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City children’s hospital rated ‘outstanding’


Birmingham Children’s Hospital has become the first of its kind to be rated “outstanding” by healthcare inspectors in England. The hospital, now part of


Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, was praised by the Care Quality Commission for “working effectively to provide the best care”. The accolade comes just eight


years after the hospital was criticised for having insufficient numbers of beds, operating theatres and trained staff. Visiting in May 2016, inspectors


looked at core services including A&E, medical care, surgery, paediatric critical care, neonatal care, transition services, end of life care, outpatients and child and adolescent mental health services.


‘I am confident that the work we are undertaking will ensure that patients and families receive a high standard of care’


The trust was rated as


‘Outstanding’ for whether its services were caring, effective and responsive, ‘good’ for whether its services were well-led and ‘requires improvement’ for whether its services were safe. Sarah-Jane Marsh, chief


executive of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I cannot tell you how thoroughly overwhelmed and excited everyone at Birmingham Children’s Hospital is that our hard work and unwavering commitment has been recognised in an Outstanding rating from the CQC. “For the last five years we have


been all about building and developing one giant healthcare team with 3,700 members – Team BCH – and it is wonderful to see this shining through in the report, from how well we work across different


20 CHAMBERLINK April 2017


specialties and disciplines to the way we support innovation, ensuring we are always at the forefront of what is possible – with children and young people in our hearts. “And it’s children, young people


and families who inspire us every day – so to hear that they think we really go the extra mile for them, keeping them informed and supported in their care, while treating them with dignity and respect, means the world to us. “The areas flagged for


improvement are fair as we know we have more to do, particularly in neonates and community mental health, and they have been a priority for us for some time. “I am confident that the work we


are undertaking will ensure that patients and families receive a high standard of care now, and long into the future – and that soon every service will be ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ – especially now we can tap into the expertise of the amazing teams at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.” • Over 150 professionals from across the city attended an exclusive Big Sleuth event to get their first glimpse of the bears that will be leaving their mark all over Birmingham this summer. Over 200 designs were


submitted, and up to 100 will be brought to life thanks to the corporate sponsors who have helped to put the trail on. The Big Sleuth is the sequel to The


Big Hoot, which attracted more than 800,000 visitors in 2015 and raised over £625,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. Birmingham Children’s Hospital


Charity and creative producers Wild in Art will bring the 165cm-tall sculptures to the city for 10 weeks during the summer. At the end of the free public art trail the bears will be auctioned for the charity.


To find out more information and sponsorship opportunities go to www.thebigsleuth.co.uk


Home comforts (from left): Sarah-Jane Marsh, Rachel Ollerenshaw, Nicki Fitzmaurice, Gayle Routledge and Dame Christine Braddock


Support centre opens


A new £1 million support centre, Magnolia House, has opened at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital – setting the benchmark for palliative and bereavement care across the country. A national first, Magnolia House has been funded entirely by charitable donations and will improve the experiences of hundreds of families who receive life-changing or difficult news in the future. Every year, approximately 120 life-changing conversations take place


at the hospital between health professionals and the loved ones of young people. Currently this news is delivered in offices, empty cubicles or even


playrooms, with parents often moved back out onto the ward before they have properly had the time to digest what they are being told. Fundraising was spearheaded by the hospital’s near-neighbour


Wesleyan. The Birmingham-based financial mutual successfully raised


£750,000 of the required £1m total, thanks to more than 200 fundraising activities ranging from cake bakes to the publishing of a children’s book, ‘The Unstoppable Maggie McGee’. The final £250,000 was raised through public donations.


University makes major contribution to economy


The University of Birmingham contributes £3.5 billion to the UK economy every year – enough to build seven flagship hospitals or 140 new secondary schools, new figures show. A report follows research by


London Economics reveals that the country’s first civic university now supports 15,545 jobs in the West Midlands – almost one in 50 jobs in Birmingham. On a like-for-like basis the


university’s economic impact has


grown by 59 per cent in the last 10 years. London Economics placed the value of the university’s international undergraduate students at more than £160 million in 2014-15. The university’s teaching


contributes £1.34 billion to the UK economy, while its research and knowledge transfer activity is worth £885 million, with every £1 million of investment from UK Research Councils generating an additional £12 million to the economy.


Contact: Henrietta Brealey T: 0121 607 1898


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