How seriously should 

this be taken? 

a densely populated and 

economically deprived area, 

Sandwell is vulnerable to high 

infection rates. Currently, we 

have lower rates than many 

areas with the same level of 

deprivation. However, we 

should still be concerned, 

especially as we move into 

winter. Our Public Health 

COVID-19 cell is operating 

seven days a week to make 

sure that we react quickly to 

any outbreaks and stop them 

escalating. 

recommendations 

would you make to readers 

to help get the message out? 

anyone who will listen 

to you that we are all in this 

together. If someone decides 

that they can't be bothered 

to stay home if they have 

symptoms, or that people don't 

need to social distance, then 

they are making a decision 

for everyone around them. 

Be an advocate for personal 

responsibility and lead by 

example. It could well save a 

life. 

COVID-19 

Q 

What's 

A 

Winter 

Q 

Sandwell 

A 

It 

the biggest 

threat we have with 

COVID-19 right now? 

What more needs to be 

done? 

is coming. Our 

NHS and social care 

services are usually put 

under pressure every 

winter. So, coping with 

the additional demand 

from COVID-19 will be 

a significant challenge. 

Everyone in Sandwell has a 

role in protecting our NHS 

and social care services 

by following COVID-19 

guidance and doing their 

best to avoid spreading 

infection – especially to 

older or other clinically 

vulnerable people. 

has chosen 

to lead the way with 

local ‘Test and Trace’, 

why did you think such 

a move was necessary? 

How have the people of 

Sandwell responded to 

this move? 

was important to 

increase the proportion of 

people who, after testing 

positive, were successfully 

reached by Test and Trace. 

We did this by setting up 

our own local contact 

tracing service staffed by 

local professionals. We 

focused on making sure 

we offered the service in 

the range of languages 

spoken in Sandwell 

and also on ensuring 

accessibility for people 

with no internet access. 

It increased Sandwell’s 

contact tracing success 

significantly and, now we 

are helping many others 

in England set up a similar 

operation. 

7

Record number of entries for 

weLearn poster contest 

COVID-19 

We have received whopping 97 

submissions for this year’s quality 

improvement poster competition – 

the most entries during the contest’s 

three-year history. 

Library and Knowledge Services 

Manager, Preeti Puligari, told us: “We 

are delighted to receive so many entries, 

particularly, as colleagues have been 

so busy dealing with the pandemic. 

It’s fantastic to see so many teams 

come forward to share their quality 

improvements. 

“So much innovation takes place at our 

Trust leading to a positive impact on the 

patient experience. This competition 

encourages colleagues to share their 

good practice, shout about their 

improvements and help spread the 

change across our organisation.” 

The poster competition allows colleagues 

to share their innovative work to a 

panel of experts, explain their processes 

and show the impact, all through the 

medium of a poster - with a grand prize 

of £5,000 up for grabs for the best 

project poster. 

QIHD poster competition winner and runners up 2019 

This year’s entries are now being designed by 

the medical illustration team. 

“Alongside the judges, colleagues also have 

the opportunity to have their say and will 

be able to vote online for their favourites 

from 16 November through to midday on 27 

November,” added Preeti. “Voting forms will 

be available on Connect and posters will be 

displayed in the Education Centre at Sandwell 

and on our digital displays across the rest of 

the Trust.” 

Teams with shortlisted posters will be 

invited to an awards ceremony at the 

Education Centre on 3 December. Teams 

will also record a one minute video on their 

project to share at the awards ceremony. 

If you would like to find out more 

about the poster competition, contact 

the weLearn team via email swbh. 

welearnposters@nhs.net 

NHS National Staff Survey 

– take part for a chance to 

win £££ 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; 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. 

8

weAssure you are ready for an 

inspection 

Part of our weAssure quality 

improvement programme, our 

Trust wide series of in-house 

unannounced inspection visits 

is progressing well, with visits 

scheduled to take place each week 

across all sites. 

The visits are undertaken by groups of 

multi-disciplinary colleagues at all levels. 

Heartbeat caught up with one of our 

in-house inspectors, Matron, Amanda 

Green who told us of her experiences. 

Amanda Green, In-house Inspector 

Why did you volunteer to become 

an in-house inspector? 

I am passionate about ensuring our 

patients receive a high quality, safe 

service and that they are given the 

opportunity to feedback on their 

experiences. It is also important that 

colleagues become comfortable with 

discussing issues including aspects 

of care, identification of risks and 

incidents. 

How many inspections have you 

done so far? 

Just one so far, however, I have two 

others planned. 

How many inspectors take part in 

each visit? 

It’s usually three inspectors per area. 

For instance in the visit that I recently 

took part in; one spoke to the senior 

sister, one to patients/relatives one to 

and to staff. Also, we all observed the 

environmental aspects. 

Do you have a specific role in the 

inspection? What is it? 

I spoke to the patients for feedback 

following a list of key questions such as 

‘do you know the name of the nurse 

looking after you today’ and ‘have any 

plans for discharge been discussed with 

you?’ 

Explain the process of inspection. 

We met in the education centre for a 

briefing by Claire Hubbard and Ruth 

Spencer when the process of inspection 

was explained and we were split into 

two teams. We attended the ward once 

a leader and duties had been allocated. 

The inspection starts the minute you 

enter the ward in respect to how we 

were welcomed, whether the area 

looked clean and tidy etc. We then 

introduced ourselves to the nurse in 

charge and proceeded with our duties. 

Once the inspection was completed we 

fed back to the nurse in charge and 

then met back for group feedback in 

the education centre. 

What have you found during the 

inspections? 

Patients were overwhelmingly positive 

in respect of care given and felt staff 

were kind and caring, however it was 

CORPORATE AND GENERAL 

NEWS 

clear that some colleagues were not 

comfortable with being questioned 

and were afraid of being seen to be 

giving a wrong answer. 

How have colleagues reacted to 

you? 

Colleagues have been very 

welcoming although apprehensive 

of what is expected as the process is 

new to them. 

What should teams expect from 

inspections? 

All aspects of the service provided 

will be discussed; inspectors are not 

there to catch anyone out. There are 

however key aspects of care such as 

vulnerable adults/safeguarding that 

all staff should be aware of. 

Any top tips to help teams do 

well? 

Sell the positives of what you do 

well in your area and don't be afraid 

to say what's not going so well. As 

inspectors we welcome but do not 

expect perfection, we need staff to 

be able to discuss any issues in the 

area and be able to articulate what 

is happening to rectify or mitigate 

these issues. Be open and honest. 

It is expected that the in-house 

inspections will become part of 

our ‘business as usual’ approach 

to quality and safety. If you 

would like to become involved 

contact: 

Ruth Spencer on 07970 993948 

or email ruth.spencer10@nhs.net 

ssure 

9

Speaking up and being heard 


NEWS 

Speaking up, voicing your concerns, 

being candid and being heard, 

they’re all key principles of an 

open and honest organisation 

which works hard to empower and 

encourage colleagues to have a 

voice. Where historically there may 

have been a culture of compliance 

in the NHS, there now stands an 

overwhelming level of support for 

speaking up. 

In healthcare especially, the formal 

hierarchy of roles, bandings and 

responsibilities could be intimidating, 

with junior colleagues feeling they 

need to conform and comply, blend 

in and back down. This, however, can 

lead to dangerous environments where 

compromises in teamwork can quickly 

lead to compromising quality and safety 

of care. 

This October, we have been celebrating 

Speak Up Month, in our organisation 

and across the NHS. It has been an 

opportunity to pause and ponder why 

speaking up can be so powerful and 

why every colleague in the NHS must be 

empowered and supported to not only 

speak up but to be heard. 

Speak Up Month was launched by 

the National Guardians Office as an 

opportunity to highlight the work of 

Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardians 

and to further establish the duty of 

speaking up as ‘business as usual’. Every 

NHS Trust in the country must have a 

FTSU Guardian; however, at our Trust as a 

testament to our support for speaking up, 

we have appointed six. 

To find out more about Speak Up Month, 

Heartbeat caught up with Capital Equipping 

Manager and Freedom to Speak Up 

Guardian, Ian Galligan. He said: “This 

month, you might have seen the Speak 

Up alphabet shared across our Trust, with 

colleagues highlighting why speaking up 

is important to them. Our job is to take 

all of the elements that colleagues have 

highlighted and to embed them in the way 

each one of us works so that speaking up 

becomes second nature, something that 

we’re all happy to do and something that is 

supported without any risk of retribution. 

“The FTSU guardians are here to offer 

support and advice to colleagues who 

speak up. We are also here as a point of 

call if you feel that patient safety is being 

compromised. The team are not here to 

pass judgment or investigate issues, we're 

just here to empower, support and ensure 

that issues are addressed and ultimately 

resolved. 

How you can speak up 

Through your line manager - we would 

always encourage that your line manager 

is the first person that you speak to if you 

see something that concerns you and gets 

Meet our Speak Up leads 

For more information go to: 

www.nationalguardian.org.uk 

in the way of providing good care. 

However, we know that this is not 

always possible. 

Staff networks - we have a number of 

networks who can support colleagues to 

speak up. The networks will be working 

alongside the guardians to help to 

identify any concerns or worries that we 

need to support. 

BME Network: swb-tr.SWBH-GM- 

EqualityDiversity@nhs.net 

LGBTQ+ Network: swbh.lgbt@nhs.net 

Disability and Long Term Conditions; 

swbh.dlt@nhs.net 

The chaplaincy - we are fortunate to 

have a visible and supportive multi faith 

chaplaincy team that are happy to be 

contacted to help support our speak up 

options. Please feel free to contact Mary 

Causer on mary.causer@nhs.net, should 

you wish to talk to one of the chaplaincy 

team. 

Safecall - safe call is a company, 

completely detached from the NHS, 

who provides a fully confidential speak 

up option for the organisation. Their 24 

phone number is 0800 915 1571. 

There are many other ways to speak 

up, see Connect for further info. 

Kathy French, Interim Chief Nurse - 

Executive Lead for Speak Up and has a 

strategic overview of our processes. 

You can contact Kathy on kathleen. 

french1@nhs.net 

Claire Hubbard, Deputy Director of 

Governance, Knowledge and Learning 

- Claire has been leading on the review 

of our current speak up processes and is 

supporting changes in line with current 

national guidance and best practice 

recommendations. You can contact Claire 

on claire.hubbard2@nhs.net 

swbh.ftsuguardians@nhs.net 

Lesley Writtle, Non-Executive Director 

for Speak Up - Lesley is responsible for 

ensuring we have good standards regarding 

the freedom to speak up. 

10

Frontline medic receives MBE in 

Queen’s Birthday honours list 

Dr Sarb Clare who has been awarded an MBE 

Congratulations to Dr Sarb Clare who 

has been awarded an MBE for her 

dedication throughout the pandemic. 

The doctor was recognised in the 

Queen’s Birthday Honours List for 

her service to the NHS and leadership 

during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr Sarb Clare, who is responsible for setting 

up the acute medicine department at City 

Hospital, was revealed in early October as 

one of those honoured by the Queen. 

The medic who has also been involved in 

several projects which not only improve 

patient care but also the wellbeing of her 

colleagues, said: “I am incredibly delighted 

and honoured to receive an MBE. 

