All-staff Team Brief

Wellbeing

The past 18 months have been highly disruptive for staff at all levels within the Trust and has had a detrimental impact on staff wellbeing. As 2024 is a leap year, will the Trust consider giving staff the extra day as leave to be taken in the 24/25 calendar year as a morale booster and thanks?

We are looking at a range of reward and benefit offers for colleagues, that we can financially and sustainably introduce. An update on this will be provided at March’s Team Brief. There is also a lot of work being done to ensure that morale is boosted for all in as consistent a way as possible.

Are there any plans to have a staff menopause clinic, where we are able to see a clinician to have HRT prescribed? I am aware of the M Club and Menopause Champions etc. So many GPs are not trained in menopause care, and accessing evidence-based treatment is an uphill battle for many.

This is something we are exploring as part of our health and wellbeing offer. There will be some enhancements to Occupational Health, and the Women’s Staff Network is looking specifically at the menopause support, which will include an end-to-end pathway with specialist inputs. We are hoping this will have a range of support with HRT-related issues, menstrual problems, pelvic pain, cervical cancer and other benign gynaecological problems.

Getting to work

While I can understand our parking struggles, I find it hard to understand why our Trust has accepted a scheme where we pay a percentage of our salary, instead of having few fixed levels of payments related to our salaries? Why should Q Park profit from every pay increase for a parking space that is not even guaranteed?

The parking payments were recently changed to ensure colleagues paid the same amount across job roles, regardless of what site they worked at. It was agreed that the fairest way to implement this was via a salary sacrifice at a percentage of salary.

Will we be getting a pay-as-you-go parking option? Paying a ridiculous amount for unlimited parking is pointless when parking is filled quickly. By having a pay as you go option, some might use other options when suitable and drive when needed. This may help free up parking spaces.

With the new multi-storey car parks discussed in the update above, we are doing our best to ensure there will be a pay-as-you-go option for staff. With our current infrastructure and technology, that is not something we are in a position to introduce just yet.

Are there any plans to review which staff can park on site at Heartlands Hospital? The original decision was to send all admin staff offsite, regardless of age or service. This seems a little unfair when younger, fitter and/or newer staff can park on-site for the same cost.

We are currently looking at the eligibility criteria for onsite parking at each site.

The new access control on the multi-storey car park at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a joke. It relies in part on you inputting a car registration to access, yet you can just look into the car park from the road and input any registration number to gain access. It seems pointless and generates queues getting into the car park.

Due to ongoing concerns related to security and health and safety, it has been necessary to increase the security controls to the car park. Colleagues should use their ID badge to enter the park, which should not cause any delay or major inconvenience, however, if you do not have your badge, you can enter your vehicle registration on the appropriate terminal to enter the car park. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

Do we have information on the amount of staff that are citing parking at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham as a reason for leaving?

Looking at data from exit interviews when colleagues leave the organisation, between July 2022 and January 2024, 17 colleagues cited car parking as a contributing factor for leaving, and 43 colleagues commented on it. While none of them cited it as the main reason for wishing to leave the organisation, it was a contributing factor and themes included the cost, difficulty getting parking permits and the unavailability of parking spaces at times.

Annual leave

When carrying over annual leave, the guidance says that this must be taken in the first month. Will this result in areas having staffing issues or other pressures during April? Would it be better for the extra annual leave to be spread throughout the year, at times that are better for the staff member and their team? / We can purchase annual leave to take at any time, however if you carry over leave this has to be taken within the first month. Is that still the case? If so, would it then be an option to sell at the beginning of the year and buy back in the summer, so as to take it whenever you choose?

As much as is possible, it is important you spread your annual leave entitlement across the annual leave year, to ensure you get enough rest, for your own health and wellbeing. When carrying over up to five days of annual leave, we do encourage colleagues to take this within the first month of the annual leave year, to ensure you are not going too long without that rest. However, we do know this may not always be possible, so the procedure does allow for flexibility for this to be extended with agreement from your line manager. We would not expect managers to unreasonably deny this, but would like them to work with you to ensure there is a plan to factor that important rest time in.

We do not want to be in a position where colleagues need to buy annual leave and then later sell it, in order to take their annual leave at a time that suits them. Hopefully the flexibility within the carry over procedure will help with this.

COVID-19

Can there please be an update regarding COVID-19 absence and reporting? The intranet is significantly out of date now. / Please can you clarify the COVID-19 sickness policy? The Trust guidance is very confusing, and the links appear to contradict national guidance. Can I suggest an updated pathway for staff and managers to follow?

