Issuu

April 2022

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust

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

Issue 152

Showcasing innovation and excellence at annual WeLearn poster competition Page 3

Congratulations to our winners. Clockwise top right: the neonatal team (highly commended), musculoskeletal service (overall winner), Anita Kaur (People's Choice Award) and the maternity team (highly commended).

Future proofing Midland Met

Pharmacy team get green

Tackling sepsis with rapid improvement

New service for neonates receives high praise

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FROM THE CHAIR HELLO Welcome to the April edition of Heartbeat. In this edition we announce the winners of the annual WeLearn QIHD competition with 76 posters submitted showcasing the fantastic work and innovative ideas from colleagues across the Trust. We also update colleagues on the opening of the new multistorey car parks at City and Sandwell Hospitals, announce Dinah McLannahan, Chief Finance Officer as Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and share how the pharmacy team are getting green. Enjoy 

 Ext 5303  swbh.comms@nhs.net  C ommunications Department Ground Floor, Trinity House Sandwell Hospital

Published by Communications 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:

Sir David talks about…collaboration, not competition Having worked in several organisations in my NHS career I have seen lots of changes in NHS structures as organisations come together or move apart. We are in the midst of a change in how NHS organisations work, with the formalisation of partnership working in integrated care systems and place-based partnerships.

the same challenges – the right capacity to treat the patients who need our care, recruitment and retention of high quality clinicians and deprived communities where health inequalities are widening. Taking a collaborative approach may well enable us to tackle these things at scale, more quickly than by going it alone.

The NHS has not always been very good at collaboration for a variety or reasons. Accountability for service delivery lies with single organisations and Boards, so individual organisations have tended to focus on their own priorities for improvement, rather than seeking improvement in care across a wider footprint. We have also had national NHS policy that has set organisations against each other in a competitive framework, intended to drive up service quality and patient experience.

But collaboration is also hard work. It takes empathy, courage and determination to make the right decisions about the areas to focus on. It means we need to listen to other’s point of view and be prepared to compromise, to give and to take. It means we need to have integrity in our dealings with others - not say what we think they want to hear, but act and behave in a way where we mean what we say.

The new framework for the NHS is all about collaboration, creating the structures to influence the formation of strong partnerships with all organisations who impact on the health and care of the population. This month, I took on the chairmanship of the Black Country Provider Collaborative, which is developing ways for the NHS providers in the system to make change happen for the benefit of patients and staff across the Black Country. We face many of

We have much more to gain than lose as a Trust who can put collaboration high on our agenda. We can share ideas and innovation, join forces to tackle shared problems and provide new opportunities for our own and our colleagues’ development. Yes, it will be tough to do, and needs all of us to be brave and willing to forge those relationships. But the rewards are out there if we have the courage to take those first steps. Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, Chair

Innovation and excellence showcased at annual weLearn poster competition The annual weLearn QIHD poster competition culminated in an online extravaganza of innovation and excellence as colleagues from across the Trust met to crown this year's poster champions. With a grand prize of £5,000 up for grabs, teams from across the Trust worked hard to get their innovative projects, clinical trials and evidence-based research up to scratch and on to paper – all in the hopes of capturing the keen eye of the judges.

modern ROTEM® improve maternal outcomes during major obstetric haemorrhage?’ The team carried out a retrospective audit to assess trends in maternal morbidity associated with postpartum haemorrhage and identify deficiencies in current practices.

Francine Wooton, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Sheilah Kamupira, Neonatal Consultant were also highly commended for their poster titled, ‘A race against Neonatal Sepsis to improve Morbidity and Mortality: Neonatal Antibiotic Quality Improvement - A Twelve out of 76 posters submitted for the Team Approach’. Their study aimed to review competition made it through to the final stages compliance to intravenous antibiotics administration of shortlisting - giving their authors one final within one hour of decision in accordance with opportunity to showcase their poster to the national network guidelines. The methodology gathered audience and judging panel. involved a monthly and then 3 monthly review of all babies admitted to the neonatal unit or in Each shortlisted team had the opportunity transitional care on postnatal wards. to share their poster concept in a short video highlighting how their work shows good The winning poster was ‘MSK Equity: practice, provides quality improvement, evaluating quality using information supports innovation, research or partnership technology’ by Roanna Burgess, Consultant working and most importantly, how it has Physiotherapist and MSK Lead. The service set resulted in improvements for patients, relatives out to improve the capture of Patient Reported and colleagues. Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) data The staff voted ‘People’s Choice Award’ by adopting a standardised MSK dataset and a went to Anita Kaur, Nursing Associate from standardised digital approach. The aim of the the diabetes and endocrinology team for study was primarily to have over 30 percent of her poster titled, ‘Improving healthcare patients completing PROMs and PREMs. The for patients with diabetes’. Anita’s poster secondary aim was to measure our Trust’s MSK was based on a clinical audit she carried performance against national benchmarks. out to determine the use of Hypo Boxes Thirdly, the team wanted to be more population to ensure best practice in the treatment of health driven, responding to the needs of the hypoglycaemia. The audit sought to raise local community using locally driven data. awareness and improve the knowledge and skills of colleagues. Congratulations of all this year’s winners. Consultant Obstetrician, Mausumi Ghosh All posters submitted this year will remain on and her team from maternity services were display in the Education Centre at Sandwell as highly commended for their poster ‘Can a well as on Connect. Enjoy finding out about the combination of traditional scales and the

COVID-19 great quality improvement initiatives taking place across the Trust, and encourage your colleagues to do so too. For more information about the QIHD poster competition, contact Preeti Puligari on ext. 3587 or email preeti. puligari1@nhs.net Highly commended: ‘Can a combination of traditional scales and the modern ROTEM improve maternal outcomes during major obstetric haemorrhage?’ by Consultant Obstetrician Mausumi Ghosh and her team from maternity services Highly commended: ‘A race against Neonatal Sepsis to improve Morbidity and Mortality: Neonatal Antibiotic Quality Improvement - A Team Approach’ by Francine Wooton, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Sheilah Kamupira, Neonatal Consultant People's choice award winner: ‘Improving healthcare for patients with diabetes’ by Anita Kaur, Nursing Associate, diabetes and endocrinology. Grand prize winner 'MSK Equity: evaluating quality using information technology’ led by Roanna Burgess Consultant Physiotherapist and MSK Lead.

weLearn poster competition grand prize winner Roanna Burgess, Consultant Physiotherapist and MSK Lead

Keeping up with the lateral flow – it is Trust policy to test twice a week COVID-19 Thank you to everyone who has been testing regularly, as we have learnt over the last few years of dealing with COVID, testing is absolutely critical to be able to manage infections. In our efforts to keep the virus at bay, it’s important that we continue to test and report in order to keep others safe. All colleagues are required to complete a lateral flow test twice a week before coming in to work. Lateral flow tests are free to NHS staff. You can order your lateral flow kit by visiting https://www.gov.uk/ordercoronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests. You will be prompted to set up an account using your NHS email address. Once set up please select “Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust” from the list and continue to place your order. Note: To submit results, colleagues will be required to create an account using their NHS email and password. If you test positive, you should continue to follow the current return to work guidance.

All completed lateral flow tests must be reported on the Trust Lateral Flow Test reporting form which can be found on Connect. Colleagues are no longer required to confirm a COVID positive lateral flow result with a PCR test. Isolation guidance if you test positive If you test positive you should follow the return to work guidance. All colleagues who have received a positive COVID-19 test result, regardless of whether they have symptoms, are advised not to attend work for 5 days.

IPC practices and resume twice weekly LFD testing on return to work. • If the LFD remains positive please discuss with IPC/Occupational health. • If you are symptomatic and have a negative lateral flow please discuss with IPC/OH before you return to work.

• Colleagues can return to work when they have had 2 consecutive negative LFD test results (taken at least 24 hours apart). • The first LFD test should only be taken 5 days after the day their symptoms started (or the day their first positive test was taken if they did not have symptoms); this is described as day 0. • If the LFD are negative you may return to work immediately after the second negative result provided you feel well enough to return to work. • There must be strict adherence to personal protective equipment (PPE)/

r S A W RDS A

Colleagues are reminded that any unused LAMP test bags and sample containers can be returned to the phlebotomy departments on each site.

Household Contacts Colleagues who are household contacts of a positive COVID-19 case will now be able to continue to work as normal if they remain asymptomatic and continue to test twice weekly. They will no longer be required to have a PCR test in order to return to work. If the LFD tests positive then follow the above guidance.

Vaccinations now available at Tipton for over-fives Tipton Vaccination Centre is now vaccinating everyone over the age of five – offering younger patients two smaller doses of the Pfizer vaccine 12 weeks apart. Colleagues should encourage families to visit the centre, which is based at Tipton Sports Academy, which has been adapted especially for children and offers a walk-in service. It boasts a play area, games and a treasure hunt – all provided by the Trust’s staff who are working at the site. Appointments can also be booked online via the national booking system or by calling 119. Children getting a vaccine over the Easter break received a chocolate creme egg, thanks to a donation from the Trust. Rosie Chidlow, COVID-19 Vaccine Operational Manager, said: "We are encouraging families to come along and get their vaccinations – whether that’s for their first, second or booster dose. “We’ve specially adapted our centre to make it as child-friendly as possible and the feedback we’ve had so far has been great. We would like GPs to encourage their patients to come along to the centre to receive their vaccine so we can protect as many people as possible against this virus.”

The team has been instrumental in delivering well over 150,000 potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccinations, to age groups from five to over 100. Set up as an emergency response to the pandemic, the team gelled to create a unique working environment which considered an exhaustive list of strategies to welcome all communities. For example they created specialised clinics including; Monday Faith Groups supported by interpreters, Tuesday focussed on those with learning disabilities, Wednesday for women only, Thursday for those shielding and clinically vulnerable (including sign language interpreters) and Friday was dedicated to health and social care staff including carers. Collaborating with public health, clinical commissioning groups and Sandwell Council they arranged community pop-up clinics, successfully targeting the most deprived in low uptake areas. Vaccination clinics included the homeless, housebound, care homes, asylum seekers (with use of language interpreters), local businesses and even a music festival. They also helped community nurses deliver vaccinations to housebound patients.

COVID-19 They assisted with the training and competencies of community nurses, military personnel, and vaccination staff for the Regional Vaccination Programme, prearranging bespoke vaccination techniques to cater for individual needs e.g. vaccinating someone in a personalised environment. By using multilingual staff to cater for language interpretation they delivered a personalised approach to ensure people felt comfortable with the process, and pet therapy dogs were used to help relieve anxiety in the vaccination process for both children and adults. Particularly helpful has been the focus on supporting patients with severe needle phobias to enable them to receive their vaccine, which was more common than might be thought. The team adapted their vaccination techniques to ensure patients with complex needs had a less stressful experience – especially for school pupils.

Archie, aged eight, with mum Laura. Archie had his second jab at Tipton Vaccination Centre in the Easter Holidays

Commitment and collaboration drives Midland Met We have ambitious plans for Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH). Every detail of our new flagship hospital will ensure we offer the best healthcare to the many people that rely on our services. There is no such thing as a one size fits all approach to healthcare, and our plans reflect that. We are working closely with stakeholders, community representatives, and the public, plus third sector organisations, to ensure we offer personalised care that meets the needs of those we will care for at MMUH. With so much happening as part of a project of this scale, we must have the right people and processes in place. It allows us to deliver on our promise to open a modern healthcare facility that caters for our local population whilst being forward-looking, innovative and flexible enough to grow with our communities and demand. We are currently in phase one of our sixstep change programme. This stage focuses on transformation planning, and one of the areas we are working on is how we can harness the power of Midland Met to create positive social change. Long-term plans include opening a learning campus onsite to develop future healthcare professionals. The project involves collaboration between SWB, Aston University, Sandwell College, the University of Wolverhampton, Sandwell Department for Work and Pensions and Sandwell Council. This collaborative approach reflects our commitment to work with local organisations who are experts in their areas so that we shape this educational facility to reflect the needs of those that will ultimately benefit from it.

