Welcome to November’s issue of the CNO Bulletin.
Before we explore the amazing contributions in this month’s issue, I’d like to share some important information regarding staffing levels across the Trust and the improvements which have been made thanks to some incredibly hard work behind the scenes.
Our successful international recruitment programmes have played a huge part in reducing the vacancies of our band five Registered Nurses. By recruiting 387 internationally educated nurses over the last two years, the vacancy rate for this specific role has reduced from 25% (October 2020) to just 8.85%.
We have seem similar success with the recruitment of 249 Healthcare Assistants over the last 12 months, reducing the vacancy rate for HCAs to just 8%.
We know that our current workforce pressures are mainly due to short term sickness absence, so it is vitally important to promote wellbeing amongst our teams and to look after ourselves, including taking up vaccination against seasonal flu and Covid-19.
For this edition of the CNO Bulletin, I’m incredibly excited to share an outstanding range of contributions from across our fantastic organisation.
There are updates from the recent Pathway to Excellence® Conference in Philadelphia, as well as well-deserved celebrations for HCSWs Day, AHPs Day, and one special member of the team who is guiding the Trust towards its ambitions of becoming a net zero healthcare provider.
So please enjoy these stories, and so much more, in the November bulletin.
Last month a team from UHCW attended the annual Magnet/Pathway to Excellence conference in Philadelphia, representing the trust in recognition of being the first University Hospital in the UK to be awarded this prestigious kite mark of excellence.
The conference hosted 120 education sessions, inspirational key note speakers and 400 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations and technologies. The conference was attended by more than 11,000 nursing and midwives globally.
Highlight video: 2022ANCCHIGHLIGHT_v2_1 - Magnet/Pathway Conference (magnetpathwaycon.org)
Designation celebration parade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bru06IhVI
UHCW Time stamp (12:41)
Vanessa McDonagh, Group Director of Nursing & AHP’s Medicine
Enjoyed: attending the pathway conference was an opportunity to see so many nurses celebrate the nursing profession as a highly skilled workforce. Every presentation demonstrated and articulated the level of education their teams had and how this supported the quality of care given to patients and families, resulting in good patient experiences and feedback.
What I learnt: what stands out for me was the focus on staff recognition and wellbeing. As a nurse leader I want to develop and maintain a culture of day to day recognition of all staff whilst finding innovative ways to support well being and work life balance.
Vicky Williams, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer
Enjoyed: the sense of a global community of nurses and the wealth of opportunity to learn from international colleagues when you begin to understand many of the challenges we face are similar, the sense of energy and pride in the profession and not being afraid to celebrate and be recognised.
What I learnt: Golden threads: taking what we know and are already planning and seeing how we can take it a step further, or use the idea in another setting as well as beyond nursing and midwifery for the benefit of the whole organisation, the staff and the populations we serve.
Lisa Dunn, Pathway to Excellence Facilitator Lead
Enjoyed: networking opportunities with peers from diverse backgrounds and the incredible privilege of representing UHCW in recognition of the trust’s first Pathway to Excellence® designation.
What I learnt: challenges faced by the nursing and midwifery professions are often similar regardless of geographical location – it was great to hear from some of the inspiration speakers about the innovative ways in which they seek to empower staff through staff engagement and meaningful recognition.
Anna Steward, Cardiac Rehab Nurse
Enjoyed: listening and learning from trusts around the world. It was interesting to find out how trusts have implemented different examples of Pathway Values into their practice and the impacts that it has made on patient care, safety and staff wellbeing.
What I learnt: I plan to implement some of the examples within my service and across the trust including overcoming common problems with shared decision-making councils. Additionally, I plan to create a journal club to share the latest research to ensure that we are providing the latest evidenced based practice. Finally, within my team the creation of celebrating success boards to ensure meaningful recognition of the good practice within our department. I saw the value of these at the conference and the positive effects that they make within services.
Michelle Hartanto, Resuscitation Practitioner
Enjoyed: immersing myself in an environment where everyone was passionate about Pathway to Excellence® and shared decision-making values. It was inspiring to hear from nurses across the world about how they embrace these principles and sustain positive practice environments at their organisations.
