Heartbeat, October 2023

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

October 2023

Issue 170

SA23: Celebrating and showcasing outstanding achievements!

Page 16–17

Clockwise from top: Patient's Choice Award winners, Opthalmology Ward; Non-clinical Team of the Year, Chaplaincy Team; Employee of the Year, Dr Huma Naqvi; Clinical Team of the Year, Cancer Hotline Team

Get vaccinated, get winter strong Page 4–5

Discharge Lounge celebrate first birthday Page 9

Restart a Heart Day with public education Page 19

Supporting patients with sight loss at SWB Page 25

Lesley talks about...creating our own luck Lesley Writtle, Deputy Chair

HELLO FROM THE CHAIR Welcome to the October edition of Heartbeat.

If you're yet to get your vaccination, you can find out more about the programme and see a full timetable on pages 4-5 -when you're done with the magazine, cut out the timetable and pop it on your staff noticeboard!

This month, we're also marking the achievements of a number of colleagues,. such as Meagan Fernandes who won Deputy Director of the Year in the HPMA awards, and Scott Shenton, nominated for the Health and Social Care Award by The Ladder Apprenticeships.

Enjoy J

Contact us Communications Team Ext 5303 swbh.comms@nhs.net C ommunications Department Ground Floor, Trinity House Sandwell Hospital

On Friday 13 October 2023, thought by some to be unlucky, I had the pleasure of attending our annual Star Awards.

It wasn’t an unlucky night for me, and I think I can say the same for my fellow attendees – we all had the joy of celebrating the fantastic work of our colleagues and marking the incredible care they deliver to patients across our communities. None of this would have been possible without the fantastic work our comms team did in organising the awards, and I would like to say thank you to them and our sponsors.

We were immersed in the world of Bollywood, enjoying the wonderful offerings seen in this vibrant and exciting film industry.

Moreover, the evening was especially lucky for some: 13 of our outstanding teams and individuals took home the sought-after trophies in their nominated categories. The ceremony was hosted by Birmingham’s own Noreen Khan, famed for her work as a presenter, notably on BBC Asian Network, with the long-anticipated announcements made by members of the executive team and board at SWB, as well as some of our sponsors. I myself had the delight of giving out two of the awards and can say I was

truly proud to stand on stage with two of the evening’s well-deserving winners. My sincerest congratulations go to all of 2023’s winners.

It's also really important to remember that every single nominated and shortlisted colleague and team deserve our thanks and congratulations. We saw over 500 nominations this year, and the detail contained within these really shows the dedication and commitment shown by colleagues across all areas of the Trust.

For those we treat, day in, day out, our nominees have demonstrated that as a Trust we strive to prevent ill health and promote wellness, to heal, to educate, to treat, and sometimes to make people’s final moments as peaceful and painless as possible. Like every Trust, we aren’t perfect.

But I think the steps we are taking, from our progress towards opening Midland Metropolitan University Hospital through to the launch of our values of Ambition, Respect and Compassion, ensure that more and more people will say they were lucky to find themselves under the care of such knowledgeable and compassionate people.

Congratulations to you all and may we continue to develop, forging our own luck.

Published by Communications Team Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Designed by Medical Illustration, Graphics Team Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Submit an idea If you’d like to submit an idea for an article, contact the communications team Ext 5303 swbh.comms@nhs.net

Stay updated We send out a Communications Bulletin via email every day and you can now read Heartbeat articles throughout the month on Connect.

Don't forget you can follow us on: Lesley at the Star Awards with host Noreen Khan, Volunteer of the Year Brian Guest and Managing Director Daren Fradgley

@swbhnhs

HR deputy chief Meagan Fernandes scoops top award Meagan Fernandes, Director of People and Organisational Development, has scooped a top industry award for the work she’s carried out in supporting staff and improving experiences for patients and communities

She was praised for her work in delivering the Trust’s People Plan which focuses on the role that leaders should play in ensuring staff flourish and thrive at SWB and increasing access to education and employment opportunities for our local communities.

this recognition from one of the leading organisations in the industry. The Trust has been working hard to introduce a meaningful plan which improves the experiences of our staff and delivers enhanced outcomes for our patients and communities. Through this we have introduced our values which are ambition, respect and compassion, a leadership programme that helps embed this further and a comprehensive education and employability programme with local partners that increases opportunities for our communities to thrive and meet our regeneration commitments linked to the Midland Metropolitan Hospital and Learning Campus. They are a reflection of what is best about us and what matters most to us, the people we care for and the wider community we serve.

Meagan said: “It’s a real honour to receive

“The behaviour of our staff has a positive impact

Meagan was given the Deputy Director of the Year accolade in the HPMA (Healthcare People Management Association) Excellence in People Awards.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS on the experiences of our patients and I’m pleased to be driving this forward with the team I work with.”

During the ceremony, Meagan was described as a “values driven and authentic leader who was relentless in the pursuit of success”.

The HPMA Awards event was held in Leeds during a two-day conference. Established nearly 50 years ago, the body boasts more than 5,000 members ranging from HR directors and deputy directors from across healthcare. It aims to support and develop the profession to improve the management of people leading to better patient care.

Meagan Fernandes with her HPMA Award

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Get vaccinated, get winter strong CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS The occupational health and wellbeing team continue to offer vaccinations to colleagues across the Trust.

Many colleagues have already received their vaccinations, but for those that are yet to do so, the Trust is providing ample opportunities to get these with ease.

Points to remember: • You can have the flu and show no symptoms meaning you can be We’re now at the time of year when respiratory unknowingly spreading the virus to your family, friends and our patients. infection figures start to increase, with the • It’s important to have vaccinations as possibility for a surge of COVID and seasonal flu. As in the previous year, all colleagues at our soon as possible: it can take up to 2 weeks for your body to build up good Trust will be able to protect themselves with a level of immunity.

COVID-19 booster jab and a flu vaccination, ensuring they are fully protected.

• Our flu vaccines do not any porcine or egg content.

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You will be able to have either or both of the vaccines, administered in two separate injections, on the same day.

If possible, please have your NHS number to hand upon attending, as this will help speed up the process.

This year, we have a dedicated line to answer any queries. Call 07977687486 to speak directly to a member of the vaccination team.

A schedule from now until the new year is available below. Once you and your colleagues are finished with the magazine, please do cut the page out and pin the timetable to a noticeboard.

23 November City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00 30 November City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3020:00

15 November City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00 22 November City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00 29 November City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

14 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

21 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

28 November

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

5 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

12 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

19 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

13 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

20 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

27 November

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

4 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

11 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

18 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

20 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

13 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

6 December

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

21 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

14 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

7 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

22 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

15 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, and Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:3016:00

8 December

The Lyng, 08:30-16:00

1 December

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

No clinics

23 December

Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:30-16:00

16 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, 08:30-16:00

9 December

No clinics

No clinics

24 December

City, Baby Feeding Room, main spine, 08:30-16:00

17 December

Sandwell, Main Entrance, 08:30-16:00

10 December

No clinics

3 December

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, 08:30-16:00

Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

2 December

26 November

No clinics

19 November

25 November

No clinics

Rowley, 08:30-15:00

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00 24 November

18 November

Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

12 November

Sunday

NHS Trust

Sandwell and West Birmingham

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, 08:30-16:00

11 November

Saturday

17 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

10 November

Friday

16 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

9 November

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

Thursday

City, Old Outpatients 1st floor corridor, and Sandwell, Berridge Room, Courtyard Gardens, 08:30-16:00

8 November

7 November

6 November

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

Flu vaccination clinics

#

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involvement: These 4 topics are categories in the ‘Na compeDDon celebraDng ‘Audit Heroes’. Projects that align being nominated for an ‘Audit He

Clinical audit and QI projects at SWB where do I start?

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Aligning to trust values, objec@ves and Fu

Aligning to trust values, objectives and Fundamentals of Care

There is a lot of clinical audit and quality improvement work happening at SWB, but we know it’s not always easy to get started.

Chosing a topic is the first step in setting up a project that will generate meaningful data and create sustained improvement at SWB. The clinical effectiveness team have pulled together some key things to consider when selecting a topic for your projects: 1. Audits to revisit: The clinical effectiveness page on Connect has a downloadable list of all past projects that have been marked as ‘ready to reaudit’. These projects already have at least one cycle of data collection, so give you a head start on understanding compliance and improvement opportunities. Also have a look through the clinical audit module on Ulyssess Safeguard, there may be ongoing projects that would benefit from an extra pair of hands.

