Monthly archives: December 2020

Disney virtual celebration for colleagues

Disney UK have put together a special  festive virtual celebration aimed at colleagues across the Trust. The video is around 30 minutes long. You can check it out by clicking below.

Unity flags – are you paying attention?

Certain infectious diseases are highlighted in the Unity patient chart as a “Flag/Alert”

In Unity, the “Flag/Alert” is used to highlight that a patient has a particular problem (anything ongoing that affects health or care) that colleagues need to be aware of; such as infection risk, safeguarding issues and risk of aggression/violence.

When viewing a whiteboard type view (CareCompass, Discharge, Doctors Worklist, Whiteboard) the flag is shown as an orange flag, so long as you have a declared relationship with the patient.

You can see an example below:

Due to the sensitive nature of this information it is necessary to open the patient’s chart to get more information.

The presence of a flagged problem is indicated by the “**Flag/Alert**” in the demographic banner (see below)

For more information – simply click on the words “**Flag/Alert**”

This will then show all documented problems. Remember to pay particular attention to the “Classification” as this will highlight those problems that have been flagged.

As part of any clinical workflow, it’s essential to be aware of flagged problems. These should be viewed and reviewed regularly especially when:

• Reviewing a patient’s chart for the first time
• Handover
• Admission clerking
• Ward rounds / Post-take ward rounds
• Board rounds
• Discharge planning

COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 23 December

If a message is in the bulletin, then it means all colleagues need to know about it. It is your responsibility to read the bulletin every day and if you think of a way to improve the bulletin, please let us know by emailing swbh.comms@nhs.net.

All the messages that are published in the bulletin are signed off during our daily Trust tactical meeting, and you can find the latest information about our COVID response on Connect here. Please take the time to keep yourself updated and safe.

1. Updated: Driving (patients) home for Christmas

A further update regarding the proposed changes to visiting arrangements over Christmas which we last wrote about on Friday.

Unfortunately due to the changing situation with COVID-19 cases back on the rise and the risk of the new COVID variant we will now not be in a position to reopen visiting over the Christmas period and our current guidance will remain in place.

Groups are encouraged to check that the video call technology installed in wards earlier in Wave 1 is still operating properly. That no one requires any further training for its use and to begin arrangements to ensure patients are able, wherever possible, to speak to their families on Christmas Day.

Please ensure that we work to support the discharge of any patients who are well enough to be, so that they are able to spend Christmas at home with their family.

Where patients need transport to get home, please ensure you book this appropriately, suspected COVID+ and confirmed COVID+ patients should not be travelling home on public transport or in taxis. Transport can be booked through West Midlands Ambulance Service by calling 0121 307 9114 for an advance booking or to book a journey on the day please call 0121 728 9876.

2. Reminder: Lateral flow – input your results and return your surplus kits

Thank you to all of you who have submitted your lateral flow test results onto Connect so far. Lateral flow tests are designed to help to identify any asymptomatic COVID positive cases and helps ensure we are playing our part in keeping patients, fellow NHS workers and our families safe.

Thousands of frontline colleagues have received the self-testing home kits, however only a relatively small percentage of results have been submitted so far. Recording these results could help to save lives, so it’s really important that each time you use the test your results – positive or negative – are submitted.

You can upload your test results here via Connect, but only when you are on the Trust network. If you carry out the test and it is positive, please ensure you contact your line manager immediately and book in for a PCR swab test to confirm the result.

Important information for managers:

If you have any Lateral Flow test kits remaining in your department that are not allocated to an individual please ensure you return these to Mike Carr or Kulwinder Johal as soon as possible. It’s important that we are able to roll out the testing kits to as many colleagues as possible and don’t allow any kits to remain unused.

3. Reminder: Fit testing and PPE – Keeping you safe over the holidays

All ward areas should now be well stocked with PPE, and further stocks are available from the PPE hubs at Sandwell Hospital and City Hospital. Access to these hubs out of hours is via CNPs.