What I learnt: I was exposed to new ways of embedding Pathway to Excellence® and Shared decision-making into day-to-day work as well as big projects. I am motivated to apply this learning beyond a local Council perspective to an organisational perspective. Thanks to the Pathway to Excellence® conference I developed some ideas about how to use shared decision-making to strengthen our Trust's SDM network to continue the momentum of our Pathway to Excellence® credentialling.
Climate change is the biggest challenge which the planet faces. But with each challenge, new opportunities arise, and that’s why the NHS is committing to become a net-zero healthcare provider by 2045.
Work is going on across our organisation to achieve that aim, but the efforts specifically made by Clinical Resource Lead for Theatres Liz Fitzhugh have earned special recognition.
Liz was shortlisted in the Greener AHP category of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Awards earlier this year, and she received a special commendation from the NHS' Chief Sustainability Officer, Dr Nick Watts, for her work driving the greener agenda.
Liz is also one of the founding members of Saving Turtles, a UHCW staff network dedicated to making the Trust a greener place for our patients. Saving Turtles, formed in 2019, utilises ambassadors across different areas of the Trust to reduce our carbon footprint at a local level.
Later this month we’ll be celebrating the amazing Healthcare Support Workers who are such a key part of Team UHCW.
On Wednesday, 23rd November, you can join us in the first-floor atrium of the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) and visit a variety of different stands between 10:00 and 14:00.
There will be stands for:
There is also a Laughacise session booked for 11:00 - 11:45.
We’d like to recognise all the incredible work of our Allied Health Professions colleagues who celebrate the annual AHPs Day.
There were week-long celebrations throughout the Trust where staff were invited to take part in a popular celebration wall competition, where the Speech and Language Team pipped their REACT and Radiology colleagues to the top spot.
At a special event on AHPs Day, it was announced that nominations for the third annual AHPs Awards will open on Tuesday 1st November.
Associate Director of Allied Health Professions Clare Pheasant said: "AHPs Day is all about celebrating the incredible contribution that this workforce plays in delivering high quality care to our patients. There are so many teams and individuals who are delivering world class care and it was fantastic to see this showcased during the week to our wider UHCW teams.
"I have to thank each and every one of you for all the work you do to provide great care to our community."
Bekki Ford, Deputy Associate Director of AHPs, added: "Thank you for all your engagement in the week's events. It has been humbling to share all our celebrations and achievements. Watch out for next year – 14th October 2023."
A timely discharge from hospital is essential to ensure:
It is vitally important that all patients are communicated with regarding their discharge plans and all patients admitted to UHCW are given information leaflets regarding their plans for discharge and plans for returning home including with package of care or to nursing or residential home. These leaflets are all available on the Discharge section on the Trust Intranet.
The Trust monitors discharge and long length of stay by the following means:
Definition of pathways are available on the Discharge section on the Trust Intranet.
The attendance at this meeting is Integrated Discharge Team (IDT), Coventry and Warwickshire Social Services (SS), Primary Care Trusts, Integrated Care Board (ICB), Mental Health teams. Any issues, escalations or themes are taken from this meeting to discharge Silver and then to the weekly Discharge escalations meetings attended by senior members of CWPT, SS and ICB for further escalation through their organisation.
A multi-agency discharge event (MADE) led by the Integrated Care team is held quarterly bringing together our local health system to support improved patient flow, recognise and unblock delays, challenge, improve and simplify discharge processes.
MADE is a collaborative event across our system typically involving senior and operational staff including AHP colleagues from:
A debrief is held post event to capture the learning from the event and clear actions are identified.
We are always looking for areas to promote discharge and IDT are working on the following initiatives to reduce length of stay and promote prompt timely discharges:
The Trust will be hosting its latest open day on Saturday, 12th November.
These open days are a chance for members of the public to explore a range of clinical and non-clinical roles which are available across the organisation, as well as the best routes into these roles for those looking to enter higher education.