“It is a privilege for me to serve the local 

community who face a huge health 

inequality and very humbling for my work 

to be recognised in this manner. It’s even 

more poignant in a year which has been 

turned upside down due to the Coronavirus 

pandemic.” 

“Receiving this award means a lot to me as it 

recognises what we often do not see under 

the tip of the iceberg of success which is grit, 

energy, time, disappointment, dedication, 

sacrifice and much more. I applaud all my 

team who are critical to this success, especially 

my amazing nursing team who are the true 

heroes.” 

The clinician has been a doctor for 21 years, 

11 of those as an acute medical consultant 

at SWB. She graduated from the University 

of Manchester and was one of the first UK 

trainees within acute medicine and the first 

appointed acute physician at City Hospital in 

2008. 


NEWS 

She added: “I set up acute medicine 

within City Hospital and I am incredibly 

proud of what we have achieved, in 

particular being the number one rotation 

choice for acute medicine trainees within 

the West Midlands.” 

She has gone to deliver many 

educational initiatives including delivering 

the 24/7 stroke thrombolysis course at 

inception; introducing Ultrasound at the 

Front Door, Golden Hour Teaching, and 

more recently, the Women Empowering 

Women and Fearless campaigns. More 

recently, she was pivotal in introducing 

an award-winning wellbeing initiative, 

which brought in the use of energy 

pods for colleagues. She is a pioneer 

and leader in point of care ultrasound 

(POCUS) and delivers regular teaching 

courses and is currently completing her 

first book entitled the ‘Power of POCUS’. 

Dr Clare added: “I have been influential 

in developing acute medicine regionally 

and nationally. I speak nationally on 

acute medicine models, acute oncology 

and Ultrasound at the Front Door. I 

have created and delivered numerous 

innovative services including Acute 

Echo Clinic, AMU Virtual Clinic and 

the Ambulatory Medical Assessment 

Area, just to name a few, which are 

fundamental for high quality care.” 

All these initiatives have been recognised 

by national bodies such as Society Acute 

Medicine (SAM) and Royal College of 

Physicians and shared widely with NHS 

Trusts. 

She has not only touched acute care but 

has the tenacity to influence and deliver 

change across other specialties. She 

was instrumental in securing the SWB 

respiratory team the RCP Future Hospital 

platform in 2017, which has led to some 

fantastic integrated care working. 

She added: “I am very passionate about 

leadership and have been named in 

the Women in HealthCare Leadership 

100 Word project and recently set up 

the Women's Clinician Network which 

aims to support, mentor and inspire our 

female clinicians.” 

As well as being a frontline doctor, 

Dr Clare is also the deputy medical 

director and a key clinician who is 

leading the teams into the new Midland 

Metropolitan Hospital, which is currently 

under construction. 

11

Mental wellbeing: 

Do you know what’s on offer? 


NEWS 

Mental health and wellbeing has 

always been a top priority for 

the Trust and more so during the 

COVID-19 pandemic. 

Did you know that one in four people will 

experience a mental health problem of 

some kind each year in England, with one 

in six people reporting a mental health 

problem in any week in England (Mind, 

2020)? 

Instead of becoming part of the statistics, 

the Trust decided to tackle this issue head 

on. 

“To support our colleagues throughout 

2020 and beyond we introduced a range 

of resources and activities to support the 

health and wellbeing of our clinical and 

non-clinical staff,” said Bethan Downing, 

Acting Director of People and Organisation 

Development. 

“We doubled down on the yoga sessions 

we were offering but made them 

accessible digitally due to the pandemic 

and also offered resources for anybody 

suffering from stress and anxiety in the 

form of a short mental wellbeing or 

stress risk assessment. Using the results 

and findings from the confidential 

assessments, we could signpost colleagues 

ensuring they get the necessary support if 

they wanted it.” 

Another offering to help combat and 

prevent mental illness is the wellbeing 

Colleagues will be able to take 

advantage of some one-to-one time 

with members of the alcohol care 

team during Alcohol Awareness 

week in November. 

The service will be holding zoom 

meetings available for colleagues daily 

during the week. One member of the 

alcohol care team will be having a virtual 

coffee and chat with colleagues who feel 

they would like to talk about any issues 

they may have. The sessions will run 

week beginning 16 November and will 

take place Monday to Friday. 

Sam Morgan, Alcohol Specialist Nurse, 

said: “We are here for colleagues if they 

As a Trust we continue to place emphasis 

on taking care of your mental health and 

have lots of support available if you'd like 

to reach out to someone. 

sanctuary which opened its doors during the 

pandemic. 

“The wellbeing sanctuary gives colleagues 

a chance to de-stress in a safe place,” said 

Lawrence Kelly, Learning Works Coordinator. 

“The Smethwick based sanctuary offers 

an array of relaxing techniques such as 

massage, meditation, mindfulness, relaxation 

hypnotherapy and music therapy. We can also 

be a listening ear giving staff a chance to talk 

about anything in confidence.” 

Though we have been supporting colleagues 

before World Mental Health Day, to help raise 

awareness of the day, we encouraged all to take 

a few minutes out of their day on 10 October. 

Lawrence added: “As a Trust, we asked 

everyone to take a few minutes out of their day 

and take a 15 minute walk in support of World 

Mental Health Day. It could have been with a 

family member, friend, pet or even by yourself 

but all the effort to promote positive mental 

health and wellbeing.” 

Until the beginning of 2020, Leslie Writtle, 

Non-Executive Director at the Trust worked in a 

mental health trust locally as a chief executive 

officer. She understands the importance of 

World Mental Health Day, especially during 

the current lockdown restrictions in the West 

Midlands. 

She told us: “We know that the lockdown 

has made things much harder for people and 

particularly for those with existing mental 

health issues and of course for those of you 

working in very stressful situations. 

“Unlike physical health issues where 

conditions are visible and tangible, sadly 

with mental health, the problems are often 

hidden. With this in mind, we know that it's 

important to support our colleagues and more 

importantly, that you can speak openly about 

your mental health and seek support.” 

She added: “Mental health is everyone's 

business. We all have times when we feel 

down, stressed or frightened. Most of the 

time; these feelings pass, but sometimes they 

develop into a more serious problem and, that 

could happen to anyone of us. There remains 

a stigma about mental health which means 

people feel uncomfortable talking about it. 

It is healthy to know and say how you are 

feeling. Mental health problems can range 

from the worries we all could experience 

as part of everyday life to serious long-term 

conditions. The majority of people who 

experience mental health issues can learn to 

live with them, especially if people seek help 

early on. 

“It's important we make sure we can look 

after ourselves. We need to have the ability 

to learn, feel, express and manage a range 

of positive and negative emotions, form and 

maintain good relationships with others as 

well as cope with and manage change and 

uncertainty.” 

Virtual sessions for coffee and a 

chat around alcohol 

have any concerns around alcohol that they 

would like to bring up – it will be their time 

to talk. 

“We are aware that drinking has increased 

and they may know someone who they feel 

needs help or advice. Some people may feel 

unable to talk about it with others, but this 

will allow them to speak about it to us. We 

will offer them our expert advice and be able 

to spend time talking through the issue.” 

We will be sharing the zoom meeting codes 

soon and, in addition to the sessions, the 

team will be setting up a bar – which will 

follow social distancing guidelines. 

Sam added: “We are going to have a nonalcoholic 

bar at the sanctuary, which is at the 

Learning Works, in Unett Street, where 

colleagues will be able to try beverages and 

take away a free sample. A member of our 

team will be there, so it will also provide 

another chance to talk to one of us. 

“This year, the theme is alcohol and mental 

health, and we are aware that the sanctuary 

is a great place for improving your mental 

health. It ties in with reducing your alcohol 

consumption and will benefit your mental 

as well as your physical health.” 

The team will also be talking to lecturers at 

Sandwell College about alcohol and stress. 

“This is a great partnership with the college, 

and we will be working with them again 

in the future, where we will be educating 

students about alcohol,” Sam concluded. 

12

Celebrating Black History Month 2020 

October marked Black History Month 

– a month where we honour people of 

African and Caribbean descent who have 

and continue to shape the history of our 

country and indeed that of the NHS. 

Over the month, there was a wide array of 

online events, TV shows and documentaries 

looking at different perspectives and the part 

black people have played throughout British 

history. We quizzed colleagues and asked 

them to put their knowledge to the test, and 

enjoyed Caribbean menus across our retail 

outlets with food to tempt our taste buds. 

We also held our first virtual Inclusion Day. 

We had a panel of guests that answered 

colleague questions around inclusion, diversity 

and equality. There were some good, open, 

productive conversations around race and 

how we as an organisation view this topic 

and ideas to make ourselves an even more 

inclusive Trust. 

We also took a closer look at sickle cell 

disease, a health condition that affects the 

red blood cells and is particularly common in 

people of African or Caribbean heritage. 

Someone who knows all about living life with 

sickle cell is the acclaimed author and one of 

our patients, Jenica Leah. She is perhaps best 

known for launching her book series called 

My Friend Jen that shines a spotlight on what 

living life is like with sickle cell disease. 

When talking about her motivation to create 

these books, Jenica said: “I’ve had sickle 

cell from birth. I was in and out of hospital 

growing up, and I didn’t understand my 

condition. Living with an invisible illness has 

led me to create my children’s book series. I 

wanted other children growing up with sickle 

cell to have the peace of mind growing up 

that I didn’t have.” 


NEWS 

Speaking of the importance of the month, 

Bethan Downing, Acting Director of 

People and Organisation Development, 

said: “October saw the launch of Black 

History Month across the UK. This year it is 

particularly important as we’ve all had to 

take a closer look at issues impacting our 

society. 

“2020 has been a turbulent year on 

many levels. This month, however, is an 

opportunity for us to come together, to 

celebrate all that is good about the rich 

and diverse black community. From history 

to arts, healthcare to education, black 

people have helped to shape the fabric of 

our society and, that is something worth 

celebrating together as a united and 

inclusive organisation.” 

Colleagues honoured by the 

Association of Jamaican Nationals 

We’re delighted to announce that two 

of our colleagues brought home ‘the 

double’ as they claimed awards from 

the Association of Jamaican Nationals, 

Birmingham. Caroline Rennalls, Head of 

Operation and Resilience Management, 

won the Sir Alexander Bustamante 

Local Hero award, whilst Patreece 

Wright, Clinical Nurse Practitioner, was 

honoured with the Mary Seacole Local 

Heroes award. 

Patreece has been working for the Trust for 

17 years. She started her career in 2003 

on the acute medical unit at City, before 

working her way up to her current role. 

Patreece said of her win: “I am extremely 

proud and humbled to receive the Mary 

Seacole award, and I am truly grateful to 

everyone that nominated me. I love nursing 

and working for the NHS. I sincerely believe 

that the quote by Mohammed Ali ‘the rent 

we pay on earth is the service we provide to 

others’ is something to live by.” 

Caroline is a familiar face across the Trust 

with many friends having worked here 

for 21 years. She was put forward for 

the award by ex-colleague Christopher 

Innerarity. He remarked: “Caroline is a 

dedicated local hero that has sacrificed 

tirelessly for over 35 years in the NHS as a 

mother, a clinician and within her current 

Well done to Caroline Rennalls 

role as a senior manager, being responsible 

as head of operations and resilience 

management. 

