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Monthly archives: November 2020

Do you feel you’re ready to upskill yourself? Why not consider an apprenticeship

 

We’re currently planning a range of apprenticeship programmes to start in December and January using online and remote delivery methods. The cost for the apprenticeships will be funded through the apprenticeship levy.

The courses available are:

Clinical:

  • Health Care Support Worker Level 2
  • Senior Healthcare Support Worker: Level 3

Non-clinical

  • Team Leading/Supervisor: Level 3
  • Business Administrator: Level 3
  • Customer Service Practitioner Level 2

For full details of these Apprenticeship Standards and an expression of interest form please click here.

Once you have discussed this with your line manager please return your expressions of interest form to swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net. The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday 20 November.

 

Dr Nick’s third #Dance4Wellbeing – send us your photos and videos

 

As you may have seen last month, Dr. Nick Makwana led you through the first in a series of  #Dance4Wellbeing routines to help you get up and go.

For November, Nick has come up with a new dance routine based on a Bollywood track. So here he is dancing to Chammak Challo.

You can see the fantastic moves by clicking on the video below.

We’re encouraging both clinical and non-clinical colleagues from across the Trust to send us their photos and video clips of their fantastic moves to swbh.comms@nhs.net.

For more information please contact Johnny.shah@nhs.net.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 4 November

 

To keep up to date with the pace of change we will be sharing a bulletin on a daily basis. There’s a lot of change taking place at the moment so please make sure you catch up with the latest bulletins throughout the week, as even if some points seem familiar you may very well find the details have been updated a great deal.

Summary of key points

1. Have you been fit tested for our current supply of face masks?

Our stock of PPE is ever changing as in-use options are replenished and new masks become available. It’s critical that colleagues stay up to date with the availability of masks that they have been fit tested for.

If you have been fit tested for a mask that is now discontinued or is short on supply (currently the Alpha Solway, or 3M 1863 mask), please ensure you book into a face mask fit testing clinic as soon as possible.

If you need a fit test, for a silicone or disposable FFP3 mask in stock (3m 1863+ or 9330+ mask), these are your options.

  • Non-urgent – please call ext.5050. There is currently a wait time of approximately one week, you will be asked when your next shift is and your appointment will be offered to you on that basis. Please ensure you book in good time, and please attend your appointment – we have too many DNAs!

Clinics are being held in the 1st floor corridor between ED and BTC at City, and from Monday 9th November, in the staff gym at Sandwell (in the Physio department until Friday 6th)

  • If you need urgent on the day testing, contact the IPC team on 5195 and they will facilitate the earliest possible test for you or your staff member.
  • There are two machines in the bungalow behind City ED. If you have a fit tester in your team, you can book out the machines via the IPC team on 5195 to fit test your teams.

Please help us to ensure that a lack of planning does not become someone else’s emergency, by planning ahead as much as possible and ensuring you attend all booked appointments.

If you cannot attend the appointment you have been given for your fit testing, please ensure you cancel your appointment in good time.

2. You go home, scrubs do not

Further to previous messages in the bulletin regarding the laundering of scrubs, we must once again remind colleagues to not take scrubs home. People not laundering scrubs and removing them from site or even throwing the scrubs away reduces the amount of stock available for designated areas. These include theatres, red wards or areas that require scrubs as identified by infection control or senior management.

Support Services undertake the laundering of Trust owned scrubs from Sandwell Hospital in our onsite laundry. All used scrubs must be placed in the blue trollies situated on the links and in departmental areas as indicated below.

  • Scrubs should not be stockpiled in lockers
  • Do not wear scrubs in undesignated areas.
  • Under no circumstances can scrubs be worn outside the hospital or taken home for laundering. The public are aware this should not be done, and the Trust has received a number of complaints on the matter which are being taken seriously. If you turn up to work already in scrubs in the future you may be asked why this is the case.

Maintaining the supply of scrubs to essential areas is dependent on everyone following the same process when it comes to laundering scrubs. Managers and colleagues alike should challenge staff who they see arriving to or leaving work in scrubs.