Sandwell and West Birmingham

better care through organisations working collaboratively together, rather than in competition. Our Trust is hosted by the Black Country Integrated Care System and is also part of the Birmingham & Solihull system, bringing together health and social care providers and commissioners to make decisions focused on improving care for all, not just within our own boundaries.

Work continues to progress at Midland Met Internally, we have robust governance processes and groups to challenge, debate and effectively prepare for Midland Met. A dedicated Midland Met programme office is set up and governs activities. Several working groups comprising of clinical and operational representatives ensure we make the most informed decisions. Our governance structure includes regular workstream meetings across our Groups, a dedicated MMUH Steering Group and an MMUH Programme Board led by our executive team. Ultimately everything feeds into our Trust Board and several other assurance and decision-making committees. Midland Met does not stand alone as a project and benefits from external guidance and partnership working too. Richard Beeken, Chief Executive, explained: “The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital is significant for our population, but it also plays a vital role in the new arrangements for the NHS. “Changes are being implemented across the country to formalise partnership working so that patients can experience

“The Black Country Integrated Care Board is being appointed and will formally take up its role on 1 July 2022. At the heart of the plans to improve care for people across the Black Country and West Birmingham is our new hospital because of the benefits in terms of enhanced facilities to provide care and bringing acute clinical teams together rather than separated on different sites. “Partnership working is also being formalised on a more local basis. Our Trust is leading the Sandwell placebased partnership – called the Sandwell Health and Care Partnership. Several different members are within this virtual organisation, including local GPs, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council adult and children’s services, voluntary services and patient representatives. “Jointly, we aim to make Sandwell a better place to live, work and be healthy. Midland Met will enable us to provide better health care for acutely unwell people. It also requires changes for the services in our communities so that people access care more locally, often in their own homes. “The West Birmingham place-based partnership is following the same model. What is crucial when Midland Met opens is that we have consistent clinical pathways for patients wherever they live.”

To ensure that we stay united on our journey to Midland Met, we’ve introduced a six-step change programme. We are in phase one transformation planning. Want to know more about our move to Midland Met?

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NHS Trust

Visit our Midland Met pages on Connect - connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/mmuh Email any questions to swbh.mmuh@nhs.net Contact your clinical/operational leads for more information.

Trust opens brand new multi-storey car parks! The Trust has officially opened two brand new multi-storey car parks at its City and Sandwell Hospital sites. The car parks, which were built by Q Park, opened at the start of April offering colleagues 950 new car parking spaces across Sandwell and City combined. The eco-friendly car parks also boast 40 electric charging points installed across both sites, and solar panels. Richard Beeken, Chief Executive said: “We’re delighted to be opening these two multi-storey car parks which will significantly improve the quality of access for those coming to our sites. “Attending hospital can be a stressful experience and it can be frustrating being unable to find a parking space. These facilities aim to take away that stress for our patients and visitors. “It will also mean staff are able to park with ease when they arrive at work.” The new four-storey car parks were constructed to meet the parking demands of the site and will be for colleagues only, leaving priority parking for patients and visitors in the main, outpatients and Little Lane car parks. Q Park are dedicated to better parking and are known for high quality, secure, clean, and wellmanaged parking facilities across the United Kingdom and Europe. Don’t just take our word for it, Anil Patel,

Digital Media Officer has been working at the Trust since 2018 and is one of many colleagues reaping the benefits of the new car parks having previously parked on site and more recently at New Square shopping centre. He said: “It’s great to be able to drive in to work and not have to worry about whether or not I’ll be able to find a parking space as there are now and additional 400 spaces at Sandwell and 550 spaces at City available to staff!” “I regularly travel across all our hospital sites so to be able to find ample parking spaces with ease is hugely beneficial for me as previously it used to be a huge worry, especially when I would have to move across site during the day and be unsure whether I would find a space at the other end.” Anil also believes the new car parks are much safer for anyone who chooses to use them. He added: “The muti-storey car parks are well lit and signposted which makes them a lot safer especially during the autumn and winter months when it gets darker a lot earlier. “The fact that the majority of spaces are covered with a ceiling means that the likelihood of weather damage and your vehicle getting dirty is a lot more unlikely too.” The Trust are also offering colleagues the option for daily value parking cards for just £3 per parking session, payable at the end of your visit. “Staff who work a pattern of combined home

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS working and onsite working have options when applying for a Q Park parking permit,” said Diane Alford, Contract Performance Manager – System Transformation. “If you feel like a standard permit does not fit your current working pattern you can apply for a daily value card which is more suited to occasional parking as this option only gives access to the following multistorey car parks at City and Sandwell as well as the Sheldon barriers which give access to Brookfield House and Summerfield house car parks, Hallam Street staff car park at Sandwell and Rowley main car park.” Are you still using your old style parking permit (which has the SWB logo on it)? If so, please note that these permits have now been deactivated and will no longer give you access to our sites. Please ensure that you apply for, and collect, your new Q Park permit as soon as possible, if you haven’t already done so otherwise you will be charged the day rate of £5.30 for parking. For everything Q Park please visit https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/q-park/

Richard Beeken, CEO outside the new multi-storey car park at Sandwell Hospital

Shout out has been a regular feature in Heartbeat and it is fantastic to see colleagues regularly taking the time to give positive feedback to each other. We regularly receive positive feedback from our patients too, and this month we wanted to share some of those heart-warming messages which have been sent via our website and social media platforms.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS To – Rose Bedward-Nicely

To – Jane Ferguson

To – Imogen Bridgland

Rose showed compassion and kindness during a selfless act of providing lots of clothes and toiletries for a neonatal mother who did not have access to anything. The mother was so grateful and ever so thankful for Rose's generosity, thank you Rose.

Jane has been a massive help and support in ordering equipment for another ward. She is always happy to help her colleagues and always chases outstanding tasks until there has been a satisfactory resolve. Jane is always extremely helpful and will always assist whenever needed. Thank you Jane for all your help.

Imogen has embraced her role as a specialist community public health nursing student since starting in September and has done some great work with one young person in particular, making a difference to his knowledge of transitioning from child to adult health services, improving his attendance at school and supporting his emotional and physical wellbeing. Well done Imogen!

From – Carmen Nuttall

From – Stacey Collins

From – Hannah Griffiths To – Natasha Williams Tash has been helping me to get my triage training completed. Big shout out for being patient with me when I thought I could not do it, thank you for the encouragement. Fantastic sister, true leader of the future. From – Ruth Panesar

To – Sandra Evans Thank you Sandra for going the extra mile last week with a patient. You took the time to take the bloods which meant the patient did not have to wait an hour due to your professionalism but you did have to miss a few minutes of your lunchtime. From – Helen Colbourne

To – Jenny Anderson-Fortune Will always lend a hand. Untiring, eternally jovial and compassionate to both patients and her colleagues. From – Karen Dacres

To – John Toney I was asked to take my laptop to IT for an update, I went over and John promptly took my laptop to get started. John completed the update and informed me when my laptop was ready to collect, he did this on the phone and via email. John was so polite, friendly and welcoming. Thank you John for your amazing service! From – Lauren Weigh

To – Ayaaz Tarajia

To – Children's Emergency Care Unit

Ayaaz was super helpful in helping me with a Unity solution and very patient in doing so whilst I was in another meeting. When I needed extra information to support the solution, Ayaaz went the extra mile and figured it out even though it wasn't his usual area of expertise. Thank you.

Just wanted to say well done and fantastic team work to all the staff at CECU. The unit has been extremely busy with high acuity patients and very sick children. All staff have worked tirelessly to ensure children and families have received a high standard of care.

From – Jenny Cadwallader-Hunt

From – Marie Hinks

To – Salifu Kabbah I have recently started in the portering department and this gentleman has been so helpful and supportive since I came. On a late shift I had locked myself outside of my office and my keys were inside. He stayed and supported me in between jobs until we eventually got back in. I have to say as a member of staff this gentleman has gone above and beyond and is such a credit to the portering department.

To – Manjit Basi Manjit is our cascade trainer for the Optos and Heidelberg Scans at BMEC outpatients. She has passion for teaching and we have received a lot of praise for her excellence in performing scans. Thanks Manjit for all the effort you are putting into training our new staff : ) From – Pooja Mattu

To – Kieran Mcentee I would like to give a big thank you to Kieran for his hard work and support during a very busy shift assisting with patient care in the assessment unit. He was able to complete assessments promptly ensuring all patients were safe escalating any concerns. From – Jonila Rana

From – Bridget Greaney

To – Laura Joberns

All porters on different shift patterns have gone above and beyond, they have been consistent even though they are tired with the workload being extreme they have not moaned, even with being short staffed.

Laura has recently joined our team in cardiology as a newly qualified staff nurse. She has excelled within her new role and is growing in confidence, her motivation is second to none and is flying through her clinical competencies and skills. She is an asset to the team! Well Done Laura!

From – Tracy Banford

From – Laura Taylor

To – Porters

To – Penny Rowland Penny is a committed and outstanding nurse in acute cardiac service and despite being very close to retirement she continues to strive in delivering clinical excellence in healthcare. From – Paul Nix

Celebrating our stars of the week

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Star of the Week Dr Indu Mahabeer, Consultant Paediatrician

Dr Mahabeer has gone above and beyond for a number of months whilst the community paediatrics service has seen a significant increase in referrals and struggled to meet demand. The service Dr Mahabeer supports works with some of the most vulnerable children and families, these children have very complex medical needs and require time and attention to make sure their outcomes are positive. Dr Mahabeer is also the designated doctor for Looked after Children. Recently, Dr Mahabeer went over and above to advocate for a young patient who had learning disabilities and autism and who was in crisis in an ED department in Swansea, she worked hard to ensure the child was safe and that the appropriate actions were being taken to support her. She has compassion at the heart of everything she does and is a credit to the team.

Star of the Week Mark Blake, Senior Second Line Engineer

Mark was nominated for the weekly accolade for his work in supporting wards to adopt digital technology as part of their safety huddles. Mark served as the technical lead supporting the Safety Huddles Project board and took on the challenge of repurposing a range of digital screens that had previously been used for electronic bed management using the previous eBMS system in to fully functional workstations that wards could use as their safety huddle points. With the support of Mark, teams on the pilot wards now have a designated area they can meet where they have quick and easy access to all of the data they need to be able to plan and manage the support patients need to be safely cared for.

Star of the Week Claire Obiakor, Senior Sister in Acute Medicine

Claire was nominated for the support she has given to a colleague in helping her back to work after a period of ill health. Claire has been praised for the way she has managed the unit during the pandemic and for the support given to all the team. Well done Claire.

Do you know someone in your team that has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Why not put them forward for Star of the Week by visiting Connect.

2minutes2 help shape our values – thanks for taking part CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS Thank you to everyone who has helped in the first important stage of shaping our values and making SWB a better place to work.

Last month we invited you through our various communications channels to take 2minutes2 help shape our values. Over 600 of you answered the call, clicked the link or scanned the QR code to make your voice heard and share your views.

We asked you three questions:

Key themes from one thing to change

Q1. What three words can you think of to describe SWB when it is at its best? For example, when you have had a good day and when things are going well.