“Caroline is a humanitarian with great 

standards and her ability being the voice of 

change whilst incorporating compassion and 

care. Caroline’s efforts within her community 

are well known, and she continues to go 

beyond the call of duty so that everyone is 

looked after and considered. Her approach 

and collaborative working with others allows 

Congratulations to Patreece Wright 

her to stand out with distinction and 

confidence. She is an all-rounder with a 

passion for humanity, and this is a special 

quality.” 

Caroline commented: “I am both 

humbled and delighted to have won this 

award. It is lovely to be considered by 

others for the work and activities I have 

undertaken over the last few years.” 

Congratulations! 

13

International Year of 

the Nurse and Midwife 

This year marks International Year of 

the Nurse and Midwife, a campaign 

by the World Health Organisation 

in honour of the 200th birthday of 

Florence Nightingale. 


NEWS 

For October, we feature Senior Sister 


in the Medical Infusion Suite & OPAT, 

Jacqueline Slater. NEWS 

Jacqueline started her journey over 23 years 

ago when she began working as a Health 

Care Assistant on Lyndon 5. “My plan back 

then was to get some basic care experience 

before going to university to do my 

midwifery training,” recalled Jacqueline. 

“However, whilst on Lyndon 5, I got real 

satisfaction from general nursing, so I 

stayed and started completing my care 

NVQs instead. During my time on Lyndon 

5, I also covered ward clerk duties for 12 

months. I was seconded by the Trust in 

2000 to my nurse training at the University 

of Wolverhampton, where I successfully 

qualified in 2003.” 

After qualifying, Jacqueline worked on 

Priory 5 as a staff nurse and then went on 

to become a specialist nurse in lung cancer. 

Jacqueline has never been shy of a challenge 

having worked in a variety of posts across 

the Trust in different departments, from post 

coronary care unit, Lyndon 4, AMU A as well 

as the emergency department. 

Jacqueline’s big move came four years ago 

in 2016 when she moved to City Hospital’s 

Medical Infusion Suite to become a Senior 

Sister. The medical infusion suite provides 

Our organisation has scored a hattrick 

of wins after scooping three 

prestigious HR awards. 

We won the Bevan Brittan Award for 

Wellbeing, the Health Sector Talent 

award for Best Recruitment Initiative, 

whilst our then Director of People and 

Organisation Development, Raffaela 

Goodby picked up the coveted HR 

Director of the Year gong. 

The organisation was recognised in 

the Healthcare People Management 

Association Excellence in People Awards 

(HPMA) 2020 that took place virtually 

this year. 

Raffaela said: “We are so pleased to be 

recognised for the brilliant teamwork 

with our people teams, our clinical 

colleagues, junior doctors, nurses, 

partners and the community, in how 

Staff Nurse 

Jacqueline Slater 

patients with intravenous and subcutaneous 

infusions from a variety of specialities, 

including rheumatology, dermatology and 

gastroenterology. These infusions consist of 

regular treatments given to patients to treat 

long-term inflammatory conditions, as well 

as more urgent, ad hoc treatments such as 

iron infusion. 

Under Jacqueline’s leadership, the suite has 

gone from strength to strength and now 

incorporates the immunology department 

and outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy. 

Jacqueline has continued her learning at the 

University of Wolverhampton throughout her 

career. She has attained a distinction in team 

leading, a Level 7 in health care assessment 

and examination skills within clinical practice, 

and is now studying to gain her advanced 

pharmacology for non-medical prescribing. 

She said: “My focus has always been fixed 

firmly on offering the best standard of 

patient care, along with a smooth patient 

journey. I’ve reached into many specialities 

becoming a visible sister on many wards 

as well as becoming a super user with our 

electronic patient record, Unity.” 

Jacqueline regularly gets involved with 

our acute services and care by working 

agency within the ambulance service, 

repatriations and providing event medical 

cover. She was also shortlisted for the 

New Leader Award at the 2019 Star 

Awards. 

In addition to this, Jacqueline has played 

a pivotal role during the COVID-19 

pandemic by ensuring the medical 

infusion suite continued to offer 

treatments to their patients safely, 

despite moving ward locations twice. She 

has also taken part in the community 

asymptomatic swabbing initiative and 

the COVID-19 antibody blood testing for 

patients. 

Jacqueline and her team were responsible 

for administering, and still, continue to 

administer Tocilizumab to COVID-19 

patients in ITU and acute wards as part 

of the clinical trials, which demonstrates 

what a fantastic nurse she truly is. 

Trust scoops hat-trick in awards 

ceremony 

we looked after our colleagues with love and 

care both before and during the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

“I am privileged to receive the HR Director 

of the Year Award. It feels overwhelmingly 

beautiful to be nominated by so many clinical 

colleagues and to know our profession, and 

my energy and values, have had a positive 

impact. Thank you to all HR and people 

teams who work tirelessly to support the 1.2 

million colleagues within the NHS, you are 

wonderful.” 

Dr Sarb Clare, who headed up the wellbeing 

initiative at the Trust which saw the 

introduction of energy pods for clinicians, 

dedicated rest spaces, coffee and food 

supplies, added: “I am delighted with the 

recognition. The energy pods were a catalyst 

to a huge amount of wellbeing initiatives from 

dedicated rest spaces, to debrief sessions, to 

name a few. 

“The energy pods created a culture and 

Our Trust was recognised at the HPMA 

Awards 2020. 

emphasis around being ok and vital to take a 

break. Colleagues reported an improvement 

in concentration, mental state and felt safe 

to drive home after a night shift. The pods 

allowed an area for desensitisation away 

from the hustle and bustle of a busy acute 

medical unit and, allowed a breather for 

many who look after very sick patients. 

“Staff wellbeing has been a number one 

priority during the pandemic. I am proud 

that we have been ahead of the curve, and 

we must not underestimate the power of 

looking after our frontline staff as it equates 

to high quality care for our sick patients.” 

14

Shout out has been a regular feature 

in Heartbeat and it is fantastic to see 

colleagues regularly taking the time to 

give positive feedback to each other. 

We regularly receive positive feedback from 

our patients too, and this month we wanted 

to share some of those heart-warming 

messages which have been sent via our 

website and social media platforms. 


NEWS 

To – Peter Godman and Elizabeth Millard 

They both worked tirelessly on the night 

shift of the 23/08/2020 with two very 

sick patients. The care that they both 

delivered was with compassion and great 

professionalism. Thank you for working as 

a fab team. 

From – Julie Atkins 

To – Rev Eddie Briones & Rev Ebenezer 

Asaju (Chaplains) 

These two guys work hard, and worked 

really well together over the last few 

months holding the chaplaincy team 

together whilst their manager was on sick 

leave. We have really appreciated them 

since they came to the trust to care for us 

all. I know that our team would be lost 

without them. Thank you for all you did 

during those really fraught months and 

what you do daily. 

From – Rev Mary Causer 

To – Lyndon 3 

I want to give a big shout out to all the 

staff on Lyndon 3. I unfortunately broke 

my leg last week and they treated me very 

well and deserve a mention. Thank you in 

particular to the night staff who got me 

through some tough painful nights and 

went the extra mile even giving me ice 

packs for my painful leg. 

From – Marion Butler 

To – Leanne Antcliff at IT Service Desk 

Popped in and saw Leanne yesterday. 

Service with a smile is an understatement 

- an absolute breath of fresh air. So polite 

and fantastic service. Thank you! 

From – Michelle King 

To – Dr Maggi Srinivasan 

A huge thank you to Maggi for helping 

out on maternity PROMPT training at 

short notice. Your feedback is always well 

received. Thank you :-) 

From – Jenny Eades 

To – iCares admin team - Red Francis, Cody 

Jones, Sukhpal Khaira 

The team keep the care homes team 

functioning, nothing is too much trouble. 

They build out visiting slots, adjust rotas, 

support with administration for patients, 

carer and staff, they answer queries, ensure 

our referrals are on the system and contact 

us if they need clarification. They are a 

busy team but always have the time to 

help, special thanks to Cody, Sukh and Red. 

From – Dena Ross 

To – iCares Care Homes Team 

They have supported the est. 1800 patients 

who live in the 40 care homes that the 

team supports within this borough. The 

team have ensured that not only do the 

patients have appropriate support and 

treatment, but that support is provided to 

the care staff/ nursing teams who work in 

the care homes. 

From – Dena Ross 

To – Gulnaz Farzan on D25 

Naz is so supportive of all her staff. Very 

kind helpful in many ways. Cares for her 

patients as if they were her own. We would 

like to give Naz a big shout out to thank 

her for all she does for us. 

From – Lisa Mcfarlane and Paige Thomas 

To – Gareth Hatton 

Gareth was very welcoming and a great 

teacher and role model whilst I did my 6 

week ITU induction. This was very daunting 

as a newly qualified nurse but he really 

boosted my confidence, thank you! 

From – Jack Rogan 

To – Sue Edwards 

Sue is very supportive she is always there 

when we or anyone needs her, she has 

helped push for the development of 

bereavement care service and gives 100% 

in everything she does. Thank you Sue 

for keeping us smiling and supplied with 

KitKats :-) 

From – Angela Jones 

To – The Visual Function Department 

Based on our recent patient satisfaction 

survey a well done to the team! 100% 

of our patients felt COVID safe when 

attending the department. 

From – Emma Berrow 

To – Rob Kemp and the Trust removal men 

Rob, Paul and the removal men for the 

Trust moved the Whiteheath Health visiting 

team to Rowley Regis Hospital. They 

provided ample boxes and cages in order 

for us to pack our equipment and stores 

etc prior to the move, and on the day they 

worked tirelessly to ensure our move went 

smoothly. They are a great team and just 

wanted to say thanks by giving them a 

massive shout out! 

From – Rachel Langford 

To – Seyyed Naqvy 

Seyyed has been amazingly patient and 

thorough during the IT standardisation 

process that has taken place on NNU. He 

has pre-empted problems with certain 

solutions and therefore done a fabulous 

job of doing the option that has given us 

the most streamlined outcomes - thank 

you from the whole team, it has been a 

pleasure working with you. 

From – Jennifer Cadwallader-Hunt 

To – Julie Wheeler 

For always cheering me up. She is a joy to 

work with. 

From – Natalie Brown 

To – Ward Service Officers on M2 for the 

deep clean for 20 September 

Amazing team of domestics who came to 

M2 and performed a deep clean of our 6 

bedded bay. They gave it a thorough clean 

and were present on the ward for over two 

hours; they remained professional at all 

times and was super helpful to all the staff 

on the day shift during a busy day. Massive 

thank you. The bay looked and smelt 

amazing!!! 

From – Kirsty Payton 

15

And just like that summer has gone, 

autumn leaves are falling and winter 

is fast approaching. This year as our 

thoughts turn to the months ahead, we 

are asking everyone in our organisation 

to play their part and get their flu jab. 

