At Fresenius Medical Care, we take pride in our industry leading dialysis products and services. Dealing with highly technical medical equipment, at a time when clinics and hospitals are so stretched, can be a tall order. However, we strive to make the process as seamless and supportive as possible, to ensure the continuation of the highest quality patient care possible.
Last May, Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust made the decision to switch to Fresenius Medical Care products in their Critical Care units at City and Sandwell Hospitals. Implementing a new piece of equipment into a unit of 120 nursing staff and forty to fifty medics is no mean feat. It is not solely a large financial investment, but also involves an in-depth training and education process which needs to meticulously fit around the complex schedules of an active team. We caught up with Dean Farrington, Matron for the ICU and Lead Renal Nurse at Sandwell hospital to hear about the transition to using Fresenius Medical Care’s Intensive Care equipment.
Our team first met with the City and Sandwell Critical Care team three months before they looked at implementing the new equipment, to ensure that they understood the needs of the Trust. According to Dean, this was really beneficial as “it ensured everyone was on the same page, and that everyone understood how the ambitious roll-out of new equipment was going to work.”
The roll-out itself came to fruition three months later, in May, first implemented for two weeks at City Hospital, and then for a following two weeks at Sandwell. The Trust’s initial target was for over 75% of their staff to be trained, but by the end of Fresenius’ training program, 95% had received hands-on, face to face training. In a fast-paced critical care environment, a speedy training and implementation process is crucial.
Unlike other training programs, Fresenius Medical Care offer a hybrid approach to training which was rolled out with City and Sandwell’s staff. Nurses and medics were able to access seminars online, before they began their hands-on learning, allowing them to first embed a fundamental foundation of knowledge of the equipment. This also ensured that no team member was left behind, as online modules could be learnt at home and fit around other scheduling needs such as childcare. Sandwell and West Birmingham have set up an online internet page, that includes all modules and pre-training which acted, according to Dean, as an excellent resource, providing an easily accessible bank of knowledge and support for staff to tap into and refer back to, whenever needed.
The bespoke training package was not the only form of support that Fresenius Medical Care provided City and Sandwell. They also forged links with other Trusts, putting teams in contact with other hospitals who have also used the same technology. This network of support and knowledge proved incredibly useful, as Trusts have learnt from each other, and helped make their respective rollouts as smooth as possible.
Dean felt the City and Sandwell Critical Care staff were incredibly pleased with the switch to Fresenius’ intensive care equipment, as they felt the up-to-date and reliable technology relieved the burden placed on their work by the prior equipment.
We’re so pleased at the great success seen at City and Sandwell and wish the Trust all the best as they continue to deliver life-saving care to their patients.