3. Work from home survey – your feedback is important to us

We want find out how you have found working from home over the last few months since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

We want to hear from you so that we can shape our future home working guidelines around the things which work best for you.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to complete our short work from home survey by clicking the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/wfh-colleague-survey

You are able to read the working from home policy in full by clicking here

4. Sticking to the right restrictions

You may have noticed an array of floor stickers inside and outside our sites, which will aid queueing, correct social distancing and prompt people to wear their masks and use hand sanitiser.

We hope that these reminders will prompt patients and colleagues to adhere to the restrictions currently in place following a sharp increase in COVID-19 infection rates across Sandwell and Birmingham.

Correct use of PPE is essential. Please ensure you follow these guidelines and challenge others to do the same. Failure to follow our PPE protocols will be taken extremely seriously and could lead to disciplinary action.

  • Trust clinical buildings – colleagues must wear a Fluid Resistant Surgical Mask (FRSM) on entrance to the building and in all communal areas. This includes all corridors.
  • Non-clinical office buildings – colleagues should maintain social distancing and handwashing and ensure they wear face masks unless they are in a room on their own.
  • Clinical areas including wards, clinic rooms and imaging  – wear PPE as currently advised (Fluid-resistant surgical mask (FRSM), disposable gloves and apron in all clinical areas with visor/FFP3 for close clinical care/AGP).

 5. Supporting our colleagues

A range of guides have been developed by the NHS Leadership Academy to help support colleagues with skills and new ways to improve their experience of work. The guides cover topics such as personal resilience and support for line managers.

Topics available include:

  • Managing with kindness civility and respect
  • Personal resilience
  • Making decisions under pressure
  • Maintaining routine
  • Leadership and wellbeing

You can access the guides on the following link: https://people.nhs.uk/

Stop violence against women – white ribbon online event: 25 November

 

Each year thousands of people stand up, speak out and say no to violence against women. This year is more important than ever to raise awareness of violence, harassment and abuse towards women and men due to the COVID-19 pandemic. White Ribbon Day is the opportunity to bring people together, (whether that be in person or online) to raise awareness and commit to action to prevent men’s violence against women.

The online event will be taking place on Wednesday 25 November, 10am-4pm. For details in regards to joining this online event via WebEx, please visit https://scb.herefordshirecpd.co.uk.

For more information please call 01432 260100 or email admin.hscb@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Your health and wellbeing is important to us – have you visited the sanctuary yet?

 

Would you like to take 30-90 minutes to look after yourself? We very rarely take the time, so why not book now!

Have you heard about the Wellbeing Sanctuary?  

The sanctuary cares about you and it could be beneficial if you were to visit as it is place of calm for all colleagues.

Also, the Wellbeing Sanctuary gives you the chance to de-stress and relax in a confidential safe place.

The sanctuary has a variety of offerings including:

  • Massage
  • Chill out downtime over a tea/coffee and a biscuit
  • A chat – a listening ear to hear anything you want to talk about in confidence
  • Meditation
  • Mindfulness
  • Relaxation hypnotherapy
  • Music therapy

Note: Social distancing measures are in place and PPE and sanitisation is provided on site.

To book please contact the wellbeing team on 0121 507 5886 to book your free session.

The sanctuary is only a 5 minute drive away from City Hospital and a 10 minute. drive away from Sandwell Hospital (Learning Works on Unett Street, Smethwick, B66 3SY) with free secured parking right outside.

For further details please see daily sanctuary information sheet.

Heartbeat: Spotlight on nutrition and hydration week

 

As frontline colleagues across the Trust will attest to, providing excellent clinical care is what we strive to offer to each person that we look after. Providing great patient care can be varied, and there isn’t one size that fits all.

Guided by our care promises, we have outlined the standards we expect for how we treat patients, staff and visitors. Recognising that there was an opportunity to help improve patient rehabilitation, Lyne Wright, Advanced Speech and Language Therapist spearheaded the launch of a nutrition and hydration week that was a multi-disciplinary team event.

