Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

11/06/2026

"I truly believe I have the best job in the organisation!"

Meet IPC Assistant, Jean Dipple. Jean has dedicated 34 years to BCHC and stepped into her current Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) role during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Five Minutes With feature, you’ll discover more about her extensive experience in IPC, the critical work involved in preventing and managing infections, and how her role helps protect patients, colleagues and the wider community.

👉 Hi Jean, please could you explain what an Infection Prevention and Control Assistant does and how your role impacts patients and colleagues?

I am part of a small team within the BCHC Infection Prevention and Control team that was commissioned back in 2020 to support adult social care homes with Infection Prevention and Control guidance and outbreak support, across Birmingham (now also includes Solihull). It was a difficult time for many care homes, so going in and providing face to face training, donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE), hand hygiene and cleaning of the environment, whilst making it accessible and fun for all staff really made a difference.

Delivering IPC mandatory training within the care homes is a real privilege for me, chatting to the residents and building a trusting relationship with staff means that when outbreaks of flu, norovirus or COVID happen, they know they can call us to give support.

Our ethos has always been, “we are here to help”, so we developed the role of an IPC Champion, with bespoke training, workbooks and forums. We now have 581 Care Home IPC Champions that continue to make improvements.

Within BCHC I am a regular visitor to the wards and our Learning and Disabilities services to check and promote good hand hygiene and standard IPC precautions.

I'm proud to say that I was involved in designing and producing our “Go Gloveless” campaign to improve sustainability, reduce waste and remind staff that hand hygiene is key.

I enjoy meeting and talking about the work we do within IPC, so I am a regular at induction mornings, and provide an interactive learning experience for many of the new starters and trainees within Adult Specialist Rehabilitation.

My role within the team is always evolving, from producing a newsletter for our care homes, to being an IPC ambassador at trust events, and raising awareness of tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance and sepsis. I truly believe I have the best job in the organisation!


👉 What inspired you to work in this field?

After working in direct care for over 30 years, I thought working in IPC would be a gentler, calmer, more sedate pace of work… How wrong could I be! I have never been so busy, engaged, enthusiastic and passionate about all things infection control.

👉 What do you love most about your role?

The learning! Every day there is something new occurring in the world of infectious diseases. I am so honoured to meet and work alongside so many staff, from facilities, support staff, nurses and admin staff in both our organisation and the adult care sector of Birmingham and Solihull.

👉 What is the most difficult thing about your role?

Driving across Birmingham, negotiating traffic is challenging.


👉 You were awarded a Chief Nursing Officer badge in 2024, how did that feel?

I received a Values in Practice (VIP) Award as Corporate Superstar in November 2023 and was later awarded a Chief Nursing Officer Award in 2024 for being an “exceptional team player, a positive role model, consistently praising, supporting, encouraging and empowering staff”. This was then closely followed with a Cavell Star Award, again for inspiring and promoting IPC, safe care.
I still cannot quite believe that I am deserving of these awards, but to see the pride and joy on my Dad’s face when showing him, shortly before he died meant the world to me.

👉 Tell us something that people might not know about you?

I was the only girl to get kicked out of the school choir for not being able to hold a note!


👉Describe yourself in three words.

Talkaholic, curious, positive.

10/06/2026

Thanks to a £1,500 grant from Tesco Rubery, BCHC Charity has been able to provide cribs and baby bedding to help create a safe sleeping space for babies and infants of homeless and vulnerable families.

Working with children’s centres close to Tesco Rubery and our Strengthening Families Health Visitors, we have been able to provide moses baskets, fitted sheets, and baby blankets to 17 mothers and babies so far, allowing them a safe, separate space to lay their child to sleep. One parent who received a safer sleep bundle, said, “Thank you so much for the support. I have been so worried about how I can afford all the needed items for my baby. The moses basket came at the right time and has lessened my anxiety."

Find out more about our Safer Sleep project: https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/charity-news/supporting-safer-sleep-for-birmingham-babies-9087

09/06/2026

This month, we join the nation to celebrate Pride Month, an annual celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of June 1969 and honour our LGBTQ+ (le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, q***r and plus) colleagues, service users and allies.