According to recent figures from Public 

Health England, it is estimated that an 

average of 11,000 people die from flu in 

England annually. Now, more than ever, 

we are keen to protect our Trust from 

this preventable illness. All colleagues 

– clinical and non-clinical can take 

advantage of the free flu vaccination on 

offer. 

We have a well-tested quadrivalent 

vaccination that Flu-Per Troopers will 

be administering across the Trust in 

all areas. We also have alternatives 

available for those that wish to have 

the vaccination without porcine or egg 

and encourage everyone to get their 

vaccination as soon as possible this year. 

Earlier this month our executive team 

once again stepped forward to have 

their flu jabs. Taking the lead, Interim 

Chief Nurse, Kathleen French, told us 

why it’s so important to get your flu 

jab. “Everyone should by now know 

the importance of getting the flu jab. 

2020 puts us in a different position as 

this year COVID-19 has dominated so 

much of what we do and how we do it. 

Everyone has responded brilliantly to 

the added pressures placed on us as an 

organisation, and I am asking everyone 

to do the same this flu season. The 

executive team are leading by example 

- we have had our flu jabs, and we hope 

you’ll join us in doing the same. 

“With potentially deadly and highly 

contagious viruses involved, it’s essential 

to be protected early, to give your body 

time to build up its defences and to 

generate some antibodies. It can take 

up to two weeks from the time you get 

the jab until your body is fighting fit with 

enough antibodies to take on the virus. 

“We’re a tight knit workforce, and I want 

us to stay that way – united in our fight 

against COVID-19 and the flu too. The 

potential remains for a second surge 

in COVID-19 cases, combined with 

seasonal flu. Please seek out your local 

Flu-Per Trooper and arrange to have the 

flu jab within your area. We need to stay 

resilient as we face some of our most 

demanding months ahead. As a thank 

you for having your flu jab everyone 

will be entered into a prize draw to win 

tickets to see Mamma Mia! The Party in 

London. 

“I would like to say thank you for your 

continued support. If you any concerns 

about the flu jab, by all means, reach out 

to me via email.” 

Our 2020 flu campaign is officially underway with Flu-Per 

Troopers out and about across the organisation vaccinating 

colleagues. 

This month we introduce you to Jo Mansell, Clinical 

Practitioner at BMEC. Keen to support this year’s campaign, 

we caught up with her to find out why she wanted to become 

a Flu-Per Trooper. 

Q&A 

Jo Mansell, Clinical Practitioner 

Q – What made you want to become a Flu-per Trooper? 

A – I’ve been fortunate to be a part of this organisation for 23 

years. Each year we support the flu vaccination programme 

but, this year, in particular, it’s more important than ever. 

I’m an advocate for getting the flu vaccine and, I want to help 

protect my colleagues and patients as best I can. 

Q - What are you looking forward to about the flu campaign 

this year? 

A – Ensuring as many colleagues as possible have their 

flu jabs in preparation for the winter season. I have set up 

an area where I administer vaccinations. You can come in, 

sit down and have your flu jab away from any passers-by. 

Anyone is welcome to pop in and see me, the times I’ll be 

available are advertised on my door on the second floor in 

Sheldon. 

Q – Tell us your favourite ABBA song? 

A – Mamma Mia. Quite apt really as here we go again with 

this year’s campaign. 

To find your local 

Flu-Per Trooper search for flu programme 2020 

on Connect for more information. 

Visit your Flu-Per 

Trooper today to get 

your flu jab 

LOUISE EDWARDS 

RAJI SWAMINATHAN 

DAVE BAKER DAVID CARRUTHERS KATHLEEN FRENCH 

Justine Irish 

RACHEL BARLOW 

RUTH WILKIN

Celebrating our 

stars of the week 

Star of the Week 

Esther Barron 

Deputy Matron 


Neale Martin 

Service Desk Analyst 


Nargus Begum 

Community Nurse 

Congratulations are in order for Esther 

Barron, Deputy Matron. 

Esther has worked tirelessly especially 

during the current pandemic. She is 

described by her colleagues as amazing 

and highly motivated but more importantly, 

approachable and easy to speak with whilst 

having the ability to listen and support her 

fellow colleagues. 

She always offers fantastic care to all her 

patients and puts them first and is a true 

role model to clinical colleagues across the 

Trust. 


Karen Mowatt- Shirley 

HCA 

Congratulations are in order for 

Neale Martin, Service Desk Analyst in 

Informatics. 

Neale was nominated for the support he 

provided to a colleague who was returning 

to work in a new role following 20 weeks 

shielding at home. 

The colleague was having problems with 

the laptop and Neale took time out to 

meet the colleague, demonstrate how to 

use the different systems and checked that 

everything was working correctly. He was 

able to put her mind at ease during an 

anxious time starting work in her adjusted 

role. 

Congratulations are in order for Karen 

Mowatt-Shirley, HCA on Lyndon 5. 

Karen’s courage, bravery and focus on 

patient safety is a credit to her and this 

was never more evident than during a very 

serious incident recently on Lyndon 5. 

During the incident on the ward emergency 

access was required to a bathroom. The 

lock would not open, but Karen selflessly 

managed to gain access knowing that 

the safety of the patient in the bathroom 

absolutely depended on her actions. Karen 

acted in a manner that should be honoured 

- due to her quick thinking and swift actions 

the patient’s life was most definitely saved. 

The incident was extremely traumatic for 

the ward but Karen showed strength and 

resilience. She certainly went above and 

beyond the remit of her role. 

Congratulations are in order for Nargus 

Begum, Community Nurse in the 

Oldbury district nurse team. 

Nargus is a newly qualified community 

nurse who has progressed fantastically 

within her new role. She makes patients 

feel valued, safe and cared for. 

Although newly qualified, her work is 

thorough and she explores all aspect 

of advance nursing care with a gentle 

approach that achieves the best care. 

She is compassionate to both patients and 

colleagues. She is committed to her job, 

patients and goes above and beyond to 

care for people. 

Nargus has been observed and her patient 

care is outstanding – this has a great 

impact on patients she cares for and the 

overall morale within the team. 

Throughout the pandemic Nargus has also 

gone the extra mile for her team and her 

patients. She has taken time to ensure 

that the team have adequate PPE supplies 

available at all times. 

If you have someone in your team that has gone above and beyond the call of duty, put them forward 

as a Star of the Week. Visit Connect to find out more. 

18

Domestic abuse - you are not alone 

October marks Domestic Violence 

awareness month and aims to unify 

both women and men who have 

unfortunately been victims of domestic 

violence. 

Two women are killed a week by a 

current or former partner in England and 

Wales and, in the year ending March 

2019, approximately 1.6 million women 

experienced domestic abuse (Office for 

National Statistics, 2019). 

As alarming as these stats may be, it's 

assumed that the figures are most likely a 

lot higher as many cases go unreported. 

Our Trust is committed to supporting 

victims and families of domestic abuse. 

The team actively promote the service, and 

as a Trust, our ethos is to be a domestic 

Monique Sinclaire, Named Nurse for 

Safeguarding Children and MASH 

Manager (Health) 

Ways to seek support 

• Women can call The Freephone National Domestic 

Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for 

free at any time, day or night. 

• Men can call Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 

(Monday and Wednesday, 9am to 8pm, and Tuesday, 

Thursday and Friday, 9am to 5pm). 

• Men can also call ManKind on 0182 3334 244 (Monday 

to Friday, 10am to 4pm) 

• If you identify as LGBT+ you can call Galop on 0800 999 

5428 for emotional and practical support 

• Anyone can call Karma Nirvana on 0800 5999 247 

(Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) for forced marriage 

abuse awareness hospital. The work of the 

domestic abuse team was recognised in 

2019 as the Children’s Clinical Team of the 

Year at our annual Star Awards. 

Monique Sinclaire currently works as a 

named nurse for safeguarding children 

and commenced her career in Sandwell 25 

years ago. She told us: “I have worked in 

Sandwell as a registered nurse, health visitor 

and in commissioning as the safeguarding 

lead for primary care. I have specialised in 

safeguarding children for over ten years 

and have always been passionate about 

safeguarding the vulnerable. 

“October is an important month whereby 

we aim to raise awareness of domestic 

abuse. The team are here to support 

colleagues to ensure the application of 

the domestic abuse quality standards are 

implemented. We're also here to provide 

assurance that these standards reflect 

the commitment of SWB addressing 

domestic abuse within the organisation 

and, to provide a framework to develop 

professional practice, improve our service 

and deliver the right response to domestic 

abuse to safeguard victims.” 

The team of experienced professionals all 

have extensive backgrounds working within 

the domestic abuse sector. 

Karen Mitchell joined the Trust in May 

2020. Karen’s professional background is 

an adult, children’s and specialist public 

health nurse. She has extensive experience 

of working with vulnerable children and 

families having worked as an ED nurse and 

health visitor. 

Natomie Reid-Lyon works as an associate 

named nurse for safeguarding children 

and has over 17 years' experience in 

healthcare. She commented: “I started 

working within the children’s safeguarding 

team in September 2020. My professional 

background is as a registered nurse and 

specialist public health nurse. I've worked in 

acute paediatric and adult hospitals, health 


NEWS 

visiting and school nursing services. 

“I have extensive experiences in 

children's safeguarding gained from 

working with children, young people 

and their families from vulnerable diverse 

communities.” 

The team are passionate advocates of 

domestic violence awareness month. 

It brings the issue of domestic violence 

to the forefront as Natomie explained: 

“Due to COVID-19, many victims 

may struggle to get help or to access 

support services meaning attending 

our ED departments may be our only 

opportunity to offer support.” 

Monique agrees and said: “Domestic 

abuse is still an issue we don't talk about 

enough. I strongly urge anybody who is 

a victim or who knows of a vulnerable 

person experiencing any abuse to come 

forward so we can offer the necessary 

support. 

“Our ED independent domestic violence 

advisor (IDVA) service will support victims 

that come through ED. If colleagues 

need any advice or support when dealing 

with a patient disclosure, please contact 

the safeguarding children team in the 

first instance.” 

Contact numbers: 

Safeguarding children team: 

0121 507 2844 

Sarah Markland ED IDVA: 

07989843233 

Rachana Chauhan: 

07823336964 

and honour crimes. You can also call 020 7008 0151 to 

speak to the GOV.UK Forced Marriage Unit 

• In an emergency, call 999 

You can also email for support. It is important that you 

specify when and if it is safe to respond and to which email 

address: 

• Women can email helpline@womensaid.org.uk. Staff 

will respond to your email within 5 working days 

• Men can email info@mensadviceline.org.uk 

• LGBT+ people can email help@galop.org.uk 

19

Medical engineering - Unsung heroes 

of the NHS 


NEWS 

Monitors, diagnostics, medical 

devices and pumps, they’re all 

things that keep our patients 

safe and well when they’re 

in our care but have you ever 

wondered who keeps them 

working, serviced and safe? 

What goes in to making sure 

that every medical device does 

precisely what it’s supposed to 

do, that unenviable job falls to 

the electrical and biomedical 

(EBME) team, otherwise known 

as the medical engineering team. 

Working in a large organisation, 

where technology has made its 

way into every single aspect of our 

lives, we know how frustrating it is 

when suddenly it does something 

unexpected or refuses to work. 

