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OCTOBER 2017
Page 14 Get in the pink for breast cancer
Page 15 Say ‘yes’ to breast screening invitation Pressure to prepare for fierce flu fight this winter
Chief Nurse Philip Norman Friends, family and colleagues celebrated the life of Philip Norman. See pages 6 and 7
Making a real difference Hundreds of people have taken the time to make a nomination in the Best in Care Awards 2017. Hundreds of patients, relatives and health professionals have paid tribute to the dedication and care given by staff and volunteers across the Trust by submitting their nominations for this year’s annual Best in Care Awards. The awards, which were established in 2009, aim to recognise those staff, members and volunteers who go above and beyond to ensure our patients receive the best in care. However, it is not just those providing frontline services that are celebrated. The awards also honour those behind the scenes that contribute to the smooth running of the organisation by providing administrative support, training, logistics and research services to name but a few. Amongst the awards will be the coveted ‘Brighter Futures Award’ which celebrates those who are creating a better future for our
community through training or work with students, improving relations with local residents or setting up initiatives to make Birmingham healthier. The 2017 winners will be announced at a sparkling ceremony on Thursday 23 November at Tally Ho in Edgbaston, where former patients, healthcare experts and local personalities will be
presenting the worthy winners with certificates and their prizes. UHB’s Chief Executive, Dame Julie Moore, said: “The Best in Care Awards is, by far, my favourite event of the year and is one of the most inspirational. “Every year we receive hundreds of nominations and this year has been no different. However, this year has been one of the most challenging the NHS has faced in recent times, therefore to have received over 400 nominations is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of so many to continue to provide exceptional care – and what that means to our patients. My thanks to all the nominees for their efforts.” See centre pages for a full list of this year’s nominees. This year’s shortlist will be announced in the next edition of news@QEHB and online in November.
The flu vaccination campaign is underway with staff across the Trust doing the right thing and becoming flu fighters at a time when the NHS has been told to prepare for potentially the worst outbreak of flu for many years. Many hospitals in Australia and New Zealand have reportedly been unprepared to cope with a heavy flu outbreak that occurred this season, and it is expected that flu could put much more pressure than usual on QEHB this winter after the Chief Executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens, issued a warning for all UK hospitals at a conference in September. Reports suggest there has been close to double the amount of flu circulating in Australia this July and August - the country’s core winter months - than the average over the previous five winters. Speaking at the health conference, Simon Stevens said the winter flu season in the southern hemisphere was a pointer to the pressure that could build up in the NHS this winter. But he insisted measures were being taken to ensure the NHS was prepared. Mr Stevens said it had been a ‘heavy flu season” and many hospitals had struggled to cope, which should act as a warning to the health service and the need to get as many people as possible vaccinated: “For the next three to five months the top priority for every NHS leader in every part of the NHS is ensuring that the NHS goes into winter in as strong a position as possible. “We know we’re going to have more hospital beds open, we know we are better prepared, but we also know that the pressures are going to be real. “The signs from Australia and New Zealand, who are just coming out of their winter, are that it has been a heavy flu season and many of the hospitals down there have struggled to cope. Whilst the influenza virus strain circulating Australia may be different to the strains within the current vaccine - the World Health Organisation have decided the composition of this year’s vaccine based on the evidence of flu cases available in London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Atlanta and Beijing. To see how you can play your part and more details about the Trust’s flu vaccination programme see page 3.
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