The final question was “What one thing needs to change to make SWB a better place to work?” We are going to be reviewing these suggestions carefully and letting you know what we’ll be doing as a result.

Here is a word cloud of what you said - the more frequently the word appeared, the bigger it is in the word cloud

Two themes that stood out were: • Better communication between teams and departments, and from line managers • Having the right teams in place to deliver the best care. Some comments from colleagues: “People have lost the ability to see beyond their own silo of work.” One respondent said: “It is so diverse and so challenging, if you can work here you can work anywhere. We have the loveliest families and we do our best. People don't think much of SWB in other trusts but what

we achieve in the circumstances makes me feel very proud because we exceed what other trusts do in a far more complicated environment.”

“Simply better communication between the ranks.” What next? We’re going to be reporting back more fully on this in the next few weeks and are working hard with the ideas you have shared as we start work on defining our Trust’s values. We will be sharing details of the next steps in this process and where we will be asking you to again get involved very soon. In the meantime, here is a timeline of the programme.

Q2. What makes you proud about working for SWB? Some comments from colleagues: “My ward feels like family, we welcome patients to our home.” “Feeling that I am contributing to an organisation/NHS where patient care is the main priority and feeling that I make a difference/improvement or can help someone each day.”

Pharmacy team get green Our pharmacy team have been enjoying the outdoors since the start of the year as part of our Green Impact programme. Green Impact is our colleague environmental engagement programme aimed at staff taking small sustainability actions that collectively make a big impact. The Sandwell and City based pharmacy teams started getting outside and enjoying greener spaces as part of Green Impact. “Some of the actions in the Green Impact toolkit suggested we make an effort to enjoy the outdoors more so that is what collectively as a team we decided to do,” said Amy Challinor, Lead Pharmacy Technician - Quality Assurance. “With this in mind, at the start of 2022, following on from our Green Impact meeting we made a little departmental competition out of it to encourage us all to get moving. “Our wellbeing team came up with the idea to go for walks on lunchtimes, so

to help support this, members of the Green Impact team found safe routes from each site that could be walked in an hour or less.”

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Positive mental health and wellbeing is paramount to all especially during the pandemic which is why the pharmacy team decided to embrace this particular part of the toolkit within Green Impact.

“Having spoken to the team, many of them have said just being outside has improved their mental health and general mood.”

The team, made up of 12 colleagues including Emily Maye, Jon Darbyshire, Emma Graham Clarke, Kate Sambrook, Connor Welch, Dannielle Stanley, Leanne Betham, Shanelle Savarimuthu, Nav Gill, Stephanie Parkes, Mike Harrison and Amy herself have visited an array of outdoor and scenic locations including Lickey Hiils, Sutton Park, Kelston Round Hill, Sandwell Valley, Saltwells Woods, Clent hills and even Breacon Beacons!

To encourage everyone to maintain going outdoors on a regular basis the pharmacy team also implemented a greenest selfie competition as well as a competition for the most steps with Kate Sambrook, Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician completing a massive 371,470 steps for the month individually and the team amassing a total of 3,425,398 steps collectively for the month.

Amy believes there have been many benefits to enjoying greener spaces across the region. She said: “As our jobs are inside a lot of the time, we are limited to the amount of daylight we see especially in the winter months so knew it was imperative that we get outside.

If you would like to find out more about Green Impact and how you and your team can become more sustainable, please email Fran Silcocks, Head of Sustainability on Francesca.silcocks@nhs.net.

The pharmacy team are getting green

How the apprenticeship team can help you CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS How to apply • Speak with your manager during your 1-2-1, PDR or other appropriate time • Complete an expression of interest form https://connect2.swbh.nhs. uk/apprenticeships-for-staff/ • We will arrange an eligibility check to confirm your role and level of qualification are suitable • Accepted on the programme or provided information, advice and guidance with relevant signposting • Complete an internal study leave form via Connect • Start your learning journey Still not sure if an apprenticeship is for you?

Come and talk to us Two information sessions will take place via MS Teams next month, providing further information, advice and guidance and answers to any questions you may have. See dates below: Session 1: Monday 23 May 9.30am-10.30am Session 2: Tuesday 24 May 2pm-3pm To book onto these sessions please contact the team on: 0121 507 6425 or swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net

The apprenticeship team are a ‘mini college’ within the Trust to help and support colleagues with development opportunities through apprentice programmes. Through utilising the Apprenticeship Levy to fund development of staff through apprenticeship programmes, the team help staff to achieve their career goals!

Standard

Level

The National Apprenticeship Service Website Find an apprenticeship GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Or NHS Jobs/trac NHS Jobs - Candidate Homepage

Would this be suitable for me?

Healthcare Support Worker

Staff with limited experience of working within patient care support roles, without a level 2 qualification (medicine, surgery, outpatients, community, women and children’s, therapies etc.)

Senior Healthcare Support Worker

Staff with level 2 qualification and/or experience of working within patient care support roles (medicine, surgery, outpatients, community, women and children’s, therapies etc)

Business Administrator

Staff working within the administration environment – data analyst, coordinators, secretaries, receptionist/administrators, ward clerks etc

Team Leader/ Supervisor

Staff who are in the first stages of managing or supervising staff in clinical or non-clinical areas

Customer Service Practitioner

Staff who work and interact with customers, service users and stakeholders on a daily basis - contact centre agents, ward clerks, ward service officers, phlebotomists

Customer Service Specialist

Staff who have a higher level of autonomy to resolve/ support complex customer service queries, i.e. complaints of a complex nature Myth Busters

Will being on an apprenticeship programme affect my pay?

As a member of staff on a substantive or fixed term contract (minimum term may apply) you will continue to earn your current salary.

I’ve been in work too long to be an apprentice

Apprenticeship programmes have no upper age limit – as long as you are 16 or over you can apply for one of our programmes.

I’m too busy to work and undertake extra study

All study for the 20 per cent off the job training is undertaken within your contracted hours. We also offer a blended learning approach– not all learning is in the classroom, there are other ways to learn!

I don’t have any Maths or English qualifications

We offer English and Maths functional skills training – through workshops or online learning.

Our department doesn’t have any study leave budget left

All training costs for an apprenticeship is paid from the Apprenticeship Levy and not the department study leave – there is no cost to the team/department/group/directorate.

How will I be supported?

During your programme you will be allocated a work based mentor within the workplace, a dedicated assessor/coach to support all your learning needs and take part in regular progress reviews with your line manager and assessor/coach to help you set targets and oversee your progress.

External opportunities Do you get asked by friends, family and neighbours about working in the NHS? Please let them know we regularly advertise our apprenticeship vacancies, through NHS Jobs and The National Apprenticeship Services Website. If they are looking to start, re-start or change career we would welcome applications through the following:

In-house, we deliver the following level 2 and level 3 programmes but we also manage applications for funding of higher level college and university apprenticeship study.

For more information please contact: Karen Whitehouse, Apprenticeship Coordinator: Karen.whitehouse@nhs.net Or The apprenticeship team on swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net or 0121 507 6425

Tackling sepsis with rapid improvement CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS Marsha shared a story about a patient with learning disabilities. She said: “I observed a young lady who clearly had learning disabilities and who was being observed for sepsis, she was visibly upset and confused and it would have been challenging for a clinician to deliver the sepsis six in a timely manner, however Dr Charankamal Theora took the time to support the lady, put her at ease and ultimately successfully take blood samples for testing.” Research has shown that prompt recognition and early management saves lives. Improve your understanding of sepsis by taking part in our Sepsis quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ SWBSepsisQuiz

Sepsis rapid improvement week Earlier this month colleagues in the emergency departments at both our acute hospital sites set themselves a challenge to undertake a rapid improvement week to tackle the screening and treatment of patients who present with sepsis. Over a five-day period, clinical colleagues supported by the improvement team studied the care pathways and interactions with patients who presented with sepsis symptoms, and with a watchful eye mapped progress through our hospitals to gain an understanding of how interactions between care teams impacted patient care, through to the practicalities of caring for patients with sepsis. Launching the rapid improvement week, Deputy Medical Director and Consultant Paediatrician Dr Chizo Agwu spoke the Heartbeat; she said: “Sepsis is a lifethreatening reaction to an infection and is the second most common cause of death in UK. Sadly it remains one of the common causes of death here at SWB and the reason why it is important for us to have assurance that we are doing everything we can to streamline clinical decision making and care delivery for patients who present with sepsis symptoms.

involved in the practical delivery of care that take their toll.” During the improvement week, we identified a range of issues that we will be investigating further, from issues with the recording of sepsis on patient records to the time it can take to prepare antibiotics and deliver the sepsis six. In some cases, we found that colleagues were logging patients as suspected sepsis correctly on Unity, but when they were subsequently found to be negative, the patient record was not being updated, this meant that there were inconsistencies in data and care delivery. We also found issues with contaminated blood cultures being higher than the national average where colleagues had inadvertently taken cultures from cannulas rather than following proper process. This meant that samples were often being rejected by the lab and patient’s needing tests repeated. The rapid improvement week not only focussed on highlighting issues with care delivery, colleagues also had the opportunity to observe good practice with a view to share this with other areas.

Deputy Director of Governance – Knowledge and Learning Marsha Jones was present throughout the improvement week and “Timely care is critical to successful recovery, commented: “The culture in both EDs was and we work to a standard of delivering the responsive and engaging, it was clear the Sepsis six care bundle within an hour of a teams wanted to understand the issues at patient being assessed. hand and do better. ED teams gave time and willingly dropped into each of the rapid “The rapid improvement week we have improvement rooms we setup outside of undertaken gave us the opportunity to look meeting times to share their knowledge.” at how care is delivered to identify areas for improvement. Whilst we can educate Marsha also saw first-hand that colleagues colleagues on the pathways, symptoms took the time to talk to patients and put them and processes, it’s often the unknown quirk at ease, commenting about her observations

Spotting sepsis in patients can at times be difficult due to the symptoms being similar to many other conditions but following a few simple screening rules can significantly improve detection and treatment times. Red flag criteria indicating high risk of deterioration • Objective evidence of new or altered mental state • Systolic BP ≤ 90 mmHg (or drop of > 40 from normal) • Heart rate ≥ 130 per minute • Respiratory rate ≥ 25 per minute • Needs O2 to keep SpO2 ≥ 92% (88% in COPD) • Non-blanching rash/mottled/ ashen/cyanotic • Lactate ≥ 2 mmol/l • Recent chemotherapy • Not passed Urine in 18 hours (<0.5ml/kg/hr if catheterised) Applying the sepsis six care bundle Once sepsis has been detected, applying the sepsis six care bundle within 60 minutes can double your patients chance of survival: • Give high flow oxygen • Take blood cultures • Give IV antibiotics • Give a fluid challenge • Measure lactate • Measure urine output Colleagues who are unsure of the sepsis screening processes are encouraged to speak to their ward matrons or contact the deteriorating patients and resus team on ext. 5908.

New exec sponsor encourages colleagues to speak up and be heard CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) provides a national framework that NHS trusts use to empower colleagues to raise concerns. It aims to develop open and supportive cultures that encourage staff to share patient care, quality, or safety issues. Our organisation is diverse – it’s a melting pot of people and experiences. As such, we want colleagues feel safe to raise concerns regardless of their background or role. We have Speak Up Guardians in place and several ways people can raise concerns, including via our staff networks, the chaplaincy, union representatives, our executive team, Heartbeat or our non-executive lead, Lesley Writtle. Support for Freedom to Speak Up has recently been bolstered as Dinah McLannahan, Chief Finance Officer, has taken on being the executive lead for FTSU at SWB. We caught up with her to find out how she is getting to grips with her new role. “I see my key role as executive lead being oversight of the speak up function in the Trust, supporting our Speak Up Lead and Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in their roles,” Dinah told us. “I have a responsibility to ensure that FTSU is well resourced, that it has the capacity and capability to triangulate information and ensuring there is a regular voice heard at our Board meetings.

action plan, and she will be providing regular updates directly to Board. I have met with most of the Freedom to Speak up Guardians for an initial conversation about where we are with FTSU currently from their point of view. I also meet regularly with Lesley Writtle, our Trust Vice-Chair and Non-Executive Lead for Freedom to Speak Up at SWB.”