Updated guidance on this is now live on the COVID-19 microsite.

• COVID-19 guidance

Culture

There are still some senior colleagues who behave as though they are exempt from the work being done around improving culture at the Trust. Some of these concerns have been raised previously and appear to resolve temporarily before bad behaviour returns. How can this truly be tackled?

This is really concerning, particularly given how clear we have tried to be about the types of behaviours that are acceptable, and those that will not be tolerated as an organisation. We have recently launched the behavioural framework, and we will be working with individuals to make sure there is even more clarity about the behaviours that are in line with our values and those that are unacceptable.

Apart from the five-day challenge, will there be anything else to celebrate Race Equality Week?

While there were no other events hosted by the Trust for Race Equality Week, there is a lot of working being undertaken to promote race equality, fairness and anti-discrimination across the organisation. This includes ensuring all our colleagues are treated fairly at work and working to improve health inequalities for our patients, colleagues and local communities. This is a priority for us as an organisation year-round.

I been taking part in Race Equality Week. I am actually flabbergasted that anyone can treat someone different based on their skin colour. I wish my thoughts and actions were the norm for everyone. It is very sad that they are not.

We all agree with this statement.

I know ‘ethnic minority’ is a widely used term in society, but could we consider stopping using it in the Trust? Nobody should be labelled as a 'minority' - we should all feel equal.

This is something we have been discussing as an Executive Team with the co-chairs of the BAME Staff Network. While the BAME Staff Network is in the process of changing its name, we are also looking at the language we use as an organisation more generally. There are some guiding principles from the NHS Race and Health Observatory, which will form a good guide for us. We want to ensure that we equip colleagues with the confidence to use the new language and terminology, that allows everybody to feel safe to have conversations. We will provide a further update on this soon.

I have recently seen an email from the Leadership Engagement Team regarding becoming a 'future leader'. You can only apply if you are a member of an ethnic minority group. Why are we dividing people? Everybody should have these opportunities regardless, of if they are a 'minority'.

This training opportunity is a national initiative that has been introduced as a development opportunity to encourage colleagues from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background to progress in the field of statistics.

I have known three colleagues to have experienced homophobic behaviour from other colleagues, but it is always overlooked and turns into their word versus others. When will this be taken seriously?

Homophobic behaviour is unacceptable and is taken very seriously. If you feel comfortable to share experiences of when you have experienced or witness this behaviour, please do raise them via one of our confidential routes.

The care we are currently offering is not effective, caring or compassionate. Nursing staff avoid eye contact and ignore patients. I am ashamed to tell people I work here. I feel all staff need to attend a customer care course. I feel staff have forgotten this is a caring profession and environment.

We see caring and compassionate care in our hospitals every day, however we know that is not always the case. Some of you may see it first hand, and we do get poor feedback from patients and visitors in some areas. We are changing our approach to patient feedback and working towards become more proactive in its collection. While we do have some good proactive measures of patient experience, there is more we can do, and we are looking at other trusts to learn from them and improve that at UHB. This will also mean applying some interventions in those areas where the experience for patients and visitors is not as good as we would like it to be.

The Freedom to Speak Up service is being used to bully line managers. Staff can go and complain about management, and their own conduct and performance is not taken into account. We have no way of responding as it is anonymous, and we cannot address issues as we are seen to be bullying.

The role of the Freedom to Speak Up service is not to investigate, attribute blame, or advocate for colleagues. It is there to provide colleagues with a route to have their voices heard, when they feel they cannot do this via other routes, and to protect them from detriment from raising concerns. To enable this service to do that, the aspect of confidentiality is important. The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian works with the organisation to promote reflective learning and a restorative approach to resolving concerns. To date the service has assisted over 600 colleagues. It is important to remember that those individuals are usually in distress and anxious about detriment, it is not a decision they take lightly. They may be correct, partially correct, or in fact incorrect in their accusations, but it is rarely vindictive. We must ensure that regardless, their concerns are investigated fairly. If those concerns are about you, it is important that we consider how we respond to them, role modelling the attitudes and behaviours we would expect from others. We must ensure we handle these concerns in as empathic manner as possible.

Recruitment and retention

Please be honest about appointments to senior posts. Many posts seem to have preferred candidates even before being advertised.

This is disappointing to hear and should not be the case. If you are aware of specific examples, please get in touch with Cathi Shovlin, Chief People Officer, so this can be looked into.

Recent rounds of very senior recruitment, including recruitment to the Executive Team, has involved very open and transparent, rigorous, and competitive recruitment processes. The majority of which included external panel members. This process will be adopted for all leadership positions within the organisation.