Workstreams supporting FoC 2. Trust Priorities - Our strategic objectives and Fundamentals of Care: Aligning to the 3Ps and Fundamentals of Care is a great way to contribute to trust wide improvement (see below for workstreams to link into)

Patient friendly environment Rhythm of the day Ward and Board rounds Well organised Ward/Dept Personalisation & Patient Experience Safer Staffing model Medicines Administration & Safety Nutrition & hydration EMRT & Deteriorating Patients

3. National Priorities sustainability, healthcare inequalities, patient safety, patient & public involvement: These 4 topics are categories in the ‘National Clinical Audit Awareness Week’ competition celebrating ‘Audit Heroes’. Projects that align to these priorities have a good chance of being nominated for an ‘Audit Hero’ award in 2024.

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Enhanced Care Mental Health 7 day working E clinical systems alignment Equipment Resource management IT enabled staff Digital Communication Patient & Public Digital Communication

Apprentice shortlisted for top award The Trust encourages colleagues to further develop their education and skills whilst delivering outstanding care to our patients and colleagues.

ensure this system was available to colleagues at the trust, by installing an online appointment service, so departmental records were kept up to date.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Scott Shenton has proven this recently as he has been nominated for the Health and Social Care Award from The Ladder Apprenticeships.

Working as a decontamination manager, Scott was nominated due to his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with his can-do attitude and determination to ensure that the people and population of this Trust remained safe.

Helen Colbourne, Non-Clinical Awards Coordinator, said: “Scott is very approachable, leading his team by example where no job is too small. During the pandemic Scott put his team and our patients first, by ensuring our they were well equipped and remained safe and that speaks volumes. He continues to demonstrate his excellent and outstanding work ethic, brilliant can-do attitude within his role and leading his team. We are so proud of him and this wonderful recognition by being shortlisted for the 2023 Black Country Apprenticeship Awards.”

colleagues within the Trust who felt he was deserving of this award.

Scott joined the Trust 15 years ago as a ward service officer. Whilst the pandemic was a hard time for many, he thrived. He managed and implemented the ‘Trust Face Fit Testing’ programme and highlighted the need for the service to be extended from five days to seven.

Throughout that period, Scott worked with other departments within the organisation to

Amongst delivering this system, training colleagues, staff at other Trusts and supporting his family, Scott determined as ever, decided to further develop his portfolio by obtaining his apprenticeship. He was recognised by other

Scott added: “I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, I knew I wanted to learn more and pass my knowledge onto colleagues. Undergoing an apprenticeship at the Trust was the best thing I did; I would recommend it to anyone.”

If you are interested in an apprenticeship or other further development within your career here at the Trust, please contact swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net The Ladder for Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship award ceremony will be held on 16 November at Walsall Football Club’s Bescot Stadium – good luck Scott!

Scott Shenton, nominee for Health and Social Care Award

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SWB work experience programme sees successful year CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS Our work experience programme for 2023 has been an amazing success with 234 placements being offered and accepted in clinical and non-clinical areas.

learn more about the world of healthcare and identify if they may be interested in a career in the NHS.

local schools and colleges and makes such a difference to helping our local young people and inspiring our future workforce.“

SWB offers work experience placements to school and college students from our communities, providing an opportunity to

Nikki Smith, who leads on the work experience programme, stated “I would like to thank the departments & teams who offered immense support this year. The wide range of work experience offers is greatly appreciated by our

We’ve received some fantastic student feedback from 2023 – read some great examples below.

I was able to see a variety of cases and valuable insight on how healthcare workers minimise risk and support patients. I felt well supported and comfortable to ask questions.

I felt very supported, I was made to feel welcome and was provided with an excellent learning opportunity.

I got a very realistic insight into the working life of doctors at various stages through their career pathway.

I therefore now feel more confident in applying to the profession as I now know what to expect.

The Doctors encouraged me to ask questions and we're happy to talk about their role and everything it entails which made me feel very involved. I even had the chance to listen to someone's chest with asthma and feel someone's pulse which was irregular.

Everything was positive.

Everyone was lovely. Ward D11 in city hospital should get some recognition for giving me such a nice experience.

I was able to experience different branches of the department and the staff were extremely welcoming and highly supportive.

Want to relax and unwind in a safe place? Visit the Wellbeing Sanctuary and enjoy a range of free treatments including a massage, meditation and relaxation hypnotherapy.

Call 0121 507 5886 to book your free session today.

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Discharge Lounge celebrate first birthday!

For 365 days and almost 4,000 patients later…the team running City’s discharge lounge has been living our Trust values caring for patients who are ready to leave.

Such was their excitement at achieving their first milestone they decided to celebrate the efforts of all involved with a tea party.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Sister Jessel Pacis explained: “The team has worked extremely hard to ensure our patients are on the correct pathways to be discharged safely from hospital, so I organised a small celebration for colleagues to come together to recognise what they have achieved over the past year. I am proud to work with such a compassionate team who consistently put patients at the forefront of every decision. It is our ambition for the service to be recognised as a welcome resource for colleagues in wards across our organisation, to enable more timely, safe and efficient discharges.”

Jody Stubbs, Matron, added: “I am so proud of the work the discharge lounge has achieved over the past year. The staff have been tremendous at discharging 3,895 patients from various wards, AMU and A&E. As a team, we are determined to safely discharge our patients and ensure that our population remain happy and healthy after their visit to hospital.”

Hospital discharge lounges are designed to reduce the demand for acute beds by moving patients who have received their treatment to a relaxed waiting area prior to going home. The lounges focus on ensuring patients have the right medication and plan in place for a smooth recovery when they return home. Discharge lounges are open 7 days a week, from 7am through to 7pm. For more information on the new discharge lounges, please contact Claire Obikaor, AMU City, or Sherry Craig Matron on ext. 4990.

Staff at City discharge lounge celebrating their first birthday

Staff at City discharge lounge celebrating their first birthday

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A digital revolution in patient communication!

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS In a world where technology is advancing at lightning speed, it's high time our healthcare systems caught up.

That’s why we're thrilled to introduce our brand new patient engagement platform, set to change the game when it comes to how we communicate with our patients. Say goodbye to traditional paper letters that take days to be delivered and often end up buried under a pile of post. Say hello to a revolutionary online platform that puts appointment details and communication at your fingertips!

On Wednesday 11 October we ushered in a new era for patient communication, starting with our imaging department. No more waiting for snail-mail to deliver your appointment letters – now patients being seen by our imaging teams can access them instantly through our online patient portal.

So how does it work?

The moment an appointment is booked with us, a text message that contains everything one needs to know is fired off directly to the patients mobile. This message guides a patient through the simple process of accessing their appointment letter and details through our online portal. It's quick, it's easy, and it's the future of patient communication!

How to access a digital letter in three easy steps

1 Click the link: When you receive the text message on your mobile phone, simply click the link provided. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the link into a web browser on your desktop or laptop.

2

Enter your credentials: Once in the portal, enter your date of birth and the unique four-digit PIN sent in the text message. This will whisk you away to your appointment details page, where you'll find all the vital information you need.

3

Take control: Now comes the best part!

You can confirm your appointment to add it to your calendar and receive a timely reminder. Can't make the specified date? No problem. You can easily rebook or cancel your appointment with a few clicks. If you opt for a rebooking, we'll be in touch to find a more suitable date for you.

The system is designed with convenience and security in mind. Rest assured that personal information is well protected. Plus, it's incredibly swift, ensuring patients never miss an important appointment again.

We understand that digital systems may not be everyone's cup of tea, and not everyone owns a smartphone. Our platform has a safety net.

If a patient hasn't opened their digital letter within 24 hours, the system will automatically print and mail a copy to their address.

If they haven't responded to the message or struggled with login attempts, the system will generate a physical letter sent right to their doorstep. We've thought of everything to ensure a patient receives their vital healthcare information.

No smartphone? No problem! Patients can still access the portal by typing the link into their desktop or laptop browser. We've made sure that everyone, regardless of their techsavviness, can benefit from this exciting new system. And those with no internet access will automatically receive a hard copy of the letter at home.

This innovative approach to patient communication is set to streamline the healthcare journey, making it more efficient, convenient, and hassle-free. No more waiting, no more paper clutter – just seamless, digital, and personalised care.

Join Our SWB family staff only Facebook group A place for you to keep up to date with important Trust information, share good news and get to know your colleagues.

How to join Search SWB Family and click join or scan the QR code

You will be asked three simple questions to help verify your identity.

#ourSWBfamily 10

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.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

To nominate a colleague, visit connect2. swbh.nhs.uk/communications/shout-out/, or search 'shout out' on Connect and fill in the form.

To – Neil Shah

To – Ryan Masih

To – Red Cross

Huge thank you to Neil for his charity fundraising for our Neonatal Unit here at City, he raised a great amount to help us support caring for our Neonatal patients helping us to improve care and outcomes.

I just wanted to provide some positive feedback following the recording of my staff survey video with Ryan this afternoon. Ryan was great and really made the recording a smooth process. He made sure it was done in a way that put us both at ease, speaking to a camera is never as easy as it sounds but we managed to do it in one take. I think Ryan Will make a great addition to your team!