Imagine carrying the responsibility 

of making sure that life-saving and 

life sustaining equipment works all 

the time, everywhere and where a 

Members of the medical engineering team 

failure could lead to a lost life. 

Whilst the members of the EMBE 

team might be unassuming - quietly 

working on repairing, servicing and 

testing equipment across our Trust, the 

work they do really does make a huge 

impact. The equipment managed by 

this team keeps newborn babies alive in 

the neonatal unit, it keeps patients safe 

during surgery, and it helps palliative care 

patients manage their pain. Their work 

and the impact they have has no bounds. 

Recently, the maternity team celebrated 

the opening of the brand new neonatal 

unit (NNU), with its bright open layout 

with perfectly laid out spaces for each 

baby. What we didn’t mention was how 

involved the EBME team had been in the 

development and opening of this unit. 

Do you know how to 

restart a heart? 

To find out more about the support 

they had provided the team on the 

Neonatal Unit, Heartbeat caught 

up with Advanced Neonatal Nurse 

Practitioner, Jenny Cadwallader-Hunt. 

She told us: “The EBME team were 

instrumental in much of the design and 

relocation processes for both critical 

care and the NNU when both services 

had to relocate to D16 temporarily last 

year, and again when we returned to 

the newly refurbished and extended 

NNU. 

“A single baby in our care may 

have more than 20 medical devices 

connected to them at any one time, 

each vital to their care and often their 

survival. None of this would be possible 

with the engineers who service them 

and fix them when we do something 

wrong or the equipment malfunctions. 

“They are a fab team, always willing 

to help and have exceptional patience 

with the requests we make. The work 

they do helps us deliver compassionate 

care, enabling incredibly poorly babies 

to spend quality time making memories 

with their families.” 

Did you know that there are 

approximately 66,000 out of hospital 

cardiac arrests every year? Would 

you know what to do if someone 

near you collapsed and stopped 

breathing? Would you be willing to 

step in and save a life? 

Whilst the mention of cardiac arrests 

and resuscitation may make you think 

of a doctor or a nurse rushing to your 

aid, that’s not always the case. Out of 

hospital cardiac arrests are by their very 

nature sudden, devastating and leave 

the victim wholly in the hands of those 

around them. 

To find out more about the ‘Restart a 

Heart’ campaign, Heartbeat caught up 

with resuscitation team Sister, Elizabeth 

Bennett. She said: “This year for Restart 

A Heart, we focussed our efforts on 

supporting our non-clinical colleagues to 

learn or refresh their basic life support 

skills, by being out on the road running 

one-to-one sessions at Sandwell, City 

and Rowley Hospital where our non-clinical 

colleagues had the opportunity to learn 

chest compression only CPR on one of our 

resuscitation simulation manikins.” 

“We know that people now more hesitant 

than ever to step in. We want people to 

understand that cardiac arrests are sudden, 

can happen anywhere, and often they’ll occur 

when you’re out shopping, waiting for a 

bus or walking in a park. The only chance of 

survival is being reliant on the people around 

the person having the cardiac arrest being 

willing and able to step in to save their life. 

Current advice from the Resuscitation Council 

UK is to cover their face with a cloth whilst 

carrying out chest compression only CPR.” 

Former nurse and now Chief of Finance 

Officer, Dinah McLannahan joined in with the 

basic life support training. Getting hands on 

with the resus manikin she said: “It’s been 

a while since I’ve practised, but it’s always 

useful to refresh your skills such a lifesaving 

technique, you never know when it’ll come in 

useful, or when it might save a life.” 

Chief Finance Officer Dinah McLannahan 

gets hands on during Basic Life Support 

training 

If you would like to find out more 

about the training opportunities 

available, contact the resuscitation 

team on ext 5908/6173 or email swbh. 

resuscitationtraining@nhs.net. 

20

Eye can see clearly now! 

TGB School and Aston University representatives Mr Phillip J Fergus and Mr Shammi 

Adatia safely deliver the first batch of the donated face shields to Miss Saaeha Rauz Mr 

Jack Morgan and Mr Natraj Poonit at BMEC. 

Since the onset of COVID-19, 

the kindness and generosity 

of our local community to help 

see us through this pandemic 

safely has been unparalleled. 

We’ve seen many examples of 

people, community groups and 

organisations stepping forward 

to offer their support. One such 

example comes from Turves Green 

Boys’ School (TGBS). 

The initiative led by Mr Fergus, 

Assistant Head Teacher involved 

students from the school stepping 

forward to support Birmingham and 

Midland Eye Centre (BMEC). Mr Fergus 

said: “When the lockdown of schools 


NEWS 

Fab Change Day celebrates innovations 

To reflect the global pandemic, and the 

impact it has had on health and social 

care services globally, #FabChange20 

celebrated our learnings from 

COVID-19. 

The aim of #FabChange20 was to recognise 

and share the innovations and changes 

within each part of the health and social 

care system that have arisen from the 

pandemic. In the run up to the first Fab 

Change Day, we asked teams to dig deep 

and share any changes, big or small, that 

have been made, and including what has 

and hasn’t worked. 

From 19 – 23 October, we captured stories 

to share with the organisation to celebrate 

the event. Fourteen clinical teams shared 

their learnings with us from COVID-19, and 

as we move through this pandemic, we’ll be 

adding to the knowledge and information 

took place in March 2020, I found that 

due to the limited number of children 

being educated on the school premises, 

that I had time on my hands to do 

something positive for the community.” 

The face shields project was initially 

funded by the school and set out 

to provide much needed PPE to 

ophthalmologists and eye care 

practitioners. Mr Fergus, who has a strong 

passion for technology, produced the first 

50 face shields with his 3D printer for 

colleagues at BMEC. 

“I approached Mr Inglis, Head of Turves 

Green Boys’ School and asked him 

whether the school would provide the 

from across the Trust. 

We had a mix of teams step forward to share 

their insights. Everyone from physiotherapy 

to dermatology had valuable feedback to 

share. 

Catherine McGrath, a Consultant 

Rheumatologist, shared her experiences. 

She told us: “Based at City, we’re mostly 

outpatients based and usually we see our 

patients in person. During the pandemic, 

we have been calling our patients and using 

video calls to speak to them. Patients have 

told us how grateful they are. 

funding for me to produce face 

visors for medical or care institutions 

that needed them. He instantly 

agreed and gave me a budget which 

allowed me to purchase all the 

materials to start production.” 

Later on, in collaboration with Aston 

University and the team led by Dr 

Antonio Fratini, Head of Biomedical 

Engineering, the production of 

face shields was increased to take 

advantage of their 3D printer facility. 

Dr Fratini remarked: “This is our 

small contribution to the community 

and a thank you to professionals on 

the front line. A particular mention 

must go to our technical support, 

Mr Shammi Adatia, for his efforts 

in sourcing materials and producing 

the visors in these difficult times.” 

Recently, TGB School and Aston 

University delivered the first batch 

of the face shields that will help the 

staff during clinics. The face shields 

donated by the joint academic 

forces will be used by nursing, 

optometry and other ophthalmic 

allied healthcare professions, as well 

as BMEC medical staff working on 

the wards, clinics and emergency 

department. 

“For the times we have had to invite 

patients into the hospital, we’ve set up 

dedicated clinics with a certain amount 

of slots to see consultants and nurses. 

We allocated enough time between 

appointments to allow us to clean the 

areas properly. 

"We’ve also been working on some 

new projects and, I must mention our 

colleagues in the medical infusion suite. 

They have had to move during this 

pandemic but all the while providing 

infusions for patients that need them. 

We’ve learned we can step up to a 

challenge, change and move on from 

things that have not worked.” 

Search Fab Change Day on Connect 

to find out more or email swbh. 

welearnnhsfabchangeday@nhs.net. 

21

All for one and one for 

all – SystmOne gets joined up 

Seamless integration is the key to 

building a system that clinicians will 

grow to love. That's the ethos that 

made Unity a success in our inpatient 

areas, and it’s the latest triumph of our 

Primary Care, Community and Therapy 

colleagues who are elated with their 

latest achievement – the unification of 

SystmOne. 

Whilst Unity has brought together care 

records into one perfectly preened system, 

with each element of care available at 

the touch of a button, our colleagues in 

community services have, for over a decade, 

had the unbearable task of memorising the 

location of patient records amongst three 

differing systems. 

To find out more about the latest 

achievement in primary care, Heartbeat 

caught up with the chief architect of this, 

Matron and Digital Specialist, Andrew 

Churm. He said: “When SystmOne was first 

introduced we never imagined it would grow 

so big and that we would need to slowly 

add more units on. What we, unfortunately, 

ended up with was organised chaos - patient 

records stored in their units, and teams able 

to work from them without issue. Where this 

failed miserably was when we needed to be 

able to work together and share information 

or patient records, each was in its own silo, 

and moving information between them was a 

nightmare. 

“We knew we had to find a way to make 

it easier to work together. That could only 

be done by unifying our three units into 

one system. With the help of our SystmOne 

Specialist, Barbara Noon, we made a plan and 

by September we were on our new platform. 

We have now been able to move all of our 

services on to a single unit, with enough 

capacity to allow as many of us as necessary 

to log in, share records and all work together. 

There is far less confusion for colleagues 

logging in and, most importantly, it's 

much easier for patients who log into 

SystmOne. They can now see all of their 

records together, for the first time in over 

a decade. 

“Our community teams are settling into 

their newfound freedom, and we have 

paved the way for progression. Our 

next goal is to do away with one of our 

least favourite tasks, manually allocating 

workload daily. We will soon be bringing 

in our district nursing auto planner that 

lets the system do the hard work in 

allocating workload so we can get out to 

the right patients at the right time.” 

To find out more about the 

developments to SystmOne in our 

community services, contact Andrew 

Churm, email andrew.churm@nhs.net 

22

Public urged to contact NHS 111 

ahead of an ED visit 

Patients will be urged to call 

NHS 111 before attending the 

emergency department (ED) 

this winter in a bid to ensure 

patients go to the most clinically 

appropriate service from their first 

contact. 

The new ‘NHS 111 First’ programme 

will see patients who feel they need to 

be seen in the emergency department 

being encouraged to call NHS 111 

first. Call handlers will be able to triage 

and direct them to the most clinically 

appropriate service to meet their need 

in their locality, including redirecting to 

GP practices and urgent care centres. 

The new move aims to ensure that 

patients can access services quickly 

and effectively without the need for 

unnecessary attendance at ED at a time 

when emergency departments across 

the country are under increased strain. 

To find out more about the new 

programme, Heartbeat spoke to 

Deputy Chief Operating Officer, 

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY 

CARE 

Round 2 for virtual recruitment months 

Recruitment in the NHS is something 

of a never-ending treadmill and, the 

ongoing restrictions imposed upon the 

Trust due to the pandemic have meant 

we've had to make several changes to 

previous campaigns. 

Readers of Heartbeat might well recall in a 

previous issue we talked about the virtual 

recruitment events, where applicants could 

not only apply to take part in an online 

interview but arrange to talk in advance to 

members of departments. 

One of those departments that took part in 

the previous campaign was medicine and 

emergency care (M&EC). They have just 

begun a second campaign after the success 

of the first. 

