Monthly archives: May 2020
COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 7 May
This is our every single day bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. You are doing a great job!
Congratulations to everyone involved in R&D as we have topped 100 trial enrolees. “Research the movie” is reattached at the foot of this message. All of us can play our part in not following the science but leading the science by helping to create a body of knowledge about how to save lives. Please think about how you can help to sign up more patients to our studies or help us participate in more studies. For the avoidance of doubt we have applied for the NIHR/MRC study call in respect of BAME deaths with Covid-19 as we work together with our communities to understand what is happening and how best to address it.
Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)
| Number of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged during the pandemic | Number of patients who have died in our hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of patients entered by the Trust into a COVID-19 research trial to date | Number of COVID-19 positive patients who are inpatients with us today | Number of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation today |
| 1115 (1114) |
719 (712) |
303 (302) |
102 (101) |
93 (100) |
541 (527) |
1. #SWBCleanhand – How clean are your hands?
This week is Hand Hygiene Week and a friendly reminder to remember to continue washing and sanitising your hands. Today we caught up with Karen Morsley, Manual Handling Lead Trainer to talk about all things hand hygiene.
Karen told us: “I am currently supporting in our pop up shop at Sandwell. Whilst we all wear gloves and aprons we don’t forget the importance of washing our hands. We have a wash basin in the room we use and ensure we all wash our hands regularly.”
Let us know what you’re doing to keep your hands clean at swbh.comms@nhs.net, sharing your pictures, films and stories and share them on social media too using #SWBcleanhands
2. Proning patients with COVID-19 to improve clinical outcomes
We are working every day to save lives. One of the recommended ways that we can make a difference to patient outcomes is to consider proning in our acute medicine and general ward environments, as well as in intensive care. Our guidance on awake proning covers length of time, positioning and the importance of consent.
We must also record patient proning in Unity using the Awake Prone Position (APP) PowerPlan. A Quick Reference Guide (QRG) has been developed to guide you through the steps you need to take to record proning. Please make sure you read this guide so that you can record when patients are receiving this intervention.
If you have any questions about our Proning Policy please contact Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner direct.
3. Testing patients for COVID-19 using the right swabs
It is vital to follow the correct process for sampling of swabs from our patients. This will ensure that the swabs are able to be processed by the labs so that results are returned promptly and swabs are not wasted. The pathway sets out clearly who should be swabbed, which swabs to use, how to take a sample, the arrangements to collect and transport the specimens and which swabs to use.
Follow the directions on the swab guidance document linked below.
4. May Day Public Holiday – VE Day
This year, the May Public Holiday has moved from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Thank you to colleagues who will be working over the weekend and tomorrow continuing to care for all of our patients. Our services will operate on the usual bank holiday arrangements. Many GP services and pharmacies are also open and the NHS 111 service will be directing patients to the most appropriate health care service for them.
At 11am join us in observing a two-minute silence in honour of the heroes of the Second World War.
At 3pm you can “Raise a Cuppa” in honour of those who lost their lives during the Second World War, from your own home or workplace.
VE Day 75: Tomorrow, Friday 8 May
This Friday is a public holiday, to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. This year, due to the Government’s stay at home guidelines, people are being encouraged to celebrate from the safety of their own homes with no traditional events or street parties.
At 11am people are invited to observe a two-minute silence with a toast to heroes of the Second World War at 3pm.
Sandwell Council staff and councillors have recorded a short film encouraging people to “Raise a Cuppa” at home or at work to pay tribute – remember to stay 2m apart. You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImZ37QneqQ.
Find out more on the discoversandwell.co.uk website.
The importance of handwashing
Our special handwashing week continues throughout the week. We want to know how you wash your hands, how many times you do it, why you do it, and how to get everyone doing it.
Today we hear from Andy Farrington from our Third Line Support team to find out how Informatics have been supporting out colleagues to stay safe and well alongside our #SWBCleanhands campaign.
Andy said: “Our whole department backs the #SWBCleanhands campaign. As a team we interact with lots of different people every day, whether that’s in person, or on the phone, so it’s important for us to follow the handwashing guidelines.
“We wash our hands regularly and ask all visitors to do the same too. We have signs next to our entrances and have set out markers on the floor to ensure everyone is two metres apart when queuing.”
Get involved by sharing your pictures and videos of handwashing best practice on Twitter @SWBHnhs with the hashtag #SWBCleanHands
COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 6 May
This is our every single day bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. You are doing a great job!
