Working together for our patients and our people
Leaders and clinicians from across the Black Country recently came together for this year’s Black Country Provider Collaborative (BCPC) Clinical Summit. The event, held at West Bromwich Albion FC, was an opportunity to focus exclusively on how we can continue to work together to collaborate, innovate and shape the future of patient care across our region.
Colleagues from Sandwell & West Birmingham (SWB), The Royal Wolverhampton, The Dudley Group, and Walsall Healthcare were joined by partners from the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB), primary care, mental health, and community services, alongside national and regional NHS colleagues.
The summit opened with remarks from Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, Black Country Provider Collaborative Chair and Diane Wake, SRO for the Black Country Provider Collaborative, who set the tone with an honest look at the opportunities and challenges facing the NHS. Their message was simple but significant, the future of high-quality care depends on our ability to work together across our organisational boundaries.
Throughout the day, delegates explored areas of shared focus. Topics included the evolving role of Integrated Care Boards, including the realities of delivering high-quality care within financial constraints, and exploring system wide efficiencies so that we can keep pushing forward.
There was a strong emphasis on clinical improvement programmes, showcasing projects already improving patient outcomes, from shared clinical pathways to workforce collaboration. One such example was the recent development of a Breast DIEP Reconstruction service. This is a service that is currently very limited with the majority of patients needing to travel outside of the Black Country to receive their care.
The Breast Clinical Network led by Mr. Martin Sintler has driven a programme of work, working with partners across all four partners and the Black Country ICB to develop the case for establishing a dedicated ‘gold standard’ service for the Black Country population.
This service development will see medical and clinical professionals from all BCPC partners working together as one team to provide high quality breast cancer care services from Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, bringing care closer to home, reducing health inequalities, improving patient experience and health outcomes in due course.
Robotics in surgery highlighted how robotic-assisted procedures are transforming soft tissue surgery and how the BCPC is working together to ensure consistent and equitable access to these innovations and specialist equipment across all four Trusts.
Specialist clinical networks gave insightful presentations with updates from teams in ENT, ophthalmology, colorectal, gynaecology, breast surgery, and lung screening, showing how clinicians are building stronger links to improve care across services. A fitting example of this a new ENT pathway that is expected to reduce the number of visits by enabling same day hearing test and hearing-aid fitting via the West Park Hub. This is expected to result in fewer unnecessary consultant appointment and improved streaming for tinnitus and vestibular assessment.
The summit shared updates on the GALEAS Bladder Cancer DNA Test and the growing use of tele-dermatology, both examples of how research and technology are already shaping day-to-day care.
Looking around the room throughout the day it was evident how far the Black Country has come by working together, and how much more can be achieved through collaboration.
Our region is leading the way in several areas such as robotics because of collective effort. The lessons shared throughout the day made clear that innovation isn’t something for the future, it’s happening here and now, across our hospitals and services. And that is something everyone in attendance and the teams at all four Trusts can be proud of.
The day closed with reflections from Dr Jonathan Odum, Chief Medical Officer for the Black Country Provider Collaborative, who brought the focus back to what united everyone in the room, improving the experience and outcomes for our patients and supporting the people who care for them.
Looking ahead, the Black Country Provider Collaborative will continue to share expertise, embrace new ideas, and plan with purpose so we can all deliver the best possible care for people across Sandwell, West Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, and Walsall.
Four Trusts. One vision. Making progress together.