Lyne told us: “The idea for the awareness week came about following observations that our patients on Newton 4 were not progressing with their rehabilitation in part due to reduced oral intake – an average meal size consumed was less than half for most patients.

“Newton 4 is a stroke rehabilitation unit with 50 per cent of patients currently taking either modified diet or fluids or both following a diagnosis of dysphagia, swallowing difficulty associated with foods, liquids and saliva. Dysphagia can result in avoidable complications, such as malnutrition, dehydration, weight loss, reduced stamina, poor physical and psychological recovery, pressure ulcers, reduced wound healing, infections and increased mortality.

“Staff reported that they were struggling to support oral intake, with patients often declining main meals and refusing to eat for varied reasons, i.e. no appetite, feeling nauseous, dislike of the food available. We decided to observe staff feeding patients and identified goals that may support an increase in diet and fluids. Some of our main observations included poor positioning for eating and drinking, lack of appetite and training needed around pressure bolus, sensory bolus and hand over hand feeding.”

Nutrition and Hydration Week took place week commencing 21 September. Lyne told us: “The week aimed to raise awareness of some of the difficulties our patients face. Also, we wanted to focus on how we, as therapists could support the nursing team and health care assistants to encourage patients to meet their nutritional and hydration needs. Another key aim was to enable feeding within a limited timescale using the increased knowledge around positioning and feeding techniques.

Matron, Michael Brennan commented: “This was an exceptionally well organised week. It saw colleagues from all disciplines come together to enhance the patient experience. It highlights Lyne’s dedication to stroke services, her passion for exceptional patient care and her amazing team. I must say thank you to everyone involved for showing their support.”

Dr Nick’s third #Dance4Wellbeing – check out this short teaser!

 

A new month, a new #Dance4Wellbeing. Dr Nick Makwana has got his dancing shoes on again, look out for the full routine later this afternoon on connect.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Tuesday 3 November

 

To keep up to date with the pace of change we will be sharing a bulletin on a daily basis. There’s a lot of change taking place at the moment so please make sure you catch up with the latest bulletins throughout the week, as even if some points seem familiar you may very well find the details have been updated a great deal.

Summary of key points

1. New guidance for pregnant colleagues

New guidance has now been released detailing the risk assessment process that should be followed to ensure the safety of expectant mothers.

Individual risk assessments must be completed for pregnant staff members that considers the individual’s circumstances, underlying health conditions and the risks of their working environment, alongside the latest clinical advice from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The attached risk assessment flow chart should be followed to ensure that individual COVID-19 risk assessments are completed, taking in to account any concerns or issues identified before and after the 28 week gestation period.

Further advice may be obtained from the occupational health service ext. 3306.

2. Facemasks to be worn at all times in all Trust buildings

Alongside the need to wear masks in clinical areas, colleagues must now also ensure that they don a fluid resistant surgical face mask before entering any Trust building.

As COVID-19 becomes more prevalent in the community, there is a growing risk that colleagues in clinical and non clinical areas may have mild or no COVID-19 symptoms and potentially risk transmitting the virus to colleagues. The need to now wear masks in all areas is one of the steps we are taking to reduce the risk of transmission from asymptomatic colleagues. Please ensure frequent hand washing / hand sanitising.

FAQs:
I work behind a screen, do I need a mask?
Where a Perspex protective screen is in place (e.g. a reception area), staff do not need to wear a mask if they are working in this area alone.

Do I have to wear a SWBH surgical mask; can I not wear my own personalised one?
No, we expect staff to wear those issued by SWBH. We want to ensure they are manufactured to the correct standard.

Can I wear my mask outside of work?
No. You should not wear surgical face masks obtained from work when you are not at work. Staff travelling on public transport should wear their own face covering, in line with the national guidance.

What if I have to walk through the building to get to another area or department?
You should ensure you have a supply of masks for use when you enter the building. You should not walk through corridors and across sites without a mask.

