HEARTBEAT February 2023

Welcome to the February edition of Heartbeat.

This month, you can learn about the NHS's new Gloves Off campaign, which encourages colleagues to consider their use of gloves and explains how this could in fact be spreading germs around the hospital environment.

We've also spoken to Katie GillamPrice, the new vice chair of the LGBT+ network, who has explained why she went for the role and what her aims are. Recruitment has been a big topic in recent months, and this month we've outlined what the Trust is doing to attract new candidates to the organisation. Enjoy J

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Stay updated

The stroke and neurology team

Last month I had the privilege of spending some time with colleagues in the stroke and neurology service.

This type of service is an excellent example of a patient journey that affects the entire system, from acute admission right through to rehabilitation in the community ensuring our patients and their families are aware of the services and support available as they continue their recovery.

When our patients are seen at many touchpoints of the care we provide, it is vital that the flow works properly.

I was impressed by how the team have reviewed their service to ensure better care for patients. Sarah Clarke, Clinical Nurse Lead and Clair Finnemore, Therapy Lead attended the Board meeting in January to explain just how they are doing that.

By working together as a multidisciplinary team (MDT), they were able to address issues that had been raised about the quality of the service including concerns such as, ineffective communication and poor documentation of care given to patients.

The MDT ensured they had patient representation to help them put together an action plan based on our fundamentals of care framework with a focus on 24-hour rehab which is essential as we prepare to move to Midland Met next year.

This approach to codesign the service maximised patient safety and enabled every contact to be meaningful for rehabilitation. MDT integration has resulted in our patients receiving an improved level of care based on their individual needs.

I have mentioned this before in previous columns; however, I cannot stress enough how essential it is to get the fundamentals

@swbhnhs

of care right for our patients. And by involving everyone (including patients) in the decisions and delivery of care, we can achieve better outcomes.

For the stroke and neurology team, integrated working has meant greater compassion and improved morale. Complaints and concerns allow them to collectively make change happen at the right time. As an MDT they are able to manage and share the workload creating more time to observe and communicate with patients. This means care documents are completed alongside patients, allowing them the opportunity to ask questions or raise any issues about their care.

Fundamentals of care means we listen to the patient and their loved ones and allow them to feel comfortable and confident enough to speak and be heard in a way that is meaningful to them.

And the listening will continue as several engagement activities (run in partnership with community-based organisations that provide advice, guidance and services to stroke survivors and their families) take place to explore what matters to patients and their families as the service adapts for Midland Met.

This is great work from a fantastic group of colleagues whose motivation has made a difference to patient care and has had (and continues to have) a positive effect on team members. It is encouraging to see colleagues across multiple professions collaborating so effectively.

As ever, I am keen to meet as many of you as I can – drop me a line david.nicholson3@nhs.net

David talks about…Getting the fundamentals of care right for our patients

Bare hands, better care: Gloves aren't always the answer

those gloves. By taking off our gloves for tasks that don't require them, we can show our patients that we care about their well-being and that we're taking steps to prevent the spread of infection.

So, what are some specific tasks where gloves are not necessary? Let's take a look:

• Taking physical or non-physical observations

• Transferring infectious patients to another healthcare setting

• Completing documentation – including no gloves when using computer on wheels

• Moving a bed, wheelchair, stretcher, carry chair, or patient trolley

As healthcare workers, we all know that the appropriate use of gloves is an essential part of our infection control measures. But did you know that unnecessary glove use can actually increase the risk of spreading infection? The 'Take Your Gloves Off' campaign is aimed at reminding us of this fact and encouraging us to only use gloves when clinically necessary. We can make a real difference in preventing the spread of infection.

Let's start with a few key facts. Every year, millions of people around the world get infections while receiving healthcare? These infections can cause serious harm, and in some cases, they can even be fatal. In fact, healthcare-associated infections are one of the most common adverse events in healthcare delivery today. So, what can we do to reduce

the risk of these infections? One important step is managing our hand hygiene – and not just relying on wearing gloves. Why is this the case? Think about it: when you wear gloves, you're creating a barrier between your hands and the environment. While this can be a good thing when handling hazardous materials, it can also be a bad thing if you're wearing gloves unnecessarily. That's because gloves can become contaminated with bacteria or viruses, and if you touch a surface with contaminated gloves, you can transfer those microbes to the surface. This is why it's important to only wear gloves when necessary and to remove them as soon as the task is complete. Another reason to take off your gloves is that it can promote compassionate care for patients. When we wear gloves all the time, it can be easy to forget that there's a real person underneath

• Touching items in the general patient environment, such as when transporting patients, touching door handles, or carrying their belongings

• Supporting personal care where there is no exposure to mucus membrane or bodily fluids, such as making a bed, stretcher, or trolley or providing blankets to the patient

• Holding a patient's hands or completing a pat down over clothing

• Searches and safe patient restraint

• Preparing and administering medications, where gloves are not necessary

Of course, there are still many tasks where gloves are necessary, and in those cases, we should continue to use gloves to protect ourselves and our patients. But by being mindful of our use of gloves and only wearing them when necessary, we can reduce the risk of spreading infection and promote better patient care.

So, what can you do to support the 'Take Your Gloves Off' campaign? Here are a few ideas:

Share information about the campaign with your colleagues and encourage them to participate

Be mindful of your use of gloves and only wear them when necessary

Educate patients and their families about the importance of infection control and why you might not be wearing gloves for certain tasks

Politely challenge colleagues and those around you when you see glove unnecessarily being worn.

Infection prevention and control colleagues Michelle Griffiths and Louise Wilkins are leading the charge in championing appropriate glove use

Young worker's village - new phase of Live and Work scheme

Work has begun to develop the next phase of the innovative Live and Work project at Sandwell Hospital, with the refurbishment of former doctors and nurses’ residences to create an aspirational young workers’ village.

The Live and Work concept, launched by the Trust in partnership with St Basils in 2015, delivers a truly affordable housing option to young workers, many of whom have experienced homelessness. The scheme enables young workers to pay rent from their earned income without the need to rely on welfare benefits for additional support.

The ground-breaking scheme delivered in partnership with Sandwell Council, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Homes England, Equans and with charitable contributions from Landaid and other donors, builds on the learning from the award-winning phase one which was completed in 2015, providing student-style accommodation for young apprentices. Phase two of the scheme will deliver 54 self-contained apartments for young workers.

Richard Beeken, Chief Executive said: “This is a fantastic project which is an exemplar of great partnership working. We are

delighted that the next phase of the Live and Work programme is bringing life back into these buildings.

“As part of the scheme we will provide apprenticeships to young workers and this opens up tremendous opportunities for them as they embark on their career path. We are proud to be involved in such a worthwhile project.”

Jean Templeton, Chief Executive of St Basils, added: “Providing a safe, affordable home which enables young people to live, work, earn and learn is what we want for all those we care about. This scheme and the partners who have made this possible, illustrates what can be achieved when we come together and use our collective will, skill and resources, to fulfil a universal family role. I couldn’t be more proud or more grateful to all those involved and to the

Latest Pulse survey results now available

Thank you to colleagues who took the time to give their feedback in the latest Pulse survey. We received 1,677 responses which is a response rate of 22 per cent.

The survey focusses on nine engagement questions which look at motivation, involvement and advocacy.

We saw some improvements in the following areas:

• Time passes quickly when I am working – 73 per cent up from 71 per cent on the last survey

• Care of patients/service users is my organisation's top priority – 71 per cent up from 70 per cent on the last survey

• I would recommend my organisation as a place to work –54 per cent up from 53 per cent on the last survey.

The survey results are available to see on Connect here: www.connect2.swbh.nhs. uk/communications/surveys/. Managers are encouraged to discuss the results with their teams and review/adjust any local actions that have been previously agreed.

young people who have demonstrated why this type of scheme works.”

Paul Bingham, Regional Director at Equans, added: "The success of the first phase of this project is something we’re incredibly proud to have played a part in, so we jumped at the opportunity to work with St Basils again.

“Making a difference to the communities we work in is really important to us, so it’s a privilege to be able to work with our partners to help provide stability for young people who otherwise might have limited options when it comes to housing and employment.”

It is hoped that this scheme will inspire others around the country to look at alternative options to provide housing solutions for young people.

National staff survey results

You may recall all colleagues had the opportunity to take part in the national staff survey in October and November of last year. We have been informed the results will released on 9 March. There is some good news in that early indication shows an improvement in how colleagues feel about their line managers.

We will share more detail in the next issue of Heartbeat along with information on how our People Plan will aim to address the issues raised in the surveys.

Live and Work scheme partners at the launch of phase two of the project

Work experience in pharmacy proves huge success

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

“I feel Gavin has a prosperous future ahead of him at SWB and is a credit to the organisation.”

The placement, beginning during June 2021 within the pharmacy team, has enabled Gavin to obtain a permanent role at SWB which will ultimately allow him to progress in his pharmacy career.

When asked if he would recommend work experience at the Trust, Gavin said: “It’s a great way to gain experience in something you are interested and passionate about whilst learning skills required for the job role. I would tell anyone who is undecided to just go for it because you don’t know until you try.”

Gavin officially joined SWB as a pharmacy dispenser at the end of 2022

Gavin Moore started his work experience placement in our pharmacy department in June 2021 and at the back of end of 2022, was successfully appointed as a pharmacy dispenser at SWB.

During his pharmacy work experience placement, Gavin worked across various parts of the department which gave him invaluable experience and expertise.

“I was shown many things during my placement such as how a drug history is taken and how the ward-based pharmacy teams operate,” said Gavin.

“I was also shown how the clinical trials team works and had the opportunity to rotate

through the aseptic unit, where I was given the chance to dispense using the software under supervision.”

Zoe Finch, Dispensary Co-Ordinator has played an important mentoring role in Gavin’s development and believes he has thrived and flourished at SWB.

She said: “From when I first met Gavin at his interview, I could see he had a passion for healthcare. I feel strongly about creating a culture for an equal and diverse workplace. The fact that Gavin was 17 when he joined us here is not only a massive achievement for him but for us as a Trust too, as we are able to nurture Gavin with his enthusiasm to learn.

He added: “If I had to give one message to younger people in a similar position to myself, I would say be resilient and open minded. As someone who didn’t want to go down the traditional university route of education, I was left wondering what route I could take. I then became aware of work experience opportunities available at SWB by contacting Nikki Smith and quickly learnt that this was something I wanted to undertake.