“Above all, this role is about holding me, my executive and non-executive colleagues to account for our behaviour in relation to FTSU and our teams and how we handle matters of concern raised to us. These changes will ensure we have the right organisational culture towards speaking up in our Trust.”

Dinah added: “FTSU is so important to me. Our job is to provide high-quality patient care. We achieve that, I think, by having psychologically safe environments with happy, productive and engaged colleagues. That is not possible without having the right approach to being able to speak up when things are not right.

Dinah has wasted no time getting plans underway to ensure our FTSU framework is as effective as possible. She explained: “I have begun planning - we took a paper to Public Board in April that sets out our 30, 60 and 100-day actions. This was agreed by the Board, and we are now beginning to implement our plans.

“It is fundamental to everything we do. I have practised this philosophy in my team since I joined the Trust. I regularly reinforce to my team the importance of speaking up if something is bothering them, and if we can do something about it, we do.

“We have a new FTSU Lead in the Trust, Emma Barton, who is working full time on this. Emma has also agreed to the

Dinah McLannahan, Chief Finance Officer

“If I had one key message, it is to please speak up if you have a concern at work. Ideally this should be to your line manager, but if that isn't possible there are many ways in which you can raise a concern – please

search Speak Up on Connect to find out more. “If you would like to speak to one of our FTSU Guardians, you can contact them via: • Rosie Auld is Head Orthoptist in Surgery. Email: rosieauld@nhs.net. • Ian Galligan is a Technical Supervisor in Medical Engineering. Email: ian.galligan1@nhs.net • Sandra Kennelly works in the community as a Clinical Team Leader/ Occupational Therapist with Primary Care, Community and Therapies. Email: sandra.kennelly@nhs.net. • Harpal Tiwana works in Primary Care,Community and Therapies as an Assistant Service Manager. Email: harpal.tiwana@nhs.net. • Cheryl Newton is the Group Director of Nursing for Women and Child Health Group. Email: cheryl.newton@nhs.net. Alternatively, you can contact me at dinah. mclannahan@nhs.net or on 07816 535761.”

Safety huddles: reaching major milestones While our clinical colleagues are driving the implementation of safety huddles, we also have many unsung heroes who work alongside clinical teams, provide a bespoke supporting infrastructure on the rollout and the continuous improvement of safety huddles such as the secondary layer of safety compliance and the pilot of the safety huddles digital screens. Secondary layer of safety compliance Prior to the launch of safety huddles, Project and Improvement (P&I) put together a dashboard of the main safety indicators. This dashboard provides individual clinical areas a clear overview of their safety compliance and is highly accessible - just three clicks from the Connect homepage. Sameer Farooq Mohammed, Business Partner – Corporate, P&I, who leads on the design and development of the safety huddles dashboard shared his journey with us. “We took a phased approach on the development of the safety huddles dashboard, very much aligned with the ‘Play, Do, Study, Act Cycle’. The first phase was to extract data from the established safety plan, to ensure alignment of safety focuses with the existing Trust reporting mechanism.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS digital screen. These designated keyboard and mouse are managed by the ward manager or nurse in charge, to ensure non-authorised individuals would not have access to confidential information.

Safety huddles digital screen Surgical services are one of the early adopters of safety huddles. Mandy told us: “Safety huddles have made a big difference in focusing on key safety issues within areas. One of the difficulties has been the ability to have the data readily available on a PC.” In response to Mandy and colleagues’ feedback, the safety huddles project board came up with the idea of repurposing the big digital screens on wards to host the safety huddles dashboard and to feature the associated information with greater accessibility. Mark Blake from informatics is the designated technical lead of this initiative. Mark carried out a full assessment of the retired eBMS screens at the nominated clinical areas, to understand the feasibility to turn those screens into safety huddles digital screens. Mark produced a comprehensive list of both software and hardware needed to be added per screen, to complete the full reconfiguration package for each clinical area and to bring those screens alive.

“The second phase was launched a few months after. This gap gave colleagues the opportunity to be familiarised with the dashboard thus came up with plenty of new ideas to optimise the utilisation and functions of it, subsequently enhance the Additional measures are in place to ensure outcomes from the implementation of safety data protection. Mark has paired up a huddles.” designated wireless keyboard and mouse to Sameer and his team had added a the big screen that means other keyboards and secondary layer of compliance of the safety mice are not operational on the safety huddles indicators to the dashboard recently. This secondary layer shows the safety compliance of patients when they were admitted to wards whilst the primary layer shows the compliance when decision to admit (DTA) was made.

Priory 2 is the first clinical area to trial the safety huddles digital screen. It was welcomed hugely by ward manager Danielle Graham. Danielle, with her Matrons Mandy and Angela Dudley, are fully embracing the screen to compliment the utilisation of the safety huddles dashboard. Priory 2 gathers the teams together in front of the screen to see their safety compliance directly. Danielle has also started featuring safety focuses, team’s achievements on safety and other important information on the screen. It helps engage colleagues including members from the multiple disciplinary team and the night shift. Mark and Zurvad Hussain, 2nd Line Manager, Informatics, are currently planning on the rollout of the safety huddles digital screen. The second safety huddles digital screen just became operational on Lyndon Ground and there are more to come. Mark said: “It is really good to see what difference has been made by utilising digital elements effectively on patient safety and staff experience.” The secondary layer of safety compliance and the safety huddles digital screen are transformational changes yet complimenting each other most effectively.

Mandy Green, Matron of Surgical Services who has been leading on the implementation of safety huddles in her group added: “The safety huddle dashboard has made a huge difference. The introduction of the button to filter the detail to arrival on ward from DTA is a real game changer, enabling us to focus on specific areas and become a live dashboard.” The next phase of development of the dashboard starts in May.

Priory 2, Sandwell

Introducing community medical examiner services CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS Our medical examiners service was introduced to the Trust in 2019 and now consists of a strong team of 16 colleagues made up of 13 medical examiners (MEs) and three medical examiner officers (MEOs). So what is the role of the medical examiner? Kiran Kandola, Lead Medical Examiner Officer tells us more. “The role of the medical examiner is to scrutinise medical records and provide independent advice to doctors on causes of deaths for patients who die within the hospital. MEs and MEOs also offer bereaved families and carers an opportunity to talk through the cause of death and to raise any concerns, questions or positive feedback surrounding the death of their loved one and the care they received.

“Since January 2022 we are scrutinising above 95 per cent of all deaths within the Trust and contacting over 75 per cent of next of kin.” In June 2021 NHSE/I issued a letter to all Trusts, GP practices, CCGs and integrated care systems regarding the extension of the medical examiner service into non-acute settings with an aim for services to be completely rolled out into the community by October this year. We will also be expanding our team to work in line with the national requirements in the coming months. Kiran continued: “Here at SWB we began implementing a process for the community roll out in June 2021 in conjunction with joint learning from deaths committee meetings where Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG members and GPs are in attendance. We have successfully piloted and initiated the expansion of our services into the community with Your Health Partnership. We have established that the average time from referral of death to the ME review being completed is standing at 19 hours, but we are aware that this is subject to change as we expand

our service to more practices and review a higher number of deaths. “We have recently made contact with all GP practices within our patch across Sandwell to inform them of the coming changes in attempt to have them on board and begin the roll out to each of these practices. “We have also been conducting frequent meetings with our IT business managers, in order to collaboratively create an IT platform that we can work from when scrutinising community deaths. We required something that generates case reference numbers and also records reviews and data which we can then pull reports from for audit purposes so that we can evidence how well the system is working and also highlight areas for improvement. This process is currently underway, and we are currently in the testing phase for the new system which has been turned around by our IT team within an excellent timeframe.”

New project launched to support mental illness A new project is now underway to support patients identified with serious mental illness across the region. Nationally, one in four people experience mental ill health each year in England and one in six people with mental health problems die between 15 – 20 years earlier than those without. Regionally these statistics correlate as patients with serious mental illness across the Black Country and West Birmingham have approximately 15-18 years shorter life expectancy due to premature deaths from preventable physical illnesses? They also tend to not engage with routine care services and utilise emergency care when their needs become urgent. The personalised care project is being clinically led by James Gwilt, Lead GP from Your Health Partnership and has involved setting up a small team of colleagues to deliver personalised care.

making, motivational interviewing and care coordination in order to assist patients in improving aspects of their physical health and wellbeing.”

New project launched to support mental illness across Black Country and West Birmingham “The model itself for the project is based on the design principles that patient preferences matter and that healthcare professionals do not always understand the healthcare decisions patients would make.

“The team will initially work with patients “The team is known as the Living Well Team who suffer with serious mental illness, and includes social prescribing link workers, identified from a specific register. They will a care coordinator, a health and wellbeing use techniques such as shared decision coach and a mental health practitioner,” said James Gwilt.

With CORE20 PLUS 5 – (the approach used to support Integrated Care Systems (ICS) to drive targeted action in health inequalities improvement) targeting 20 per cent of the national population as identified by the index of multiple deprivation, plus ICS chosen population groups experiencing poorer than average health outcomes, James believes it would be a fantastic idea to role the project out further afield. He added: “This project will be evaluated as it develops, with a view to rolling the model out to other identified local population groups with poor health outcomes.” For more information around this model of care, please visit www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/ comprehensive-model-of-personalisedcare/.

Inside the mortuary – the patient journey continues What happens when someone dies? It can be one of the daunting questions some of us may get asked during our working hours. And if you don’t know the answer, you might not find it easy to find the right words. Our mortuary team would like to shine a light on exactly what happens when someone passes away. The support for families, the step-by-step process as the patient journey continues, right up until that person leaves our care. For Lauren Wood, Mortuary Manager, it’s important to highlight the patient journey does not stop when a person dies, it stops when that person leaves our care entirely. “Showing families their loved ones are being looked after, even after they pass, their wishes are being respected and they are treated with dignity is a very important step which falls within the patient journey. It’s important for families to know the next steps, what happens when their loved ones pass? Where do they go? What happens next? Being in these situations can be emotional and distressing but with the right support and advice, the situation can be eased for loved ones of those who pass. And this is something many colleagues would benefit in learning more about,” says Lauren.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS “Death can be an uncomfortable subject, but it would be great to see more colleagues become ‘in the know’ about exactly what happens to those people who pass, and able to signpost with ease and reassure family members that their loved ones are still in good care. Lauren Wood, Mortuary Manager Often, ward colleagues are the first contact for family members with questions, who may be fragile, in shock or distressed upon hearing the sad news their loved ones have died. Explaining exactly ‘what happens next’ is a stepping stone to the right support and information they need Lauren encourages colleagues to learn more about exactly what happens when a patient dies, she tells us more: “The patient journey doesn’t come to a halt because that person has passed away, while they are still in our care, in our mortuary, it’s all part of the journey. What is inevitably an extremely upsetting time for families whose loved ones have passed can be made easier with the right support and information from colleagues they encounter.