We do also benefit from having fair recruitment experts who can be utilised on any recruitment panel as an independent member to ensure the process is fair from shortlisting to hiring.

Many international nurses are feeling underprepared to carry out nursing tasks, such as admissions, discharges, enhanced paperwork, and being the nurse in charge. Are there any courses that they can be signposted to?

There is a course entitled ‘Clinical foundation programme’ which is available for all nurses who are starting in the role after their initial preceptorship or induction. It is a two-and-a-half day course, which will help you with the theory. However, anyone who is struggling is encouraged to speak to their line manager to identify the areas they wish to develop so they can ensure they get individualised support.

Was the recent Ophthalmology Operations Manager post advertised formally on NHS Jobs?

This role was advertised internally on this occasion. There were four candidates who were shortlisted for interview.

Other

Why, when the Trust advertises that it is family-friendly with flexible working and helping people to be able to work with families and difficult home life situations, is the opposite being felt? Managers are making life so stressful some of us cannot see how we can continue to work here.

We are committed to ensuring there is flexibility for all. However, we do unfortunately hear that this is not necessarily being experienced by everyone. We are addressing these issues through a range of routes, including the work of the Culture and Inclusion Oversight Group.

If you are experiencing difficulty with this, either as a member of a team or a manager, please contact the Organisational Development Team, who are able to help you find solutions.

Email: Organisationaldeveopment@uhb.nhs.uk

Could the performance updates from CEO Connected be given once per month instead with an intranet link for the other weeks? As important as they are, I tend to switch off for this part of the meeting due to repetitiveness, as I am not in a position to influence them. Others may feel the same.

We will rethink how these updates are given once we get into April. Many of the targets and milestones we need to reach take us to the end of March 2024, so while they remain a priority for us, these updates will continue at CEO Connected.

Can we look at the uniform choices for porters? Polo shirts feel like a better choice for comfort and ease rather than the tailored shirts.

This will be looked into and considered by the Uniform Group.

Regarding Long Service Awards and colleagues wanting to feel appreciated by the Trust. Could the Trust not approach staff with an email of 'Happy 25th NHS Anniversary' rather than the individual approaching the Trust? Surely the data is held on ESR? This just feels like a more personal touch.

While the Long Service Award ceremonies have been an excellent opportunity to celebrate our colleagues’ years of service, there has been a lot of learnings for us since we launched the next process last year. Changes will be made for this next year, with a more localised approach via the new operating model and site-based leadership teams to ensure colleagues feel much more appreciated during the process. However, we will still need colleagues to apply for their long service award, because we do not yet have sufficient and reliable data, particularly for those colleagues who have reached their 25 or 40 years of service.

An information poster has been received that says C5 envelopes are now to be used for letters. Please confirm that the standard letter size envelopes (110mm x 220mm) are no longer to be used. If this is the case, then they need to be removed from iProc. Again, there is a lack of communication in cascading information.

This has been clarified, and updated information is now available on the intranet:

• Changing the way we send our post

Can anyone tell us what the building work behind the audiology building at the side of Nuffield House is, and for how much longer it is going on for. There has been constant digging, banging and general disturbance for a year and does not seem to be progressing. It is very disruptive and noisy.

The work is to deliver a two-year carbon reduction infrastructure project to install a new air source heat pump with new pipework, to supply heat to the Heritage Building. It is common in complex projects such as this for there to be delays, which causes work to be paused – this has been the case with this project. The main bit of work, which is creating the noise, is due to be completed by the end of next week – after this, all heavy plant and machinery will leave the site, which should significantly reduce the noise disruption. The main air source heat pump equipment will arrive in April, and there may be some more disturbance, but it has been agreed with the contractor that they will do their best to keep this to a minimum as affect the departments and teams in the surrounding areas as little as possible.

Could I change my picture on the jigsaw artwork? I feel like it does not truly represent me, and I feel sad whenever I look at it.

Fiona Alexander, Director of Communications, asked the individual who wrote this question to get in touch with her directly, so we can ensure that photograph is not used in any other area or reprints of the jigsaw artwork.

Email: Fiona.Alexander@uhb.nhs.uk

The intranet states that access to work reports should be sent to accesstowork@uhb.nhs.uk and the Wellbeing Team will purchase the equipment required from a central budget. May I ask why this is not happening?