To all the Red Cross team who have gone above and beyond to support the Virtual Wards by doing lots of collections and deliveries for us to support the patients' in our care . Thank you from all of the Virtual Ward Team.

From – Stacey Shaw

To – Faith Muhenda

From – Simon Morley

Caring and kindness during my in patient stay. Faith Kept me updated about my treatment plan.

From – Alice Sibanda

To – Kath Johnson

To – Kanwal Parveen

Kath has managed with 2 memebers of her team off - working above and beyond to keep her cancer patients with a service whereby they felt supported. She has gone the extra mile by working over to ensure the patients journey remained timely well done Kath.

Thank you so much for supporting a mum of a baby born prematurely to express in the first hours after birth and making sure baby got the colostrum straight away. This is our target for all preterm babies and it could not happen without your support.

From – Paul Bennett

To – IT department I recently returned from maternity leave and was so impressed with the IT department on my return. My laptop had locked me out and I was greeted by 2 polite and friendly girls who resolved my issue and also checked my smartcard too.

I was in and out in 5 minutes which was amazing as I was able to get on with the rest of my day using my laptop. Such an efficient service - well done!

From – Lauren Weigh

From – Jo Harvey

To – Carol Appleyard

To – Kerry Thomas Children's care support worker CCB

Jane has been extremely supportive to myself starting new in the trust and new to role, her knowledge and skills have been invaluable.

Carol is a fantastic band 7 nurse. She is compassionate, caring and fair and is respected by all of the alcohol care team.

She has a strong work ethic and sets a high standard for others in the team to follow.

The success of the alcohol care team is due to her leadership and we are lucky to have her.

Kerry started with us 4 months ago and has excelled in learning the packages of care allocated to her at the start. Has been extremely flexible when it has come to swapping packages of care and shifts. lovely personality and the families really enjoy when she is looking after their child.

Thank you for your hard work.

From – Rachel Lake

From – Arlene Copland

From – Rachel Lake

From – Infant feeding team

To – Jane Ryall

Have you got a story?

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE

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

• An event or special occasion in your department • If you work with an inspirational colleague • Does your department do something that makes a real difference to our patients?

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Please get in touch if you’d like to be featured in an upcoming edition of Heartbeat!

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

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CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Leading change with Meagan

Deputy Chief People Officer Meagan Fernandes at Midland Met Midland Met is the talk of the town, and rightly so. Our new acute hospital is set to open in 2024, so we caught up with Maegan Fernandes, Director of People and OD, as she visited Midland Met.

Please click here to see a video.

Meagan emphasised the importance of the work we need to do before we open Midland Met next year. In particular, she urged people managers to book onto the management of change training available to help mangers navigate this transition successfully with their teams.

Midland Met has been designed to maximise both patient benefits and staff wellbeing, with each area thoughtfully planned. “I understand how important it is for colleagues to have a Meagan remarked: “If you are a manager place to relax and unwind,” Meagan explained. leading on a management of change process, As she looked around, she was impressed we encourage you to book a space on a virtual training session, which explores the emotional by the rest areas for colleagues and the Winter Garden on level 5, a unique floor in and behavioural responses to change and identifies ways to support your colleagues.” the building as it's the only non-clinical area.

“There are spaces available, such as the main The following training sessions are available for restaurant area, an outdoor route around the managers to attend.

Winter Garden perfect for walks, and the spiritual care centre. It's somewhere everyone can feel at ease during their busy workdays and take a break away from their wards.”

2 November 2023 • 11.30am – 1pm – Managing resilience through change.

• 1.30pm – 3pm – Leading with a coaching mindset.

• 3pm – 5pm – Followership – advocates for change.

8 November 2023 • 11.30am – 1pm – Teams working through change.

27 November 2023 • 9.30am – 11am – Creating psychological safety through change.

• 11.30am – 1pm – Holding difficult conversations.

• 1.30pm – 3pm – Managing wellbeing.

• 3.30pm – 5pm – Solution focused approach.

To secure your place, please visit Change Training – MMUH or email swbh.hrchangemanagement@nhs.net.

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CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Managers leading change Carol Appleyard

Carol Appleyard with members of the alcohol care team As part of our move to Midland Met, managers throughout the organisation will be required to lead on change with their teams to enable some changes to either take place prior to the move to Midland Met and/ or support colleagues as we move towards our future care model.

We caught up with Carol Appleyard, Lead Alcohol Nurse, to find out she got to grips with her management of change training.

What manager training did you complete as part of the management of change process?

As part of the management of change process, I have completed the mandatory managers briefing training and Midland Met change training.

How did you book it and how long did it last?

I booked the training after being invited via email. Each training session was approximately 3-4 hours long via Teams.

What topics were covered?

The topics we covered included being introduced to the team supporting the Trust through the Midland Met changes, a group discussion around our experiences of change in our careers, potential reactions to change from colleagues, my responsibilities as a line manager and looking at the Midland Met change toolkit.

How has it helped you as a manager prepare for colleague conversations?

The training has been a great reminder that everyone deals with change differently, and it has given me valuable tools to handle any difficult conversations that may arise.

I am excited to move to Midland Met, but some colleagues may have different views.

Therefore, learning how to manage this change effectively is crucial.

Is there any other information that you’d like to share?

Having group discussions with colleagues in the Trust was very beneficial. It helped me understand that the move to Midland Met will have different impacts on people, and we must support each other during this transition.

If you are a manager and would like to book onto a session to learn about how to support your colleagues, there are several training dates advertised on Connect.

To secure your place please visit Change Training – MMUH. Alternatively, please contact the change management team at swbh.hrchangemanagement@nhs.net.

2 November 2023 • 11.30am – 1pm – Managing resilience through change.

• 1.30pm – 3pm – Leading with a coaching mindset.

• 3pm – 5pm – Followership – advocates for change.

8 November 2023 • 11.30am – 1pm – Teams working through change.

27 November 2023 • 9.30am – 11am – Creating psychological safety through change.

• 11.30am – 1pm – Holding difficult conversations.

• 1.30pm – 3pm – Managing wellbeing.

• 3.30pm – 5pm – Solution focused approach.

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CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS ??? ???

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Healthwatch Birmingham visit Midland Met

Jayne Dunn, Director of Commissioning and Equipping with members of the Birmingham Healthwatch team Earlier this month, we welcomed Healthwatch Birmingham to see first-hand the fantastic progress at Midland Met. Healthwatch Birmingham is an independent advocate for public and patient experiences with local health and social care services.

The team from Healthwatch Birmingham joined us on a sunny Friday afternoon and embarked on a tour of our new hospital as they explored some areas that will treat our more seriously ill patients. They enjoyed stopping off at our children's ED, which impressed them with its bright and spacious design.

Our Trust’s purpose is improving life chances and is evident in the design at Midland Met, plans for the surrounding campus, and a community garden. As Healthwatch Birmingham made their way up to level five, our Winter Garden area, they got to see what makes it so special. This non-clinical level

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is home to our welcome centre, education centre, spiritual care centre, restaurant and will feature an art gallery to showcase many types of work by local artists. The space contains some beautiful, planted areas which continue out to the outdoor terrace. A unique feature is the panoramic views of Sandwell and West Birmingham that can be seen from all sides of level five.

Richard Burden, Chair of Healthwatch Birmingham, said: “We’ve been impressed by the space we’ve seen. The space in the corridors, in the four-bedded bays, and in the single rooms is important for a successful hospital.

“It’s been stressed that it needs to integrate, reflect and be involved with the local communities. The Winter Garden is a welcoming and quality environment for patients, families and the local communities.

“We are looking forward to seeing Midland

Met opening, and the patients we represent in West Birmingham coming here for emergency and inpatient care - it’s an impressive project.”

Jayne Dunn, Director of Commissioning and Equipping, who led the tour, remarked: “Stakeholder engagement such as this is crucial to the successful opening and operation of Midland Met. Delivering our three objectives around patients, people, and population cannot be done in isolation. Healthwatch Birmingham plays a crucial role in representing public views on healthcare in one of the areas we serve.

“Midland Met will have a strong impact on our communities as it will give people access to a leading healthcare facility. Not only will it provide a safe and welcoming environment for care, but much more than that, it will help us provide access to other opportunities around education and jobs. It will also allow people to explore new opportunities such as getting involved with our arts programme.”

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CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

My part in Midland Met Malvinder Phull

Malvinder Phull From now until 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!

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

they think about their experiences with our services and what they feel could be improved.

This insight is valuable to help improve service delivery at Midland Met. What part does your role contribute to the Midland Met project?

I go out into the community and inform our communities and the general public about Midland Met. We talk with people about what services will move from and stay at Sandwell and City hospitals and our retained estate.