Can a colleague hand a mask to me?
No – you should handle the mask yourself after you have completed the necessary hand hygiene procedure (hand gel). Colleagues should only handle the box/container, not the masks.

Where can I get my masks?
Masks are available from the main entrances to the Trust between the hours of 7am – 7pm. Outside of these hours a supply is available in the your clinical or departmental areas. Department managers can arrange for a supply of masks for their department from the Supplies team at both Sandwell and City Hospital.

Further guidance is available on the following link: Wearing of Face Mask Guidance for Staff

3. Lending your support to Critical Care – Join the ICU Reservists Team

Thank you to everyone who stepped forward and supported colleagues in Critical Care during the first surge in COVID-19 cases earlier in the year. We are continuing to welcome nursing and health care support colleagues from across the organisation in to our newly formed ICU Reservist Team.

We are likely to need to increase the size of our ICU service significantly at short notice to cope with the additional clinical needs. To cope with this, we need people like you to make sure we do it quickly and safely.

If you have previously worked in Intensive or High Dependency care, have other skills that you think you could offer or just a wish to be part of the Intensive Care response to COVID-19 then please register as an ICU Reservist.

Your contribution could vary from occasional Bank shifts to full redeployment for the duration of the pandemic and the team will work with you and your current managers to facilitate that. You will be offered training and support to help you become an essential part of our team.

Click here to complete a short form in regards to joining the ICU Reservists Team

4. Ensure you follow the Trust’s policy for changes of ward bed capacity

Colleagues are reminded that there is a policy in place for formally approving the opening and closing of beds at our Trust and decisions to do so must rigorously follow the set procedures.

During times of peak demand, infection outbreaks, planned maintenance or other reasons it is sometimes necessary to temporarily open additional beds to allow the Trust to continue to treat and care for patients most effectively and safely. Likewise, at times there is a need to reduce capacity to maintain patient safety.

Where there is a need to change the bed base, clinical groups should ensure they escalate the matter through group triumvirate colleagues and seek approval from the Chief Operating Officer.

Full details can be found in the policy for opening and closing beds.

5. Have you visited the Wellbeing Sanctuary yet?

 The mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues is paramount especially during this current pandemic which is why we are inviting colleagues to visit our Wellbeing Sanctuary – a place of calm.

The sanctuary gives colleagues a chance to de-stress and relax in a confidential safe place.

Do you fancy a free:

  • Massage
  • Chill out downtime over a tea/coffee and a biscuit
  • A chat – a listening ear or a chance to talk about anything in confidence
  • Meditation
  • Mindfulness
  • Relaxation hypnotherapy
  • Music therapy

The Wellbeing Sanctuary is based at Learning Works on Unett Street, Smethwick, B66 3SY. There is free on site parking.

To book yourself a free session please call 0121 507 5886, or for further details please see the daily sanctuary information sheet.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Monday 2 November

 

To keep up to date with the pace of change we will be sharing a bulletin on a daily basis. There’s a lot of change taking place at the moment so please make sure you catch up with the latest bulletins throughout the week, as even if some points seem familiar you may very well find the details have been updated a great deal.

Summary of key points

1. Face masks to be worn in all Trust buildings at all times

Alongside social distancing and stringent hand hygiene, there is now a requirement to ensure you are wearing a face mask in all Trust buildings at all times whether in a clinical setting or office.

Steps for all staff to take:

  1. All staff will need to wear a fluid resistant surgical face mask while inside all SWBH  buildings. Masks are available at the welcome stations in the main entrances to each clinical building. Alternatively departments can order and collect masks from stores.
  2. A mask needs to be worn throughout the duration of the time spent in the SWBH buildings.
  3. When leaving work it is essential that masks are disposed of safely when finished. In non-clinical areas they can be disposed of in a black bag waste bin. PPE disposal process in clinical areas remains unchanged. Remember to maintain frequent handwashing / sanitising at all times.
  4. Face masks must be worn at all times unless you are working in a room on your own. If you leave that area for any reason, you MUST immediately wear a mask. This includes corridors, communal areas.