“They were happy with how the first one 

turned out,” confirmed Amir Ali, Acting 

Head of Resourcing for Sandwell and 

West Birmingham NHS Trust. “Everyone 

learnt a lot from the first couple of virtual 

events; what worked, what didn't, and 

what we could do to alter our processes 

for the benefit of those doing interviews 

and applying. We’ve begun with a second 

go around with M&EC which you will no 

doubt see on our social channels and other 

Patients will be urged to call NHS 111 before 

attending the emergency department 

Melanie Roberts. She commented: “The 

emergency department has, for a long 

time, been seen by the public as the entry 

point for urgent healthcare in the NHS. 

Patients believe that they need to attend 

ED to be seen, treated or referred on to 

other services, however we know that a 

significant number of patients could quite 

easily be seen by GPs or booked in for 

treatment. 

“Whilst the thought of having to book in 

to be seen for treatment for an accident 

or injury seems counterintuitive, the 

purpose of this programme is to allow 

us to manage the patients coming to 

Colleagues from surgical services - photo was 

taken pre COVID-19 

platforms.” 

Three month long campaigns are currently 

either planned or in progress with surgical 

services taking the lead in October, medicine 

and emergency care being promoted from 

mid-October to mid-November and a push for 

paediatrics that commences at the beginning 

of November. 

“At the moment we're looking to keep it 

to this max level of two per month with 

a half-month offset,” explains External 

Communications Officer, Kevin Eva. “This 

seems to be working well for people so far 

while remaining manageable. While I'm sure 

our ED. It will help to ensure those 

that need urgent and critical care 

get seen first and foremost, and 

those that could be seen later can be 

booked in. 

“Of course, this doesn’t mean if you 

have an accident that needs urgent 

attention that we’d expect you to 

call ahead and book in but, for many 

of our patients, this new service 

would offer a range of options 

to get help. One of the biggest 

benefits of this programme will be 

that no longer will we be insisting 

patients sit and wait in ED. People 

can call 111 from home and have an 

appointment booked, ensuring that 

they are able to be treated promptly 

when they reach us, without sitting 

in a shared waiting room, where 

there is an inherent risk of cross 

infection.” 

many a department would like to run 

an event at the earliest opportunity, 

we must keep our messages clear, in 

particular from an online communications 

point of view. This way there's a more 

defined 'spotlight' on teams. There's still 

plenty that we can do to promote roles. 

Departments that are looking to host 

virtual events should, however, get in 

contact with Amir's team at the earliest 

opportunity so we can start making those 

plans.” 

“We're continuing to push not just our 

current roles but the future possibilities 

for services and the Midland Met as well 

as the various training and advancement 

options available from each department in 

our organisation,” adds Amir. 

“We're also reminding colleagues 

about the recommend a friend scheme 

where you can earn cash bonuses if you 

recommend a friend for a Band 5 staff 

nurse position and they are employed. 

So if you know someone that would 

be a great addition to surgical services, 

medicine and emergency care or any of 

our departments, please get in contact 

with the recruitment team.” 

23

Critical care needs you – Become 

a reservist 

SURGICAL SERVICES 

The first surge of Coronavirus 

took its toll on patients at our 

hospitals earlier in the year, with 

unprecedented numbers of patients 

admitted to critical care. Thankfully, 

colleagues from departments across 

our Trust stepped forward and 

offered their support and expertise, 

transferring over to the critical 

care at Sandwell and City to lend a 

helping hand. With the second surge 

creeping in a fresh call has gone out 

to encourage colleagues to register 

as reservists. 

With cases of COVID-19 beginning to 

once again rise, there will soon inevitably 

be the need to increase the size of our 

critical care/ICU service significantly at 

short notice to cope with the additional 

clinical needs. To cope with this, we’re 

looking for colleagues to step forward 

and make themselves known so that 

when we need their support, we can call 

on them quickly and safely. 

Advanced Critical Care Practitioners 

(Photo taken pre COVID-19) 

To find out more about the ICU reservist 

role Heartbeat spoke to Lead Nurse 

and Joint Clinical Lead for Critical Care, 

Rebecca O’Dwyer. She said: “We’re 

incredibly grateful to all of the colleagues 

who stepped forward in the first surge 

to support our department and to help 

care for our patients. Without them, 

we would have undoubtedly struggled, 

but with their support, we were able to 

work hand in hand to care for some of 

the sickest COVID-19 patients. These are 

unprecedented times, and they call for such 

measures, which is why we have decided 

to begin building a team of ICU Reservists 

who can step in at short notice, and lend a 

helping hand. 

“We’re calling on colleagues who have 

previously worked in intensive or high 

dependency care environments, have 

other skills that could support us or those 

who wish to be part of the intensive care 

response to COVID-19, please register as an 

ICU Reservist. 

“Your contribution could vary from 

occasional bank shifts to full redeployment 

for the duration of the pandemic and the 

team will work with you and your current 

managers to facilitate that. You will receive 

training and support to help you become an 

essential part of our team. 

“We want to be in a position where we 

have a range of like-minded colleagues 

who want to learn and develop their skills, 

people who are willing to move out of their 

comfort zone and challenge themselves in a 

fast-paced environment where compassion 

and determination are key.” 

To register to become a reservist, 

complete the form on Connect or get in 

touch with Sharon Clarke, ICU PDN Lead 

Family framed illustrative print 

Children’s 

Christmas Boxes 

2021 Calendar 

COMING SOON 

Box includes: 

Email your orders to: 

swbh.midesign@nhs.net 

• Family framed illustrative print 

• 2021 Calendar 

• Personalised letter from Santa Claus 

• Stickers 

• Naughty or nice chart with stickers 

• Children’s puzzles & games 

• Christmas arts & crafts 

• Colouring & Crayons 

24

Carrie on learning 

Carrie Goodship is a Band 7 

Superintendent Radiographer and 

Reporting Radiographer within the 

imaging department. She qualified as 

a radiographer in 1996 and in 2001 

she moved to Sandwell Hospital as 

a senior radiographer. Since then 

she has become a superintendent 

radiographer. Carrie also works within 

CT and interventional radiology and 

has experience in cardiac imaging and 

mammography. 

Recently she completed a PG Cert in Image 

Reporting (Axial) at Derby University. We 

caught up with her to find out more about 

how the course will benefit her and the 

department overall. 

Speaking to Heartbeat, she said: “The 

course took a year to complete, and it was 

a brand new course at the university, so I 

was in the very first cohort excitingly. I had 

already previously completed the PG Cert 

in Image Reporting (Appendicular) several 

years ago and, had already extended my 

role, so this was the next natural step in my 

career. 

“I took a lot away from the course, and 

I’m looking forward to sharing these 

learnings within my area. Being able to 

support the internal radiographer and 

Carrie Goodship - Radiographer 

radiologist reporting team will facilitate a 

faster reporting turnaround time ultimately 

leading to faster diagnosis and treatment 

for our patients. In addition, my ability 

to report plain film studies will enable 

the radiologists to concentrate on other 

reporting within imaging such as CT and 

MRI and performing specialist examinations 

with interventional radiology and 

ultrasound.” 

IMAGING 

Carrie undertook the course alongside 

her day to day role, and that kept her 

extremely busy over the past 12 months. 

Looking back she recalls: “At times it 

was hard, managing my time between 

working shifts, writing essays and 

reflections required by the course as well 

as revision. It was all worth it in the end 

though and, I’m pleased I’ve invested 

my time in this additional learning. In 

the future, there is another module I 

would like to complete that focuses on 

the chest and abdomen. It would mean 

I could then report on all areas of the 

body which I’d like to be able to do.” 

Carrie isn’t the only radiographer 

within her area to have completed 

extra learning. She explained: “The 

department hopes to maintain a rolling 

training system in reporting so that 

a radiographer is qualified each year. 

There are two radiographers currently 

studying reporting courses. This will 

ensure a multi-skilled workforce and an 

efficient service. 

Have you got a 

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY 

CARE 

story? 

25 

We’d love to hear from you if you have… 

• An event or special occasion in your 

department 

• If you work with an inspirational colleague 

• Does your department do something that 

makes a real difference to our patients? 

Please get in touch if you’d like to be featured in an 

upcoming edition of Heartbeat! 

Email swbh.comms@nhs.net to submit your story idea. 

25

Lockdown smiles for shielding 

children – thanks to school nurses 

WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH 

Lockdown has been difficult for 

many families, but one team 

has been helping directly with 

youngsters who have been 

shielding. 

The Sandwell school nursing team were 

approached by Sandwell Council at 

the beginning of the pandemic, as the 

country shut down, to discuss support 

for shielding families. And there were a 

variety of ways they were able to help, 

as Heidi Ferrier-Hixon, Team Leader, 

explained: “There were many families 

which were shielding due to having 

a child in the household that was 

considered vulnerable. 

“As a service, we were able to offer 

support in various ways including a 

weekly telephone call to the family, 

requesting the delivery of a food parcel 

if needed, and educational materials 

for those children who needed more. 

Beyond that, we offered a listening ear 

Heidi Ferrier-Dixon a School Nurse 

to parents who were struggling emotionally 

during the lockdown and a chat with a 

child who was not particularly struggling 

emotionally but hadn’t been outside the 

house for several weeks. We found that the 

prospect of speaking to a nurse seemed 

exciting to them.” 

“We contacted 228 families from May to 

September, and the support has been well 

received. Being able to speak to someone 

weekly whilst they have been unable to 

leave the family home has been helpful to a 

lot of families. 

“One young girl identified in a weekly 

contact that it was her birthday the 

following week and was upset that she 

would not see family and friends. Her wish 

was to get a birthday card, so the nurse 

arranged to send one to her. Afterwards, 

the nurse received photos of a happy and 

excited young lady and a big thank you, 

having received her card. 

“During lockdown, it was the little things 

that made a difference and all the staff 

have worked tirelessly to ensure that 

shielding families had what they needed 

from an essential point of view, but where 

also possible and able they have provided 

smiles.” 

Maternity department lights up to 

mark baby loss 

The maternity department was lit up 

in pink and blue to mark Baby Loss 

Awareness Week (BLAW). 

The lights were installed on 9 October 

at the entrance into the maternity unit 

and delivery suite at City Hospital and 

switched on between 7pm and midnight 

during the awareness week. 

Ann Minto, Bereavement Support 

Midwife, said: “Baby loss is a sad and 

life changing event for women and their 

families. By raising awareness, we can 

contribute to breaking the silence. 

“BLAW culminates with the global 

Wave of Light on 15 October at 7pm, by 

lighting a candle and letting it burn for 

at least one hour. This is in memory of all 

the babies who lit up our lives for such a 

short time.” 

The lights were arranged by Randeep 

Degun from the estates team and 

funded by refurbishment and 

maintenance firm CLC Group. 

Ann added: “I want to say a huge thank 

you to Randeep for his help and support 

Ann Minto and Victoria Weaver, Bereavement Support Midwives outside the maternity department 

which was lit up to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week 

and CLC for funding the lights.” 

Stuart Lilley, Divisional Manager from the 

company, said: “CLC have worked closely 

with the Trust for several years on ward 

refurbishment and fire protection. When 

approached about supporting this, we were 

delighted to be able to help. 