“I believe that you should follow what you want to do. I left school at 16 with the idea of going into healthcare but didn’t know how to achieve that until I did work experience at the Trust.”

If you are interested in completing work experience opportunities 2023, please email swb-tr.SWBH-GMWorkExperienceEnquiries@nhs.net We also have an array of degree and higher-level apprenticeships available so if this is of interest to you, please email swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net

NHS75

- be part of the celebration

As we prepare to mark our 75th anniversary, we are looking for colleagues who are keen to share their big ideas for the day itself. We are already working with our local media on providing stories of inspirational staff who embody all that we stand for and are always looking for newsworthy stories to tell.

We are looking at themes including technology, sustainability, the next 75 years, the changing roles within the NHS and the central role that research plays in the NHS, however we are open to all ideas which we believe we could deliver effectively.

Alongside our NHS75 celebrations, we are also keen to mark Windrush, as a pivotal point in our

history and integral to the formation of the NHS.

If you would like to be part of a new group that is coming together to plan how we mark the event, please contact Head of External Communicationsvanya.rogers@nhs.net to express your interest.

Dr Masood Aga recognised at national awards

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Dr Masood Aga, Clinical Director for Occupational Medicine, won outstanding occupational health practitioner 2022 at the Society of Occupational Medicine awards. The Trust’s occupational health and wellbeing team was also highly commended in the outstanding occupational health team category.

The Society of Occupational Medicine awards 2022 took place at the Royal College of Physicians in London in December. The awards celebrate the superb work that occupational health professionals undertake every day and showcase the value of occupational health to organisations and the wider community.

Dr Aga was commended for his innovative leadership and for ensuring that staff occupational health and wellbeing remains central to the Trust’s strategic plan. His commitment to developing the team to meet the evolving needs of colleagues was also noted.

Along with his team, he developed endto-end mental health and musculoskeletal pathways meaning colleagues can access a

multidisciplinary team of consultants and allied health professionals, including a physiotherapist, psychologist and EMDR specialist through occupational health, without having to see a GP.

Dr Aga said “It’s an honour to be recognised by other occupational health colleagues across the country for the work we do in SWB to look after our colleagues’ health and wellbeing. We strive to provide the best service we can, and listen to the needs of colleagues, and we will continue to do so.”

Dr Aga was also recognised for his postgraduate teaching, research credentials and collaborative work. We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Dr Aga and his team.

Colleagues can view the range of occupational health and wellbeing services offered at SWB through the Connect homepage, and can contact the department on 0121 507 3306 for further information.

Rev Mary Causer: Lent and what this time of year means for me

pancakes. Each year Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by recognising our conscience and where we would like to see change in the way we live, reflection, fasting and ultimately celebration. It sounds difficult, doesn’t it? Or is that just me? My daughter did 31 minutes of exercise each day in January for a charity. I saw how difficult the middle two weeks were for her: it made me think of the truth about Lent – it is not supposed to be easy.

and was tempted by Satan. Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection plus maybe setting something aside, or even adding to your month by being generous. There are plenty of generous calendars, with something different every day for us to do: Tearfund, Cafod and 40acts are just some of them.

We are moving towards the season of Easter in the Christian calendar, a time of expectation, a time of hope for many in our Trust and beyond. Lent starts on 22 February, after all the

It has to make us feel a little frustrated and even grumpy at times. If you observe Lent, and know you fail every year, then choose something else for the month. Giving something up or even doing something new can be difficult. Many people feel they fail at it, and if we do, does God think any less of us? Of course not.

The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted

This year, chaplaincy will be offering the blessing of ashes (a sign of the cross on your forehead) as we walk around the wards. We won’t be taking much of your time, simply offering a quick one line prayer before administering the ash. We recognise how busy the Trust is and thought this would be easier for you.

Chaplains will be available in Sandwell, City, Rowley Regis and Leasowes: keep an eye out for them. If you want us to come somewhere specific please email mary.causer@nhs.net

Dr Masood Aga receives his 'Outstanding Occupational Health Practitioner' award

Rev Mary Causer

Quality Improvement Half Days 2023/24

Quality Improvement Half Days (QIHDs) provide dedicated time for teams to meet to consider how best to improve the quality of care or services provided to patients and colleagues.

These are protected learning time for teams where non-essential clinical services are stopped for one afternoon every month. The programme has been designed to improve cross-organisational learning across our busy workforce of over 7000 people, and follows recommendations in the Berwick report

published after the Mid Staffordshire Hospitals inquiry, on how to improve the safety of patients in England.

Content of the learning afternoons cover a range of themes including:

• Lessons learned from incidents and near misses

• How to make basic safety standards consistent across all areas

• Improving patient experience

• Training and development

• Latest research updates

All staff are expected to take part which is why non-essential clinical services are stopped for the duration of the sessions. Care for patients on wards and urgent / emergency services does of course continue.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Thank you and well done to Issy from ESD for running a 5K with a stroke survivor. The patient wanted to run with a staff member in case anything went wrong. A great example of person-centered care in the community.

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 heartwarming messages which have been sent via our website and social media platforms.

Massive thank you to Steven who helped us with the ward moves among PCCT. He's been very patient and considerate making sure that all staff are allocated on the right places. He's always willing to help. Keep it up.

From – Lady Ann Ordona

Thank you so much for repeatedly going above and beyond for the department, the trust and foremost, the patients. You guys have stayed well over your hours on more occasions than I can mention. Thank you for your professionalism and the care you have delivered over the year.

From – Tyrone Khan

You recently offered support to a patient through difficult news. I have no doubt your gentle manner and thoughtfulness made a heart-breaking, difficult time slightly more bearable, communicating with kindness and sensitivity throughout. I've no doubt you will have eased their pain considerably. Your interactions with patients and other staff are always characterised in this way, which we are perhaps at risk of taking for granted. So I wanted to say thank you.

Dr Dale showed a high level of compassion and understanding when my husband was in A&E at Sandwell and subsequently admitted due to sepsis. He went above and beyond to take time to listen and communicate with us even though it was a particularly strained time in the ED due to high levels of attendance. His kindness and caring attitude towards his patients will stand him in good stead in his future career.

From

When my colleague Amy and I were helping a lady who had taken unwell in the BTC Costa, Gavin was having his break and noticed and came over to offer assistance and went to call 2222. He went above and beyond, assisted finding equipment in an unknown area, and helped put everything back afterwards. We had never met him before and he didn't know the area or us but he was really kind and helpful and we are really pleased he has come to work at SWB.

It is very pressurised for everyone at the moment, and on top of that there is a global supply chain challenge affecting many lines of stock. Jane was faced with lack of clinical products which could have affected her patients' care on Lyndon 5. She was quick to contact myself, the materials management team (Debbie) and the Tissue viability team (Pat) to find another solution. Jane took the responsibility to alert us to the issue, and together with the team we hope this is now resolved. Jane is demonstrating the Trust's core values in communicating with our people to ensure our patients get the best care

For helping the nursing and medical team above and beyond his own role to make sure a baby received the care required, supported the nurses with medications and tried to support when there where technical issues. He became an additional member of our team and his support was really appreciated. He is also always happy to help and always polite to staff. Thanks Steven :)

We have received many thank you cards from women who have received care from Jenny - she is a shining example along with her colleagues in clinic 6A of compassionate care. Thank you, Jenny, for always taking the time to support ladies to feel at ease and treating them with kindness and respect.

I hope you can pass on my sincere thanks to Yunus who went the extra mile to help an 80-year-old elderly visitor with mobility problems. The visitor was obviously distressed and disorientated after visiting her daughter and trying to get home. Jade from theatres was also instrumental in helping the lady when Yunis kindly offered to offer her a wheelchair and take her back to the ward where she thought she had left her handbag. Following that he then took the visitor down to the main entrance and waited until the lady's transport arrived, he did all of the above even though he was really busy, he showed compassion, empathy and patience that myself and the lady truly appreciated. Nothing was too much trouble, well done.

Neonates has been particularly busy over the Christmas and New Year period with many sick babies and lots of admissions particularly between 26-29th Dec. On 28th we had 3 transfers out of unwell babies. During the Christmas and New Year period I have seen lots of excellent teamwork in some high pressured situations, this extends to our LW and PNW staff too. We have been fortunate to have had very hands on Consultants during this time; they have been prescribing, doing procedures and various other tasks due to multiple unwell babies at the same time. Thank-you to all our amazing team from the cleaners, clerks, nursing to junior doctors, the teamwork and support has been something to be proud of. Thanks to all the Consultants for your hard work, but in particular Dr Kamupira, Dr Venugopalan, Dr Halpern and Dr Yousef during the shifts I have worked. Also thanks to Dr Broggio for support to the ITU team during a very busy shift, your help and support was appreciated.

Thanks Emma, for going the extra mile, in providing beautiful memories, for a bereaved family recently. These mean the world to the families, and are greatly appreciated.

To – Steven Cho

From – Louise Chappell

To – Dr Joshua Dale

– Tracy Ring

To – Sam Lockley

From – Chloe Travers

To – Sandwell Theatre 2 Staff

To – Jenny Oliver

From – Cheryl Newton

To – Steven Howell

To – Issy Higgins

From – Sineade Gutzmore

To – Neonatal/Maternity Clinical Teams

From – Fran Wootton

To – Emma Joyce

From – Victoria Weaver

To – Gavin Moore

From – Zoe Pilsworth

To – Jane Ferguson

From – Clare Nash

To – Yunus Shedaffa

From – Ian Galligan

Katie is the voice for LGBT+

Community staff nurse Katie Gillam Price is keen to be known as the female voice for the LGBT+ Network.

Having taken the helm as vice chair for the network seven months ago, Katie is determined to push it forward, raising awareness of where people can find support and meet others.

She said: “I ran for the vice chair post following a conversation with the previous network chair and Thomas our new chair of the network. It was noted that there hadn’t been a female in post for either role.

“I felt that there should be a female voice for the network. I am passionate for being a voice for the LGBT+ network after having had negative experiences in previous jobs due to my sexual orientation.”

So what are Katie’s plans for the network?

“The first six months we are wanting to re-establish the LGBT+ staff network and push it forward,” she explained. “We will be arranging regular meetings, social events and celebrating LGBT+ history month.