Preparing for personal development reviews As the pandemic has continued, the Trust has again carefully considered its approach to the Personal Development Review (PDR). This means for this year, it has been decided to extend the process introduced last year where the focus was changed from traditional scoring against objectives, to the development of a personalised discussion and plan for each individual. However, there are some changes so please read the guidance notes and use the updated PDR form for 2022, both of which can be found on Connect. The process for 2022 will consist of the following: • Part 1 – Personalised discussion and plan • Part 2 – Review of previous year’s work objectives, work objectives for 2022/2023, discussion about career aspirations, personal development plan.

Top tips for completing your PDR • Read through the form, complete the employee sections and send it to your manager with enough time for them to consider it prior to your PDR. • Consider your wellbeing and whether there is any support you need to help you look after your own health and wellbeing. Please note that confidential staff wellbeing assessments can be accessed via the link on the Connect home page if needed and information about the Trust’s wellbeing offer can also be found on Connect. • Think about what you have achieved during the year, what you are proud of, if there is anything you need support on and what that support might look like for you?

“The team would be more than happy to talk to colleagues in a range of different formats, whether that’s during team meetings, QIHD sessions, a visit to the mortuary or a virtual session. The more people who understand the process and continued journey for patients who pass, the better the quality of care and patient journey for those who have left us, and also for their loved ones.” Would your team benefit from learning more about what happens to those who have passed away as they leave our wards and clinical areas? Contact Lauren Wood at lauren.wood19@nhs.net to find out how the mortuary team can help.

Managers: PDR training is available if you need it If you are a manager and need some training or a refresher on how to carry out PDRs, help is available in the form of training sessions in May and June this year. Training will take place from 9.30am – 11am on the following dates: • Tuesday 17 May • Friday 27 May • Friday 10 June Book on to your preferred session through ESR by searching for ‘381 PDR Training’ in the ‘My Learning’ section. If you need support with ESR, please email the help desk at swbh.landd@nhs.net. Remember once completed, the PDR should be recorded on Connect. All PDRS are expected to take place by Friday 29 July.

• Also consider your career aspirations and if there is any development you think will support you. • The questions in the form will support your conversation with your manager so please think about them carefully to help inform the discussion.

New acute medical short stay unit opens at Sandwell CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS Our Newton 5 ward has been transformed into an acute medicine short stay unit which aims to provide acute medical care to patients needing less than a 72 hour stay. The unit officially opened its doors at the end of March replacing Newton 5’s previous facility; a haematology ward for both male and female patients accommodating up to 14 patients who were admitted from A&E, EAU, outpatient clinics and for elective procedures, such as surgery or chemotherapy, and more recently, a COVID-19 medical ward accepting all COVID-19 positive patients at the Trust.

The acute medicine short stay unit

“The acute medical short stay unit will drastically improve the quality of care offered at Sandwell Hospital as the unit aims to have patients discharged within three days,” said Claire Obiakor, Senior Sister. “The opening of the unit is one of the first steps towards us moving to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital and the acute medical footprint. Lots of work has already been completed in response to this and the change of name and way of working will now bring all of this hard work together. “The core objective of the unit is to provide acute medical care to patients needing less than a 72 hour stay with an acute focus meaning reducing length of stay and improving outcomes both for patients and flow resulting in a better overall patient experience.”

Though the changes may take some adjustment for colleagues working on the ward, Helen McGivney, Acute Ward Matron believes it will be hugely beneficial. She said: “From my perspective, I think to be able to discharge patients earlier will only increase patient satisfaction as it will reduce hospital length of stay for patients and potentially reduce readmission to hospital for the patient all of which are good things.” She added: “In the job we do, patients should always be at the forefront of every decision which is made and by a providing acute medical short stay unit only benefits the health and wellbeing of our patients.”

Triple retirement for bowel cancer screening stalwarts Together they’ve clocked up an amazing 81 years between them working at our Trust.

CORPORATE AND GENERAL NEWS

Angela Hook, Maggie Preston and Edwina Ghidetti will be familiar faces to many colleagues across the organisation, working within the bowel cancer screening (BCSP) team for the latter part of their career.

Maggie intends on spending time with her granddaughter and new baby grandson due in May and would also like to spend more time in her garden and crafting. Finally, stalwart Edwina started at City Hospital – then known as Summerfield Hospital - back in 1989 as a medical secretary.

But all had very different beginnings. Angela began as a catering assistant at Rowley Regis Hospital 21 years ago. She soon turned her hand to keeping things spick and span – joining the ward services team. Her career path then took her to working as a facilities manager and then a ward clerk with the female surgical team. “This was a brilliant job,” she recalled. As time went by Angela decided to slow down the pace a little and finally joined the BCSP as an administrator. The pinnacle of her career came in 2013 when she was voted employee of the year in the Trust’s internal awards.

Based in a portacabin by the now demolished Archway of Tears, the hospital was yet to become part of what is now the Trust.

Edwina Ghidetti

She laughed: “It was like I was a celebrity lots of people got in touch to wish me well. I got to spend the day with the chief executive judging the Christmas decorations and I was on the panel shortlisting for the following year’s nominees.”

“I remember seeing the blueprint for the DGM (Department of Geriatric Medicine) Block which was being built for us and at lunchtimes we would walk past seeing it being built, feeling excited to have a new building just for us.

But what would she have done had she not joined the Trust?

“We moved into the block in 1992 and I stayed there until 2015. I was a medical secretary in elderly care until 2003 and then was successful in securing a promotion in the team, overseeing the others within elderly care and neurology until 2015. In 2015 I was redeployed as a team leader in bowel cancer screening where I have been until now.”

“Probably retail which is what I was doing prior to joining the NHS,” she said. She added: “Working in the facilities monitoring team was so interesting because it involved going to every site within the Trust and covered areas from pest control to installing the Burlodge ovens, to reheating food on the ward.”

Thirty-two years and seven months on since her first day, Edwina is ready to start a new chapter with her husband Stefano.

So if she could do it all over again – what would she say to her younger self? “To believe in your own ability and aim for the sky within the NHS. You can move up or across or even stay where you are if you are happy because the NHS has such a lot of opportunity.” Meanwhile Maggie has spent 28 years at the Trust starting off as a floating medical secretary. She went onto work as a senior medical secretary and then programme manager for the bowel cancer screening service. One of her biggest challenges has been being redeployed during the pandemic. She explained: “It was a very upsetting time and I had to leave an area and very good colleagues and friends I had worked in for 21 years, but it did give me the opportunity to progress my career and make other lovely new friends and colleagues.”

“I recall elderly patients calling us and feeling apprehensive about being admitted because they remembered it as the Old Workhouse years earlier,” she recalled. “We had our own wards in the Sheldon Block and where BMEC is situated now, we had our own respite wards.

Maggie Preston If Maggie hadn’t have worked for the NHS she would have opted for a role which is somewhat quite the opposite to her job. “I would have liked to run a café. I like looking after people,” she explained. Many of you may be familiar with the giant inflatable bowel – aimed to educate the public on the importance of bowel screening. And for Maggie that piece of kit has certainly been the most interesting. “Taking the inflatable bowel out into the community was certainly an eye opener for many people. The general public were very interested when they saw the polyps within the bowel.”

She said of her retirement plans: “We have family and a property in north of Italy which we want to spend more time at. I feel fortunate and blessed that at the age of 53 I am able to take early retirement and fulfil my Italian dream. “City Hospital will always hold a special place in my heart. I have some wonderful memories, met some amazing people, made longstanding friendships and most importantly it is where my three wonderful sons were born; Christopher in 1991, Matthew in 1994 and Michael in 1997, who have also at some point worked or still work for the Trust. If I had my time again, I would happily do it all again.” Good luck and happy retirement to all three women.

Artificial intelligence – the future of healthcare “[SWB’s doctors] are incredibly progressive in their healthcare. They have a vision about providing better healthcare to the entire Trust and ultimately providing better healthcare to the entire nation. They believe – and we share this belief – that the way to do that is not doing it ‘the way we’ve always done it’, but to use tools, to use technology to leverage the powers of science and computers and artificial intelligence to benefit the community.

IMAGING Mid-March saw Sandwell Hospital host an Artificial Intelligence Showcase in partnership with IBM as one of the NHS leaders in this field. Through the Imaging department thousands of patients have x-rays and medical scans taken on a daily basis. These x-rays and scans converted into high quality digital pictures by IBM Watson Health which are then interpreted by specialist doctors. Now these scans are also being analysed by Artificial Intelligence as part of the partnership, which stretches back to late 2020, to think about our digital pictures and flag its findings to our specialist doctors. Doctors then use their own clinical judgement with support from the

Colleagues gathered for the artificial intelligence showcase A.I. findings to report the digital pictures more efficiently. The on-going study checks how well the A.I. performs when looking at these types of digital pictures. Speaking to media, IBM’s Chief Media Officer and representative on the day Dr David Gruen was enthused about the prospects moving forward, and the role Sandwell and West Birmingham is playing.

“Clearly this is a community that is fortunate to have the resources of this amazing healthcare institute and the vision of its leaders, its clinicians and its providers. Bringing what is really the infancy of artificial intelligence directly into the community. We know we have a long way to go, but they are so far ahead of the curve. Not just here in the UK but globally. In three years, and five years and ten years, we’re going to look back and say Sandwell was the pioneer in this patient safety initiative.”

Every 15 minutes someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer encouraged to speak up, break the taboo of talking about poo and look for help if they think something is not right.

WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer but is treatable and curable – especially if diagnosed early. A staggering 98 per cent of patients will survive for five years or more if their bowel cancer is detected at an early stage, compared to only 7 per cent who are diagnosed at the late stages of bowel cancer. These eye opening statistics highlight why awareness, screening and prompt treatment are critically important to improving the outcomes for patients with bowel cancer. April is national bowel cancer awareness month and a time when we look to raise awareness of the symptoms to look out for to ensure our patients get the best treatment possible. Every year 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer making it the fourth most common cancer in the UK with most people being diagnosed being over the age of 60, yet many people would struggle to explain the symptoms.

Our Trust offers bowel cancer screening to all men and women aged 56 and subsequently those aged 60-74 every two years as part of a national programme. People in this age group are automatically sent an invitation through the post followed by their screening kit so they can complete the test in the privacy of their own home. Bowel cancer screening team get hands on raising awareness with their 30ft inflatable bowel The most common symptom of bowel cancer is simply a change of bowel habit, this can be an increase in constipation, or alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhoea. Other common symptoms include rectal bleeding and blood / mucus in stools, with black stool indicating internal bleeding due to bowel cancer. In some cases tumours can cause blockages that make passing stool uncomfortable, and feeling like they have not completed emptying their bowels. Knowing the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer can be life-saving, patients should be

The screening test is an ‘at home’ test called a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), which looks for hidden blood in stool. This does not diagnose bowel cancer, but the results will give an indication as to whether the patient is in need of further examination, this is called a colonoscopy. Bowel cancer screening can also detect polyps, which are abnormal growths that aren’t cancerous but may become so over time. They can be removed during a colonoscopy, potentially preventing patients going on to develop bowel cancer. For more information on support available for Bowel Cancer patients, contact Specialist bowel cancer Screening Practitioner Claire Beats on email claire.beats@nhs.net

New service for neonates receives high praise WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH “Through guidance and support from the team, I was given training in using certain equipment that Jayvion would need – it definitely gave me the extra confidence boost I wanted and needed. “It meant that I was fully prepared for the steps I would have to take at home.” Once Jayvion was home, the team visited the family on a regular basis. Melissa added: “The first home visit was definitely comforting as the team began to feel like family to me as they have been there from the start of our journey. “It was bittersweet getting discharged from their care but its thanks to them that my son is happy and healthy and at home where we've been longing for him to be. “There is honestly not one bad word I can say about my experience in the neonatal unit. My baby is home and that is down to them. I want to thank them all so much for everything they have done for us. We truly appreciate them all."