Wear your mask properly

Masks only work if they are worn properly, we have all seen people wear masks in some truly bizarre ways.

The instruction here is simple – your mask should cover your mouth and your nose.

Protecting your skin from damage beneath PPE

If you are finding that your masks are uncomfortable or are causing you issues with your skin, please take the time to read the helpful guidance produced by the Tissue Viability team for colleagues to protect and treat skin from damage beneath PPE.

2. Farewell to Lilac: Change to classifications

In response to the changing environment and as we experience a significant upswing in numbers of COVID-19 positive patients needing our care, we have made the decision to close our Lilac stream and revert to Green, Amber and Red wards to ensure we can provide safe care for every patient, bringing us fully into line with general NHS classifications.

This reflects the fact that we are seeing a high number of asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients in Amber areas and will help improve safety with improved flow from our busy ED and AMU departments. All Lilac wards will become Amber, with all Lilac COVID positive patients moving into Red streams. Every patient left in our Amber wards will be risk assessed and where there is a suspicion of COVID being present they will be nursed in an appropriate environment while rapid testing swab results are awaited.

What the closure of Lilac wards means for you is that it is essential you follow infection prevention and control policy and procedures strictly to the letter, ensuring at all times you adhere to the correct PPE for the area you are in. Enhanced PPE is available for any colleague whose risk assessment requires it. To remind you of your obligations see the guidance on Connect.

To ensure that all colleagues understand and are applying the policy correctly, we will be auditing compliance through the use of spot checks, as we are taking an extremely firm line on the appropriate use of PPE within our buildings, social distancing whilst at work and regular handwashing. We expect all colleagues to comply with our PPE policies, that includes wearing masks in all clinical and non-clinical buildings and being socially distant from one another. There is no such thing as a “work bubble”. Any repeated breach of our PPE guidelines will result in disciplinary action. We are sorry to have to take such a strong line on this but we owe it to each other and to our patients to do the right thing to protect each other and ourselves.

Please note: If you require new IPC classification posters for your area they can be collected from Medical Illustration at City or the Communications Office, Trinity House, Ground Floor, Corridor A at Sandwell.

3. Swabbing guidance on issues and pathways

An increasing number of COVID-19 swabs are being rejected from the laboratory, due to a number of issues. This may include a specimen leaking, incorrect swab received, or duplication of samples.

Our Infection Prevention and Control team has put together a document which lists common issues and the relevant solutions. Click here to read the full document.

We have now increased the availability of urgent and rapid PCR sampling from 16 to 84 samples per day. These have been allocated to respective areas and detailed in the PCR flowchart which can be accessed by clicking here.

Routine samples: It has been agreed that COVID-19 samples will be collected by porters from all wards, ED and AMU every hour at City and Sandwell from 8am to 8pm.

Urgent Samples: Urgent Samples must be hand delivered to the Pathology labs on each site immediately after being collected should have an ‘URGENT 2 Hour Covid Test’ sticker on them.

Overnight samples: Overnight samples (taken after 9pm) which are mainly taken in ED and AMU should be kept in these areas overnight to be collected by a porter during the early morning run at 5.30am. Please make sure that the sample is securely deposited in the MediBins provided. Urgent samples that have been collected overnight should be kept in a safe place and given to the porters when they do their 5.30am run. Do not leave any samples out on the side and remember that the MediBins are only for routine samples, urgent samples should be kept separate.

The transport timetable for transferring samples between sites can be found on the following link: Covid-19 Transport Timetable 2020

Urgent samples: Please ensure that the ‘Urgent 2 Hour TAT’ sticker is attached to the outer blue transport bag and is hand delivered to pathology reception. DO NOT put urgent samples into the MediBins.

Remember:

  • Every patient MUST be swabbed on admission.
  • Patients on Amber wards MUST be swabbed every five days.