“Many of us know of someone who has 

suffered the loss of a baby and being a 

family owned business, CLC recognises the 

importance of Baby Loss Awareness Week 

to give comfort to bereaved parents and 

their families.” 

26

Rachael Hebbert - 

by royal appointment! 

Born in Sandwell General Hospital, 

Lead Advanced Nurse Practitioner for 

Your Health Partnership (YHP) PCN 

Rachael Hebbert is very excited and 

incredibly proud to have earned the 

distinction of being a Queen's Nurse. 

Speaking to Heartbeat, she explained: 

“Nursing is my passion, especially nursing 

for older people, which is the area I find 

most rewarding, and where I have focussed 

my career. However, there was a time 

once I saw my career path in teaching as I 

am a qualified teacher and enjoy passing 

on knowledge and skills. I used to have a 

part-time post teaching ‘A’ level health and 

social care at Halesowen College whilst also 

working as a Nurse Advisor to the Older 

Person in Worcestershire. 

“I’m lucky that my nursing career has 

enabled me to pursue that dream in 

conjunction with my clinical role. I enjoy 

teaching student nurses and more junior 

colleagues and am currently teaching 

community pharmacists about the 

assessment of minor illness in my spare 

time.” 

The path to becoming a Queen’s Nurse 

is open to individual nurses who have 

demonstrated a high level of commitment 

to patient care and nursing practice. 

All nurses, health visitors and midwives 

with five years’ experience working in the 

community or primary care are eligible to 

apply. The application process includes 

a detailed description and explanation 

of how the nurse lives the values of 

the Queen’s Nurse Institute (QNI) and 

endeavours to develop quality nursing 

services for patients. Rachael received her 

accolade after demonstrating a high level 

of commitment to patient care and nursing 

practice. Nursing for 27 years and in YHP 

for six, Rachael leads the home visiting 

team for YHP where they substitute for 

a GP on home visits. She also leads on 

non-medical prescribing, end of life care, 

personalised care and is responsible for 

organising the multi-disciplinary team 

meetings within YHP. This award recognises 

her commitment to improving services and 

care for our patients in the community. 

She continued: “Sadly COVID-19 has 

affected our service currently as we are 

able to see fewer patients face to face on 

home visits due to the risk that we pose to 

housebound vulnerable patients. However, 

video consulting is great to be able to 

assess patients virtually. 

“I am very enthusiastic about personalised 

care and all that this entails and would like 

to develop services further to ensure that 

the patient is at the heart of everything we 

do. Above all else, I wish to continue with 

a clinical, patient-facing aspect to my work. 

Joining the Trust with YHP has presented 

many more exciting opportunities for 

the development of clinical roles. The 

opportunities especially for nurses are 

boundless particularly in terms of advanced 

practice.” 

Rachael is keen to keep it in the family 

as her husband she describes as “an 

exceptional man who is also an advanced 

nurse practitioner in the organisation.” 

Proud mum to two grown-up daughters, 

one of whom is a community psychiatric 

PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES 

AND THERAPIES 

nurse and the other is in the Army; 

Rachael is excitedly awaiting the birth of 

her first grandson due in March 2021. 

Rachael’s one regret on receiving her 

award now is that her mom didn’t get 

to see it. “I’m a little sad that my Mom, 

who passed away five years ago, was 

not around to see it – she would have 

been chuffed to bits!” 

Rachael Hebbert, Lead Advanced Nurse Practitioner for Your Health Partnership (YHP) PCN 

27

28 

Day nursery gets hands on in 

garden project 

Children from the Sandwell Day Nursery 

have been getting their tiny hands dirty 

as part of a new and innovative garden 

project. 

The garden project is based outside of 

Hallam restaurant and is part of the Trust’s 

plan to further developing our Sandwell 

Hospital site. 

“The green-fingered nursery children have 

been planting a whole host of herbs, 

Pulse 

News in brief from around our organisation 

The day nursery children getting their hands stuck in planting the crops 

100 not out for World of Work 

programme 

Teams around the Trust have been 

celebrating after the World of Work 

programme hit its latest impressive 

milestone. 

World of Work (WoW), is a unique 

work experience placement programme 

designed and funded to assist job seekers 

and unemployed people over the age of 

25+ that live within three to five miles of 

City Hospital. Recently it completed its 

most recent group of cohorts and in doing 

so passed the 100 mark in terms of those 

it has been able to help. 

The WoW programme aims to help 

individuals get ready for work, helping 

to focus aims, and arrange placements 

around the Trust (qualifications depending) 

in clinical and non-clinical departments. 

WoW apprentices help in vital service 

areas as apprentices, administrators, clerks 

and receptionists, hotel services, estate 

vegetables and fruits all as part of our 

community allotment,” said Emma Collier, 

Day Nursery Manager. 

“From garlic, chilli, lettuce and Swiss 

chard to broad beans, sage chives, 

mint and curry plants the children have 

been planting the lot! A couple of them 

even added wind spinners and garden 

ornaments too.” 

The project is just the start of a year-round 

allotment development which aims to 

educate the young children. 

A recent World of Work cohort 

operatives, porters, patient transport 

drivers, health care assistants, trainee 

nurses and more. 

“We are delighted to have reached this 

incredibly important milestone for us,” 

Liza Gill, World of Work Project Lead & 

Volunteer Service Manager told Heartbeat. 

“Despite the pandemic and despite only 

being in operation for a relatively short 

time, WoW has already been able to help 

so many people, several whom have been 

able to find roles in or connected to 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 

IMAGING 

Toni Carr, Deputy Nursery Manager, thinks 

the gardening and planting of crops and 

vegetables is a great source of learning 

for the children. She said: “It’s fantastic 

to educate our children about where 

foods come from and what seeds can 

become. The learning will also play a part 

in encouraging the nursery children to 

eat healthily and the huge benefits of a 

balanced diet that will only help them long 

term.” 

Emma believes the sensory gardens will 

increase positivity and make the entrance 

to the Hallam Restaurant more eye 

catching for colleagues and patients alike. 

She said: “What our children have started 

will eventually become a garden where 

people can sit and reflect and take time 

to relax. It will be topped off with the 

magnolia tree in memory of Veena Terpot 

who sadly passed away earlier this year as 

well as the memorial wall where people 

can remember their loved ones.” 

She added: “Further down the line, with 

the support of our Andrew Mould and his 

team. We're planning to have a bug hotel 

for children and visitors to spot the bugs, 

and we’re hopeful we will be able to plant 

butterfly and free friendly flowers.” 

Don’t forget the garden project isn’t 

just for the Sandwell day nursery but 

for all our colleagues to get involved 

too! If you would like to play your 

part in the project, please contact 

andrew.mould@nhs.net. 

WoW 

World of Work Project Birmingham 

Project Information 

"Some have found a calling they want 

to peruse, others have discovered (or 

rediscovered) a sense of satisfaction 

in working, and others have found 

the guidance they needed. They have 

benefited and, the Trust has benefited too 

from their efforts. Thank you to all the 

teams that have assisted with placements. 

We are looking forward to seeing where 

we go next Are in you 2021 25 and possibly beyond.” 

or over? 

Are you 

Do you 

live in 

For more information unemployed? on WoW 

Birmingham 

call 

0121 507 4891 or email 

lizagill@nhs.net. 

 

SWBH 

Volunteers 

Service 

“Giving Time 

To Care” 

Sandwell 

West Birmingh 

NHS 

Are you looking 

to return to the 

world work or other 

pathways leading 

to work? 

WoW aims to engage with long term unemployed people across Birmingham and 

provide support with training and linkages to work within key growth sectors. WoW 

is managed by Birmingham City Council; supported by Solihull Council and Sandwell & 

West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust. 

For further information visit 

https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/volunteers/worldofwork/ 

Or contact lizagill@nhs.net 0121 5074891 

28

Aner Marcelo 

Hotel Services Manager 

This month we say a warm welcome 

to Aner Marcelo, Hotel Services 

Manager. 

Hailing from the Philippines originally, Aner 

has had a long and successful career both 

in the Philippines and the UK. Speaking 

to Heartbeat, Aner told us about his 

extensive career. “My background in the 

hospitality industry comes from the UK 

and back home. Over the years I have held 

numerous positions, everything from being 

a factory worker to various managerial 

roles. I took on these positions whilst 

studying long-distance and raising a family 

at the same time. Juggling family and work 

commitments over my career has been 

something of a balancing act, but it’s all 

been worth it. 

“I have various qualifications, including 

hotel and catering management, human 

resources (CIPD), a law degree and facilities 

management. These qualifications are from 

different UK universities and what they’ve 

all taught me is how to take a hands on 

approach in dealing with situations. I have 

had to deal with some difficult customer 

service situations in both public and private 

sector roles, all of which have given me lots of 

valuable experience and transferable skills. 

“My current role is as Hotel Services Manager 

working across the whole of the organisation. 

I work with lots of different colleagues in 

various teams which I enjoy. I also look after 

colleagues working within hotel services that 

work both day and evening shifts. I think it’s 

that variety that makes this role so rewarding. 

I get to meet lots of different people and no 

two days are ever the same. Ultimately we are 

here to ensure that we support our internal 

and external customers and provide a high 

standard of cleanliness, always putting our 

patients at the heart of everything we do.” 

Outside of work, Aner is very much a family 

man. Married to Lorraine from Cornwall he 

likes to live a quiet life. “My beautiful wife, 

Lorraine, is the heart of our family, and I 

wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Aner Marcelo 

Wave goodbye to… 

Maxine Walker 

Lead Pharmacy Technician for Ward Services 

This month we say farewell to Maxine 

Walker - our Lead Pharmacy Technician 

for Ward Services. 

Maxine began her career with the NHS in 

1980. It was her first job, and she initially 

worked as a pharmacy assistant. Speaking 

to Heartbeat, she recalled: “This was the 

job I had when I first left school, and I liked 

it so much I’ve been here for 35 years. I 

have had the pleasure of working with a 

lot of different people and teams which has 

made for a rewarding career.” 

Maxine left the organisation briefly to 

complete her pharmacy technician course 

before returning in 1985 to work within our 

pharmacy team. She told us: “I have seen 

a lot of change over the years. One of the 

main changes was when City and Sandwell 

joined together to become the Trust we 

know today. I’ve had several diverse roles 

within the pharmacy team. In particular, I 

enjoyed working with the Black Country 

Mental Health Trust when Sandwell Hospital 

oversaw this. 

“I also worked as a lead technician for both 

Maxine Walker 

City and Sandwell emergency services as 

well as my last role as a lead technician for 

ward services. In this role, I had a team of 

10 people, and together we looked after 

the whole of ward services. Even though 

COVID-19 has presented many challenges 

this year, I am pleased with how we have all 

performed and worked to keep everything 

going.” 

Speaking of Maxine and her impact within 

pharmacy, Navneet Kaur Gill, Academic 

Practitioner Pharmacist said: “Maxine has 

contributed to the department through 

her role as a lead technician in a variety of 

areas such as distribution, mental health, 

emergency services and ward services. She 

has played a pivotal role in creating and 

implementing medicines management in 

the Trust. At the time, this was unique in 

hospital pharmacy, and she paved the way 

for many other pharmacy departments. 