We have also revamped an unused patient transport vehicle to take out into the community, which is a great way to get people to stop and have a chat with us.

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

I joined SWB in November 2022. As part of I am providing feedback from our local my role, I support public and community communities to help inform the public facing engagement. We help to provide opportunities communications materials about Midland Met. for our patients and local people to tell us what

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

Engaging with our patients and local communities helps provide valuable feedback to help shape the decision-making process for patient pathways in the new hospital.

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

The new hospital will help improve local health outcomes and provide a better patient experience. One of the ways it will achieve that is with the state-of-the-art technology and design that allows for maximum patient comfort and dignity in rooms and shared spaces on the wards.

Have you been on a site tour?

Yes, and I was impressed. The patient rooms are spacious, well designed and flow seamlessly from one area to the next.

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Every year, we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our colleagues in The Star Awards. For 2023, we marked the occasion in style, with food, entertainment, décor and clothing that honoured the Bollywood theme.

Our people are the lifeblood of our Trust, and we are proud to highlight the winners of these coveted prizes in Heartbeat. Congratulations go to all winners, as well as the nominated and shortlisted teams who go above and beyond every day to live our values.

On Friday 13 October, we celebrated teams and colleagues across the Trust with our very own Bollywood party. Around 350 people from SWB, as well as our community and partners, attended eager to find out who had won the coveted prizes.

We’d like to extend our thanks to this years’ sponsors, without whom we wouldn’t have been able to throw this exciting event.

Clinical Team of the Year

Employee of the Year Cancer Hotline Team

Learner of the Year

Dr Huma Naqvi

Non-Clinical Team of the Year

David Cartwright

Volunteer of the Year

Chaplaincy Team

Brian Guest

Prize for Transformation and Research

Training and Development Team, Breast Imaging

Patient Safety Award

Emily Hobbs and Zeena Tudor

Rising Star

Partnerships with the Community

Emma Bessant

Jayne Salter-Scott and Youth Space

Sustainability

Distinguished Service

Cardiac Cath Lab

Verna White

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Award

Patient’s Choice Award

Janice Nelson

Ophthalmology Ward, City Hospital

Thank you to all our sponsors

instant intelligence

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Resus team mark Restart a Heart Day with public education Restart a Heart is a national annual initiative led by Resuscitation Council (UK), aiming to increase the number of people surviving out of hospital cardiac arrest. Every year hospitals, ambulance services, universities, charities, GP's and other organisations come together to help more people learn lifesaving skills.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest has a survival rate of less than 10%. Two of the most important factors influencing survival are the time between cardiac arrest occurring and CPR and defibrillation being performed.

Immediate initiation of CPR following a cardiac arrest can double or even quadruple the likelihood of survival, yet only 30–40% of people receive bystander CPR in the UK. Similarly, defibrillation within 3–5 minutes of collapse can result in survival rates of up to 50–70%, yet less than 2%

of people have an automated external defibrillator (AED) deployed before the ambulance arrives.1 On the 16 October in the BTC foyer at City Hospital, the Deteriorating Patient and Resuscitation Team held a Restart a Heart event, including a stand with manikins, defibrillators, free pens and heart themed edibles! This event was aimed at the public, colleagues and students; ultimately, anyone who wished to come along.

We spoke to Shazia Ladha, Resuscitation Officer, who told us: “Restart a Heart is a fantastic initiative to raise awareness and enables the local community to come together and learn these life-saving skills. The tag line being ‘Your two hands can help save a life’ is very fitting: no matter where you are, early CPR and defibrillation can increase a person's chances of survival.”

Formed in 1983, Resuscitation Council UK is

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE committed to ensuring that survival rates for in and out of hospital cardiac arrest improve. They do this by driving CPR education and encouraging everyone to learn life-saving resuscitation skills.

The Deteriorating Patient & Resuscitation Team provide resuscitation training and guidance to colleagues, alongside running Resuscitation Council (UK) accredited courses.

If you would like any more information, contact the Deteriorating Patient and Resuscitation Team on swb-tr.swbhgm-resuscitation-team@nhs.net.

1.https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/cardiac-arrestout-of-hospital-care/background-information/ prognosis/#:~:text=Risk%20factors-,What%20is%20the%20 prognosis%3F,attempted%20survive%20to%20hospital%20 discharge.

Rachel Andrews, Shazia Ladha and Ben Jones from the Deteriorating Patient & Resuscitation Team

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Nurses raising awareness of risks around alcohol-related brain damage MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE Nurses at SWB have been working with university academics to introduce a new way of treating patients for the little-known condition alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD).

The Alcohol Care Team at will implement a national plan, created by the University of South Wales (USW), to treat the condition which is related to the longterm effects of alcohol consumption.

More people are at risk of ARBD and as a result the Trust is working with the Addictions Research Group from USW to raise awareness around prevention and diagnosis.

Their work has already been shortlisted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Research Network Awards in the collaboration/partnership research category.

Arlene Copland, Lead ACT Nurse said: “We are aware that there are many people at risk of ARBD and this is worrying. This condition is often hard to diagnose so it is vitally important that we raise awareness and that patients are put on a recognised treatment plan. ARBD is caused by a person regularly drinking too much alcohol or binge-drinking

over several years and people whose diet has a low nutritional value are most at risk.

Generally, symptoms of ARBD affect people aged between 40 and 50 but can be older than this.

“By working with the Addictions Research Group and implementing the plan, we will improve care for our patients who present with this condition. We know that if a person stops drinking, remains alcohol free and receives good support they may be able to make a partial or even full recovery.”

Professor Sally Bradberry, director for the National Poisons Information Service based at City Hospital, added: “We are delighted to be working with colleagues from the Addictions Research Group at the University of South Wales and for the recognition from the Clinical Research Network. Dr Darren Quelch and his senior colleagues Professors Bev John and Gareth Roderique-Davies have, in just three months, provided unrivalled insight, expertise and enthusiasm that has transformed the academic output and research vision of the Alcohol Care Team. We are excited and inspired by the opportunities this collaboration presents for future academic studies and service developments to improve the care of patients whose health is adversely affected by alcohol.”

The collaboration came about after Kelly Hard, SWB’s Head of Research and Development, facilitated the partnership.

Prof Bradberry added: “We are indebted to Kelly Hard.”

The Alcohol Care Team was established in 2018 and has been recognised by NHS England as a national leader for the delivery of high-quality, holistic care for those living with alcohol use disorders. Meanwhile, the Addictions Research Group has been producing research at an international level and their spans awareness raising, prevention, early identification and diagnosis, and treatment development.

Darren Quelch, USW senior research assistant, said: “The Alcohol Care Team at SWB are innovators in their field. Promoting their approach to providing care for this vulnerable, and often overlooked, group is crucial for development of national improvements to the management of alcohol use disorders.

“Central to the collaboration is the development of evidence-based practice recommendations for wider implementation. The research and innovation techniques employed by the both the USW and Alcohol Care Teams are directly transferrable to similar teams and care settings. The research that is currently underway has been vital in demonstrating this impact.”

The aim of the collaboration is to evaluate data relating to the Alcohol Care Team activities and practice innovation, help promote their impactful care model among academic and health care audiences, and to pursue future research and funding opportunities that will lead to improvements in care for patients.

Members of the Alcohol Care Team who are working with the University of South Wales on raising awareness around Alcohol-related Brain Damage

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Medics find 25 polyps in gran after bowel screening test A Tipton mum has told how a regular bowel cancer screening test saved her life – after it detected 25 polyps despite her not having any symptoms.

MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE

Lorraine Whitehouse, aged 73, carried out the test at home, and expected the result to be negative as they had been over previous years.

“In some cases we can find up to nine polyps but it is quite rare to find 25 and not have any accompanying symptoms.

We were able to remove most of Lorraine’s polyps and she will return for further surgery.

But after a positive result she attended Sandwell Hospital for a colonoscopy, only for medics to discover she was riddled with polyps which are growths in the bowel.

“I was told it was very unusual to find so many and to not have any symptoms,” explained mum-of-three Lorraine, speaking during Bowel Cancer Awareness month.

“They removed 23 of them and will carry out another procedure to take out the rest, but it was a bit of a shock at the time. I wasn’t suffering with any symptoms. It just shows you how important it is to carry out the test.”

Normally around two to three polyps are found either through screening or if a patient reports symptoms and investigations are carried out. Screening is offered every two years to people aged between 56 and 74 in Sandwell and West Birmingham. The

Lorraine Whitehouse with her husband John. Both went for their regular bowel screening check at the same time and discovered they both had polyps programme is expanding to make it available to everyone from aged 50.

Lorraine’s husband John who shares the same birthday as his wife also carried out his home test at the same time – and coincidently received a positive result. Two polyps were detected and also removed.