This was initially a pilot initiative, but we are pleased to say we were recently successful in our grant to UHB Charity to enable us to continue resourcing this from a centralised budget. It will continue to be managed by the Inclusion Team and further resource will be with the team shortly to enable them to pick up new requests. Managers do remain responsible for processing all access to work claims, with the Inclusion Team available to offer support and advice.

Could communication be sent advising what the icons mean in the Outlook address book please? This is so colleagues know when they are sending to a group of staff and not one person.

We have asked the IT Team to pick this up at a monthly IT Team Brief meeting.

Can the Procurement Team please put the core stationary list back online like it used to be? Trying to find items when iProc no longer has pictures is making ordering so difficult and time consuming.

This list was lost following a recent upgrade of iProc and the teams are working to bring it back. In the meantime, if you need to look at the catalogue, please contact the procurement team who can provide you with a link.

Would the Trust consider creating lactation rooms across the sites to help support breastfeeding mothers who are returning to work? Currently staff have to arrange space locally, which can be tricky if working cross-site or in busy clinical areas. A designated room would really help with wellbeing.

This is something we are looking to introduce as part of our wellbeing offer to improve the experience of women in the workplace.

When you are clicking on a link in the 'In the Loop' email, the web page it takes you to has outdated and repeated topics. Can this please be kept up-to-date and relevant?

The ‘In the Loop’ web page contains the past four weeks’ worth of content that you receive via email, allowing colleagues to catch up on anything they may have missed or need to find again. For many, this is really useful. However, to avoid any confusion, the team has now started to label on the page, where content from each week begins and ends.

I know we have the flexible working policy, however, is there an option for a career break available to admin staff?

Any member of staff, regardless of job role, is eligible for a career break as per our work life balance policy. You can find more here:

• Career break guidance

Are there any plans to give an office on Area 1 Level 7 back to the Trainee Nursing Associate Educators and Practice Placement Team? The Therapy Team has three offices in area 1. Learners and student nurses are having to have quite personal conversations in front of an open office as a result. They are the future workforce and deserve more support.

Space is an issue across all of our sites. The QEHB Leadership Team will review the office space, and if a solution cannot be found for those current offices, we will discuss with the Education team about the possibility of finding a better location for those conversations to take place.

Where will the new transplant centre be based at QEHB? Is it a new build or part of existing buildings and is there a proposed opening date?

The Edmunds Birmingham Transplant Centre will be based in the east block of the Heritage Building. Some of the enabling works have already started and we anticipate the centre opening in the autumn of this year.

The old directory on the intranet for Good Hope, Heartlands and Solihull hospital was really user-friendly and straightforward. Please can we have that back? The rDirectory is a bit rubbish in comparison.

The old directory used an old database and was on an old server that had to be decommissioned. rDirectory, which is same as the one used by Switchboard and allows colleagues to keep their own information up-to-date, has now replaced this and is available from the intranet.

• rDirectory

Can the menu for the Dining Room in Heartlands Hospital main entrance also be available on intranet? Spending my half an hour break, running around checking menus at the front of hospital and in The Refectory, then order, eat and actually have a break is becoming difficult.

The Dining Room, formally Café One, in the main entrance of Heartlands Hospital is not a Trust-owned or managed retail facility. Therefore we are unable to share details of the menu on our intranet site. You can access the menus for all our restaurants on the intranet.

• Restaurant menus

The below questions have been answered previously, and the answers remain the same.

• I know this has already been mentioned, but just to advise that I was almost run over on the zebra crossing on Yardley Green Road again this morning. The car stopped one side of the road, but not the other. As I have no option but to park, is the Trust liable if I am injured?
• The morning shuttle between Heartlands Hospital and Yardley Green Road car park used to be constantly back and forth. Now the driver sits for ages to the point where staff are getting on, waiting a while and then getting off and walking. Not sure how much this is costing the Trust, but could we have a better service please?
• Trying to leave the Yardley Green Road car park at home time is extremely dangerous as you simply cannot see in either direction due to parked cars. It is very stressful and feels like Russian roulette. Please do not wait for an accident. Kindly find a solution.
• This has been raised before with comments on police action, but there has been another series of break-ins to the ITM building. The politics between the university and the NHS are getting in the way of action to prevent this happening again. Can we have an update of what actions are being taken?
• Following the roll-out of Bookwise to allow staff to book clinical space in the HTC, it is a bit disappointing that this has now been stopped and the only way we can get a room is if another clinic was cancelled on that day. Is this change permanent and what are the alternatives?
• When will the Wolfson Building security system be fixed? Colleagues are relying on other colleagues to be let into the building at present.
• Please can people introduce themselves and tell us their role when they speak? Not everyone knows everyone.