The new clinic will be introduced as part of the infant feeding services for babies and families affected by the symptoms of tongue tie at UHCW. The first of its kind at UHCW will work within the multidisciplinary team to optimize feeding outcomes and experiences for mothers and their babies. It will consist of Jaspreet (Jas) Garcha, Tongue Tie Practitioner Midwife, as well as Maternity Support Workers Susan Wallen and Jo Forward.
Tongue tie related problems affecting babies eight weeks or below will be assessed by a Jas who will take a detailed history of feeding, observe feeding, provide a breastfeeding assessment, perform an examination of the oral cavity and assess the tongue function. If there is restricted tongue function affecting feeding or growth a frenulotomy will be considered, discussed and performed.
Some tongue tie related symptoms include nipple pain, excessive wind, inability to attach to the breast, long, frequent feeds, excessive or early weight loss or poor weight gain.
Jas states “I am so proud to be a part of this new service to ensure we provide equitable services to parents on their feeding journeys. I have always had a passion for the promotion of public health, breastfeeding, infant feeding and ensuring parents are supported with their choices. Parents can often face an array of problems relating to tongue tie regardless of their chosen method of feeding and this can affect their ability to continue to breastfeed long-term or impact on their feeding experiences.
This service will enable improvement of patient experiences, breastfeeding rates and assist with the sustainment of the Baby Friendly Accreditation at UHCW. Most importantly this service will assist with ensuring parents get the support they need to continue to breastfeed for as long as they wish to without the trauma, they may face of trying hard to breastfeed and not succeeding. This will be another facet of the infant feeding support provided for families at UHCW.”
Being able to assess tongue ties properly at UHCW and offer a frenulotomy if necessary, is a crucial step in making breastfeeding support accessible to everyone. The tongue tie clinic will help bridge social inequalities and assist with achieving equity of care because parents have previously had to pay private. This would previously put families at further risk of inequality especially if facing socioeconomic or cultural deprivation.
The tongue tie assessment team at UHCW are welcoming referrals for babies with suspected tongue tie related problems at the clinic which will be held on Friday afternoon in the Children’s Outpatients. For further information please email Tonguetieassessmentclinic@uhcw.nhs.uk.
A virtual race to raise awareness and tackle the issues around deconditioning in hospitals and community services begins on 1st November.
Inpatients are less active than usual and lose fitness or muscle tone, but the National Reconditioning Games is encouraging people to keep active in fun ways.
A wide variety of our wards and services have signed up to take part and, with the race running until next Spring, it’s not too late to sign up.
Teams can participate in the virtual race around Coventry or Rugby by measuring the steps their patients take (including seated marching and on-the-spot marching).
The Coventry course is around 26 miles, approximately 55,000 steps, the Rugby route is 18 miles or 40,000 steps. There will be checkpoints along each route where certificates will be awarded.
For more information contact Falls, Handling and Moving Lead Sian Foster on extension 26154.
If the virtual race is not for you, then resources are available for how to get involved and examples of how others have used this opportunity to aid people in their care to sit up, get dressed and keep moving.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the Clinical Research Network West Midlands Health and Care Research Scholars (RS,) Advanced Research Scholars (ARS) and Personal Development Award programmes for 2023-2025.
We are supporting three groups of potential Chief Investigators and Prinicipal Investigators; Health and Research scholars, Advanced Research Scholars (who have experience of being CIs and are seeking protected time to develop new grant applications) and our Personal Development Awards for people newer to research.
For more information on the programmes, timelines and to download the guidance document and application form please visit our site here.
We welcome applications from your West Midlands organisations from any NHS, public health and social care research active individuals for either of these programmes.
We will be holding an online webinar for interested applicants on Thursday 10 November, 6-7pm to share tips for success and answer any questions. Please register by clicking on the link in the flyer here (attached below)
The closing date for application is 16 December 2022 (late applications will not be considered), please send completed application forms to training.crnwestmidlands@nihr.ac.uk jane.willcocks@nihr.ac.uk
Compassionate, caring and understanding - these are just a few of the words used to describe our latest DAISY award honouree Leah Papworth.
The internationally recognised award scheme, funded by the UHCW Charity, allows us to celebrate our amazing nurses and midwives through patient nominations.