🏳️‍🌈Pride is a celebration of diversity, identities and progress but is also a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality, acceptance and visibility.

At BCHC, we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment where everyone can feel secure and proud in their identity.

08/06/2026

BCHC is shortlisted in four categories for the 2026 HSJ Patient Safety Awards.👏 🎉

The awards celebrate outstanding contributions to patient safety and recognise organisations that are delivering safer care despite increasing complexity, ongoing pressures, and significant change across the healthcare system.

Out of the 25 categories, BCHC has been shortlisted for the following four:

👏 Patient Safety team - Patient Safety Team of the Year Award
👏 Rukaiya Bhanji - Improving Medicines Safety Award
👏 West Birmingham Neighbourhood team (Birmingham and Solihull Community Care Collaborative) - Primary Care Safety Initiative of the Year Award
👏 West Birmingham Neighbourhood team (Birmingham and Solihull Community Care Collaborative) - Neighbourhood and Community Health Safety Initiative of the Year Award.

The 2026 judging panel includes some of the most influential figures in healthcare and winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 28 September 2026 at the Telford International Centre.

Read more about the projects that made the shortlist on our website.

05/06/2026

This week, over 150 colleagues gathered for our annual leadership conference to explore the future of healthcare leadership.

The event focused on the Future Operating Model and neighbourhood working, featuring an interactive live panel. Attendees discussed successes, identified areas for improvement, and reflected on their roles.

Sam Tolliday, professional lead for physiotherapy, said: “It’s always nice to network away from an email and talk face-to-face. I had an informative day and enjoyed the energiser.”

04/06/2026

BCHC Charity hosted a Volunteer Celebration event earlier today, to show our appreciation for all the hard work and dedication we've seen from volunteers over the years.

Presenting at the event, Associate Director of Charities Sarah Binks said, "I want to say a huge thank you to every single person who has given their time, energy, and passion to support BCHC Charity.

This year marks the charity's 10th birthday, giving us the opportunity to reflect on everything we have achieved together over the last decade. The truth is that none of it would have been possible without you.

From our incredible individual volunteers, to the companies that choose to spend their volunteer days with us, to our dedicated staff champions, your support has helped us make a real difference to the communities we serve.

This week is all about giving something back and celebrating the people who make our work possible.

So, during Volunteers' Week, we simply wanted to say thank you."

02/06/2026

BCHC Charity’s mission is to enhance patient care and improve their experience with BCHC services, and volunteering is vital to helping us make a difference. So far in 2026, we've had 133 corporate volunteers across 24 volunteering days, taking the total number of hours given by corporate volunteers to over 285!

This Volunteers Week, we're spotlighting one of our corporate star supporters, Allianz: https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/charity-news/valuing-volunteers-spotlighting-star-supporters-9043

02/06/2026

Every year, thousands of people give their time to support patients, staff, and communities across the NHS and social care and the difference they make is immeasurable.

This Volunteers’ Week (1–7 June), we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who volunteers with us. Whether you're befriending a patient on a ward, helping visitors find their way, or supporting our teams behind the scenes you are a vital part of the NHS family.

But volunteering isn't just about giving back. For many, it's also been the first step towards a career in health and care. Volunteering gives you real experience in a healthcare setting, helps you build skills and confidence, and opens doors to roles across nursing, social care, allied health, administration, and beyond. Many of our current staff will tell you their journey started exactly this way.

If you've ever thought about working in the NHS and social care, or simply want to make a difference in your community, volunteering could be the perfect place to start.

Find out how to volunteer locally https://volunteering.england.nhs.uk/volunteer/search-for-an-opportunity

01/06/2026

01/06/2026

We're delighted that our primary care partners at Vesey Practice have moved into the newly refurbished Sutton Coldfield Cottage Hospital over the weekend.
Our best wishes and a very warm welcome in their new home, where they will be working alongside teams delivering a range of our adult community outpatient services.