August 2017 – IHC news round up

New £65m hospital facility planned for Birmingham

The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and HCA Healthcare UK have announced plans to build a £65 million 138 bed specialist hospital facility offering both NHS and private care on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham campus.

Planned for 2020, the specialist hospital will treat patients over the age of 18 and will increase capacity for NHS patients providing 72 new beds, a new radiotherapy unit and access to new state-of-the-art operating theatres.

Plans for the 14,000 square metre hospital will also include 66 private beds, owned and run by HCA Healthcare UK who will deliver high quality private care across a range of specialities on site.

The hospital will be equipped with the latest technology to provide some of the most complex surgical and medical procedures in cancer, cardiology, neurology, hepatobiliary, urology, orthopaedics and stem cell transplantation.

This will give patients access to a level of acute private healthcare not currently available to the 500,000 people in the region who have private health insurance or who want to self-pay for their care.

HCA Healthcare UK and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust are working with Prime, a specialist health property company, to develop plans for the hospital and will be holding sessions with the local community to involve them and update them on the progress of the project.

Dr Dave Rosser, Executive Medical Director, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said: “The new specialist hospital will provide 72 extra beds for NHS patients that the NHS is not currently able to fund so this will be a huge support in managing our ever-increasing patient numbers.

“We know there are also patients who wish to have their complex procedure/condition treated in the private sector. Currently, they have to travel for this specialist provision or have their treatment in NHS facilities in the region. We therefore welcome HCA Healthcare UK’s support in providing that choice for patients here in Birmingham as well as freeing up the NHS capacity currently used to treat these patients who would chose a private facility if there was one available. As a result of this group of patients being treated privately, more patients will be able to receive their complex treatment on the NHS within the Trust.

“The development will also provide UHB with an additional revenue stream to reinvest into NHS patient care.”

Mike Neeb, CEO HCA Healthcare UK said: “We are extremely proud to be working with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, with its internationally renowned reputation as a centre of medical excellence and innovation. This new hospital will build on this reputation offering a state-of-the-art new facility and expanding access to complex high quality private healthcare in the West Midlands.”

Men more prone to mental health issues at work than women

According to research from Mind, men are more likely to experience worked-related mental health problems than women.

The charity surveyed 15,000 employees from 30 organisations finding 1,763 of them were experiencing poor mental health. It found that one in three men (32%) had mental health problems or poor mental health as a result of their jobs compared to one in five women (19%). While women’s mental health was found to be more likely to be adversely affected by problems outside of work. This was the case for one in five women (19%) compared to one in seven men (14%).

“A significant factor is the culture in many men’s workplaces with many men working in industries where a macho culture prevails or where a competitive environment may exist that prevents them from feeling able to be open,” said Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind.

Other key findings include:

• Men are less prepared to seek help and take time off than women. While 38% of women feel the culture in their organisation makes it possible to speak openly about their mental health problems, only 31% of men say the same.
• 43% of women have taken time off for poor mental health at some point in their career, compared to 29% of men
• 58% of women feel supported by their manager compared to 49% of men
• While 74% of line managers feel confident in supporting a team member with mental health issues, the results show a discrepancy between how male and female managers feel they promote workplace wellbeing. 60% of male line managers feel they have a good understanding of how to promote the mental wellbeing of staff compared to 74% of female line managers.

“In the last few years, we’ve seen employers come on leaps and bounds when it comes to tackling stress and supporting the mental wellbeing of their staff, including those with a diagnosed mental health problem. However, there is more to do and employers do need to recognise the different approaches they may need to adopt in how they address mental health in the workplace,” added Mamo.

The research has been released as Mind encourages employers to sign up to its Workplace Wellbeing Index 2017/18. The index is a benchmark of best policy and practice designed to celebrate the great work employers are doing to support mental health as well as provide recommendations and share ideas on areas for improvement. If you want to know how well your organisation is doing and understand what more you can do to support mental health at work, sign up by 18 September 2017.

Mental health in the workplace can be supported in a number of ways such as an Employee Assistance Programme, providing employees with confidential access to experienced counselors and training for line managers. Contact IHC to find out how you can ensure your organisation is in the best position possible to support the mental wellbeing of your employees.