Please refer to the following swabbing pathways for unplanned and planned admissions.

4. NHS track and trace app – know what to do

As you know the NHS has launched their COVID-19 contact tracing app designed to help the NHS understand where and how quickly the virus is spreading, so we can respond quickly and effectively. You may have seen posters featuring QR codes for people with the app to ‘sign in’ at selected locations across our sites, but there has been some question as to whether Trust staff using the app should sign in at our locations.

The recommendation from the NHS is that health or care workers should pause the app when:

  • You are at work following infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance.
  • You are wearing correct PPE at work and maintaining 2m social distancing in clinical and non-clinical areas.
  • You are working behind a fixed Perspex (or equivalent) screen and are fully protected from other people.
  • You store your phone in a locker or communal area.

What to do if you receive an alert

If you receive an alert through the app stating that you are considered a contact of a case of COVID-19,

you should immediately inform your manager and self-isolate. As the app is anonymised, it will not be apparent whether your contact occurred within or outside the Trust setting. Internal contact tracing procedures will then take place using the agreed protocols.

You can read the latest government guidance for healthcare workers by clicking here.

5. Your mental health and wellbeing is paramount

Your mental health and wellbeing is vital to us. On World Mental Health Day the focus was on you to look after your mental health. We’d like to remind you that we offer a variety of health and wellbeing resources available for you. These include:

  • Access to the Thrive app. Go to https://swb.thrive.uk.com to create an account and claim your free access to Thrive.
  • Our recharge booth takes place every Thursday. It offers a safe space to come together with others, reflect, recharge, decompress, and join a safe and confidential discussion. For more information please contact Richard Burnell on 07747 144874 or Angharad MacGregor on 07976 322893. Alternatively, drop an email to rechargebooth@nhs.net.
  • The wellbeing sanctuary offers a chance for colleagues to de-stress and relax. You can take advantage of a free massage, meditation, music therapy and relaxation hypnotherapy. It is located at the Learning Works on Unett Street, Smethwick, B66 3SY with free onsite parking.

Click here for a detailed list of health and wellbeing resources available to colleagues.

  • There is also, for both colleagues and patients, a 24/7 mental health helpline available operated by the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. If you are feeling low, having difficulty sleeping due to things on your mind, suffering from anxiety – anything that is bothering you – if you feel unable to cope and need to speak to someone urgently please dial 0800 008 6516.

International year of the nurse and the midwife: Helen Taylor

 

This year marks International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, a campaign by the World Health Organisation in honour of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

Nurses and midwives play a vital role in providing health services in our workplace. They devote their lives to caring for mothers and children; giving lifesaving immunisations and health advice; looking after older people and generally meeting everyday essential health needs. They are often the first and only point of care in their communities. Throughout the year we will be highlighting some of our nurses, HCAs and midwives who are making a difference to our patients.

Today we feature Helen Taylor, Lead Nurse for the Homeless Patient Pathway Team.

Helen has worked for the Trust in her role as Lead Nurse for the Homeless Pathway Team for 7 years.

Helen plays a pivotal role in leading the Homeless Patient Pathway team when working with complex and vulnerable adults that are homeless with drug and alcohol dependencies, alongside physical and mental health conditions.

The team work to improve the experience of our homeless patients by providing much needed interventions such as support securing accommodation, advice and signposting, GP registrations, food, clothing, toiletries, and packages of care to ensure safer and more dignified discharges.

In 2019, of the 650 patients referred to the service, 94 per cent received interventions from the HPP team reducing the potential rough sleeping rate by successfully housing patients into new accommodation or supporting to return to their original accommodation, with others being signposted to relevant agencies and provided with essential food and clothing packages. In doing this the team have saved the trust 480 bed days equating to £192,000.

Helen was also nominated as one of our Trust NHS heroes in August 2019, she was also shortlisted along with her team for two awards at the 2019 Star Awards – Clinical Team of the Year (adults) and the Award for Equality and Diversity Champion.

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