Baby Jayvion throughout his journey at City Hospital, and finally at home with his siblings Parents of seriously ill babies have praised a new service at our Trust which supports them to care for their newborn after they’ve left hospital. The neonatal community outreach team (NCOT) helps to ensure the youngster has a smooth transition from City Hospital back to their home and that the parents are given the confidence to care for their baby. The team’s support begins when the child is admitted to the neonatal unit. They work with parents preparing them for discharge and the care they will need to provide afterwards. Carmen Nuttall, Neonatal Community Outreach Team Leader, explained: “The service is about empowering the parents to look after their baby and having the confidence to do this. “The baby will be discharged once they meet a certain criteria including weight/feeding management, nasogastric feeding, and oxygen therapy or phototherapy. Once they are at home we will give them hands on support throughout their journey, ensuring we visit them one to three times a week. “Being at home helps to promote the development of the baby, ensuring close and loving relationships develop between a family or carer and their baby.”

One mum who’s already benefited from the service is Melissa Hyde. Her baby Jayvion was born at 30 weeks weighing just 1.66kg. After a six-week stay on the neonatal unit, Jayvion went home with his nasogastric tube – which carries food and medicine to the stomach through the nose. It meant that the newborn was able to continue breastfeeding whilst also gaining strength and weight. Melissa said of the service: "From the very beginning when the team introduced themselves and explained their job roles, what they do, the services they provide and their end goals, I knew I was on board. “The way they dealt with and treated my son was lovely to see and I felt nothing but comfort knowing that my baby was being well looked after. “Any questions I had were always answered, there was no stone left unturned. They were very professional in the way they spoke and explained things to me. “The optimism from the staff really helped me to get through the six weeks that my son was in the neonatal unit. “They constantly checked in on us and my baby's development to see if all was going well.

Mum-of-three Sharoon Sheikh also benefited from receiving NCOT support, which included advice around carrying out home phototherapy – a form of treatment in which natural or artificial light is used to improve a health condition – which was a first for the Trust. Her baby was born at 36 weeks, weighing 2.5kg. Sharoon was unwell prior to delivery and had been in hospital for 11 days. After the birth, when her baby was well enough, NCOT empowered and educated her to take her baby home and continue with phototherapy. Sharoon's family were delighted to have them home. She said: "It was really comforting to bring my baby home as being in hospital for a long time was affecting my mental health too. “Once I was home with my baby everything felt good again. The team showed me some videos and links about how the phototherapy works which gave me the confidence to use the machine, but I knew they were there to help me at any time if needed it. “They were really supportive giving me all the advice I needed and helpful numbers. I am really happy with the experience and my baby got better within one day.”

Women and child health put their thinking ‘app’ on for new initiative WOMEN AND CHILD HEALTH The paediatrics team are soon to launch two new apps via My Health Boost. They are to support patients, parents, and carers with the management of their healthcare. One of the apps focuses on allergies and asthma, while the other is targeted at patients and families who are or have been inpatients on our paediatric wards. We caught up with Isobel Dayus, Project Support Officer, to find out more. The paediatrics team are soon to launch two new apps via My Health Boost. They are to support patients, parents, and carers with the management of their healthcare. One of the apps focuses on allergies and asthma, while the other is targeted at patients and families who are or have been inpatients on our paediatric wards. We caught up with Isobel Dayus, Project Support Officer, to find out more. Isobel remarked: “This project has been in the making since October 2021 and Maria Atkinson, our clinical director, has championed it along with our wider team. Our motivation for launching the apps is to enable us to share educational content, support services and advice all in one place. Plus, it gives us another way to engage with our patients and a way for them to interact with our service outside of the hospital setting. “We have begun with the basics on the ward app. So far, it includes sections covering patient information, news, health for young people and mental health. “The asthma and allergy app includes contact details of medical secretaries and an electronic link to change or cancel appointments. There are links to asthma and allergy resources, including existing SWB leaflets and national allergy and asthma organisations, plus video links for inhaler techniques. “There is a specific section on managing asthma and allergies at school. To promote physical and emotional wellbeing, we've included links to online resources and local services. The app includes information for teenagers about their healthcare transition to adult services plus much more.” The apps will facilitate more than just the Trust pushing content out. Isobel explained: “We have a feedback form within our asthma and allergy app. For the ward app,

Sandwell and West Birmingham

NHS Trust

Download our new Children’s ward app here!

Download our new Children’s Asthma and Allergy App here!

Within the app you will find an introduction to our services and lots of useful information to help children, young people and their families/carers.

Simply scan the QR code below and download ‘My HealthBoost’, in the app search for ‘Sandwell and West Birmingham Paediatric Wards’.

Simply scan the QR code below and download ‘My HealthBoost’, in the app search for ‘Sandwell and West Birmingham – Asthma and Allergies’.

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MP6718

Posters have been designed to promote the apps including QR codes

we are looking to implement a process whereby our doctors and nurses will lead on getting feedback from both colleagues and patients. QR codes have been produced to support communication and navigation as we launch the app with patients and families too.” Maria Atkinson, Clinical Director, told us: “Launching these apps is a positive step forward for our group. People consume information in different ways, and digitally is one of the most consistent ways that people choose to access information, so it made sense for us to invest in these apps. “We recognise that not everyone speaks English as their first language. To ensure the apps are inclusive, we have linked to the NHS Healthier Together website within the apps. This offers lots of extra educational content in over 100 language options. Plus, we’ve secured iPads for use on the wards so patients can see this information. We’ll also be complementing this approach with patient leaflets and continually focusing on how we can develop our apps so

that no one is at a disadvantage.” Maria added: “Bringing these apps to life has been a team effort. The ward app team consists of myself, Lauren Doyle, Sharon Garner, Stephanie Colbourne and Isobel Dayus. The asthma and allergy app has been worked on by Kelly Edie-Fisher and Isobel Dayus, alongside nurse specialists, dieticians, and consultants. “Training on how to use the apps will be provided by Isobel and Kelly, who have worked tirelessly with colleagues on this project. The ongoing management of the apps will then be managed by Lauren Doyle and Sharon Garner for the ward app and Carol Davies and Gillian Ashton for the asthma and allergy app. “Launched on 1 April, the apps are called My Health Boost and are available on the Google Play app store. You can then search either Sandwell and West Birmingham Allergy and Asthma or Sandwell and West Birmingham Paediatric Wards to access both platforms.”

If you would like to find out more about the apps, please email Isobel.dayus1@nhs.net or kelly.edie-fisher@nhs.net. For specific ward app queries, please email lauren.doyle@nhs.net or sgarner1@nhs.net. For specific asthma/allergy app queries, please email carol.davies15@nhs.net or g.ashton@nhs.net. Alternatively, please click on the QR codes on our patient leaflets and posters.

Pilot of non-invasive ventilation alert team launched at City Hospital MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE The six month pilot NIV alert team will run from 4 April through to the 3 October offering a 7 day service from 8am through to 8pm. Colleagues looking to refer a suitable type 2 respiratory failure patient can do so by bleeping the NAT team who will be able to support the patient to be transferred to the respiratory hub in to a ringfenced bed, or to initiate NIV in ED. NIV alert team Nurses at the respiratory hub at City Hospital have gained a great deal of experience and knowledge in initiating non-invasive ventilation (NIV) during the pandemic which has recently led to the launch of a pilot of a NIV alert team (NAT). The NAT aim to facilitate a fast track response and escalation service for patients who require non invasive ventilation (for type 2 respiratory failure), supporting the transfer of patients

to the respiratory hub and subsequent initiation of NIV treatment thereby improving compliance to meet the associated British Thoracic Society quality standards. The development of a NAT team paves the way for a fully furnished respiratory support unit at MMUH and also means that the critical care outreach teams are now able to provide their support to patients other than those requiring NIV.

Patients identified at Sandwell requiring NIV can be referred to the critical care outreach team by referring ED/AMU clinicians, ongoing training and support will be provided to AMU nurses and opportunities to rotate to the Respiratory Hub to upskill NIV knowledge, training and ability. The NAT are based at City Hospital (Respiratory Hub) and can be reached on bleep 5188 (SpR) and bleep 1035 or mobile: 07811 425877 (NIV alert nurse) between the hours of 8am-8pm 7 days a week.

Improving consistency and standards of care at end of life – focus on D27 A year ago, the Trust launched a quality improvement programme to engage us all in developing quality resources to improve the consistency and standard of care at the end of life. Heartbeat caught up with Jamil Johnson, Senior Charge Nurse who told us more about how they are caring for end of life patients on D27. “We have incorporated the end of life quality improvement project alongside the safety huddle project. This involved extensive collaborative working with Essie Li and her team,” explained Jamil. “This enables a daily discussion between the multidisciplinary team about patients whose anticipated prognosis prompts the need to consider a different focus of care, with thought given to DNACPR, treatment escalation planning and whether the patient should be on the supportive care plan. “In addition to this, the palliative care team facilitate a visit to the ward on Tuesday afternoons to enhance identification of patients who are thought to benefit from being on a supportive care plan.” The team on D27 used the end-of-

The D27 team life dashboard, a platform for collating information, stats and feedback relevant to the end-of-life care delivered on a particular ward. Jamil added: “The dashboard in collaboration with the safety huddle dashboard has been useful in identifying quality markers which require more attention. For instance, D27 were performing poorly in relation to patients with a DNACPR and dying without a supportive care plan in place. This is now being addressed in the daily huddles and the weekly meetings with the palliative care team, enabling for a positive conversation with members of the MDT to enable change.”

Jamil told us the work they have implemented on the ward has been received positively by patients and relatives as it enables the patient and family to be actively involved in the decision-making process. He said: “There have been a few families who haven't received it well initially, however this was due to misunderstanding around DNACPRs and supportive care plans; they became more receptive once they understood how the supportive care plan would enhance the care being given.” “The team have found combining the end of life quality improvement project alongside the safety huddle project to be hugely beneficial as it enables a uniformed approach to be undertaken.” Good end of life care is all about early recognition, timely conversations, holistic assessments, documenting and sharing the bespoke goals and priorities of each patient. Further information is available on Connect https:// connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/palliativecare/