Claire Beats, lead bowel cancer screening practitioner, added: “Bowel cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer. This test can help prevent bowel cancer or find it at an early stage when it’s easier to treat.

“Both have carried out their bowel screening tests since they were eligible which is what we would urge anyone to do when they receive the kit through the post.

“It’s really easy to do and could save your life as polyps left untreated could turn into cancer over time.”

The 3 main symptoms of bowel cancer are blood in the poo, a change in bowel habit, such as more frequent, looser stools, and tummy pain. However, these symptoms are very common and may not always lead to a bowel cancer diagnosis.

Eligible people aged 75 or over can ask for a kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

SWB cardiac physiologist appointed to BHRS council SWB’s Principal Cardiac Physiologist, Sophie Robinson, was recently appointed as a physiologist representative for the British Heart Rhythm society council.

The British Heart Rhythm society (BHRS) is an organisation of healthcare professionals who are involved in the diagnosis, management and research of heart rhythm disorders. The BHRS aims to improve the health of patients with heart rhythm disorders by providing education in this field and support members of the BHRS. There are a range of different members on the council, this includes doctor, nurse and physiologist representatives. Members of the council are often involved in helping produce guidelines, finding ways to support those who have memberships with the organisation and plan educational and networking events.

As part of the role, members have to attend regular meetings where topics such as training updates, treasurer reports and

future plans are discussed.

Sophie stated: “Being a Physiologist representative on the BHRS council is a really exciting opportunity for myself and my department. It offers me the chance to have a real involvement in the shaping and development of the cardiac rhythm management world. Additionally, it gives me the opportunity to discuss with other trusts how they run their service which in turn allows me to reflect on how we can improve the quality of service we provide to our patients at SWB”.

having an involvement in policy writing. Additionally, they give great opportunities to network with other hospitals and gain a better understanding of how others services run and highlight areas for improvement.

Another great achievement for the BHRS is the newly appointed Present of the council, Eleri Gregory, a Consultant Cardiac Physiologist. She is the first non-medical appointee in the BHRS history and the second woman to become president.

Being on a council has many benefits, it is a great opportunity for staff to further their professional development as many skills can be learnt and developed through

Sophie Robinson

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Trust plays host to PACES23 MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE SWB recently hosted this year MRCP (Membership of Royal Colleges of Physicians) Clinical Examinations, also known as PACES (Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills) at the Sandwell Education Centre.

The newly revised format of the MRCP Clinical Examinations was held over a two day period from Saturday 30 September – Sunday 1 October.

“We are one of the first Trusts in the NHS to host this new format of postgraduate clinical examination in the country as well as the first NHS Trust in Midlands region to host internationallyrecognised physician assessment, said Moe Oo, Consultant Physician and Geriatrician.

“Dr Tanzeem Raza OBE, International Medical Director-Assessment of the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom and three senior physicians and MRCP Clinical Examiners from India, Pakistan, and Myanmar joined us to make a stellar examiner panel.”

After completing the examination, an appreciation session was held for the examiners and the wider examination team, led by Dr Chetan Varma, Consultant Cardiologist and Group Director of Medical and Emergency Care Services.

Female MRCP Clinical Examiners Chetan was thankful to all those who attended and said: “I must say a huge thank you to all of those who attended and supported the event as well as the wider examination body.

“Here at SWB we committed to Medical Education, and SWB physicians play an invaluable role in different educational initiatives from the local to the international stage.”

He added: “Amongst acknowledging all the faculty it is encouraging that we have increased our female cohort of examiners including Dr Huma Naqvi, Consultant in

Colleagues at Sandwell Education Centre for the PACES examinations

22

Geriatric Medicine and Postgraduate Clinical Tutor, Dr Manjusha Rathi, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Dr Christine Wright in Clinical Haematology and Professor Ajini Arasalingam in Neurology who all joined the examiner panel and made significant contributions to the successful delivery of the examinations.”

The Trust PACES Team hosts the examinations three times a year in collaboration with the Medical Assessment Unit of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. If you want to get involved in the PACES examinations, please do contact moethaw.oo@nhs.net or christine.edmunds1@nhs.net.

The neonatal unit receives funding for a specialised team of AHPs After a national review of neonatal and maternity services, the neonatal unit now have an NHS England funded AHP Team.

Vanessa van de Bovenkamp, Advanced Physiotherapist, said: “Our ambition is to have a positive impact on babies and their families by delivering neonatal care as an integrated multidisciplinary team, involving occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and dieticians.

“We will provide families with consistent, high-quality information and support throughout their neonatal journey. We will also compassionately encourage parents and carers to be equal partners in the multidisciplinary team, where they are empowered to participate in their baby’s care. This will provide the best opportunity for delivering early intervention to improve

Meet the team:

M

Beth Borough • Supporting fa and become c • Working clos the babies long term outcomes. babies’ cues s “We will strengthen relationships with and enhance t the medical and nursing teams, working • Helping babi collaboratively and with respect to promote “We are very excited that we will have • Ifa it is too ear and share best practice so that our babies feel dietician in post by the New Year and with are providing safe and secure in a neurodevelopmentally looking forward to adding to the wider AHP supportive environment. Babies and their to move to or team in the future, with the addition of a families are at the centre of our service as we • Supporting b psychologist support the babies, families strive for excellence and innovation.”

Meet thetoteam: and staff caring for them and additional when develop Jennifer Cadwallader-Hunt, Advanced money for pharmacy for the more complex Beth Boroughs Speech Therapist: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, added: “Through nature of- the drugsand the Language neonatal babies Vanessa van d working collaboratively with children’s • Supporting families to understand their babies’ early com require.”

• Positioning b community and acute services, the Trust and can become confident communication partners.

Stacey Shaw, Neonatal Unit Matron, muscles and m work towards improving health outcomes for closely with"Our families empower them to read newand neonatal therapy the youngest population. This will have a• Working good commented: • Assessment o team will be fundamental in providing babies’ cues so that they can help them reach their feedin impact on future services and will strengthen or after birth, w support and education to our ward staff relationships with community services. and enhance their communication development. and also the parents/carers of our neonatal needed.

• Helping babies to establish safe and positive oral feeding “Multi-disciplinary working has already had patients to educate and empower them to identific • Early a positive impact on the unit through the• If it is too formirror oral feeding (by mouth) we will suppo be early able to such crucial care which empowering c neonatal pilot project and many therapists will aidpositive the development of our with providing touch which willbabies makeand it easier for development. have complimented the medical and nursing to better outcomes." to move lead to oral feeding when they are ready. care given to very poorly babies.

• Training care • Supporting babies in transitioning from tube feeding to o and after disch when developmentally appropriate.

Meet the team: • Providing spe

WOMENS AND CHILD HEALTH

Vanessa van de Bovenkamp - Physiotherapist: Beth Boroughs - Speech and Language Therapist: Juliet Sweene • Positioning baby in specific ways to support developmen • Supporting families to understand their babies’ early communication • Supports par muscles and movement patterns appropriate for their age and become confident communication partners. occupations su joint and muscle problems developed bef • Working closely with families and empower• Assessment them to readoftheir • Supports par or their after feeding birth, with onward referral to local services for follo babies’ cues so that they can help them reach potential them to under needed. and enhance their communication development. activities that a • Early of possible neurological difficulties, an • Helping babies to establish safe and positive oral identification feeding.

• Considers the carefamilies givers on how to support baby’s brain an • If it is too early for oral feeding (by mouth)empowering we will support with skin to ski development. with providing positive touch which will make it easier for their baby help to reduce • Training care givers to provide physiotherapy treatment o to move to oral feeding when they are ready.

• Helps parent Beth Boroughs Vanessa van de Bovenkamp and after discharge Juliet Sweeney home.

• Supporting babies in transitioning from tube feeding to oral feeding Speech and Language Therapist Physiotherapist: Occupational Therapist: • Provide spec • Providing specialist respiratory physiotherapy interventio when developmentally appropriate.

• Positioning baby in specific ways • Supports parents and babies to developmenta • Supporting families to to support development of participate in occupations and understand their babies’ early Juliet Sweeney - Occupational Therapist: Vanessa van de Bovenkamp - Physiotherapist: healthy muscles and movement co-occupations such as feeding, communication and become • Supports parents and babies participate in occupation • Positioning baby in specific waysfor to their support development of healthy patterns appropriate age bathing and early to interaction. confident communication occupations such as feeding, bathing and stage. muscles and movement patterns appropriate for their age and stage. partners.