“We are looking to encourage staff who identify as LGBT+ to join the network, where they can access support and meet new people and become involved in the events for the

network. We also hope that allies to the network will continue to support us and be involved in all that we have planned.

“We are looking to raise awareness of the network to ensure that all colleagues are aware that we are here should anyone require support or just someone to talk to.

Join the green revolution!

Are you passionate about making positive changes in your workplace and helping the NHS become a leading sustainable healthcare provider? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our Green Impact programme!

Green Impact is a team-based programme where colleagues work together to complete simple, everyday actions that contribute to a greener and more sustainable workplace. By doing things like turning off lights and equipment when not in use, reducing waste and using reusable items, and encouraging patients to think green, we can create a healthier and more sustainable environment for everyone.

Our Green Impact programme has just launched its 5th cycle, and we have a brand new toolkit to help you get started. By participating in Green Impact, you will have the chance to win prizes throughout the year, as well as awards and recognition for your team. Plus, you'll get the satisfaction of knowing that you're making a real difference in the world.

But don't just take our word for it – here are some of the benefits of participating in Green Impact:

Improve your workplace: By taking part in Green Impact, you can help make your workplace a healthier and more sustainable environment for everyone. Simple actions like turning off lights and equipment when not in use can help reduce energy waste and save money.

Build teamwork: Green Impact is a teambased programme, which means you'll have the opportunity to work with your colleagues and build stronger relationships. Plus, it's a great way to get to know people from different departments and areas of the NHS.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

“We are hoping to work collaboratively with other networks too, which is one of our long-term goals. Our members may associate with more than one network within the Trust.

“And of course this all leads to increasing the visibility of the group by making ourselves known through regular communication and being accessible to staff who feel that they would benefit from speaking with us.”

Throughout February the network celebrated LGBT+ History Month with a range of events.

Katie added: “The LGBT+ staff network is going to be working with the equality, diversity and inclusion team to obtain the statistics required for the Trust to be on the Stonewall Index. This is a list of organisations who have worked hard over the year to ensure there is inclusivity and equality within their organisations. We are hoping to show that Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust do this for their employees.”

Learn new skills: Green Impact is a great way to learn new skills and knowledge about sustainability. You'll learn about the impact of our daily actions on the environment and how we can make a positive difference.

Have fun: Green Impact is a fun and engaging programme that allows you to make a difference while having fun with your colleagues. You'll have the chance to participate in team-building activities and win prizes throughout the year.

So, what are you waiting for? Join Green Impact today and start making a positive change in your workplace! To find out more and register, visit https://toolkit.sosuk.org/greenimpact/swb/login or contact Fran Silcocks (Head of Sustainability) on Francesca.silcocks@nhs.net.

Remember, our health and that of the population and future generations is dependent upon 'greener' ways of working. Let's work together to create a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

Katie Gillam Price is the vice chair for the LGBT+ Network.

The Green Impact team

Recruitment drive ramps up ahead of new hospital opening

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Recruitment is one of the Trust’s main priorities as we prepare to move into the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital next year.

With that in mind a number of events are on the horizon where we’re looking for nurses, healthcare support workers and consultants who will join us as we embark on our journey into a brand new healthcare facility.

In March an open day for healthcare support workers will take place, whilst later that month we will be looking to reinforce staffing within our emergency department.

Emergency department (ED) Matron, Michael Brennan has been leading a campaign to promote the work his teams do which will, in turn, attract applicants. And so far, this collaboration with the communications department is paying off.

“We created a video to show off our workforce and the various roles that are available. It went down very well with more than 30,000 views on the Trust’s TikTok channel and great engagement on the Trust’s other social media platforms. It was also featured on BBC Midlands Today.

“The campaign has paid off, with more than 100 people applying for the jobs available. This is unheard of. We’re really pleased with the way that it’s going and by focusing on our people

within the video and what it’s like to work within an ED, we’ve shone the spotlight on recruitment in a creative way.

“We’re also holding a recruitment day on 18 March where we will be interviewing the candidates who have applied and offering jobs on the spot. There’s a range of roles available, from Band 3 emergency care technicians and qualified nurses to emergency nurse practitioners. We’ve also vacancies for charge nurses and in paediatrics.”

Michelle Jarrott, Recruitment Manager, has also been working to promote the Trust at various events. The team will be at a number of events throughout the year starting off at the RCNi recruitment fair taking place on 8 March at the NEC where teams will be on hand to talk about their departments and interview for Band 5 and above nursing roles.

She said: “Traditionally this has been somewhere we do very well. We offer a really great package of development and benefits and those attending recognise this.

“We’d really encourage colleagues to recommend our Trust as a place to work to friends and family members who are looking for a role in the NHS. If you’re a service looking to recruit then we’d encourage you to come and discuss your needs with us so we can help to support you.”

Give someone a second chance at life: Join DKMS blood stem cell register

Blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are devastating diseases that affect thousands of people across the UK each year. For many patients, a blood stem cell transplant is their only hope of survival. But with only around 30 per cent of patients finding a match within their family, the need for unrelated donors is crucial.

This is where the DKMS blood stem cell register comes in. By registering with DKMS, you are giving someone a second chance at life. A simple saliva swab is all it takes to potentially save a life. When you sign up to the register, your details are added to a database that is searched by doctors and transplant coordinators in the UK and around the world to find a match for patients in need.

It's important to note that the process of donating blood stem cells is much simpler than you may think. In most cases, it doesn't even require a surgical procedure. Around 90 per cent of donations are made

through peripheral blood stem cell collection, which involves the collection of blood stem cells from the donor's bloodstream. This is done through a process called apheresis, in which whole blood is separated into individual components. The remaining 10 per cent of donations are made through bone marrow donation, which is a minor surgical procedure done under general anaesthetic.

It's easy to underestimate the impact that one person can have. But the truth is that registering as a blood stem cell donor could make all the difference for someone in need. And the need is urgent – every 20 minutes, someone in the UK

is diagnosed with a blood cancer. By joining the register, you could be the match that saves their life.

But the benefits of joining the DKMS register aren't limited to the potential to save a life. There are also personal benefits to consider. Donating blood stem cells can be an incredibly rewarding experience, knowing that you have made a tangible difference in someone's life. And as a registered donor, you have the peace of mind of knowing that you are ready to donate if and when the need arises.

By registering, you are joining a community of over 10 million donors worldwide who are committed to making a difference in the lives of those battling blood cancers. And the process is easy – all it takes is a simple saliva swab.

Register as a potential donor and request a swab kit today at:

or pop by the DKMS Awareness Stall on Thursday 20 April at Sandwell or Thursday 27 April at the BTC 1st floor.

Michael Brennan on TikTok promoting the various jobs available in our emergency departments

Senior Pharmacist Ho Jan Senya encourages all colleagues to join the blood stem cell register

SWB team up with Connexions to showcase opportunities

As part of Sandwell Council’s ambition to showcase careers and apprenticeships in the NHS, SWB were invited to a recent awareness event at West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

Facilitated by Sandwell Connexions, an organisation providing career advice guidance for young people across the borough, the event saw over 1,800 people attend the Baggies to find out more about a career in care.

Alongside SWB, there were also other public sector stakeholders at the Albion including representatives from West Midlands Police, the RAF, the Navy, West Midlands Ambulance Service and local colleges and universities across the Midlands.

Karen Whitehouse, Apprenticeship Coordinator thinks the event was hugely

beneficial for those who attended as well as the Trust.

She said: “For all those who came along it gave us an opportunity to showcase what the Trust has to offer, inspire the next generation and provide invaluable information on pathways into the NHS with apprenticeships being one of them.”

Nikki Smith, Work Experience and School Engagement Lead echoed these thoughts and said, “Attendees were able to gain important knowledge and resources which will help them make the next decision into what career path they may wish to take or further education opportunities. It also helped raise awareness of different careers.”

She added: “Our aim at the event was to share what apprenticeship opportunities are available from entry level (2) up to degree

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

level (7) as well as the different career choices in the NHS. Many people often forget that there are roles beyond doctors and nurses, so embedding knowledge into young people to make informed career choices and ultimately help people consider the NHS as an employer of choice is very rewarding!”

Aaron Bertram Miller and Stacey Clarke, Nursing Associate Practice Educators were also representing the Trust at the event from a clinical perspective and said, “from our viewpoint we truly believe that many of these young people could be our nurses of the future, so it is key they know everything about a career in healthcare.”

Team SWB ahead of the careers event at the Albion

From now until when we move into Midland Met, we will be sharing updates with you about the many people involved in the project and the role they each play.

The successful opening of Midland Metropolitan University Hospital relies on many people, teams and stakeholders. Once open, it will have a far-reaching impact –not only on those we care for but also on colleagues and our community in terms of regeneration, jobs, housing, charitable endeavours and so much more.

Getting us to Midland Met is a team effort. We all have a part to play in making it #morethanahospital!

This month we caught up with Paul Hazle from our commissioning team.

How long have you been at SWB and what is your current role?

I am a senior commissioning manager for the Midland Met project. I have worked at SWB since 2008 in various project management roles across the organisation, including service redesign, transformation and reconfiguration projects and an operational management secondment.

My part in Midland Met Sandwell

from colleagues as they use the opportunity to plan how their areas will work for them and to review their care pathways.

We also host benchmark room tours so that departments can see their areas and share feedback to ensure the provision will be to the correct specification and of the highest quality.

Within our team, we are all responsible for our areas. For my part, I focus on clinical engagement about any outstanding design completion and equipment provision, liaison with construction contractor teams during the construction handover phase, all the way through to the commissioning and moving in activities. We have regular team catch-ups, stakeholder calls and meetings and a lot of contact with the team at Balfour Beatty.

In what ways will our new hospital help to shape your role for the better?

What part does your role contribute to the Midland Met project?

Working in commissioning within the NHS focuses on assessing needs, planning and prioritising, purchasing and monitoring health services to get the best health outcomes. A key aspect is ensuring our readiness to move, planning and supporting the transition into the new facility.

Given the size and complexity of Midland Met, we work across the entire project with clinical and operational teams to get things right for when we move into our new hospital.

My role involves working closely with stakeholders to review their requirements against the brief and keeping them informed of progress and any challenges we may need to work through together.

How are you preparing for the opening of Midland Met in your team/ department?

