University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

📸 Here are some photos of our fantastic Kind, Connected and Bold winners from last month. If you work with amazing colleagues or teams, or have been a patient or visitor who has experienced our colleagues going above and beyond, nominate them today via our website https://orlo.uk/vruYt Is there anyone you recognise in this photo? Tag them below 🤩

𝙄𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 📹 ITV spent the day with our maternity and neonatal teams at Heartlands Hospital yesterday to hear all about the Generation Study. The Generation Study is a ground-breaking research study that will sequence the genomes of 100,000 newborn babies to test for over 200 rare genetic conditions. The study, led by Genomics England in partnership with NHS England, identifies treatable, rare conditions shortly after a baby is born rather than when symptoms might appear later in childhood. This means families can access the right support, monitoring, and treatment from the NHS much earlier for these conditions. The news piece can be viewed here: https://orlo.uk/zIeQr at 24:14 minutes To find out more about the Generation Study, please visit our website: https://orlo.uk/ispyX

A new iron transfusion service has launched at Solihull Hospital, to improve outcomes for patients with anaemia (iron deficiency) undergoing major surgery. Prior to surgery, patients referred to the service will receive an infusion of iron directly into a vein, to boost their iron levels. It is hoped this will enable patients to recover more quickly, experience fewer complications, and decrease the need for blood transfusions after surgery. The service officially opened on Monday 23 September and will treat up to four patients weekly on the Enhanced Post Operative Care Unit (EPOC) at Solihull Hospital. Pictured below with the team is Michael Murray, the first patient to receive treatment.

📰 Weekly vacancy bulletin We have a number of therapy vacancies available in #teamUHB. These include senior positions and specialist roles, as well as opportunities to work in the community: ➡️ Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Stroke ➡️ Dietetic Team Lead - Surgery ➡️ Pulmonary Rehabilitation Lead ➡️ Senior Physiotherapist Get more information and apply using the link below 👇

Three of our Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) at Heartlands Hospital have successfully completed the prestigious National Credentialing Programme by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). This is the highest level of professional development for ACPs in emergency medicine, requiring years of dedication, expertise, and clinical excellence. 🌟 Congratulations to: ✅ Hannah Doherty – Advanced Practitioner in Paediatric Emergency Medicine ✅ Claire O'Carroll – Advanced Practitioner in Adult Emergency Medicine ✅ Ruth Beveridge – Advanced Practitioner in Adult and Paediatric Emergency Medicine With only around 180 ACPs in the UK reaching this milestone since 2017, this achievement is a huge testament to their hard work. 👏 Dr Susan Dorrian, Emergency Medicine consultant & PGME Quality lead said: “This accomplishment is not only a testament to the extraordinary efforts of these individuals but also highlights Heartlands Hospital’s commitment to supporting and nurturing advanced practitioners and providing professional development opportunities for our team.”

“Having a baby should be a positive experience and I try my best, with the wider maternity teams, to ensure that these women get the best experience possible.” Alison is a midwife in the female genital mutilation (FGM) service at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB). FGM is a deep-rooted cultural practice which still happens in many countries, including the UK. Alison helped start the UHB service in 2002, when she worked as a midwife on the delivery suite at Heartlands Hospital, to be able to give the best possible care to women, both physically and emotionally. Speaking about her role, Alison said: “It makes me feel very passionate about giving women who have suffered from the horrific effects of FGM the best care.” Read more about Alison, and her role, in this week’s ‘We are UHB’ blog.

As part of Organ Donation Week, we’re sharing Andy’s journey. In 2018, Andy Bright was given just months to live after battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a condition that scars the lungs and makes breathing difficult. But a life-saving double lung transplant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) changed everything. Now, six years on, Andy is taking on a remarkable new challenge: an 800-mile tour from John o’Groats to Land's End in a motorhome and on a motorcycle! All to raise awareness for IPF and inspire others who are fighting similar battles.👏 Stopping at QEHB along the way, Andy was met with applause from members of the Midlands Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group and the transplant team that gave him his second chance at life. 🙌 Read more about Andy’s inspiring journey here: https://orlo.uk/FOzLF

📰 Weekly vacancy bulletin The Birmingham and Solihull Procurement Team plays a key role in supporting the delivery of high quality patient care, whilst ensuring value for money is achieved. They also develop opportunities to pursue efficiency, deliver savings work plans and engage with stakeholders in #teamUHB and across the Birmingham and Solihull area. We currently have opportunities to join our ever-growing team, based at Regent Court: ➡️ Buyer - Procurement ➡️ Category Manager - Procurement 🔎 Search for these, and other vacancies, using the link below.

It is 40 years since Graham Faulkner took the call that would change his life. The 22-year-old had been waiting nearly two years for a kidney transplant. Now he was being told he had matched with a donor and was asked to head to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. “I remember it well. It was a Thursday evening and it was getting close to midnight so the hospital was really quiet. I felt real trepidation. This was 40 years ago and there was no guarantee that the transplant would work.” Few words needed to pass between Graham and his parents Helen and Frederick about the operation, but he said: “We all knew what the transplant would mean. I had to have the operation but none of us could be sure of the outcome.” After a two-week stay in hospital, when Graham had to return to the operating theatre to have his spleen removed, he was then allowed home. After isolating with his parents for three months he started to make the most of his life. Five years later he married Penny and they have two children Rachel, who is a teacher and Laurence, a nurse, and a three-year-old grandson. Graham, who still thinks about the surgeon Mike Crowson and the transplant team, was told during his stay in hospital that the donor had been a young man who had died following a motorbike accident. Graham gets emotional when he thinks about the family who took the decision to donate their loved one’s kidneys. He said: “I still don’t know much about the donor. I wrote a letter to thank them but I have never been sure if they ever knew how their decision had changed my life.” The former nursing practitioner, who now works at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “It still makes me emotional when I think about how their decision to donate their loved one’s organs, saved my life.” Register your wishes now by visiting the NHS Blood and Transplant website to confirm your decision and leave your loved ones' certain.

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞? Community midwife, Rebecca, has shared what a day in the life looks like for her. If you are interested in working in the community, or a midwifery-led unit, we invite you to attend our upcoming midwifery recruitment events. 🗓️ Event dates: ➡️ Thursday 26 September, 5.00pm-8.00pm at the Netherbrook Unit, Solihull Hospital ➡️ Saturday 28 September, 10.00am-2.00pm at the Midwifery Led Unit, Good Hope Hospital ✨ Meet our teams, tour the facilities, and discover more about the fantastic midwifery vacancies available. Book your spot here: 🔗 https://orlo.uk/ustPT 🔗 https://orlo.uk/lfFTF