Redeployment: "Let us be ONE Barts Health Team. Let’s support others who need our help"
During these exceptional times and in recognising the enormous pressures on our wards, we set up a workforce hub to encourage discussions with admin & clerical staff about their availability to consider either being deployed or to give some of their working time to very different roles that will have more of an impact right now and support the areas most in need in the coming weeks.
Khaledun Kader and Nikki Howes discuss their redeployment experience and encourage others to participate...
Khaledun Kader, Deputy Finance Manager, Emergency Care & Acute Medicine, Whipps Cross Hospital
"I was redeployed for two days to the clinical governance team at Whipps Cross. As part of my new role, I helped the team by logging patients' belongings, this meant listing a patient's items with their contact details. I helped to make phone calls to patients to arrange a time to collect their belongings - for background, when a patient arrives at hospital they bring with them personal possessions such as mobile phones, watches, jewellery, etc. During their stay if they get seriously ill, our ward colleagues safeguard these belongings on their behalf by putting them into sealed bags and passing them on to the governance team to return to patients after their stay. Unfortunately, some patients of course pass away and I would be tasked with reaching out to relatives of the deceased. I would have to inform them about the patient’s belongings and arrange a time that was suitable for them to collect or us to deliver. I got emotional on a couple of calls while talking to a patient's next of kin. All the relatives I spoke with were very thankful for the calls and support received during their relatives stay at Whipps.
I must say, I enjoyed working with such a diverse team, not only were they very helpful, caring towards patients and respectful with each call they received, but they were also a fun team to work with which of course helps in these times - they were willing to help when you needed support. I can’t forget the hospitality shown by the team which I enjoyed and I’m grateful for, from wonderful cups of tea to a thoughtful gift, both of which I’m very appreciative of.
I would encourage all my colleagues to go out and help if you haven’t yet done so. What I learnt is that each division and team are so inter-linked that if one team is struggling to perform it will have an immediate effect on the overall hospital performance."
"Let us be ONE Barts Health Team. Let’s support others who need our help."
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Nikki Howes, Senior Programme Support Officer and Personal Assistant, Redevelopment Team, Whipps Cross Hospital
"I work in the Whipps Cross Redevelopment team and I am currently deployed to Sycamore ward at Whipps Cross for a few days a week to help with the family hub offering admin support by interacting with patients, their families and nurses to facilitate virtual face to face calls. I was speaking to patients to ask if they would like a virtual call with their families, contacting their relatives to explain how to download the SkyLeaf App (video calling platform) and sending them meeting requests.
I am tasked with holding the iPad for patients whilst they speak to their relatives and watching both the patients and relatives faces light up when they see each other. What would seem like a straightforward task can actually be quite emotional and you can’t help but become invested.
It’s hard because of course patients miss being able to see their families because they can't have visitors at this time and not all patients have the capacity or devices to be able to contact their families themselves. It has been great being able to help the patients and take a little bit of pressure off the nurses who are all working so hard."
The workforce hub have many areas in need of support and if you are interested in assisting them please email wxhrdepartment.bartshealth@nhs.net for further details.
Further information:
Guidance on redeployment and current roles needed
“It’s a privilege to help families through the most traumatic time of their lives”
Clinical nurse specialist Sam gets redeployed to our Covid ITU