Being a senior commissioning manager gives me a unique insight into the inner workings of our hospital. The team and I host site tours every Friday, and they prove invaluable to getting feedback and hearing

It is the biggest project our Trust has undertaken, and it has the potential to make a real impact in terms of the care we deliver and how we support our communities for years to come.

In my role, it means supporting all the different teams and areas and equipping them with the knowledge they need to make service changes before we open in 2024. For example, several clinical pathways need to be changed to ensure patients receive safe and seamless care when we open.

By successfully adapting our services and focusing on our community services, we will transform our services, and that is a significant change for us and those who rely on our services.

The biggest benefit that Midland Met will bring in your opinion is...

A fully integrated acute hospital with streamlined patient pathways will help us deliver on our strategic ambitions for our patients as part of our 3Ps strategy. It will equip our clinical and operational teams and support them to deliver the highest quality care in first class innovative facilities.

Senior Commissioning Manager, Paul Hazle

Across the UK our population is ageing. Frailty impacts older people, typically those aged 65+. Nationally, pre-COVID, between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of all accident and emergency attendances and 30 per cent of patients in acute medical units were older and living with frailty. It is people in this group that are more at risk of adverse health outcomes such as falls, disability, admission to hospital, or the need for long term care.

Our Trust serves a population with a high proportion of elderly patients, complex needs, multiple comorbidities and increasing frailty. Understanding these statistics and in a bid to support our frail population as effectively as we can, we’ve set about overhauling our frailty services.

Emma Hibbs, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP), works in our growing frailty intervention team that currently has nine members. It is a multi-disciplinary team working to transform our frailty services before we move into Midland Met, providing as much frailty same day emergency care as possible.

The team includes ACPs, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists

Transforming frailty services at SWB

The team currently assesses patients in either the Emergency Department (ED) or the Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (FSDEC) area. This recently opened area allows the team to review patients as timely as possible and facilitates robust assessment and decision making in a dedicated frailty space. The benefits are that it supports both the ED and acute medicine teams to optimise patient flow through the hospital whilst offering a much more individualised patient experience to our frail older adult population.

Emma explained: “Previously, we had no multidisciplinary frailty team at the front door whereas now we have a specialist team that can make the right decisions for the patients we care for much earlier on in their journey whether they are being admitted to hospital or being discharged. We’re a flexible, evolving team and one of the more established frailty intervention services locally.

and an elderly care consultant, all of whom work to support and care for frail patients during their presentation to hospital. The team complete a comprehensive geriatric assessment considering an individual’s health and social care needs.

“The work we are doing now is laying the foundations for when we move into Midland Met. We provide a joined-up approach that works closely with multiple other teams such as our integrated discharge hub, community services and virtual ward teams. This ultimately benefits patients and helps to support patient flow through the hospital.”

Emma Hibbs, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner works in our growing frailty intervention team

Why I choose to be a vaccinator: Faraz Ahmed's story

This was a brand-new vaccine and we had to clinically understand patient eligibility and protocols, ascertain how best to implement this and explain things to the public in a way they would understand. We created child friendly environments for the 5-11 and 12-15 age groups which was recognised nationally.

At the height of operations we were doing over 1000 vaccinations per day and achieved 1468 on our busiest day.

Has it lived up to its expectations for you?

Working in the vaccination world had its challenges: there were periods where it slowed down and rapidly pick up as new cohorts became eligible throughout the year. Tipton was supposed to be short term, but we were there for almost two years. It was, without a doubt, the best job of my life.

The thing is, that latter point still rings true. Due to the fantastic efforts of so many, the mortality rate is now low, but COVID is still here and still evolving. Making sure you’re vaccinated still ensures you are looking after yourself and the people you love and care for.

Crucially, this season we are dealing with extremely high rates of flu: the virus has skyrocketed, and it can seem that people aren’t aware of the numbers or of how dangerous it can be.

In your view, what’s deterring people? I think some people are feeling vaccine fatigue, but as I said before, we need to remember how crucial it is to protect ourselves.

We met with pharmacist Faraz Ahmed to learn more about his role in the team and why he chose to work in the vaccination programme.

When did you start working at SWB?

I started at SWB in January 2021, joining the vaccination programme.

From 2015 I was working in community pharmacy. I enjoyed the environment but was interested in moving into another area.

I was working, but I wasn’t necessarily enjoying my work. Late one day I responded to a posting about a vaccination pharmacist role, requiring availability at short notice. The next day I was at Walsall Manor and I started working on their vaccination programme.

What attracted you to working on the vaccination programme, and how did you begin?

I wanted to find something I enjoyed and to make a difference. I moved from Walsall to the Dudley Group NHS Trust, working at Russell’s Hall and then as part of a regional COVID-19 vaccination programme. When I started at SWB, I trained 30 pharmacists alongside the SWB pharmacy team who would be starting at Tipton – we would have anywhere between 8 and 16 pharmacists staffed per day as part of a multi-disciplinary. We had staff from all sorts of backgrounds such as nurses, paramedics, midwives, students and many more.

It was a learning curve managing a team of that size: I myself had 15 other pharmacists that I looked after, including prescribers and non-prescribers and across multiple sites. There were many obstacles.

I’m so glad that I was able to move into a role where I worked to help so many people during lockdown. I felt I was on the frontlines of history; to be delivering the programme at that scale, both to the public and helping to input into hospital processes, was amazing. I have met so many individuals who are now lifelong friends and I’m immensely proud of what we achieved. We won three awards within the programme – a Star Award, an LGC award, and a regional award for what we did with Toy Town, to make vaccination child friendly. Which shows the incredible team we had across all SWB sites.

How did you work with vulnerable groups?

We had several clinics running at the same time. We wanted to target health inequalities, and to this end we reached out to schools, care homes, community centres; spaces where we knew we would be able to reach people.

To encourage uptake, we put on specific clinics: asylum seekers, homeless people, women-only, specific faith groups, and those without regular NHS care.

We’ve seen much lower levels of vaccine uptake this season than in previous years, where people were clamouring to get vaccinated. Why do you think this is?

I think that during the pandemic, during lockdown, vaccines were seen as passports to freedom. People couldn’t wait to get out and about, to travel, and they felt vaccines would give them access to this.

Comparing this with now, people have that freedom again and can get out and about. I think people don’t see the value in the vaccines in the same way as when we were in the height of a pandemic.

But we’re forgetting that most importantly, large numbers of people were dying. Everyone wanted to be safe and to protect their loved ones.

There’s also a misconception that you will feel really ill after a vaccination. Whilst minor symptoms are common, they are completely normal after a vaccine, and usually go after 48 hours.

Some believe that you can contract the actual illness from the vaccination itself. At no point can this happen. Vaccines work in one of two ways: they either give you an inactive strain, or they give you genetic material which helps you to fight it. Flu vaccines are the former, COVID vaccines are the latter: they’re mRNA vaccines involving the use of a spike protein which enables your body to develop antibodies to fight the virus.

The technology for both types of vaccine has been around for years and is extremely well tested and safe to use.

What would you say to someone in healthcare who would rather take the risk and not get vaccinated?

We can’t advocate for a service we wouldn’t have ourselves: I believe that as healthcare professionals, it’s our responsibility to get vaccinated. I myself have had all the COVID jabs and boosters, as well as my flu vaccination.

When we’re talking about the individual, getting vaccinated allows your body to build immunity and lessens the severity of your symptoms, allowing you to fight the virus more easily.

Vaccinations won’t stop you from getting the condition but will provide you with protection for yourself and those around you. What they do is so important.

The greater the number of people who get vaccinated, the more likely we are reduce the severity of it to the population and the less likely that a vulnerable person will catch that virus. We have eradicated viruses before through vaccination. I think we need to think of ourselves as part of the group and remember how important it is to protect each other.

Faraz Ahmed

Apprenticeships are for everyone

National Apprenticeship Week takes place from 6-12 February 2023. During the week, organisations highlight and celebrate the work and achievements of apprentices across the country. The week also sees employers and organisations coming together to showcase opportunities to thousands of people actively seeking an apprenticeship.

To mark National Apprenticeship Week, we’re featuring Andy Farrington, Team Leader for the infrastructure team. Maxine Griffiths, Widening Participation Manager/Apprenticeship Lead, met with Andy to discuss his apprenticeship and background.

What apprenticeship are you studying and what does it involve?

I undertook the Level 3 team leader or supervisor apprenticeship, commencing in February 2021. The course requirements are clearly set out in all the documentation around the course, so the modular nature, regular meetings and work submission were no surprise. What was a surprise was the level of introspection and self-examination that several of the modules caused for me.

I had a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome in 2019, so prior to the course introspection and self-examination were not things I engaged in regularly, and certainly not ‘in the moment’, often to the detriment of both me and those I was engaging with. Tact and subtlety were employed sparingly, and I could be difficult to engage with. None of those traits have changed following the course. What has changed is my awareness of them, and most importantly my acknowledgment and awareness of the impact of those behaviours on others.

Why did you want to do the apprenticeship?

I’d been asked by my line manager if I’d be interested in becoming the team leader, as they had seen potential in me to perform well in a ‘leading people’ role. They also recognised that I’d need some support with this and suggested an apprenticeship.

Being someone old enough to remember the youth training schemes of the 1980s, I was initially somewhat sceptical, but a quick chat with Emma Hill, from the apprenticeship team, provided some reassurance that an apprenticeship was absolutely a valid direction for me to take. I still had some reservations though, and it wasn’t until I was a couple of months in that I started to realise the value of the knowledge and skills I was gaining.

What is your current role?

I’m the team leader for the infrastructure team. The team are responsible for the servers, networks, cyber security and telephony services that support the Trust’s clinical and operational objectives. Whilst it’s less ‘hands-on geeky’ than my prior role as an infrastructure engineer, being the team leader gives me opportunities to influence the informatics department, and the wider organisation, in a more strategic way. I take this responsibility very seriously, knowing that some of the decisions I make or input into will influence and impact the organisation for years.

How did you get into your current role?

I started working for the Trust on the service desk, answering phones and providing an initial fix for issues wherever possible. Opportunities for internal advancement within the informatics team were very limited at that time, so after seven years I transferred to a more senior IT role in a specialist clinical team. Two years later, and I’m back in informatics in the infrastructure team. From that point forward, it’s been a case of experiential learning and knowledge transfer, with some self-directed technical courses undertaken.