Today we are still benefitting from her hard 

work and dedication. 

“Maxine has also completed a clinical 

diploma. During her time at SWB, she has 

trained and supported many others and 

helped them achieve their goals. Thank you 

from us all for your contributions and for 

always being a supportive, approachable, 

hardworking member of the pharmacy 

team.” 

. 

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 

The mask 

Dear Heartbeat, 

I’ve seen the messages, I understand what 

you are telling us to do but it seems not 

everyone understands the importance of 

wearing a mask. It’s simple really – put a 

mask on and make sure it covers your face, 

not your chin or even your elbow as I’ve 

seen a mask being worn – your face. 

What can the Trust do to ensure people 

follow the rules? Will we be taking action if 

people do not wear their masks properly? 

Seems like a sensible thing to do as we 

work in an acute medical setting which 

carries more risk than most workplaces. 

Kind regards 

Anon 

Dear colleague, 

Thanks for your message and I fully 

understand your frustration. It is 

absolutely vital that all colleagues 

follow the PPE policies we have in 

place. This means wearing a fluid 

resistant surgical mask in all clinical 

settings, even in the corridors and 

shared areas of our clinical buildings. 

FFP3 masks should be worn for all 

aerosol generating procedures and 

where this is risk of rapid deterioration 

of patients. Some colleagues, due to 

their individual risk assessment, should 

also be wearing enhanced PPE such as 

FFP3 masks in amber/green areas. 

COVID-19 cases are rising in the 

community and we are now seeing 

a sharp increase in cases in our acute 

hospital beds. 

People who deviate from our infection 

prevention and control guidance are 

putting themselves, their colleagues 

and our patients at risk and this 

is a serious conduct matter. David 

Carruthers and I wrote to all line 

managers two weeks ago to emphasis 

their responsibilities to ensure that 

their team members adhere to our 

guidance. There is full support to tackle 

this from all our senior leaders. 

If you see people who are not 

following the guidelines appropriately, 

please challenge them respectfully. If this 

is still not having the correct response 

then please escalate this and action will 

be taken. 

Best wishes 

Kathy French, Interim Chief Nurse 

Halal options in Hallam Restaurant 


I know the Trust is always working to make us 

a more inclusive organisation however I have 

noticed the last few times when I go into the 

canteen they have ran out of Halal options. 

Granted I have being going after 12.30pm but 

due to my work patterns and meetings, I’m 

not always able to get their at midday day on 

the dot. This has meant I have been forced to 

have a mix and match of vegetables. 1 Could 

we perhaps look into increasing the quantity 

of Halal food we make for folk who may have 

their lunch later? 

Kind regards 

Anon 


Thank you for highlighting your 

experience and giving us the opportunity 

to look into this for you. 

I have spoken to my colleagues and we’re 

sorry that there was not a Halal option 

available for you. In order to prevent this 

occurring again we will batch cook more 

halal curry options so that you have a 

choice next time you have your lunch with 

us. 

I hope this addresses your concerns. 

Should you wish to discuss anything 

further, please feel free to contact the 

catering department directly. 

Kind regards, 

Ilona Petersen, Catering Manager 

Put a water machine inside the 

Sandwell Trinity House gym already 


I remember contacting occupational health 

back in 2019 about the water machine outside 

of the gym. Though I totally understand with 

COVID-19 we can’t have one ‘outside’ the 

gym otherwise everybody will be using it, 

couldn’t we have one put inside the gym? 

When I’m working out it does get very hot 

and I would appreciate being able to hydrate 

myself and avoid the risk of me becoming 

dehydrated. I have spoken to many colleagues 

who use the Sandwell gym and not one has 

disagreed with me yet! Surely we can arrange 

for a water machine to be put inside the gym? 

We are encouraging people to look after 

their health and wellbeing yet putting an 

unnecessary obstacle in the way by not 

providing a water machine in the gym. I’m 

not sure if City gym has a water machine (if it 

doesn’t there should be one there too by the 

way) but last time I checked we had one in the 

canteen at Sandwell. 

Regards 

Anon. 


Thank you for your letter and for bringing 

this to our attention. 

Across our organisation, we have several 

water fountains for colleagues to use. We 

recognise the importance of providing 

drinking water across our sites, including 

for those using the gym. 

We are looking into the options of 

replacement water cooler near to the 

gym but want to also make sure that 

colleagues are able to access water who 

may not be using the gym. This will 

provide easy access to water before, 

during and after workouts. I hope this 

answers your query. 

Kind regards, 

Bethan Downing 

Joint Acting Director of People and OD 

30

David talks about: How do we look after ourselves 

as we enter the second wave of the pandemic? 

Professor David Carruthers, Medical Director and Acting Chief Executive 

Toby Lewis is away 

DAVID’S LAST WORD 

Wellbeing 

You are all now well aware of the 

increasing cases of Coronavirus in 

the community and the numbers of 

patients in hospital beds that have 

been increasing since September. 

As we brace ourselves for the 

second wave of the pandemic we 

are clearly better prepared than 

we were in March. We know more 

about the virus and who is most at 

risk. We know more too about how 

best to care for those who become 

acutely unwell and how to protect 

ourselves and each other. Research 

programmes are working rapidly 

to improve our understanding and 

vaccine trials look promising. So, 

there are reasons to be optimistic. 

It is, nevertheless, very common 

to be experiencing different levels 

of anxiety, depression and stress 

at this time. We now know more 

about the wider impact of the 

virus on our communities. The job 

losses, isolation and changes to 

our usual way of life are creating 

greater risk of mental ill-health and 

this is particularly true for health 

care workers. Dame Clare Gerada’s 

new book (Beneath the white coat: 

Doctors, their minds and mental 

health) looks at mental health 

among the medical workforce and 

draws on research of health care 

workers who had worked during 

the Sars and Ebola outbreaks as 

well as her own experiences as a 

medic and with the charity Doctors 

in Distress. 

Healthcare professionals are trained 

to put our patients first, and 

indeed, all those working for the 

The Trust has worked with different providers 

throughout the pandemic to help colleagues 

stay well during the pandemic. On offer have 

everything from energy pods, the sanctuary, 

access to podcasts and lots more. 

NHS whether in a clinical or nonclinical 

role are generally doing so 

because they want to help deliver 

the best care for patients. So it is 

easy to diminish our own health care 

needs and not fully address how we 

ourselves are feeling. 

Many of you experienced things 

during the first wave of the pandemic 

that you had never thought you 

would come across during your NHS 

careers. More people were dying 

without family or friends around 

them, lots of you were working 

in areas you were unfamiliar with 

and were unable to get the face to 

face support you normally would 

from spending time with family 

and friends. Those of you shielding 

have expressed your own feelings 

of isolation and how that impacted 

on your feelings of being a valued 

employee. 

Whatever you have done this year, 

you have contributed hugely to our 

response, pulling together to deliver 

the best care for our patients and 

supporting their families. And that 

can feel exhausting. 

As we enter a second surge it is right 

that you consider carefully your own 

needs. Mental health awareness 

week in October was a welcome 

opportunity to reflect on our 

own wellbeing and take the time 

to think about how we really are. 

You don’t have to be in crisis to 

get help. You can make the most 

of the support that is available 

even when you feel ok. Because 

that support is often what can 

help prevent you from serious illhealth 

in the future. 

Dr Gerada argues that health 

workers need “psychological 

PPE” as much as masks, gloves 

and gowns. I hope that you are 

now familiar with the support 

that is on offer at our Trust for 

you. Of course, there is much 

you can do outside work that 

will also help. You will know that 

physical activity is evidenced to 

enhance mental wellbeing and 

I can vouch for that with my 

e-bike trips. Team challenges 

as part of our WhyWeight? 

campaign are about to kick off 

that will help build resilience, 

wellbeing and great team work. 

Please think about the tools 

you need in your psychological 

armour going into this next wave 

of the pandemic. If there is more 

or different help you need just 

get in touch. We need to look 

after ourselves and each other, 

this time around more than ever 

before. 

31

Children of NHS workers overjoyed 

with goody bags 

@SWBHCharity To donate 

to the Your Trust Charity text 

“SWBH16 £5” to 70070 

Delighted children of colleagues 

have said a huge thank you to an 

online company which has donated 

hundreds of gift bags to the 

organisation. 

Bookblock, which specialises in creating 

personalised gift boxes and bags, made 

the generous gesture to staff as a way 

to say thank you to their children for 

supporting their parents throughout the 

COVID-19 pandemic. The bags contained 

age appropriate toys, which included 

jigsaws, colouring books and paints, and 

other activities for children to enjoy. 

Junior Doctor, Vijaytha Murali, initially 

contacted Bookblock about the donation 

and then liaised with Your Trust Charity 

to arrange delivery. Vijaytha said: “We’ve 

worked hard with Bookblock over the 

past couple of months to create bags for 

children from the age of three to 16. It’s 

a wonderful gesture to say thank you to 

everyone who has worked so hard in this 

pandemic and their families.” 

One of those to receive gifts bags for 

her children was Joan Doherty, a nurse 

working at Sandwell Hospital. She said: 

“During the start of the pandemic, I was 

temporarily redeployed onto a COVIDpositive 

ward for several weeks. 

“Naturally, my daughters were anxious 

about this but they understood the 

necessity and were very supportive 

throughout. My twin daughters Amy and 

Emily were delighted with their goody 

bags which contained lovely, high quality 

gifts, including a journal, a make your 

own glowing pendulum, and a beautifully 

illustrated colouring book. I want to say a 

huge thank you Bookblock for the lovely 

gifts which were appreciatively received.” 

Mike Blaber, Pastoral Lead for junior 

doctors at the Trust, added: “It’s been a 

difficult time for many people working in 

healthcare over the last six months. Lots of 

different things have been happening to 

support the wellbeing of colleagues, which 

is vital to delivering excellent patient care. 

“We are conscious that some staff 

members have children at home who have 

not seen them as frequently as they might 

normally do and that’s hard for everyone. 

Vijaytha worked closely with Bookblock 

to help raise some funds to support the 

wellbeing of colleagues in the Trust. We 

looked at how best to spend that money 

and thought about the children of staff 

members and what we could do to show 

them our appreciation. 

Amy and Emily Doherty with their goody bags from Bookblock 

YOUR TRUST CHARITY 

October 2020 staff lottery results 

“Out of that, came this idea of creating 

some wellbeing packs for children. We 

want to thank them for releasing their 

parents and loved ones to spend more 

time away from home than normal 

during this difficult period. We hope 

these gift bags signify that thanks.” 

Heartbeat caught up with then 

Director of People and Organisation 

Development, Raffaela Goodby (before 

she left the organisation), she said: “We 

are so grateful to Bookblock for their 

generosity, love, and for focusing on 

the wider members of our SWB family, 

and for giving presents to the children 

and grandchildren of our hard working 

colleagues. Thank you so much for 

remembering everyone involved in the 

efforts, even the little people.” 

1st £186 

Judith Moore 

2nd £111.60 

Jacque Calloway 

3rd £74.40 

Muchiyapiwa Sibanda 

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.

HEARTBEAT October 2020

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?