• Supports parents to adaptand to early interaction • Supports parents to adapt to parenting on the Neonatal • Assessment of joint and muscle parenting on the Neonatal Unit, • Working closely with families • Assessment of joint and muscle problems developed before, during during or after birth, with helping them to understand their them to understand their baby and to confidently participa and empower them to read theiror after birth, with onward referral to local services for follow up as onward referral to local services baby and to confidently babies’ cues so that they can needed. activities that are important to them. for follow up as needed. participate in the activities that help them reach their feeding Considers the sensory environment on the unit and offer • Early identification of possible neurological• difficulties, and are important to them. potential and enhance their • Early identification of possible with skin to skin, positioning and most importantly how pa givers on how to support baby’s brain body the sensory communication development. empowering care neurological difficulties, and • and Considers help to reduceenvironment their baby’son pain theand unitstress. and • Helping babies to establish safe development. empowering care givers on how • Helps parents to understand their baby’s to support baby’s brain and body offer support with skin to skin,likes and dislike • Training care givers to provide physiotherapy treatment on the unit and positive oral feeding. development. positioning and most importantly • Provide specialist assessments to ensure that the babies r • If it is too early for oral feeding and after discharge home. how parents can help to reduce • Training care givers to provide developmental potential. (by mouth) we will support • Providing specialist respiratory physiotherapy intervention. their baby’s pain and stress. physiotherapy treatment on the families with providing positive unit and after discharge home.

• Helps parents to understand their touch which will make it easier Juliet Sweeney - Occupational Therapist: baby’s likes and dislikes for their baby to move to oral • Providing specialist respiratory • Supports parents and babies to participate in occupations and cofeeding when they are ready. physiotherapy intervention.

• Provide specialist assessments to ensure that the babies reach their occupations such as feeding, bathing and early interaction.

• Supporting babies in • Supports parents to adapt to parenting on the Neonatal developmental Unit, helping potential. transitioning from tube feeding to oral feeding when them to understand their baby and to confidently participate in the developmentally appropriate. activities that are important to them.

• Considers the sensory environment on the unit and offer support 23 with skin to skin, positioning and most importantly how parents can

Midwife bags the ‘Golden Hello’ payout my peers and the team is excellent. We work together very well and have such a good rapport.

WOMENS AND CHILD HEALTH

“Working from Aston Pride has been excellent as it’s a very busy area where we can support women from all different backgrounds. And to top it all off, the £1,000 is a real bonus.”

Community Midwife Sandy Randhawa joined the team a year ago and is celebrating picking the first of three “Golden Hello” cheques to mark the anniversary.

Working from Aston Pride Healthcare Centre, in Aston, Sandy was part of a recruitment drive which saw the Golden Hello initiative introduced for the hardto-fill posts.

Midwives receive a £1,000 payment each year over a three-year period whilst in employment with the Trust.

Sandy said: “I applied for the Trust as working within such a diverse community really appealed. I felt that I would be able to make a difference to the care women received – from the early stages of their pregnancy right through to after their baby was born and they were home.

Sandy receiving her golden hello from Shelly Colley “Being a community midwife is a real journey with a patient and it’s wonderful to see them through the entire pregnancy and meet their little one.”

She added: “Of course the Golden Hello was also another factor in applying. I hadn’t heard of other organisations offering this incentive and I thought it was a great way to attract people into community midwifery.

“I’ve found the first year working at the Trust really rewarding. I’ve learned so much from

Sandy added she was also impressed with the Trust’s Health and Wellbeing offer. “The support given to colleagues is brilliant.

From accessing a free gym, to the support given for your mental health – this is a really forward-thinking Trust to work for.”

Shelly Colley, Matron for Community Midwifery, said: “Sandy has been a great addition to the team and works extremely hard. We are proud to be handing out the first Golden Hello to her and are pleased she has found her first year rewarding.

“We continue to recruit into our team and roles are available, each offering the same opportunities given to Sandy.”

If you’re interested in joining the team, please email shelly.colley1@nhs.net.”

Focus on health promotion for Breast Cancer Awareness Month October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the staff at the breast unit have been working hard to educate and promote their services.

Association to set up a stand for breast awareness as it's breast cancer month.

They were holding a free health check day, targeted towards 40- to 74-year-olds in the local community. My colleagues from urology were also invited and did a prostate cancer stand.

The team have worked on a social media campaign which includes a trio of videos the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, what to expect when attending a routine mammogram and how to check your breasts.

So far, one of the videos has received 36.5 thousand views, 1037 likes, 84 saves and 40 shares. We have also received many comments with positive feedback from patients praising the team.

Claire Murphy, Health Promotion Specialist, said: “'The breast unit colleagues wanted to raise awareness and spread an important message regarding the importance of breast health awareness and what to expect at breast screening, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Social media is a great platform to share and educate allowing us to reach a wider audience. We are so pleased at the positive reaction and comments received about the videos and the thousands of views.

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Simerjit Rai, Nurse Consultant, representing the breast service at the GNG health event/The breast unit team took to social media to raise awareness this month “We are grateful to the SWB communications team for their help and guidance in achieving the above.”

Members of the team also took part in a health event at The Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Smethwick on 14 October.

Simerjit Rai, Nurse Consultant for the breast service who volunteered at the event, said: “I was invited via the Sikh Doctors

“It is important to reach out to ethnic minority groups about breast awareness and breast cancer. These groups tend to present with late breast cancer and don't attend breast screenings where the cancers may have been picked up earlier. It’s also seen as a taboo subject and not talked about widely within the community.

“As a result of attending this event, I have been invited to an afternoon event in December to do a formal presentation to approximately 60 to 100 women to talk about breast awareness (signs and symptoms, how to check your breasts) and breast cancer.

“It was a well-attended event - we had many members of the local Sikh community turn up and get involved in the health checks and I am looking forward to the next one.”

Supporting patients with sight loss SURGICAL SERVICES hospital, as well as ensuring the care that we deliver is tailored to the patient. The aim is ensuring colleagues know how to guide visually impaired people correctly to give them more independence.

Russ told us that he has previously worked on issues such as ensuring clinical colleagues wait for patients within BMEC. “When training, we are aiming to teach staff how to treat a visually impaired person. Staff used to come out into the waiting area, call a patient’s name and walk away – we’ve trained them to wait for people and make this process more accessible.

“On the wards, sometimes people will just put a plate of food or a drink in front of someone and walk off. We have helped to educate staff on how to make this process easier for visually impaired patients, and it does work”.

Russell Stephenson and his support worker Stephanie Nelson in their office at BMEC A BMEC-based colleague from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) works tirelessly to offer support and resource signposting to patients at the eye centre.

Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO) Russell Stephenson is employed by the RNIB but based at BMEC on a full-time basis, offering non-clinical support to any patient who enters BMEC. This is led by Russ and supported by Stephanie Nelson, who works as his support worker. Together, they support around 130 patients per month.

We caught up with Russ to learn more about the invaluable service he offers to our patients. Russ stated: “The support we offer is focused around helping patients to live full lives. It could be anything from emotional support through to daily living skills, changing the way they do things to be more independent, technology, phone apps and accessibility. We help people with employment and reasonable adjustments, as well as educational support at university, college and school. We also provide guidance on mobility aids such as guide dogs and canes, council referrals for home assessments, and available services like talking book services, talking newspapers and wireless for the blind.”

Part of Russ’s work focuses on support groups, and he signposts visually impaired patients to support groups in the area. In Birmingham, this includes Focus Birmingham, based in Harborne, as well as online groups RNIB Connect and SAMS. For family and friends, there is the Sight Loss Family Support group.

As well as signposting to available resources, Russ also completes a Certificate of Visual Impairment for any patient who is entitled to one. This is a key part of his role, as the certificate provides people with access to a range of benefits and resources. Russ stated: “Sometimes, patients don’t want to get the certificate – it’s a big change to come to terms with. But our support is open-ended, so if they choose to decline, I keep their information in a locked drawer and they can then get back in touch in the future should they wish to get the certificate. People often do.” Currently, Russ is completing around 30 Certificates of Visual Impairment per month.

In addition to the range of support offered to patients, Russ and Steph also carry out training for colleagues at SWB. Steph is a sighted guide trainer, carrying out training within wards including ED. They use simulation spectacles in the training, to help colleagues better understand the experience of patients with sight loss attending the

Russ has been working at BMEC for eight years now. He told us: “I was diagnosed with my condition aged 11 at BMEC. My mum was told I had the condition and would lose my sight at 16, and to go home and get on with it. I am a lot older than 16 now and I still have some sight.

“Over the years, I’ve had some bad experiences with healthcare professionals. This is what made me want to do my role. I worked in a factory for 30 years – I was gutted when I lost my job through redundancy, but it was a blessing. I did some training and started working as an ECLO. It’s a long time, but I still love it.”

Russ concluded by stating: “It gives me the opportunity to support other people – I have been here, done it myself and come out the other side. Some people think their life is over, but I’m here to make sure they know you can do it; you just can’t do things the same way. I am here to help people navigate as they adapt to these changes.”