In 2020, COVID hit, and working from home became the new normal for most, but I remained on-site, and was asked to manage the service desk and desktop support teams whilst both of their management teams were ill with COVID. This was my first real opportunity for management in the Trust, and my line manager recognised some potential and asked me to step up as the infrastructure team leader. I was formally appointed in February 2022.

What has been your proudest achievement on your apprenticeship to date?

On the apprenticeship itself? Simply passing!

However, that’s far too simplistic an answer. The knowledge and skills that I’ve gained during the apprenticeship have made a huge difference to my day-to-day working practices and interactions with colleagues. Critically, I utilised these skills during a major IT incident and was able to successfully lead the team’s response and recovery efforts, along with influencing the Trust’s response as well.

I’m most proud, however, when colleagues tell me that “you’re a different person to who you were when you started the course”. I’m absolutely and fundamentally still ‘me’ and I always will be. But because I’m more aware of my own challenges and ‘triggers’, I’m able to integrate and cooperate much better with colleagues and peers.

What do you want to do once you complete your apprenticeship?

I successfully completed the course in July 2022, and one of the first actions I took was to pause, reflect, and assess how to continue with my learning journey.

I’m applying in the very near future to take part in a Level 5 apprenticeship with the NHS Mary Seacole Leadership Programme, hopefully commencing in February 2023, with a view to progressing further in my NHS management career.

On a personal note I’ve continued with some self-development, working on those ‘aspie’ traits that are the most challenging for others to deal with.

What would you say to someone considering an apprenticeship?

I was initially more than a little embarrassed to admit that I was undertaking an apprenticeship at 52 years old, but it has been the most empowering and worthwhile activities that I have ever undertaken in my working life, and one of the accomplishments I’m most proud of. Commit fully, engage with the process, and go for it!

Andy Farrington, Team Leader for the infrastructure team

S Ar AW RDS

Over the next several months, we will celebrate winners of the 2022 Star Awards, recognising them for their hard work and the positive impact this has had on our people, patients and population. We’ll be speaking directly with the winners to get their views and hear what winning meant to them.

For this month’s Our Winners, we spoke with the winners of the Distinguished Service Award and Learner of the Year.

Distinguished Service Award

2022’s Distinguished Service Award recipient is Siten Roy. Siten joined the Trust in September 2002 as an orthopaedic consultant, with an initial interest in shoulder surgery. However, owing to the needs of the Trust, he moved to hip and knee surgery and added paediatric orthopaedics from 2007. He began working on the management side of the Trust from 2008, initially in a somewhat informal way. During this period, alongside working full time clinical hours, he worked with GP surgeries and commissioning groups, providing education and training. He formally moved over to management in April 2012, when he became clinical director of trauma & orthopaedics, and then the clinical director of Theatres in December 2015. In April 2018, Siten was appointed the group director of surgical services. He retired in June 2022, but continued in this role until November 2022.

Siten’s long career has involved extensive training and participation in multiple aspects of healthcare. To understand the management and leadership side better, he did his masters in Healthcare Management and Leadership from 2013-15. He recalls this as a tough period, as he was doing full clinical work, clinical director work, teaching, training and the masters. He also became a part of the West Midlands Leadership Academy in 2015, an arm of the National Leadership Academy, serving as a Board member till 2020.

Siten was not expecting his Star Award nomination, stating “It was a surprise because I always thought of these awards as reserved for people who have really gone above and beyond. I had always felt I was just doing my job as a clinician, a manager and a leader. However, I do agree that I’ve gone outside my comfort zone in my career, and it hasn’t always been easy. I moved from clinical to management side without much defined or structured training in management or leadership, other than some generic exposure. It was a tough jump: I moved out of a purely clinical area and worked with other directorates and commissioners. I am thankful to the colleagues who supported me in my move into this role.”

Roy, Orthopaedic Consultant

Siten believes it’s this move outside his comfort zone that may have contributed to the win. He further says: “The nomination was completely unexpected, and the shortlisting even more so. All the nominees had achieved so much in their careers and I thought they all deserved to win! On the night itself, winning was a huge surprise”.

Siten is now retired, but spends around 40 per cent of his time working in paediatric orthopaedics. He continues to use his time to work with the Trust and other healthcare organisations to contribute to the wellbeing of patient, and is so looking forward to the opening of MMUH next year.

“Winning this award, which is usually for people who have reached the end of their career, feels good. It is great to feel that some colleagues in the Trust have noticed what I have been doing and how I have been trying to make a difference. You don’t go to work for awards, but it does feel good to be recognised.”

Siten

Star Awards: Our Winners

Learner of the Year

Support Medical Secretary Grace Hughes is 2022’s Learner of the Year. Joining the Trust in November 2021, she had previously worked at Your Health Partnership and joined SWB as an apprentice in level 3 business administration. She stated her entry into the Trust was “really welcoming: my manager was undertaking an apprenticeship too, so she really understood the process and what I was doing. I felt really welcomed by the team.”

Grace works in trauma and orthopaedics and took on a new responsibility early in her journey at SWB: when a new consultant joined the team, a dedicated secretary was required, and Grace took on this role alongside her existing work. She was rebanded after starting in this position to ensure her pay reflected her workload and responsibilities.

Discussing her day-to-day, Grace states, “My role entails providing support for the fracture clinic: booking appointments, both face to face and virtually, and ensuring letters are sent out to patients.

“As a secretary to a consultant, I have to ensure clinics are running at capacity, manage dashboards, follow the patient journey, and type up clinical letters, as directed by the consultant, and send these out to patients. Sometimes the terminology can be difficult to get your head around, but I’ve learnt a lot about the clinical vocabulary now!”.

It’s Grace’s commitment to her role and learning that earnt her the nomination and win as Learner of the Year. She was really shocked, telling us that her colleagues nominated her but were sure to keep it private: “I got the email telling me I had been shortlisted just before going on holiday, and I was really pleased. The team are so lovely and all nominated me in secret.

“I was so nervous on the night itself, but I had an amazing time. My table had lots of people nominated from different categories, including some who had been at the Trust for over 40 years. I was seated near to Employee of the Year Andy Churm, who gave me pointers and career tips – he was amazing to talk to and so full of knowledge!

“The night itself was a brilliant opportunity to learn more about the Trust and network, and winning was such a shock.”

Grace’s apprenticeship finishes in early 2023, and she hopes to be qualified in May 2023 at the latest.

“I’m currently completing my project and revising for my exams –I’m hoping to have everything finalised by mid-March. Work has been really helpful, enabling me to keep my study day consistent and focus on my learning.”

In the future, Grace hopes to stay at SWB, progress in her role and gain more confidence. She notes her desire to become a highly experienced team member, stating within her team and department “some people have been here a really long time, maybe 15 or 20 years. I’d like to achieve that, to get to the point where I know everything I can possibly know and am able to mentor new members of staff.”

Grace Hughes, Support Medical Secretary

Making data count: Improving patient outcomes with analytics

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

By Kwasi Owusu-Asamoah, Improvement Analyst

As the NHS continues to strive for excellence in patient care, it's crucial to take advantage of the wealth of data that's generated through daily operations and activities. By using data and analytics, the colleagues can make informed decisions that lead to significant improvements in patient outcomes, operational efficiency and cost savings.

One of the advantages of using data and analytics in decision making is that it allows Trust’s like ours to identify patterns and trends that may not be immediately obvious. For example, data analysis can reveal which patients are most at risk of developing certain conditions, allowing clinical colleagues to take proactive preventative measures. Additionally, data analysis can help identify areas where resources are being wasted, allowing us to redirect those resources to where they're needed most.

Another important aspect of using data and analytics is that it allows us to measure the effectiveness of treatments,

procedures, processes and pathways. By tracking patient outcomes over time, we can determine which treatments are working well and which ones need to be improved. This can lead to the development of more effective treatments, which ultimately results in better patient outcomes.

Putting analytics into practice

As an improvement analyst my unique role within the improvement team has led to me being involved in providing data and analytical support on projects such as mouthcare matters, ED frailty, sepsis and security escalation projects where I focussed on measuring the impact of improvement activity and the development of supporting reporting. Improvement analysis involves the measurement of process change over time.

Analysis, presentation and interpretation of data is fundamental to what we do within the improvement team. Projects are initiated, monitored and brought to a conclusion based on what the data tells us. Without datacentric evidence, benefits and outcomes are difficult to decipher, potentially leading to waste of resources and duplication of effort.

For the mouthcare matters programme we sourced data from our in-house archives to measure the cases of hospital acquired pneumonia before and after clinical intervention. This helped build the case for the intervention to be rolled out across the Trust.

How you can make the most of data

The making data count training program run by NHS England, aims to train colleagues in how to appropriately use statistical process control (SPC) charts to enhance decision making in projects across the NHS. Over an eight lesson cycle, colleagues will be introduced to the concept of SPC charts, narrative writing, comparison and benchmarking, improvement methods and data triangulation, amongst others. The overall impact of this will be to give colleagues an appreciable level of expertise in employing SPC charts in their work, and reaping the resultant benefits.

In short, using data and analytics is crucial for the NHS to continue to improve patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and cost savings. With the right data and analytical tools, the NHS can make informed decisions that lead to real, measurable improvements in the quality of care provided to patients. Information for registration to join the next series of training can be accessed at: http://bit. ly/NHSSPCTraining

For more information on how data can help you improve patient outcomes contact the Improvement Team at swbh-tr-team-theimprovementteam@ nhs.net

Kwasi Owusu-Asamoah, Improvement Analyst

SWB is national training centre for endoscopy

Gastroscopy and colonoscopy are important diagnostic and treatment tools used for a variety of medical conditions and in order to ensure that colleagues are properly trained to use these tools, it is essential that they have access to high-quality training opportunities where they are able to get hands on.

Endoscopy training courses are an important and mandatory part of the specialist registrar training and our Trust has now become a national training centre for endoscopy, delivering high quality endoscopy training.

To find out more, Heartbeat spoke to Imran Ghanghro, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopy Training Lead, he said, “We are fortunate that we have now been able to provide National Endoscopy Training courses at SWB, we are now a spoke centre for the West Midlands Training academy.

