News

Buckinghamshire NHS Trust have developed a new Service Manager role for Critical Care that we felt would be of interest to other units across the Network. Brandon Storey (MSc) is the ICU Service Manager. 

Molly Chibvuri, Matron – ‘We have found Brandon’s role hugely beneficial and it has made it possible for me to carry out my role’.

Dr Prad Shanmugasundaram, Clinical lead for Critical Care – ‘Establishing the Service Manager post was a game changer for us. Even pre-Covid it was becoming apparent that the strategic and operational issues within our critical care department were becoming more and more challenging. In particular, the urgent was in danger of swamping out the important issues, which was further exacerbated by the pandemic. The Service Manager role has strengthened the ICU Leadership team to ensure that there is capacity to ensure that long-term issues continue to progress, while also supporting the day-to-day operational challenges’.

We asked Brandon to explain more about his role and the impact it’s already having within the Trust.

Background

I originally came from completing a master’s degree at university in Clinical Physiology. This led me onto a path to train in the NHS as a Critical Care Technologist at King’s College Hospital in London. I always knew I wanted to be in frontline care and I instantly started to really like working in Critical Care. Over the years, as I climbed the ladder into seniority and onto my next posting at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital, my role became more clinical and especially on the frontline of the Covid pandemic.

I got involved with many ICU projects with the main one being project lead for ICU structural expansion. This led me onto completing my Prince2 project management practitioner qualification. I have since moved onto my current role as Service manager for Critical Care and I am very happy with what I have done in my role thus far.

My role - Operational

I am very much involved in the day to day operational running of ICU. This can consist of reporting into site meetings, safety briefings, bronze forums etc reporting on both the challenges and triumphs that the ICU department face day to day. I regularly try and fix or facilitate the rectification of issues that come up be it with equipment, IT software, POCT, procurement etc.

I am also very proud to line manage our newly formed stock and procurement team made up of previous HCA’s that were redeployed into this role during Covid. Currently ongoing tasks are to streamline what stock we use, provide cost savings where we can and oversee our various contractual obligations with a variety of companies to provide best value. I am also very proud to line manage our administration team made up of ward clerks, ward administrators and a data administrator.

Chairing ICU business meetings is always a nice part of my job to bring the ICU leadership team and senior team members together to discuss Governance, M&M, business etc. This is a chance for everyone to make suggestions and update on actions. We were also delighted to welcome representatives from the ACC network to one of these meetings recently which was very informative.

I maintain very close links with all other support services and departments around the hospital to work together in concluding issues or problems that can arise daily.

Strategic

My role is straightforward; I ask the clinicians what they need for their service and I facilitate. When I first came to ICU at Buckinghamshire to start observing the staff make-up, structure etc... I was blown away that this team has managed to achieve as much as they have with, in various places, a lack of resource. Myself, Prad (Clinical lead) and Molly (Matron) regularly discuss how we can bring ourselves up to the national standards and standards that our patients and population deserve. In particular; our ICU challenges with capacity and workforce. The has led me to have numerous discussions with leadership teams, MDT members, clinicians etc on the best way forward. It was decided that this would be an ‘all in one’ ICU business case, strategy and plan for expansion over the next 5 years to meet the needs of our service users, members of staff and the national standards. I was tasked with bringing this all together in a 35-40-page plan. This is such a big piece of work and I was honoured to be chosen to undertake this. My only hope is that this is seen through so we can all work together for a better future.

As part of my role, I also sit on the project team currently upgrading ICU documentation to a new clinical information system. This is a much-anticipated upgrade that I am sure will increase efficiency and overall oversight of our ICU processes.

One of my key objectives is to always reduce length of stay for our patients by trying to provide a better environment to exhibit maximal recovery. I regularly try and use charitable donations/funds to help support projects and initiatives to drive this goal forward working alongside a very motivated nursing team!

On top of these aspects of my role, I regularly meet with Prad and Molly to determine a vision for what we aspire to be in the future and what sort of department we see ourselves running. Hopefully, all the readers will be able to hear about or see these plans come into fruition as we continue to work on them going into the future.