Improving discharge planning and continuing patient care with CAPMAN MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE The medicine and emergency care group launched patient safety meetings in January due to sustained bed pressures and increased emergency department (ED) waits that impacted the patient experience. Patient safety huddles are not a new concept, in this format they are unique to SWB, all medicine wards and AMUs are involved and attend virtually twice daily. Matron, Jody Stubbs initiated a change to the 12pm meeting to focus on confirming discharges and mitigations to drive timely discharges. Jody told us more: “Aligning the ward clinical leadership to focus on robust and safe discharge planning, the ward managers now have a clear understanding of what actions are needed to facilitate electronic discharges. With a simplified format I recognised these meetings offered an opportunity for the capacity team to start to optimise their ownership of CAPMAN to reflect clinical decisions for transfer and discharges.” Caroline Rennalls, Assistant Director of Operations and Resilience Management and Alan Stubbs, Lead Nurse Hospital at Night, also recognised the impact the meetings were having on earlier daily discharges. Caroline said: “The capacity team support the increased utilisation of CAPMAN to start the discharges, record updates and ensure the TDD of the patients discussed in this form

is reflected. This has been enabled for the first time since Unity went live. It also allows the site team clinical nurse practitioners out of hours and capacity in hours to report the medical discharge and transfers with meaningful validation from the ward clinical teams. Going forward this offers a greater opportunity to start working in part and how we need to work in MMUH.” The discharge planning process and continuing patient care has been electronically streamlined. Nurses, now empowered, understand the IT process behind identifying and listing patients correctly. Changes can be made during the meeting, supporting live and correct detail that can be utilised in the capacity meeting. Capacity can now easily identify the patients suitable for non-acute beds as listed in CAPMAN. Jody added: “The time spent in both daily meetings is less than 30 minutes and is well spent when we reflect on what we have achieved. Wards understand the front door demand early in the day, relevant information is given, problems shared, no team is now out of the loop, blockages are unblocked, and delays to investigations are resolved swiftly.” Helen Whiles, Head of Pharmacy has joined the meetings, her input allows the team to confirm TTOs received and prioritise TTOs for patients that have a deadline to meet such as carers. Reflecting on the huge changes made to the earlier discharges we can see the meetings have positively impacted on the final part of the patient journey. Through collaboration, medicine and capacity are able to work with the credibility of a system that patient number/ bed demand forecasts can be made on. Caroline agrees, she said: “These meetings continue to have a positive impact on the

discharge profile of medical patients and allows the ward managers to be at the forefront of their discharge planning.” The decision to start regular meetings came into fruition because England experienced 4,500 excess deaths in 2020-21 as a result of overcrowding and stays of 12 hours or longer in emergency departments. Earlier discharges from base wards are vital in supporting emergency departments and assessment units in managing the influx of patients. The introduction of the meetings has fostered collaborative working across the group, bringing together clinical, nursing, operational colleagues and clinical support services, to ensure our patients do not remain in hospital for any longer than they need to, and ensuring those patients who need acute medical input do not suffer long delays on trollies in our ED departments. Ward managers can also see the benefits of these meetings. Charge Nurse, Paul QuibellSmith L4 said: “The meetings are well structured and enable each ward to get a clear perspective on TDDs - whether they are realistic or not and the meetings enable the chair to share a main focus of the day e.g. there are a lot of MFFD beds and what level each hospital is on. It also facilitates problem solving re investigation/ diagnostic delays.” SSR Michele Williams, D27 said: “I find the patient safety meetings very beneficial to patient flow. The 8.30am meeting allows me to prepare for the safety huddle meeting. This allows the team to prep the discharges for the day and has improved patient flow. The NIC has also gained a better understanding of what can affect patient flow and assist with safe discharges.”

Ian Farqurson, Capacity Manager, Vivien Strangward, Acting Ward Manager and Jody Stubbs, Matron at the start of the 12:00 patient safety meeting

The changing face of emergency medicine Our hospital doctors are expanding their boundaries to see patients in their own home in much the same way as GPs – only for these patients, they are spared an admission to hospital and potentially a long stay away from home.

PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITIES AND THERAPIES The patient journey has been much improved, with the hospital at home model demonstrating that it is cost effective and harm is reduced by not unnecessarily exposing vulnerable patients to hospital environments. COVID-19 data has demonstrated how nosocomial infections were rife during the peaks of the pandemic. Hospitals can be intimidating places, with bright lights often making time awareness confusing and constant interruptions which prevent rest and recuperation.

A Trust clinical team has redefined emergency healthcare by delivering acute hospital care out of the traditional hospital environment and doing it in patients’ homes instead. What this means is that the acute medical consultant with provision of diagnostics including point of care blood testing and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) carries acute drugs and supplies to care for the patient at home without transfer to hospital. Acute Medicine Consultant and Deputy Medical Director Dr Sarb Clare explained: “The aim of the service – called EPICENTRE - is to avoid hospital admission where possible and provide like-for-like acute care in the patient’s home, with the security of transferring patients to the acute hospital if needed. In these circumstances the patient would bypass the hospital emergency department and get to the right place, first time. This intervention itself can reduce the length of stay in hospitals and improve health outcomes for the patient. “What is unique about this project is the ultrasound diagnostics. POCUS is about taking ultrasound to the patient. Evidence is clear that POCUS is superior to clinical examination

Dr Tom Knight checks the Hospital at Home emergency bag before visiting a patient and chest x-ray and comparable to CT scanning. POCUS saves lives, enables, and empowers clinicians to get on the right diagnostic path within minutes no matter what environment.” Serving the Sandwell population and working closely with the Trust’s Admission Avoidance Nursing Team, referrals are taken from West Midlands Ambulance Service, GPs, community teams, neighbouring acute hospitals and our own Single Point of Access team.

This innovative service has already demonstrated huge benefits to patients and improvements to how emergency care is delivered. In order to achieve even more benefits it is up to forward-thinking medics to move away from traditional models of urgent healthcare and focus on delivering diagnostics and intervention within the patient’s home. This is a vital piece of a jigsaw that will solve the urgent and emergency care crisis the NHS faces. The POCUS element makes this service entirely unique and pioneering. Referral to this service is through EPICENTRE on 07929 653032 Monday-Friday 9am5pm.

First of its’ kind surgical course This model was successful, and feedback was positive.

SURGICAL SERVICES Last month a technical course on Oncoplastic Breast Surgery took place here at the Trust. The unique course has been running for the last four years at SWB and is the first of its’ kind in the UK where delegates have the opportunity to watch live operating sessions. Chest wall perforator for partial breast reconstruction is a newly developed technique in the armamentarium of breast oncoplastic procedures and this course attracts breast surgeons from all over UK and also internationally in recent years. Expanding from a one day course to two days, based on encouraging feedback from delegates, the course has proved extremely popular with over 40 candidates on the waiting lists. Geeta Shetty, Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgeon highlights the success of the course over the last four years, she said: “There was

Delegates had the opportunity to watch live operating sessions an interest to extend this course to include other aspect of oncoplastic breast surgery. Considering this feedback and seeing the appetite for mammoplasty, this time we introduced the two days course covering both chest wall perforator flap and mammoplasty. “World renowned international and national speakers were in attendance for the first day lectures and also we invited models for live mark up. On the second day we had two parallel theatres running demonstrating the latest techniques in oncoplastic breast surgery.

Geeta commended those who made the course possible, she continued: “Ian Rea and Simerjit Rai worked relentlessly in the background looking at the small details to run this course smoothly including room booking, arrangement of live models and refreshments. Some of our patients were very kind to volunteer as models. Thanks to Debbie Plant, who provided the admin support and seamlessly attended the emails from delegates. We must also be grateful to Samantha Beck and her team, who consistently provided the financial and logistic support. We would like to extend our gratitude to anaesthetic team, especially to Dr K L Kong for volunteering to anaesthetise the patients on second day (even though it was not his routine working day). I don’t have words to praise our scrub team Fiona Solek and Sharlet Satwekar for their continued support and making sure that live operating ran smoothly. We would also extend our thanks to radiology and our breast colleagues for their support and accommodating our consultant rota to allow this to happen with no disruption to our team service delivery.”

Great things can happen when we work together. We believe now is the time to re-think how care is delivered, placing you and your patients at the centre. Together, we are helping clinical, operational and executive teams to plan and design the hospitals of the future, to help them improve user experience, efficiency and outcomes.

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Living with COVID-19 By Dr Waheeda Illahi, Rosie Auld CBE, Dr Peter Good and Dr Emma Berrow.

SURGICAL SERVICES and quantifiable data. BMEC will be developing a diagnostic hub to support the change to virtual review replacing many face to face contacts. Advanced ophthalmic practitioners from optometry, orthoptics and nursing will be required to manage the increased numbers of virtual reviews. Private companies have set up diagnostic hubs in order to support the NHS to manage backlogs. However these present a temptation for experienced technical staff lured by financial incentives in comparison to their NHS salaries. This results in reduced capacity during the recruitment process to NHS technical posts. We are heavily reliant on image storage and electronic patient records. Robust IT systems are critical to the safe delivery of patient care. How we interact with patients and colleagues has evolved during the course of the pandemic and is unlikely to revert to the pre-pandemic era. Dr Peter Good, Dr Emma Berrow, Rosie Auld CBE and Dr Waheeda Illahi As the UK government ‘Living with COVID’ plan comes in to effect and COVID self-isolation rules in England have come to an end, we discuss the reality of working at the Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre (BMEC) as Heads of Service (HoS) supporting Optometry, Orthoptic and Visual Functions services. Since the beginning of 2022 the sickness absence in our departments due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant has been the highest we have experienced since the start of the pandemic. Colleagues have reported COVID related sickness absence or the need to isolate awaiting PCR results. The change in guidance from 10 day to 7 day isolation does not appear to have alleviated the enormous pressure placed on our services. Loss of staff has necessitated a large number of patient cancellations resulting in COVID-related backlogs. The paediatric and contact lens follow up services have been most heavily impacted. There was an overall reduction in the number of new referrals for complex contact lens fitting as collagen cross linking and corneal graft procedures were placed on hold during the pandemic which have steadily increased over the last six months, however contact lens follow up appointments requiring face to face consultations remain a challenge in our

hospital as well as other local eye units. Diagnosis and treatment of highly specialist referrals remains a priority, especially for the visual function department which is a superregional referral centre. A surprising personal observation of patients attending our urgent care clinics (UCC) and feedback from optometry and ophthalmology colleagues who work in A&E and UCC clinics on a regular basis indicates that a significant proportion of patients are presenting directly to the hospital for red eye related conditions, foreign bodies and flashes and floaters. It appears that patients are not fully utilising the local minor eye conditions service (MECS) or the community urgent eye care service (CUES) as a first port of call. While we focus on our ever increasing backlogs and more complex patients who need to be seen in the hospital eye service (HES), we are reliant on the support of our community optometrists to manage less complex cases and to undertake referral refinement prior to referral to the HES. Clinical staff working in both the NHS and the private sector have noticed that the delay in referral and treatment of older patients with cataracts to the NHS has resulted in patients choosing treatment in the private sector. Diagnostic provision is critical to the delivery of many sub-specialities in ophthalmology, with a heavy dependence on imaging

The orthoptic service provides undergraduate clinical placements. The optometry team miss the graduate pre-registration optometrists visiting the department and the opportunity to share knowledge and practical skills. These experiences during the placements led to some optometrists choosing to pursue a career in the HES combined with their community practice. As clinicians we enjoy teaching and have benefitted greatly from in-house and external training opportunities. We recognise the enormous benefit of online training but exposure to a highly pressurised environment such as urgent care clinics allows the trainee to develop skills and competency to manage a highly varied case load and to recognise their limitations. The support of colleagues in the HES learning environment allows access to experts within their subspeciality. In summary, the effect of the COVID crisis has had massive consequences on ophthalmology services at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre. As heads of service we have developed strategies for managing with reduced staff, increasing backlogs and have made many changes to how we deliver services. The business continuity plans that we have today are unrecognisable in relation to those used in 2019!

Pulse

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News in brief from around our organisation

Super Trouper fundraiser raises over £3,600 for Your Trust Charity Our paediatric diabetes team have had a boost thanks to the fundraising efforts of a grateful family who wanted to thank colleagues at Sandwell Hospital for saving Kailen. Grandfather Bernard Yale and his daughter, Alison Williams, raised funds for Your Trust Charity, the registered charity for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. Upon arrival at Sandwell Hospital, fouryear-old Kailen was diagnosed with diabetes and was close to slipping into a diabetic coma. After being discharged, the family began fundraising to thank staff for their quick thinking and diagnosis that saved Kailen’s life. Bernard and Alison recently returned to the Trust to present them with a cheque for our paediatric diabetes team. In total, they raised a whopping £3,634.19. Alison, a senior care assistant, told us: “My dad and I are very proud of how

Alison, Bernard and ailen hosted an ABBA night to raise funds for our paediatric diabetes team

much we have raised for Your Trust Charity it’s very close to our hearts. A massive thank you to all those who took part and supported us. “The charity event was fabulous; many people participated in the auction. We had a great night. I’d also like to thank the staff again for their continuous support for my son, Kailen. Amanda Winwood, Senior Fundraising Manager, remarked: “I’d like to thank Alison, Bernard and Kailen for hosting an ABBA night

and auction to raise funds for our paediatric diabetes team following Kailen’s diagnosis. They hosted a party any dancing queen would have been happy to attend, a darts tournament and auctioned prizes, including a Wolverhampton Wanderers football shirt and a caravan stay on the Isle of Wight. “They raised a massive £3634.19, which they should be proud of. We are incredibly grateful for this donation as it will help us continue to invest in our much needed service.”