If you’d like to learn more about ensuring you are delivering the best care to patients with sight loss, please visit the RNIB’s bank of resources on: https://www.rnib.org.uk/ professionals/health-social-careeducation-professionals/.

To refer a patient to Russ for support, please email: swbh.eclobmec@nhs.net.

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Celebrating Professor Jon Hulme SURGICAL SERVICES We are thrilled to announce that one of our consultants, Jon Hulme, has been appointed as an Honorary Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Birmingham.

This remarkable recognition reflects his unwavering commitment to healthcare excellence and significant contributions to the field.

Professor Jon Hulme, who you may know from his varied roles here including as a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Joint Clinical Lead for Critical Care Services or SWB Lead Clinician for Resuscitation, has been a cornerstone of our Trust for many years. His dedication, knowledge, and compassion have left an indelible mark on the healthcare landscape, and we are incredibly proud of his latest accomplishment.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Professor Hulme's university affiliation dates back

Professor Jon Hulme

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to his student days when he, along with a group of friends, embarked on a journey to establish an organisation that would become a significant force in the world of life support training. Known today as Resuscitation | Mentorship | Development (RMD), it is more than just a training organisation; it's a symbol of innovation in the field that has changed practice across Europe.

Over the years, RMD has expanded into research, community engagement, and established its presence in various UK higher education institutions. Professor Hulme's vision and dedication have propelled this organisation onwards, making it a proud part of his life's work. His contributions to RMD are not just a career highlight but a legacy that will continue to inspire and benefit countless individuals, achieved with colleagues & friends at the University over many years who have joined his team and shared his passion.

Reflecting on this milestone, Professor Hulme said, "I've always found that the environment at Sandwell and West Birmingham, working alongside colleagues I admire and respect here, has helped me pursue and achieve a scope of work, including the University of Birmingham projects. In doing so, I've always

hoped that I've inspired and helped those who have been within or near our life support organisation (RMD)."

Professor Hulme's new title as Honorary Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Birmingham is a remarkable honour, reflecting not only his personal achievements but also the support and dedication within SWB. As he eloquently put it, "Some of those in the know tell me that I am the first Professor in our department for at least 30 years, and I'd be delighted if this appointment collectively shines a light on all that we do at Sandwell and West Birmingham, too."

This recognition serves as a reminder of the extraordinary work carried out by colleagues at Sandwell and West Birmingham to ensure the delivery of safe and effective care. We are privileged to have Professor Jon Hulme among our ranks, and his journey from a student visionary to Honorary Professor is an inspiration to us all. Congratulations, Professor Jon Hulme, on this well-deserved honour! Your dedication and contributions set a shining example for us all.

Gift of Life finds a new home SURGICAL SERVICES changes the course of a person's life, offering them a second chance and a new beginning.

The heartwarming message inscribed on the stone, "A gift of life," and the bench's poignant words, "Words are not always necessary - comfort comes from the meeting of hearts," embody the very essence of organ donation. In our fast-paced lives, this monument offers a sanctuary for anyone seeking a quiet moment to remember a loved one or simply reflect on the immense gift of life.

Kerry Mills Specialist Nurse Organ Donation stands alongside the Gift of Life memorial before it is moved to Midland Met In 2015, renowned comedian Jasper Carrot unveiled a monument at City Hospital to mark the greatest gift that someone can give – The Gift of Life.

Eight years on, the heart-shaped stone monument, adorned with a plaque and a serene seated reflection area, is set to move to its new home at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.

As we prepare for the opening of the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in 2024, we are excited to announce that the "A Gift of Life" monument will be relocated to its new home, ensuring that it continues to inspire hope, gratitude, and reflection among patients, families and colleagues.

This monument's new location represents a symbolic transfer of the message of life, love, and unity to the very heart of our new hospital, where it can continue to touch the lives of many. We hope you will visit the monument at its new home, reflect on the precious gift of life, and consider joining the ranks of organ donors, making a difference.

The memorial stands as a symbol of gratitude and remembrance for the selfless act of organ donation: it’s a testament to the compassion and selflessness that resides within the hearts of donors and their families. Whether through living organ donation or the gracious gift left behind after someone’s passing, this act

Organ donation takes various forms - it can be a choice made before or after one's passing, the impact is immeasurable. Every year, thousands of people across the country await a transplant, and tragically, around a thousand of them never receive this lifesaving gift.

We’re encouraging more people to join the organ donor register, to inspire others to become part of this life-saving legacy. Organ donation is an act of profound compassion, and it's a gift that keeps on giving.

If you're interested in learning more about organ donation, we invite you to visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk.

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Under pressure!

PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITY AND THERAPIES Pressure ulcers are areas of damage to your skin and the tissue underneath. Often, people can develop pressure ulcers if they have difficulty moving. As part of our approach to keeping patients healthy and mobile and how best to care for anyone with this condition, we recently hosted an event dedicated to pressure ulcers.

Lesley McDonagh, Clinical Lead Nurse, explained: “Harm free care forms part of our fundamentals of care and preventing pressure ulcers is about preventing harm to our patients. The focus of our event was to share learning on the categorisation of pressure ulcers, managing skin when patients are immobile, and strategies colleagues should use for preventing and managing pressure ulcers.

“The PCCT practice education nurse team and tissue viability teams jointly hosted this event. Foot health and orthotics shared their insights on preventing and managing foot and heel pressure ulcers. Plus, we demonstrated the use of pressure-relieving mattresses and how to reposition patients to promote comfort and reduce the risk of pressure ulcers. The day helped colleagues acquire the necessary skills to care for patients with this condition.”

The pressure ulcer event showed colleagues how to best care for patients with this condition

Lesley added: “Hosting events such as these helps ensure we focus on building knowledge in evidence based best practices in pressure ulcer prevention.

Training like this helps to reduce the risk of patients suffering harm from developing pressure ulcers. We’re all here to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, and ensuring we can keep them comfortable with a condition such as pressure ulcers is one of the ways we can do that.

“I must thank my colleagues Helen Cartwright and Emily Hobbs, the practice education team, and our tissue viability specialist nurses, Patricia Flaherty and Rebecca Vivian.”

Additional training will be available in November and spring 2024. Plus, the tissue viability team provides training open to all colleagues. To find out more email tissueviability2@nhs.net.

The pressure ulcer event showed colleagues how to best care for patients with this condition

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New service will treat skin cancer A new £1.3 million facility housing specialist treatment for skin cancer with a near 100 per cent success rate will serve patients across Sandwell and West Birmingham.

The new service, which is based at New Cross Hospital, in Wolverhampton, will treat up to 200 patients a year including those who are under the care of our Trust.

Using a specialised technique to remove high-risk skin cancers called Mohs Micrographic Surgery, the new facility will ensure patients receive this ‘gold standard’ form of treatment closer to home, resulting in better patient outcomes and higher patient satisfaction.

The new facility welcomes adult patients with certain types of skin cancer at highrisk sites on the face or neck. Using Mohs surgery, the cancer is carefully mapped as it is removed. This technique carries a near 100 per cent success rate.

Henry Soulsby, Group Manager, Rheumatology, Dermatology and Sexual Health at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), said: “We’re proud and delighted to open this new service. It means local patients with this type of skin cancer

can access timely services within the Black Country.

“This service has come about due to true partnership working between us all for the benefit of our patients, so we’re hugely grateful and thankful for the other Trusts.”

Consultant Dermatologist Dr Aaron Wernham, from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and RWT, said: “We’re very excited about this new development. Depending on demand, this service is likely to expand further in subsequent years.”

Diane Wake, Elective Care Lead for the BCPC, said: “The new facility is the result of the collaboration between all four local NHS Trusts.

“This partnership is designed to reduce inequality in health outcomes, ensure equal access to services and experience, and that specialisation and consolidation occur to provide better outcomes and value, and improve resilience by via mutual aid. This new service will ensure patients with skin cancer will get quicker access to the services they need.”

The new facility houses a satellite laboratory and multiple procedure rooms, while an existing recovery room will be upgraded.

PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITY AND THERAPIES The technique can also minimise the amount of normal tissue removed, which can, in some cases, overcome the need for more complex reconstructions. This can help reduce additional morbidity and cost to the healthcare service.

The facility has been introduced through the work of the Black Country Provider Collaborative (BCPC), a partnership between our Trust and RWT, Walsall Healthcare, and The Dudley Group Foundation Trust.

Ex-Goodyear workers are to fund some items of equipment for the new centre through their 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Charity.

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report for Dermatology in March 2021 recommends improving access to Mohs Surgery, and this development helps address this recommendation.

Dr Richard Jerrom (left) and Dr Aaron Wernham (right) in the new Mohs procedure room, inside the laboratory

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Are you ready for iRefer CDS? • Improvement in patient safety by avoiding unnecessary ionising radiation exposure.