Midwife Leah has been celebrated for the way she treated an expectant mother 'not just as a patient, but as a friend'.
Leah’s nomination read: “I honestly cannot thank Leah enough or put into words how grateful I am for the compassion, care and understanding she showed me during my time on the labour ward.
“Upon her arrival - when I was in very much pain, Leah reassured me, listened to me and supported me. Without her I honestly don’t know how I would have coped.
“I honestly cannot thank her for all she did for me and my precious boy and I believe she deserves this award and more, she really did go above and beyond.”
Congratulations Leah, we are very proud of you!
It's almost grants time! Applications for our various grant programs will open on November 1st. Let me know if you have any questions and please share these opportunities with your colleagues!
We have two Health Equity Grants, one that focuses on improving the care of disadvantaged populations and mitigating social determinants of health and one focusing on improving care and promoting healthy aging of older adults. Additionally, we have J. Patrick Barnes Grants which focus on projects that evaluate changes in nursing practice in the treatment of patients with cancer and auto-immune diseases and studies that benefit patients and/or families involving treatment of cancer and auto-immune diseases. More information including goals, guidelines, previous grants funded, application forms, and deadlines can be found under the "Grants" tab at DAISYfoundation.org. I have also attached a flyer recapping all 3 grants that can be posted or shared.
What is the role and function of the Clinical Senate?
Clinical Senates are a source of independent, strategic advice and guidance to integrated care systems and integrated care boards, to assist them to make the best decisions about healthcare for the populations they represent.
For further information please visit our website: https://midlandssenates.nhs.uk/
Am I eligible to apply?
We welcome applications for the Fellowship from all registered healthcare professionals to facilitate a multi-disciplinary approach and who are currently working within the East or West Midlands. Previous fellows have been Nurses, Midwives, Dental Professionals, Healthcare Scientists, Medics, Surgeons, Allied Health Professionals and GPs.
What is the time commitment and will I be remunerated?
The time commitment is four sessions per month (equivalent to two days) and your substantive organisation is renumerated for your time based on this programmed activity. The Fellowship is traditionally 12 months with a potential to extend for a further 12 months and has been designed to be flexible, enabling individuals to continue to undertake their professional roles alongside their fellowship. However, current NHS England restructuring means the commitment is currently set until the end of October 2023.
We are looking to appoint up to 12 fellows across the Midlands.
What are the responsibilities of a Leadership Fellow?
As a Leadership Fellow you will support the Clinical Senate Chairs, Vice Chairs and the Head of Clinical Senates with clinical review panels and undertake specific projects of work across a range of different subjects often outside your normal area of work. For information on previous Leadership Fellows proactive projects please visit: Here
Research Institute Leads:
Call is now out for applications to lead our Research Institutes. Applications are welcome from UHCW employed clinicians with appropriate experience and interest in research. The successful candidate will be remunerated for 1 programmed activities or 0.1 WTE within the pay scale for the postholder’s professional group. Informal enquiries are welcome, please speak to Harpal Randeva, Director of Research & Development. Those interested in applying should submit a CV and covering letter to Ceri Jones, Head of R&D, by 12 noon, Wednesday 16th November 2022. Interviews will be held on 24th November and 1st December 2022. Advert and job description attached.
Fellowships
The Clinical Research Network Fellowship scheme for 2022 has launched. For more information on the programmes, timelines and to download the guidance document and application form please visit their site here
The CRN will be holding an online webinar for interested applicants on Thursday 10 November, 6-7pm to share tips for success and answer any questions. Please register by clicking on the link in the flyer here The R&D portfolio development team have lots of experience in helping people to apply for these awards, please contact giovanni.bucci@uhcw.nhs.uk; angel.magar@uhcw.nhs.uk or glen.mccann@uhcw.nhs.uk for support.
The first Centre for Care Excellence ‘Inspiration Day’ took place this week. The event aimed to inspire the next generation of clinical researchers and leaders and enable better sharing of knowledge and expertise, to empower staff at every level to be able to develop ideas to make ‘patient first’ improvements. Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health professionals from both UHCW and Coventry University came together to share their experiences and showcase their work in developing and testing new, innovative solutions which are making a real difference to patient care.