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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? 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. 28

Wave goodbye to… Almost a century dedicated to the Trust farewell to Ava, Kim and Michele In this month’s Heartbeat we wave goodbye to Ava Harris, Kim Walker and Michele Tucker, Health Care Assistants (HCAs) at the Birmingham Treatment Centre (BTC), as they spend their last days in outpatients before they head off for retirement. Leaving behind them just under a century’s’ worth of experience combined, these ladies leave the outpatients department for some well-deserved rest. We caught up with them to find out more about their time at the Trust. Ava’s journey began 42 years ago in 1979 when she joined at the skin hospital as a catering assistant. She then moved to the eye hospital in the city centre as a catering assistant and then came back to City Hospital as a HCA in outpatients. For Michele and Kim, they joined the Trust 26 years ago in 1995. Michele started working at Rowley Regis OPD and then moved to Sandwell and finally over to the BTC. Both the people and the role have meant these ladies have thoroughly enjoyed their time working at our Trust. Michele said: “I have

Ava Harris, Kim Walker and Michele Tucker

loved my job working with many different people and doing a variety of clinics. I have made many good friends over the years.” Kim added: “I have seen many changes and met a lot of lovely people during my time here.” Although they have had some great times here at the Trust and have met some wonderful people, it hasn’t been without its challenges. “For me, my biggest challenge was definitely the pandemic, it gave me severe anxiety,” said Michele. “The pandemic was a huge challenge for me too, especially going to work on the wards which is very different to what I do in outpatients,” echoed Kim. “But going with a great group of girls from OPD really helped as we all support each other,” she continued. We asked what they would have done if their career path hadn’t led them to SWB. For Ava that would be working as a nursery nurse or another role in the care sector, and for Michele it would have been working with children or animals. Commended for their passion and dedication to their roles at the Trust, Sister Jaz Verdi shared some kind words about Ava’s, Kim’s and Michele’s time in outpatients, she said: “We say a fond

Health Care Assistants farewell to three of our highly thought of HCAs. They have shown dedication and commitment throughout their time working for the Trust and in outpatients. They have worked tirelessly and professionally caring for patients, their knowledge, expertise and presence will be sorely missed. We wish them all the very best for their retirement and the future ahead.” The ladies didn’t part without leaving some great advice. Ava said: “Study and learn as much as you can and never be afraid to try new things. Michele added: “Some advice for my younger self would be to be more assertive and not be afraid to take on more challenges”. Their plans for retirement sound idyllic with Kim spending more time with her husband and grandchildren and going on lots of holidays, Michele plans to enjoy time with friends, start some new hobbies and look after her new grandson. For Ava, she can be found getting green fingers in the garden or traveling to see much more family now that COVID restrictions have been lifted. We wish these ladies all the best and a happy retirement!

Ava Harris, Kim Walker and Michele Tucker leave the Trust

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 Nominating for Star Awards Dear Heartbeat, Across the Trust we’re seeing posters asking us to nominate colleagues for the Star Awards and truth be told, I do want to, but I really don’t know where to start. Some of my colleagues do some incredible things to care for patients and there’s never a time when we’re not looking to go the extra mile, but how do we get this down on paper so that the judges can see it, understand it and recognise the work of staff on the ground? How do we evidence when a nurse has spent countless hours with a palliative patient without someone saying ‘well that’s your job’? How do we fill in a nomination form for a team who work incredibly well together to look after their patients, but don’t have a means to show it on an audit or a chart we can include? Do I just fill in the form and hope for the best or is there something we can do to get some assurance that our nominations mean something? That judges will review them and that they will be awarded on the merit of the effort and attainment, not just simply on the ability of the person to write a well worded nomination or to have it countersigned by someone senior? Kind regards, Anon Dear Anon, Thank you for your letter, its great to hear that you take the time to nominate colleagues for the work they do. I’d just like to take this opportunity to assure you that every single nomination that is submitted is seen by our executive teams. They review every nomination that comes in and play a key role in shortlisting before the nominations go to a final judging panel. The Star Awards have always been about recognising the hard work that colleagues do across our organisation and we appreciate that there isn’t always evidence and analytics to back up a nomination, but what you write in your nomination is incredibly impactful and does play a significant role in judging. Nominations that simply copy and paste reports and audits are not necessarily the way to go. We love to read the individual accounts of colleagues that detail the impact that services and colleagues have had on patients, visitors and the people around them. Tell us when services have been improved, when care has been delivered in new and innovative ways and how the work of colleagues on the ground is impacting on the quality and safety of care that patients receive. I would encourage you to continue sending in nominations, take the time to look at the criteria for each of the categories and make sure you highlight how the nominee meets the criteria in your nomination. Take the time to detail the impact that their work has had and rest assured that we

will do everything we can to make sure that the hard work of colleagues is recognised. If you have any questions or need any help with your nominations, contact the Communications team on swbh.comms@nhs.net or call ext 5303. Remember, nominations close on Friday 3 June. Kind regards Ruth Wilkin Executive Director of Communications

Paying to park – can we pay as we go? Dear Heartbeat, Due to COVID-19 we have been working remotely at home for a significant length of time now and this looks to continue for a few more months. I used to pay to park on site when we were here full time, however due to the works starting on the new car park, and staff moving from City to Sandwell, we had been moved to New Square car park. I seem to recall when the new multistorey parking was first talked about and advertised that those that would be occasional visitors on site due to home working arrangements, could purchase a ‘pay as you go’ permit, so you were only charged for the times you were on site. Is this still an option? I ask as I can’t seem to find any information on how to apply? I do not feel it is fair that we are expected to pay for fixed hours when we may not use the parking, so what options do we have? Kind regards, Anon Dear Anon, Thank you for your letter. As a member of staff working for the Trust you are eligible to purchase a Daily Value Card (DVC). This will allow you access to the site for £3 per visit. You can request a form from sandwellpermits@q-park.co.uk that you’ll need to complete and drop in to our office at Sandwell Hospital, or email back to us. We will then create you a card to use when you are on site. You should enter and exit the site using this card and it will ask you for £3 payment either at a pay station if you want to pay with cash or at the exit barrier if you want to pay with your contactless credit or debit card. Please note that this card cannot be used to gain access to the new multi-storey car park at Sandwell and you should park at Hallam Street when visiting this site. I hope this answers your question. Kind regards, Ross Badham Business Manager

Richard talks about: reflecting upon maternity and neonatal services Richard Beeken, Chief Executive

RICHARD'S LAST WORD The final report of The Independent Review of Maternity Services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, led by Donna Ockenden was published on 30 March 2022. The review examined cases involving 1,486 families between 2000 and 2019. The review team spoke to families involved about their care, examined medical records and conducted surveys and interviews with current and former members of staff. The review found repeated failures in the quality of care and governance at the Trust throughout the last two decades, as well as failures from external bodies to effectively monitor the care provided. There were missed opportunities to learn, with families experiencing repeated serious incidents and harm throughout the period of the review. More than 60 local actions for learning were identified along with immediate and essential actions for all maternity services covering ten key areas: 1. Financing a safe maternity workforce 2. 3.

Essential action on training Maintaining a clear escalation and mitigation policy when staffing levels are not met

The maternity department marked Baby Loss Awareness Week to caesarean section and poor quality governance and learning within the service at Shrewsbury and Telford Trust.

We must and already are in the process of Essential roles for Boards in reflecting on and acting on each of these oversight of their maternity services two key matters as the findings are not 5. Meaningful incident investigations, unique to just one Trust. Maternity and with family and staff engagement, neonatal services in our Trust are subject and practice changes introduced in to intensive oversight by the Board on a monthly basis. Significant time and effort a timely manner is being put in by a diverse and committed 6. Mandatory joint learning across all leadership team throughout maternity and care settings when a mother dies neonatal services to ensure that we: 7. Care of mothers with complex and • Have strong quality governance in multiple pregnancies place and learn from when things 4.

Introduction at pace of the recommendations from the 2019 Neonatal Critical Care Review

go right as well as when things go wrong

• Listen to all colleagues views about how the culture, morale and 9. Improving postnatal care for unwell practice within our services can be mothers improved 10. Care of bereaved families • Deliver services which are culturally I am very conscious of the wide variety of sensitive and therefore provide concerns and views flying around about this needs led, person centred care. review. There is a big debate about what I am conscious also about the impact the caused the issues, which to me seem to be Ockenden report will have on the clinical a combination of two things: the Trust’s and support staff in the service, as well interpretation of a long standing national strategy to increase the percentage of births as the impact it will have on those who that were delivered “normally”, as opposed may be considering joining the professions

of midwifery or obstetrics. Whilst well intended and ultimately necessary, the publicity these reviews often get can drive an unintended consequence of lowering morale in a service already under pressure. We must all look out for the welfare and wellbeing of our colleagues in maternity and neonates over the coming months, as they work through the challenges they face day to day, whilst at the same time improving the quality of care they provide in a very public glare. I want to thank all our colleagues working in this highly scrutinised service for their resilience, their commitment to our women, babies and families and each other, and their determination to work together to improve care for all. Collaborative support for colleagues, together with sensitive listening to our families and being open about how and when we haven’t always got things right will be key to making sure our service bounces back. We all want to work in a place where we are thanked for our work, and not criticised and where our reputation is founded on truth and not perception. The Ockenden review is worth due consideration by all of us and many of the learnings and recommendations are those that we should and will adopt Trust-wide.

Easter brings egg-stra special donations YOUR TRUST CHARITY

Easter brought delight to the faces of children in paediatrics across our Trust thanks to the kind donations from pupils at Hagley Catholic High School who collected over 100 eggs during Lent. There is never a great time to be in hospital and especially so during a holiday period marked with children being spoilt with chocolate during Easter, so when Hagley Catholic High School got in touch to say their year 9 pupils had collected over 100 eggs during Lent that they would like to donate to the hospital it’s fair to say we were ‘hopping’ with joy.

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

Sharing her thoughts on the donation, Senior Fundraising Manager Amanda Winwood said: “The incredibly generous donation made by Hagley Catholic High School will really make a difference to the

children we’re caring for, whilst our clinical teams do everything they can do to make them well again, they often need a little boost to lift their spirits and get them smiling again. “This donation is made much more poignant knowing that the year 9 pupils collected the donations during Lent as part of their almsgiving work.” All of the chocolate eggs donated successfully made their way to paediatrics who coordinated the distribution across each of our sites to ensure that every single one of our young patients had a sweet treat to wake up to on Easter morning. If you would like to make any donations, you can contact Your Trust Charity on ext. 5196 or email trustcharity@nhs.net

Pupils and teachers from Hagley Catholic High School drop off their Easter donations

April 2022 staff lottery results 1st £167.75

2nd £100.35

3rd £66.90

Arbinder Bains

Lyndsey Hemsley

Jane Burton

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