“We have conducted three training courses including colonoscopy upskilling and two train the colonoscopy trainer courses so far and have received excellent feedback. As part of representing the training academy, we are also providing immersive training which is intense colonoscopy training for either surgical or gastro registrars identified by the deanery to help them improve the skill and increase the number of procedures.

“We have also delivered training and teaching at the Birmingham City University and our endoscopy colleagues have been helping with training courses. SWB faculty also helped with BSG taster course at BCU in 2022 that was very much appreciated by the trainees. We have colonoscopy basic skills courses scheduled in the end of Jan as well as in March this year and we will be contributing to endoscopy training throughout the year.

“This is something that has been a long time in development, first outlined in 2019 but unfortunately held up with the onset

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE

of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that we’re beginning to recover from the impact of COVID-19 we’re able to start reaping the benefit of our new training and development strategy. Crucially, we’re now a nationally recognised provider of endoscopy training, which attracts talented staff and consultants and ultimately leads to better quality care and outcomes for patients.”

For more information about the training opportunities available contact Imran.Ghanghro1@nhs.net

Last month, this article was printed alongside an incorrect photo. We apologise to the endoscopy team for this error.

The endoscopy team

Major plan to recover urgent and emergency care services

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE

Over the winter period at SWB, we have experienced high levels of demand on our services, resulting in the declaration of three internal critical incidents, where additional resources and actions were utilised to de-escalate pressure in our emergency departments. This pressure is mirrored across the country; we’ve seen record demand for NHS services with the latest data showing more A&E attendances than ever before, growing numbers of the most serious ambulance call outs, and millions of NHS 111 calls a month over winter.

In January 2023, the NHS and the government published a new blueprint to help recover urgent and emergency care services, reduce waiting times, and improve patient experience.

Frontline capacity is due to be boosted further, thanks to 800 new ambulances (including 100 specialist mental health vehicles) and 5,000 more sustainable hospital beds, all backed by a fund of £1 billion.

As well as an expansion of urgent and

emergency care provision, urgent community care will be expanded to ensure people can get the care they need at home, without the need for a hospital admission. These services, due to run for at least 12 hours a day, will respond to calls normally requiring an ambulance crew. This will enable injured people to receive care and treatment at home within two hours.

Same day emergency care units, staffed by consultants and nurses, will be open in every hospital with a major A&E, helping to transform patients’ experiences and allowing thousands of people each week to avoid an overnight hospital stay. We’ve recently highlighted the plans for SDEC at Midland Met, and the SDEC Unit recently moved to a new location at City Hospital to increase capacity. Plans are in place for a dedicated Modular SDEC Unit to improve our service offer at Sandwell General Hospital by the end of March 2023.

A key part of the plan is to speed up discharge for those who have no criteria to reside and free up bed space. To this end, we will see pilots of a new step-down care approach across the country, enabling patients to receive rehabilitation and physiotherapy at home. The scheme will ensure people have a smooth transition out of hospital, reducing the chances of re-admission while also potentially reducing long-term demand on social care.

The success of ‘virtual wards’, where patients receive high-tech care in their own home is set to grow; there are already 7,000 virtual ward beds in the community, and up to 50,000 patients a month are expected to benefit by the end of 2023/24. Within SWB, we’re projected to have 157 virtual beds by the end of March 2023, and we’ve seen great benefits to the programme thus far. Changes aimed at growing and supporting the workforce will give NHS colleagues greater flexibility, making it easier for them to move between hospitals and work in services like 111, with more work from home options for call handlers.

The number of emergency medical technicians will also be increased, providing another entry route to working in the NHS, alongside greater use of student and apprentice paramedics and further mental health training for colleagues.

The two-year plan aims to stabilise services to meet the NHS’s two major recovery ambitions: to help achieve a four-hour A&E performance of 76 per cent by March 2024 and to improve category two ambulance response times to an average of 30 minutes over the next year.

These ambitions represent one of the fastest and longest sustained improvements in emergency waiting times in the NHS’s history.

The emergency department at Sandwell Hospital

Laughing gas – no laughing matter

Dr David Nicholl, Consultant Neurologist has warned people about the devastating effects he is seeing in patients taking nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’ or ‘nos’, as a legal high.

Nitrous oxide is designed for use in the healthcare and catering industries, but youngsters are taking it recreationally for a quick high, chasing the feeling of euphoria, relaxation, and dissociation from reality.

Recently reports have announced that laughing gas could be banned from general sale with possession potentially criminalised unless someone has a “legitimate reason” to have it.

Dr Nicholl said: “There wasn’t a single case of nitrous oxide abuse before the pandemic. However, since then, we’ve seen an epidemic of young people coming into hospital with secondary nitrous oxide abuse - sometimes taking hundreds of little cylinders.

“There is unfortunately a franchise of shops across Birmingham flogging nitrous oxidethis is a breach of the law.

“But it’s now escalated from whippits that you may often see discarded on the floors of pavements and parks, to supersize versions

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE

that hold eighty times the size.”

This also presents as a new threat to drivers, as there is a rise of young motorists getting behind the wheel high on laughing gas.

Dr Nicholl added: “Whether it’s a short binge or chronic use, it’s just not safe. We’ve seen people coming to hospital with tingling and numbness in their hands and feet, deep cold burns, difficulty walking, psychosis, loss of vision, spinal cord damage and in extreme cases, paralysis or even death.

“There is a common misconception that if users take B12, they won’t be harmed, but I have seen patients with normal B12 presenting with nitrous oxide abuse, so the best thing to do is just not use it.”

To learn more about the ‘epidemic’, head over to the Trust’s TikTok page @swbhnhs where you can also hear from our other medical professionals on their first-hand experiences with patients.

Dr David Nicholl

Dr David Nicholl raising awareness and campaigning for tougher legislation

Revolutionary myeloma research offers new hope for patients

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE

Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that is caused by abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow. This can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms, including bone pain, an increased risk of infections, fatigue and kidney failure. It mainly affects people over the age of 65, but can also be diagnosed in much younger individuals. In the UK, around 2 per cent of all cancers diagnosed are myeloma and it accounts for 15 per cent of blood cancers.

Fortunately, research in myeloma at SWBH has greatly improved the survival and quality of life of myeloma patients. Over the last 50 years, the one-year survival rate has increased from 37 per cent to around 85 per cent in 2020. This is due to an increased understanding of the disease and the development of new treatment options through research.

In the early 2000s, treatment options were severely limited, but a trial

of thalidomide led to the first new drug approved for myeloma treatment in over three decades. Since then, there have been many trials that have led to more treatment options for patients. Dr. Farooq Wandroo, Lead Haematology Research Consultant, has been involved in some of these trials, which have led to changes in best practice throughout the world.

One such trial, Myeloma XI, was the world's largest national trial open at our Trust for newly diagnosed myeloma patients. It compared the use of cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone in combination with either thalidomide or lenalidomide. This trial showed that the use of lenalidomide as maintenance therapy led to a significant benefit to all patients for progression-free survival as well as overall survival. As a result, NICE recommends the use of lenalidomide as maintenance treatment for newly diagnosed myeloma patients after autologous stem cell transplant.

SWB also participated in the Tackling Early Morbidity and Mortality in Myeloma (TEAMM) trial, which showed that giving antibiotic prophylaxis during the first three months of treatment prevents pneumonias in myeloma patients. This research has been published and

has led to changes in practice around the world.

Unfortunately, patients with high-risk subsets of myeloma have benefited less from these therapeutic advances. The new Risk-Adapted therapy Directed According to Response (RADAR) trial aims to identify myeloma patients with high-risk disease at presentation through cytogenetic testing. By identifying these patients early, it would allow for new targeted novel anti-cd38 antibodies to improve their outcome, which would not be possible without the trial. SWB has also created a myeloma patient support group (MMSG) to keep patients aware of new developments. In addition, we are participating in a number of collaborative research projects via West Midlands Research Consortium (WMRC) and basic translational research with the University of Birmingham. With MMUH coming, these collaborations will provide exciting life-changing treatments for patients. Overall, research in myeloma at SWB has made significant progress in improving the survival and quality of life of myeloma patients, and the future looks promising for continued advances in treatment options.

Myeloma research colleagues pictured at the Clinical Research Facility at Sandwell Hospital

How folic acid can help with menopausal symptoms

WOMENS AND CHILD HEALTH

“There are so many positives about using the drug, it has very little side effects and it’s cheap. This is compared to the traditional method of using Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

“Although it may not work for all women, it may work for some. This may be the case particularly for women with breast cancer as they can’t have HRT.”

Ayman added: “The dosage of 5mg has to be prescribed by the GP as the tablets you see on the shelves of pharmacies or supermarkets are a much lower dosage and are recommended for pregnant women. You may try folic acid in the first instance if you do not wish to go on HRT. It may work for you.”

Folic acid or folate is one of vitamin B family is used as a dietary supplement and in food fortification as it is more stable during processing and storage.

Research into the use of folic acid for women suffering from hot flushes and mood changes because of the menopause has shown how the drug may help ease symptoms.

Led by Mr Ayman Ewies, Consultant Gynaecologist and Deputy Director of Research and Development, he conducted a study whereby a number of patients were given 5mg of the drug whilst half were given a placebo.

Those taking the folic acid reported a real change in their symptoms when compared with placebo group.

Ayman explained: “Although the study demonstrated that folic acid had greater benefit in reducing hot flushes in postmenopausal women when compared with placebo, the difference did not reach statistical significance. This may be because a higher number of women should have been recruited to the study.

New role for Ayman

Congratulations to Mr Ayman Ewies, Lead Gynaecologist for the Black Country, who has been given the job of editor-in-chief of the prestigious Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The journal represents an established forum for the entire field of obstetrics and gynaecology, publishing a broad range of original, peer-reviewed papers, from scientific and clinical research to reviews relevant to practice.

It also includes occasional supplements on clinical symposia. The journal is read widely by trainees in the specialty, and it acknowledges a major role in education in

obstetrics and gynaecology. It is published in 83 countries and boasts 152,000 downloads a year.

Ayman said: “It’s a real privilege to be appointed as editor-in-chief for this journal. I have been a scientific editor for the journal for a number of years but to now be elevated to this position is a real honour. It’s good to be bringing the role back to a UK-based health professional.”

Ayman explained how the journal works: “Research is submitted and will be sent to two peer reviewers who are experts in that particular field. It will be assessed before I will have the final say on what is published.