The event was opened by Andy Hardy, CEO and Dr. Angela Polanco, as a former midwife at UHCW who completed her PhD with Coventry University, and now Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement lead for the NIHR, gave our keynote speech on her clinical academic journey and asked us to ‘find our why?’ – what motivates us to become even better at what we do?
Tracey Brigstock, Chief Nursing Officer, gave out the poster awards, the quality and breadth of these was very high. She closed the event by reflecting on the day and noting the importance of the Centre for Care excellence in supporting practitioners to become creators of new knowledge as well as recipients of best evidence, saying ‘I hope that this event helped you to understand the excellent work of the Centre and to make connections for the future so that we can develop more ideas to improve our practice for patients. As Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals, we need to be leading the strategy for research, innovation, practice, and education’.
You can find more information on the event @CfCExcellence
Great to see staff engaged with reducing medication incidents during World Patient Safety week #WPSD2022 #medicationswithoutharm @UHCW_Quality @EmmaFishuhcwADN @eastermark pic.twitter.com/UdNkRLUfTJ — Mairaide Varney (@MairaideV) November 1, 2022
Great to see staff engaged with reducing medication incidents during World Patient Safety week #WPSD2022 #medicationswithoutharm @UHCW_Quality @EmmaFishuhcwADN @eastermark pic.twitter.com/UdNkRLUfTJ
#AHPWeek This year has come with so much positive student feedback! ‘I love being a student dietitian because there is so much variety in Dietetics - no two days are the same’@UHCW_RenalDiet @UHCW_CritCare @MidlandsAhps pic.twitter.com/cQinPj1xrb — UHCW_AHPS (@AHPS_UHCW) October 10, 2022
#AHPWeek This year has come with so much positive student feedback! ‘I love being a student dietitian because there is so much variety in Dietetics - no two days are the same’@UHCW_RenalDiet @UHCW_CritCare @MidlandsAhps pic.twitter.com/cQinPj1xrb
We're proud to have launched the UHCW SpeakUp app - to provide an easy way for staff across the Trust to raise concerns. @nhsuhcw#UHCWspeakUp #SpeakUpListenUpFollowUp #FreedomToSpeakUpGuardian #SpeakUpMonth pic.twitter.com/oypo6fAiMe — UHCW Innovation Team (@InnovationUHCW) October 21, 2022
We're proud to have launched the UHCW SpeakUp app - to provide an easy way for staff across the Trust to raise concerns. @nhsuhcw#UHCWspeakUp #SpeakUpListenUpFollowUp #FreedomToSpeakUpGuardian #SpeakUpMonth pic.twitter.com/oypo6fAiMe
Such an honour to celebrate @nhsuhcw be awarded our Pathway to Excellence accreditation. #excellence@UHCW @MichelleHartan0 @vickyADN @VanessaMC_uhcw @UHCWP2E pic.twitter.com/Frt6i5rdL5 — Anna Steward (@AnnaSteward18) October 14, 2022
Such an honour to celebrate @nhsuhcw be awarded our Pathway to Excellence accreditation. #excellence@UHCW @MichelleHartan0 @vickyADN @VanessaMC_uhcw @UHCWP2E pic.twitter.com/Frt6i5rdL5
Today, Coventry Hospital Radio celebrates its 50th Anniversary! Without the 30 active volunteers and previous volunteers since 1972, this would not have been possible. A huge thank you and congratulations! Listen to the 50 hour LIVE broadcast here: https://t.co/P3SZftDnyD pic.twitter.com/K8irUpvyij — UHCW NHS Trust (@nhsuhcw) October 21, 2022
Today, Coventry Hospital Radio celebrates its 50th Anniversary! Without the 30 active volunteers and previous volunteers since 1972, this would not have been possible. A huge thank you and congratulations! Listen to the 50 hour LIVE broadcast here: https://t.co/P3SZftDnyD pic.twitter.com/K8irUpvyij
Back
Visit the UHCW CHarity Website