We have seen a significant change in our outpatient arrangements with telephone and video calls taking the place of face to face consultations in most circumstances. Thank you to everyone who has adapted quickly to this new way of working. From next Wednesday all outpatient areas will have the ability to operate these clinics. All our clinics will take place using the Visionable platform, apart from a few necessary exceptions, enabling a visual link with our patients and their clinicians as well as the ability to share clinic notes and images. Make sure you get ready for this change. 1:1 tuition is available through Mark Whitehouse – markwhitehouse@nhs.net
Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)
| Number of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged during the pandemic | Number of patients who have died in our hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of patients entered by the Trust into a COVID-19 research trial to date | Number of COVID-19 positive patients who are inpatients with us today | Number of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation today |
| 1114 (1114) |
712 (716) |
302 (300) |
101 (99) |
100 (98) |
527 (515) |
1. #SWBCleanhand – How clean are your hands?
This week is Hand Hygiene Week and a friendly reminder to remember to continue washing and sanitising your hands. Today we caught up with Undergraduate Manager Sian Shingler to find out how the Education Centres have been supporting out colleagues to stay safe and well alongside our #SWBCleanhands campaign.
Sian said: “Hand hygiene comes hand in hand with cleanliness. We set the standard from the moment someone enters our building with supplies of hand sanitiser in easy reach. In each of the rooms we also have supplies of clinell wipes as well as new room layouts to enable people to practise social distancing.”
2. Facemasks – Ensuring you have been fit tested for our current stocks of masks
We are in a good position overall in terms of personal protective equipment. Our stocks of FFP3 masks are constantly changing depending on supply and demand levels.
Currently stocks of Alpha Solway S3V masks are running low as we await a further delivery. It’s important that colleagues keep up to date with PPE stocks as well as face mask fit testing to ensure you are able to safely wear a face mask from our current supply.
If you have been fit tested for a mask that is now discontinued or is short on supply, please ensure you take the time to book in to a face mask fit testing clinic as soon as possible by contacting 0121 507 5050 or ext 5050 internally.
We will communicate stock issues as required via the COVID bulletin.
3. Testing still available for colleagues and household members
The testing provision for key workers and their family members has expanded right across the country with new regional test centres and mobile units. Our own testing facilities are still in place at City Hospital, the Little Lane car park at Sandwell and our mobile facility that can come to your home.
If you develop symptoms please book an appointment to get tested. You can also book for members of your household who have symptoms, including children.
To arrange a test contact 0121 507 2664 and choose option 5. Test results will be communicated to you as soon as possible with negative results returned via text or email and a telephone call if you have a positive test result or if there are any queries.
4. Your health and wellbeing
It remains particularly important to continue to look after your health and wellbeing during the Pandemic. A range of resources and support are on offer for all colleagues including 24/7 access to confidential counsellors, the Wellbeing Sanctuary, helpful tips to relieve stress and our wellbeing film and podcast library. Go to the dedicated pages on Connect for full details.
The latest film produced by some of our clinical colleagues covers the benefits of exercise and tips on how you can exercise safely during the current lockdown restrictions.
Unity tip of the week – 6 May 2020
Unity is now live and many colleagues are reaping the rewards of our electronic patient record.
We are encouraging colleagues at all levels across the Trust to suggest any quick wins or top tips they have for using Unity in their ward, area or department.
All suggestions are welcome so please get in touch! The best suggestions will be featured in our Unity Tip of the Week every Wednesday on Connect. This week’s top tip comes from Annie Williams, Practice Education Nurse, iBeds.
Handwashing isn’t just critical in clinical settings
Our special handwashing week continues throughout the week. We want to know how you wash your hands, how many times you do it, why you do it, and how to get everyone doing it.
Today we hear from Anna Thorne, Catering Assistant from Hallam Restaurant who wanted to remind colleagues that washing your hands isn’t just important in frontline healthcare, you have to remember to wash your hands as often as possible when you’re on your breaks, getting a coffee and stopping for lunch. Handwashing is critical in stopping the spread of infections.
Get involved by sharing your pictures and videos of handwashing best practice on Twitter @SWBHnhs with the hashtag #SWBCleanHands
COVID-19 Bulletin: Tuesday 5 May
This is our every single day bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. You are doing a great job!
Sadly we have now recorded our 300th death with Covid-19. The Trust has lots of support in place to help you as colleagues, and the loved ones of the bereaved with these tragic situations. It is really important that at a time when death certification, funeral arrangements, collecting possessions, and Rapid Release, are additionally difficult and traumatic, we all make sure we know how to help someone and who can help. If you are not sure the answer to a question relating to death with Covid-19 please contact the C.A.R.E.S office on 0121 507 4638.
Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)
| Number of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged during the pandemic | Number of patients who have died in our hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of patients entered by the Trust into a COVID-19 research trial to date | Number of COVID-19 positive patients who are inpatients with us today | Number of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation today |
| 1114 (1110) |
716 (713) |
300 (298) |
99 (99) |
98 (99) |
515 (524) |
1. Hand Hygiene – Do you know your 5 moments?
Today is Hand Hygiene Day, and this is our Handwashing week, so now is the perfect opportunity to remind colleagues that not only should you be washing your hands for 20 seconds or more, and as many times as possible, it’s key to make sure you wash your hands at key moments.
Remember to clean your hands :
- Before touching a patient
- Before clean/aseptic procedure
- After body fluid exposure/risk
- After touching a patient
- After touching surroundings
The expert infection control team can be reached on extension 5900.
| Did you know?
The hand hygiene technique used all over the world today was actually developed back in the 1970s at the Hospital Infection Research Laboratory which was based on the City Hospital site at the time. |
2. Do you know what to do if someone discloses domestic abuse?
Tragically, during lockdown we know that domestic abuse is more prevalent with less opportunity for people to find help. Some testing sites across the country and other locations where people have been attending for health care needs have had cases of people presenting to disclose a domestic abuse situation.
Support services remain open including Black Country Women’s Aid with a 24 hour helpline and whatsapp message service. Information on how to get help is on the gov.uk site that includes free, confidential helplines as well as West Midlands Police information https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/no-excuse-for-abuse/.
3. Information for women on access to maternity care
It’s International Day of the Midwife! The maternity team have produced a range of information for women and their families describing how to access maternity care during the pandemic and to provide reassurance about the safety of the services we provide.
It is really important that women attend for face to face appointments if they are asked to do so, and many of these appointments are now taking place in community venues such as Villa Park and The Hawthorns. The pathway for pregnant women includes screening for COVID-19 symptoms, telephone consultations and face to face visits.
The information on maternity services during the pandemic is published here.
4. Working from home: we need your views
A special Webex to hear from people who have been working from home is taking place next Thursday 14 May at 14.30. We would like to hear from everyone who has worked from home about your experiences so please take 10 minutes to complete this short survey to share your views and ideas on what has worked well and what has been difficult. This will help to inform the Trust’s future home working guidance.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SWBWFH2020
5. VE Day 75: Friday 8 May
This Friday is a public holiday, to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. This year, due to the Government’s stay at home guidelines, people are being encouraged to celebrate from the safety of their own homes with no traditional events or street parties.
At 11am people are invited to observe a two-minute silence with a toast to heroes of the Second World War at 3pm.
Sandwell Council staff and councillors have recorded a short film encouraging people to “Raise a Cuppa” at home or at work to pay tribute – remember to stay 2m apart. You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImZ37QneqQ.
Find out more on the discoversandwell.co.uk website.
Handwashing – Playing your part in infection control
This week is the start of our special Handwashing week. We want to know how you wash your hands, how many times you do it, why you do it, and how to get everyone doing it.
Today we hear from Ward Services Officer Julie Hopkins who said, “Washing your hands is very important in controlling the spread of infections. It only takes a moment but has a massive impact. Scrub your hands for 20 seconds and you will be helping stop the spread of germs, viruses and bacteria. We should all play our part in protecting our patients.”
Get involved by sharing your pictures and videos of handwashing best practice on Twitter @SWBHnhs with the hashtag #SWBCleanHands
Blood Gas Analysers – results now automatically recorded in to Unity
Blood Gas Analysers across the Trust have now been upgraded to automatically populate results in to patient records in Unity.
This means that colleagues no longer need to manually transcribe results from the analysers in to a patient records.
Colleagues will simply have to ensure that the patient’s RXK, first name, surname and oxygen levels are entered in to the analyser when processing a sample and when it’s complete the results will be viewable in within Unity.
With the new interface in place and operational today (Tuesday 5 May) Unity iView ABG will be disabled and replaced with the Results Review as shown in the attached screenshots.
- Unity Assessments / Fluid Balance ABG – View now disabled
- Unity Results Review – New results interface for ABG results
When processing blood gas samples please ensure you enter all of the patient details as required and double check they are correct on the analyser.
For more information about the new changes, please contact Dominic LeGros, Workstream Lead Emergency Care on dlegros@nhs.net or Vanessa Lane, Specialist Chemistry Discipline Lead, Clinical Biochemistry, vanessalane@nhs.net
Have you visited our pop up shop at Sandwell yet?
Our pop up shop is open both Wednesday and Thursday, 7.30am- 10am and 1.30pm-4pm this week at Sandwell Hospital.
Note: The shop will not be open on Friday 8 May.
You are able to purchase essential items such as pasta, fruit, toilet roll and cleaning products. Only card and contactless payments are accepted and items are limited to one per person.
Our pop up shop is located in seminar room 7, learning and development building.
Happy shopping and thank you for your continued hard work.
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