As our bodies cannot make folate, it is required in the diet, making it an essential nutrient. It occurs naturally in many foods. Folic acid is used to treat anaemia caused by folate deficiency. Folic acid is also used as a supplement by women during pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida in the baby. Low levels in early pregnancy are believed to be the cause of more than half of babies born with NTDs. More than 80 countries use either mandatory or voluntary fortification of certain foods with folic acid as a measure to decrease the rate of NTDs.

“The publication carries a lot of weight within the medical world as it guides policy makers and informs clinical practice. It is the final stage of research.”

Past and present editors have recognised the difficulties that junior doctors encounter in achieving their first publications and spend time advising authors during their initial attempts at submission. The journal continues to attract a world-wide readership thanks to the emphasis on practical applicability and its excellent record of drawing on an international base of authors.

Mr Ayman Ewies with a bottle of folic acid

It's a happy first birthday for neonatal community outreach

WOMENS AND CHILD HEALTH

The Trust’s neonatal service which supports parents to care for their premature baby at home has celebrated its first year.

More than 100 parents have benefited from the guidance and care of the Neonatal Community Outreach Team (NCOT) which helps ensure a smooth transition from City Hospital, in Birmingham, back to their home, where they thrive in their own environment. It’s estimated the service has saved over two years’ worth of cot days.

Carmen Nuttall, team leader, said: “We celebrated one year of the service being up and running and during that time have supported 116 parents to take their child home, which is absolutely amazing.

“There are many benefits of sending these babies home early. It reduces the chances of infection, encourages breastfeeding and protects the mental health of the parents.

“As a result we’ve saved over two years’ worth of cot days. We know the next year is going to be even more incredible.”

To celebrate NCOT’s first year, the team hosted a brunch for the families.

Amy, mum to baby Ellis, was one of the parents who attended. She explained: “Ellis was born at 31 weeks. We came home with the support of the NCOT team and he’s two months old now. We’re really appreciative of them as they got us home sooner than we would have if NCOT didn’t operate.

“If we were ever unsure about things, we could just send them a text and they’d come out to us at the drop of a hat – which was a confidence boost for us as first time parents.

“Nothing was too much trouble for them, and they just reassured us throughout the process that we were doing things right.”

Babies are discharged once they meet a certain criteria including weight/feeding management, nasogastric feeding, oxygen therapy or phototherapy. Once they are at home NCOT is on hand to support them throughout their journey, ensuring they visit the home one to three times a week.

Carmen Nuttall with a mother and baby

NCOT team host brunch to mark one year in service

Radiating success: Undergraduates experience real-world applications

Recently, the University of Birmingham and colleagues from imaging joined forces to provide a unique learning experience for physics undergraduates. The event, held at the nuclear medicine department at City Hospital, gave undergraduate students the opportunity to see gamma cameras in operation, learn about specialist anonymised studies and learn about some of the career opportunities available in medical physics and nuclear medicine.

The students had the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in these fields and to ask questions about the work they do. They were able to understand the real-world applications of physics and how it affects people's lives, as well as gain an insight into the day-to-day workings of the NHS.

Sharing her experience of the event, Senior Clinical Scientist Amelia Perry said, “This event was not only beneficial

for the students, but it was also a great opportunity for us to share our knowledge and experiences with the next generation of scientists. The students were able to learn about the latest developments in the field and understand the importance of their work in healthcare. This was an incredible opportunity for the students to see the cutting-edge technology used in radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and radiation protection.

“The students were also shown some anonymised clinical images of some patient studies in nuclear medicine and given an insight into the processing and analysis required to report these results. They were really enthusiastic to see the huge range of patient anatomy and physiology it’s possible to observe using nuclear medicine. We also showed some quality control images to demonstrate the effect of changing settings on the gamma camera when acquiring a patient study.

“We followed up with a Q&A about some of the jobs available in nuclear medicine, and the three physicists in the department explained

IMAGING

their respective paths to working in nuclear medicine. Several students showed an interest in applying for the national training scheme to become a nuclear medicine physicist, and the role of the nuclear medicine technologist was discussed as an alternative for those who were interested in a more hands-on, patient-facing role.

“Overall, the event was a great example of collaboration between the university and our department, and we look forward to future opportunities to work together to provide unique learning experiences for future students and to help train the next generation of clinical scientists. With the success of this event, it's clear that the future of healthcare is in good hands with these bright and ambitious physics undergraduates.”

Principal Clinical Scientist Joseph Burmiston and Senior Clinical Scientist Amelia Perry

Cancer hotline extended to West Birmingham patients

SURGICAL SERVICES

The Cancer Hotline for Sandwell patients to call if they’re worried about symptoms has now been extended to those with a West Birmingham GP.

The new service was set up last month for concerned patients who can speak to a specialist nurse to discuss their symptoms and offer advice on the next steps to take.

Patients have already been successfully accessing the hotline with many being

referred for further investigations. This one-year pilot service has been funded by the West Midlands Cancer Alliance. It has been set up by the Healthier Futures Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS) and our Trust in partnership.

Jenny Donovan, Cancer Services Manager at the Trust, said: “We have made the decision to open the hotline to patients further afield, those with a West Birmingham GP. It means they can talk to an expert about symptoms that could be a sign of cancer.

“We want to make sure that they have the tests they may need, and any treatment required as quickly as possible. We have been

taking calls from worried patients and have been able to refer them to rapid access so they can be further investigated.

“Anyone who is worried can ring the advice line on 0121 507 3330, Monday to Friday, between 8am and 4pm.”

Symptoms of cancer include unexplained weight loss, unusual swellings or lumps, changes to a mole, blood in wee or poo, changes in bowel habits for more than six weeks, a hoarse voice for more than three weeks, difficulties in swallowing, unusual changes to your breast and vaginal bleeding after menopause or between periods. For more information, please visit www.nhs. uk/conditions/cancer/symptoms/

International recognition for our rheumatology research team

Chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases are painful, disabling and costly, both for individuals and for society. For example, rheumatoid arthritis, the most common of these conditions, affects one in every hundred people and costs the UK £9 billion per year.

Our rheumatology team focuses on these conditions with an extensive and expanding portfolio of clinical and translational research, recognised for its excellence at both national and international levels. The overarching objective of our research is to improve clinical outcomes for those with, and at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthropathy, systemic lupus erythematosus, Behcet’s disease and myositis. We are doing this by developing diagnostic tests, drugs and lifestyle assessments to predict, prevent and reverse disease.

SWB hosts the University of Birmingham’s academic department of rheumatology with three Professors (Profs Karim Raza, Adam Croft and Caroline Gordon) and two Senior Lecturers (Dr John Reynolds and Dr Paola de Pablo) based at the Trust. In addition, NHS consultants lead their own research programmes developing new treatments for

psoriatic arthritis (Dr Rao Elamanchi), myositis (Dr A Prabu), systemic lupus erythematosus (Dr Sofia Tosounidou) and Bechet’s disease (Drs Situnayake, Chandratre, Tosounidou and Baskar). Our research is highly collaborative, and we have developed strong research links with other clinical specialities including ophthalmology, gastroenterology and renal medicine.

Much of our research is underpinned by internationally recognised clinical cohorts, such as the Birmingham early arthritis cohort and the Birmingham lupus cohort. Our work has:

• Identified the role of autoantibody testing and ultrasound scanning in predicting the development of rheumatoid arthritis and has shed new light on the mechanism which drives inflammation in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

• Helped identify the risks of malignancy, cardiovascular disease, and neurological and psychiatric disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

• Confirmed equivalence of efficacy of anti TNF and interferon alpha therapy for Bechet’s disease in a world first head-to-head trial (the BioBehcets trial).

PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITY AND THERAPIES

SWB Rheumatology forms part of the Versus Arthritis centre of excellence in inflammatory arthritis (2019-24), is a Lupus UK centre of excellence (renewed in 2019), a national centre of excellence in Bechet’s disease and is a key clinical partner in the Arthritis Therapy Acceleration Programme with Oxford University. We are a regional specialist centre for connective tissue diseases, a European EULAR centre of excellence (2021-26) and a member of national and international collaborative research groups in SLE.

Patient and public involvement is a key element of our research and is supported by the Birmingham rheumatology research patient partnership; funding for that group is provided by the University of Birmingham.

Our research has led to major patient benefit and has informed national and international clinical guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Bechet’s disease, myositis and pregnancy in patients with rheumatic disease.

The rheumatology team

This month, we say hello to Demetri Wade, who recently started in his new role as Deputy Chief Operating Officer.

Demetri began his career in the NHS as a diagnostic radiographer, moving into operational leadership roles to support the delivery of high-quality patient care and experience more broadly. For the past few years, he had been the group director of operations for medicine and emergency care and has now taken on an operational leadership role across the organisation as deputy COO.

Demetri said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at SWB and my role overseeing successful improvements for the services within medicine and emergency care. This new role as deputy COO is wide ranging but will mainly focus on supporting our clinical services to provide high quality care by working with colleagues to ensure we have appropriate numbers of clinical staff, equipment, and resources to support them, and clear plans to support the delivery of our organisation’s strategic objectives.

“As an operational leader with a clinical background I put patients at the centre of my decision making and focus on providing the best care possible. I have a passion for leadership development and consider supporting the wellbeing, job satisfaction, and contribution of all staff to be a primary focus of my role.”

A key focus of Demetri’s new role is ensuring operational readiness for MMUH, supporting clinical services as we prepare for next year’s move.

“MMUH presents the opportunity not only to improve the environment for our patients, but also optimise the way in which care is delivered. There are also exciting improvements for staff with a learning campus to provide training and development and the ability to work in a building designed for best practice care delivery.”

“I am most looking forward to helping our services develop through our fundamentals of care framework and continuous quality improvement journey and continuing to work with SWB colleagues who are passionate about what they do and providing the very best for our patients.”

Demetri Wade

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Demetri Wade

Wave goodbye to…

After well over four decades in in the NHS, Bridget Pennington-Wilson, heath visitor will be retiring.

Bridget first came to the UK in 1975 where she started orthopaedic nursing at St. Gerard’s Hospital in Coleshill. A couple of years later, she moved to Dudley Road Hospital (now know as City Hospital) in January 1977 as a student nurse.

“After gaining my nursing qualification, I worked in coronary care for around 12 months,” said Bridget.

