Blog Archives
Maternity building turns sky pink and blue to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week
Wednesday, October 13th, 2021
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has lit up its maternity building blue and pink to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week (BLAW).
The organisation has transformed the unit at City Hospital, to pay tribute to babies who have been lost to miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. The awareness week runs between 11 to 15 October.
Ann Minto, Lead Bereavement Support Midwife at the Trust, said: “BLAW aims to give anyone touched by baby loss a safe and supportive space to share their experiences and feel that they are not alone.
“A loss of a baby is a very sad and life changing event for women and their families, and by raising awareness we can continue to break the silence and remove the stigma that is attached.”
BLAW finishes with the Global Wave of light on 15 October at 7pm. This event sees grieving families pay homage to the memories of their loved ones by lighting a candle in their honour.
Ann added: “We will celebrate this event outside the entrance to the Maternity unit, with a member of the hospital chaplaincy team present, and welcome anyone who would like to join us.”
Facilities company ENGIE funded the lights.
For more information about BLAW go to https://babyloss-awareness.org/.
Maternity service gets ready to kick off open day at Villa ground
Friday, October 1st, 2021
Opportunity awaits for midwives at a West Midlands healthcare Trust which is holding a recruitment event at the Aston Villa ground.
The jobs fair at Villa Park on Saturday 9 October will showcase roles across the maternity department at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.
Interviews will take place on the day and candidates who are successful will be given an on-the-spot conditional job offer. For those unable to attend in person other arrangements can be made.
The organisation is currently building the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital – a multi-million pound healthcare facility in Smethwick, where the maternity department will be based.
The Trust is also focused on developing staff by offering a range of training courses.
Villa Park was picked as the venue for the event as some maternity clinics have been operating out of the ground since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Head of Midwifery, Louise Wilde, said: “Our partnership with Aston Villa in delivering these vital clinics is just one way our service has been thinking outside the box over the last two years. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve, not just the service but those within it.
“This open day will have the opportunity both for midwives to be interviewed, and to find out all about our service’s goals for the future – and how they can help midwives to achieve theirs.
Roles are available right across the department and the Trust offers a great deal of flexibility within its shifts and many more benefits.”
The event will run between 11am and 4pm in the McGregors Suite at Villa Park, in Trinity Road. For more information about the event check out NHS Jobs or email Shelly Colley at shelly.colley1@nhs.net.
Health service project shortlisted for national award
Friday, August 23rd, 2013
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals (SWBH) NHS Trust has been shortlisted for its Secondary Care Service Redesign at the prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) awards due to be held in November.
To ensure safe, sustainable services in the run up to a single site new hospital, the Trust has reconfigured a number of its key services over the last five years, including paediatrics, orthopaedics, maternity and, most recently, stroke. Each reconfiguration has been driven by the need to improve outcomes and experience for patients.
Reconfigurations are led by clinicians with staff and patient engagement throughout the process, working closely with commissioners and other key stakeholders.
Maternity care has dramatically improved in Birmingham and Sandwell after radical changes that involved single site ‘high risk’ services, midwifery led care for normal births with two purpose built midwifery-led birth centres. Safety, quality of care, patient experience and facilities have all been improved and the Trust now has the highest ‘normal’ birth rate in the country. In 2013, the maternity service won the Promoting Natural Birth category at the Royal College of Midwives’ national awards, and was upgraded to Level 2 for CNST maternity standards.
Stroke and TIA services since March 2013 are provided in one hospital in a Stroke Unit consisting of a newly refurbished combined hyper acute and acute stroke ward and a rehabilitation ward. The number of specialist staff skilled in caring for stroke patients has been increased in line with national guidelines to allow earlier specialist diagnosis, treatment and improved, faster recovery. An Early Supported Discharge team was also introduced to support patients to return home earlier with on-going care and therapy.
Both examples of service redesign followed extensive publication with changes made to plans as a direct result of staff, patient and public feedback.
The Trust has been shortlisted in the Service Redesign category for its clinical leadership, staff, patient and public involvement in planning service redesign.
Jane Dunn, RCRH Implementation Director said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted in the Secondary Care Service Redesign category.
“We involved a full range of people from clinical leaders, staff, patients and the public in the redesign project. This is crucial to achieving excellent care and making sure the service remains sustainable in the future.”
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 19 November.