IMAGING The iRefer Clinical Decision Support (CDS) System will be launching across our acute sites in the coming weeks and in primary care towards the end of 2023. iRefer CDS uses the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) iRefer guidelines to help guide clinicians through the imaging referral process that exists in Unity.

that anyone can attend no matter their location.” iRefer CDS uses the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) iRefer guidelines to help guide clinicians through the imaging referral process that exists in Unity.

Colleagues who are unfamiliar with the system or would like a refresher are being encouraged by Dr Sarah Yusuf, Group Director of Imaging, to attend the upcoming training session in November.

This will result in: •

Improved standardisation of care through reduced clinical variation with national guidelines accessible at point of care.

She said: “The refresher session is a great opportunity for those wanting to learn more about system.

•

A reduction in the number of inappropriate image requests and subsequent reduction in the number of cancelled or rejected requests.

“The session is very informal and will take less than hour for those who have a busy schedule and will be hosted on the Microsoft Teams platform meaning

• Supporting decision making at the point of request, ensuring the patient receives the right test, first time.

With a new system being implemented there is always a fear that the referral processes change. However, this is not the case with CDS as it will integrate with the existing radiology referral process in Unity and no additional logins are needed.

Sarah added: “The referral process will remain the same with the addition of context sensitive questions to guide the referrer to the most appropriate imaging request, based on the RCR guidelines.

“This will then provide clinicians with evidence-based guidance at the point of imaging referral to help ensure our patients receive the most appropriate investigation.”

The training and education session is open to all colleagues that make Imaging requests. The session will take place 12pm – 12.45pm on Thursday 9 November via Microsoft Teams.

For joining details and to find out more, please visit https://connect2.swbh.nhs. uk/news/irefer-cds-training-webinars/

Letters, of less than 200 words please, can be sent to the Communications Department, Trust Headquarters, Sandwell Hospital or by email to swb–tr.SWBH–GM–Heartbeat@nhs.net

YOUR RIGHT TO BE HEARD No charging spaces?

Dear Anonymous,

Dear Heartbeat,

Thanks for getting in touch and I’m sorry to hear about your issue.

Like most of my colleagues I commute to work every day, however recently I faced an encounter that I wasn’t too impressed with.

After leaving one site and heading to another I realised that I needed to charge my car, not normally a problem but on this occasion, I was travelling between sites multiple times.

When I pulled up at the car charging areas, I noticed that all the car parking chargers were full and that the cars in those spaces were fully charged. Normally, at electric vehicle stations on the motorway they have employees to monitor these areas or ask people to note when their car is finished charging – we all have phones right?

As I was really struggling to find a space, I ended up driving to a electric car charging point off site and therefore had to walk 20 mins back to the site and was late to my next meeting.

I appreciate that we all have busy diaries and sometimes we can forget to take our car off charge, but for those who really do need it, times like these it’s highly frustrating.

Kind regards,

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Anonymous

Whilst we appreciate your struggle on this occasion, we are not currently enforcing maximum lengths of stay for the EV chargers, as generally there is currently sufficient availability across our sites.

Usage appears to be slightly higher at Sandwell, and to this end we are in the process of installing further charging points to increase capacity.

I hope this helps to avoid the issue happening again in future.

Many thanks, Jim Pollitt Assistant Director Strategic Development

Richard talks about: recognition, inclusion and the importance of speaking up and giving feedback Richard Beeken, Chief Executive

RICHARD'S LAST WORD October is usually a very busy month for our organisation. It is a time when we recognise colleagues for their contribution at the Star Awards, mark Black History Month as well as empower colleagues to have their say in the annual staff survey and as part of national Speak Up Month.

In this issue of Heartbeat, you will read about the winners of the Star Awards - one of my favourite events of the year. Hearing about the stories of colleagues who have gone above and beyond to make a difference to our patients, our people, and our population makes me truly proud to be the leader of SWB. Our Star Awards finalists are colleagues who consistently showcase our Trust values of ambition, respect and compassion, and this year, the values shone through in nearly every nomination. I will never tire of saying that ambition, respect, and compassion should be at the heart of all we do, and I am really proud of how you have embedded them into your everyday practice. Corporately, we will now respond by incorporating our values into our recruitment and our approach to appraisal.

It has been another challenging year for us, with ongoing industrial action, financial control measures, pressures on our urgent and emergency care services, redesigning our community service offer on admission/attendance avoidance and trying to play catch-up with our elective work – all on top of trying to open a brand-new hospital! When you are in it day in and day out, it’s sometimes hard to stop and reflect on what we have achieved. These annual awards allow the opportunity to do just that.

Black History Month is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of black people to society and to the NHS. It also serves as an opportunity to inspire and empower future generations.

We are privileged to work in one of the most diverse communities in the country. And I am proud that much of our SWB family comes from those communities that we serve.

I talk to numerous colleagues across the organisation, and I can honestly say our diversity is our strength and we should remember and celebrate that. Only by understanding and learning about and from each other can we truly become the workplace where colleagues are happy and productive. Despite the recent pronouncements from the Secretary of State about expenditure in this area, I want to unequivocally state

that our Board and I, remain committed to a meaningful equality and diversity improvement agenda, so that we can achieve psychological safety for colleagues, make us an attractive place to work and ensure that we better represent the communities we serve.

The annual staff survey is one of the ways we measure and ensure you are happy at work. The survey is open until 24 November so there is still time for you to have your say.

Your views will be heard by not only SWB but by the region, and key decision makers nationally and used to inform policy and improvements around your priorities such as safety, wellbeing, working decisions and pay.

As a result of your feedback in surveys, we developed our People Plan, which sets out how we will deliver on our People objective – to cultivate and sustain happy, productive, and engaged staff. It is a three-year plan which focuses on staff morale, satisfaction, and wellbeing. Our wish is for SWB to be a workplace in which colleagues can realise a healthy work/life balance, to feel safe and respected and to feel fulfilled. A place where people seek to work, in which they feel a sense of pride and a workplace in which everyone thrives.

Please do take the time to complete the survey – many of you will have received it e-mail, but for those who don’t have regular access to a computer (porters, ward services, transport and catering) it has been delivered to your home address.

Finally, thank you to colleagues for showing support for Freedom to Speak Up month. Speaking up is an incredibly important part of ensuring that we are always striving for continuous improvement.

Following the Lucy Letby verdict, our focus is now heavily on strengthening our freedom to speak up service and ensuring it’s effective. We’re already well underway with making sure we expand the freedom to speak up arrangements in the organisation as well as ensuring that it is a listening service and a hearing service and that it’s well embedded.

I’m pleased to report we now have 14 freedom to speak up guardians (representing a wide spectrum of professions across SWB), which is the most we’ve ever had in the organisation. And we will have 21 when we have onboarded everyone who has expressed an interest.

We want you to feel safe to raise any issues of concern. Connect has more information on the guardians and how they can support you.

freedom to

SPEAK up Speak Up Month is an opportunity to raise awareness of how much we value speaking up in our organisation.

We see speaking up as fundamental to how we work and we want to be part of making speaking up business as usual across SWB. Click here to find out more.

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Did someone say cake?

YOUR TRUST CHARITY

@SWBHCharity To donate to the Your Trust Charity text “SWBH16 £5” to 70070

The cancer team has raised £1,100 in aid of Your Trust Charity and Macmillan.

A recent event saw an array of delicious homemade cakes, samosas, a tombola and a stand from Asda set up in Sandwell Hospital’s main reception area, with colleagues and volunteers serving up the delicious treats.

Jenny Donovan, Cancer Services Manager, said: “This year’s event has been a sellout, we had more people visit than in previous years. To bypass the £1,000 mark was just incredible – it’s the most we’ve raised to date! The team and I were overwhelmed with the volume of delicious homemade cakes brought by our staff and volunteers and were determined to raise more money than ever.”

Money raised will help to enable more patients receive care from Macmillan and will provide Your Trust Charity with additional funding to enhance the experiences of patients and their families.

Jo Harvey, Macmillan Trust Lead Cancer Nurse, said: “As a team we believe it’s important to continue to raise awareness around cancer. We have various ways in which we do this from sharing informational videos about symptoms of cancer to the launch of our Cancer Hotline service which enables people who think they may have signs of the disease to call our specialist nurses who will assess them over the phone and decide if they need further investigations.”

Cancer team has a record sell out at Sandwell Hospital

October 2023 staff lottery results 1st £145.25

2nd £87.15

3rd £58.10

Jennifer Allen

Peter Jay

Anoynmous

Don’t forget that Your Trust Charity lottery costs just £1 a month and anyone who works for the Trust can join. Payment is deducted from your wages each month. To take part email johnny.shah@nhs.net.

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