“I then started my Midwifery training at the same place in 1982 where I worked until 1984 which when I moved to work as a staff nurse at Victoria Health Centre, supporting the health vsiting team.”

Following the move to the health centre, Bridget embarked upon training to become a health visitor in Sandwell. After qualifying in 1986 she continued to work as a health visitor in Sandwell, and she has carried on in this role for the last 33 years at Glebefields Health Centre.

During her 33 years as a health visitor specifically, Bridget has faced many challenges.

“It can at times be difficult to work autonomously and with other professionals to ensure the heath and welfare of children is safeguarded but nevertheless, I have been glad to work as a health visitor for SWB as it has been very fulfilling for me, particularly working with families in the area.

“Seeing families turn their lives around is particularly rewarding, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else. Growing up in a farming family in rural Ireland where it was always ingrained in me to look after others, I always wanted to give back and working in healthcare was the obvious choice.”

Bridget has learnt a lot working from working with different families across the community. When asked about the piece of advice she would give to her younger self she said: “If I was to give any pointers to anyone just starting out in a similar role to me, it would simply be:

if you have an urge to help people respond to it and do not be discouraged by others.”

Casey Oglesby, Gaynor Roberts and Arlene Hubbard, all fellow health visitors, have worked alongside Bridget and know she will be missed. They said: “Bridget is a caring and compassionate nurse, health visitor and above all, friend. She is loved by everyone, staff and families alike, she is kind and goes the extra mile for families.

“Bridget is a true professional and amazing work colleague. She has always been passionate about the NHS and believes in providing the best quality care to all our Sandwell clients, and is loved by the families she served. She is a perfect role model and friend.”

Nicola Ingram, Health Visitor Team Leader echoed these thoughts and said, “Bridget is one of the most conscientious members of staff who gives 100 per cent and always goes the extra mile for the families in her care and for her team members. She is irreplaceable in my opinion: both her colleagues and the families she supports have great respect for her.”

As part of her retirement Bridget plans to enjoy more time with her recently retired husband, taking pottery lessons together, and to spend more time with her grandchildren. She also planning a holiday to Australia in 2023.

Happy retirement Bridget!

Bridget Pennington-Wilson started her journey in healthcare in 1975

Is dairy-free a possibility?

Dear Heartbeat,

I work at City hospital and like to pop to Coffee Culture on the main spine to get a caffeine fix. However, I’m lactose intolerant and the café doesn’t serve any non-dairy milk. I’m sure there are plenty of people who work at City and don’t consume cow’s milk for many reasons, from dietary choices to intolerances, who are limited in terms of choice. I know they serve other options at BTC but it’s a trek for me and many others. The americanos at Coffee Culture are lovely but it would be great to have another option! Can the Trust look into providing some dairy free choices at the coffee shop?

Kind regards, Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your letter. Recommendations from the local authority say all customers who make it known they have a food intolerance or allergy can only be served bought in prepacked food and beverage items. Due to the nature of the catering practices employed within the department, we cannot guarantee the content of products prepared in our kitchens or cafes are free from allergenic cross contamination. We display notices in all of our retail area asking customers to inform us if they have a food allergy or

intolerance so that we only serve them items that we know will not be at risk from cross contamination and are safe and will not cause them any harm.

In relation to offering alternative milk options, we have two different types of Costa machines: automatic machines (at Coffee Culture and Arches) and traditional machines (at Boaters and BTC). The traditional machines allow the Costa drinks to be made manually with a separate hot milk frothing arm where different milk options can be used. The automatic machines dispense the coffee and milk together within the machine as a premade drink with one milk option. We have discussed the possibility of the automatic machines dispensing a black coffee to then allow alternative milk options to be added separately however the milk would be cold not hot. We are going to try this option should a customer request an alternative milk option. However, it should be noted that even if we offer the alternative milk options in Coffee Culture and Arches, we would not be able to serve any customers who made us aware they had a food allergy or intolerance to ensure we only serve items that are safe to be consumed.

Kind regards,

Jane Owen Head of Catering Services

Richard talks about: Finalising our plans for the new financial year

Richard Beeken, Chief Executive

It is that time of the year when we are working through our priorities to confirm what we will deliver and how during 2023/24.

All this, in the background of huge financial strain felt not only by us, but other organisations across our host integrated care system and beyond.

National expectations about how our services are more safely staffed and the cost implications of managing COVID have significantly increased our cost base and so now the Trust is facing a recurrent financial deficit for the first time in its history. We are in the process of setting out the exact size of that deficit and also setting out how we are going to minimise it.

Our approaches to reducing the size of the deficit include:

• Securing the additional money on the recurrent basis from our commissioners that we need in order to safely and effectively deliver the benefits of the new Midland Metropolitan care model

• Securing the additional money on the recurrent basis from NHS England to pay for the capital charges of the Midland Met

• Improving our recruitment so that we rely on temporary staffing far less than we do at the moment and therefore reduce our increasingly high agency costs

• Deliver an elective care production plan which ensures that we treat more patients on elective pathways than we did in 2019/20 (a min of 104 per cent is expected)

• Invest in quality improvement that will allow local leaders and team members to reduce waste in their departments and services, whilst maintaining or improving the quality of care we provide to our patients

• Taking a different approach to managing investment in clinical service developments, so that we only invest on the grounds of patient safety/risk or where we think there will be a clear financial return on that investment.

RICHARD'S LAST WORD

We remain clear that our plans will be aligned to our strategic objectives – People –Patients – Population

The plans will also be aligned with system targets that have been set out in national NHS guidance. Here are some highlights:

Urgent and emergency care

We are expected to improve A&E waiting times so that no less than 76 per cent of patients are seen within 4 hours by March 2024 with further improvement in 2024/25.

Community health services

To empower patients to take control of their healthcare and reduce unnecessary burden on primary care, especially GP appointments.

Elective care

With 104 week waits for inpatient services virtually eliminated, a revised target to eradicate 65 week waits by March 2024 has been included in the guidance.

In addition, systems are expected to plan to deliver 30 per cent more elective activity by 2024/25, based on the prepandemic baseline.

Cancer services

There is an expectation that by March 2024, 75 per cent of patients who have been urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer are diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.

Diagnostics

Roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity through community diagnostic centres and other diagnostic service transformation remains a priority. There is a requirement for 10 per cent productivity growth by 2024/25.

Maternity and neonatal services

A single national delivery plan for

maternity and neonatal services will be funded by an additional £165 million which will go into baselines from 2023/24. This is additional to the £93 million added to baseline allocation in 2022/23 which was intended to invest in workforce and support the implementation of actions from the Ockendon report, funding more than 1,500 midwifery posts.

Workforce

System wide workforce plans should already be in place and need to focus on recruitment and retention and increasing productivity of staff by ensuring appropriate roles and responsibilities.

Local empowerment and accountability

A rolling five-year joint forward plan is required at the start of each financial year, which should align local and national priorities and delivery plans.

Use of resources

The delivery of an NHS wide balanced net system financial position whilst meeting the national objectives outlined will require systems to meet a 2.2 per cent efficiency target. This is in addition to expectations of improved productivity.

There is an expectation that efficiency and productivity plans will be developed at system level with strong oversight and governance arrangements to drive delivery. The guidance sets out a range of measures to be considered by systems within these plans, including reducing agency expenditure to 3.7 per cent of the total pay bill.

This is a huge agenda but one we can achieve as we are already delivering or projected to deliver in many areas. You will all have your part to play in achieving these measures which will be managed and monitored via a soon to be established system productivity and value group.

And of course, safely opening Midland Met is central to all the work we are doing as we progress nearer to our opening date. In October we began implementing the Midland Met programme company that increases the capacity and leadership of this vital programme. The programme company has set up deliverable actions across all of its workstreams, including critical milestones during 2022/23. During the year ahead, the interaction between the core organisation and the MMUH programme will become ever closer.

YOUR TRUST CHARITY

When Jacob Chandler's father was admitted to City Hospital during the pandemic, he had no idea what to expect. He was terrified that his father would not make it. But thanks to the amazing work of Dr. Leong Lee and the critical care team, his father survived. And Jacob knew he had to do something to say thank you.

As an acclaimed sculptor, Jacob knew just what to do. He decided to create a unique sculpture called ‘Hope’ to honour the healthcare heroes who saved his father's life. The sculpture would represent the hope of survivors receiving life-saving treatment and show gratitude to the incredible medics and clinicians who dedicated themselves to the cause.

Jacob's work is all about creating sculptures that inspire and uplift. He uses steel and bronze to create bold, striking images that capture the imagination. And for this project, he knew he had to go above and beyond to capture the true spirit of hope.

"The sculpture will be of a figure holding out her arm, referencing the image of the Lady with the Lamp, and with her head held high to face the fray," Jacob said. "It will be a symbol of the hope that the medics and clinicians have bravely provided throughout our battle with COVID-19."

For Jacob, this sculpture is personal. He knows what it's like to have a loved one in the hospital, fighting for their life. He knows the fear and uncertainty that comes with that. And he knows that hope is what gets you through.

"We all hope for the best when we enter

a hospital, something I can relate to as my father was cared for at City Hospital," Jacob said. "Hope is what the medics have bravely provided throughout our battle with COVID-19. I hope that it goes some way towards making staff at Sandwell and West Birmingham feel valued. They often don’t get to see the impact they have outside hospital walls, but it permeates society."

The sculpture will proudly stand outside the south entrance of Midland Met, serving as a beacon of hope to all who pass by. It's a tribute to the amazing work of the healthcare heroes who put their lives on the line to care for their patients, and a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.

Johnny Shah, Head of Your Trust Charity, remarked: "We are honoured that Jacob has chosen to make such a heartfelt and personal tribute to our colleagues in recognition of the care they provided to patients throughout the pandemic, and, to his father. We’d like to thank Jacob, as well as our supporters, whose generous donations through our Midland Met fundraising campaign have made the production of this piece possible.

“Everyone at the Trust is thrilled to have Jacob on board. We know how much his work means to the community, and we’re grateful for his support.”

Jacob's work is a testament to the power of art and the importance of hope. It's a reminder that even in the toughest of times, we can find beauty and inspiration in the most unexpected of places. And it's a tribute to the amazing work of the healthcare heroes who have dedicated themselves to the care of others.

Jacob Chandler pictured with the sculpture he created to commemorate the Commonwealth Games