• Sandwell Hub: Basement Cyber Café
• City Hub: D18

There is limited availability for fit testing during the holiday period so it is important that colleagues who feel they may need retesting take the opportunity to book in to a testing slot as soon as possible.

Fit testing over the Christmas and New Year period will be as follows:

Heartbeat: Cardiac rehab patients keep on top of recovery with virtual exercise classes

The Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) team are bringing exercise sessions for patients into their homes by launching virtual classes.

During the pandemic, the facility has been closed to patients, but the service has used this innovative way to keep in touch with them and continue to deliver the sessions.

Christos Lykidis, Senior Exercise Physiologist, is leading the project, which also includes delivery of education sessions. Themes include cardiac disease and symptom management, nutrition, physical activity, medications and stress management.

He told Heartbeat: “We wanted to continue the sessions as it is important that our cardiac patients can continue with their exercise regime, now more than ever. Exercise is a key part of CR and is known to reduce hospital re-admissions, cardiac mortality and also increase the quality of life in these patients.

“We have devised a programme which means they can continue exercising with us in a safe environment.

“Three of us are taking these sessions; an exercise physiologist is instructing the exercise. An assistant is monitoring the exercising patients on the screen, ensuring optimal technique and exertion levels. Finally, a cardiac specialist nurse, who also helps out with the monitoring, is responsible for dealing with patient symptoms or emergencies during exercise.

“All patients are clinically reviewed by a cardiac specialist nurse before attending the programme. Also, all patients confirm that they are symptom-free and have taken their medications before each session.”

Jake O’Brien, Exercise Physiologist, said: “We have had good interest in these sessions, which take place twice a week and, we hope that it will grow in uptake.”

Jake added: “We are committed to fully incorporate virtual exercise and education sessions into the available options for CR beyond the pandemic, as it can increase uptake of our service.”

ESR Downtime: 31 December

Users are advised that the ESR production service will be withdrawn at 6pm on Thursday 31 December in order to carry out essential ESR Production maintenance.

The service is expected to become available by 11.59pm, Sunday 3 January.

Users are asked to note closure time for the online service on Friday and co-operation is requested to ensure that all users are logged off by 6pm on Thursday 31 December.

ESR, e-Learning, ESRBI, ESR Data Warehouse, ESR Portal and TRS will be unavailable during this period of downtime.

The TRS, ESS over the internet and ESR Portal services will display maintenance pages.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Chaplaincy availability

The chaplaincy service are really thankful that they have been able to work alongside you all this year and are even more grateful that our 24 hour call out system was used by many.

Though the chaplains are not generally visiting wards as usual due to the current COVID-19 pandemic the on call rotas remain the same. The chaplaincy team will still take a call from the operator anytime of the day and night for both colleagues and patients. If you need to speak to the team please dial 0 and ask the operator for the on call chaplain or ask for the faith specific chaplain.

Chaplaincy Christmas service 2020:

Due to the pandemic our chaplaincy team sadly aren’t able to run normal Christmas services this year. However, a special service led by Mary Causer, SWB’s Lead Chaplain will premiere on our YouTube channel on Christmas Day at 9am for all to enjoy. You can access the service by clicking here.

Are you booked for a COVID vaccine today?

Colleagues with appointments to have a COVID vaccine at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust today are reminded to take their ID badges and NHS Number when they attend.

If you have any queries you can contact our booking team on ext. 4112.

Wellbeing Wednesday: Accessing mental health and wellbeing services during the festive period

Be sure to check out the winter 2020/21 wellbeing together newsletter which features a variety of mental health and wellbeing support services which are accessible during the festive period.

You can access the latest newsletter by clicking here.

A welcome break for colleagues:

Many colleagues will be working over the Christmas period caring for our patients. We know it can be a stressful time so it is important that you take a break. The Trust has expanded the Wellbeing Sanctuary onto both City and Sandwell sites, in a bid to offer more colleagues the opportunity to take a break away from wards and clinical areas. These new spaces are open to all colleagues, and provide a place to chill out, relax, unwind and recharge your batteries from 23 – 24 December and 29 – 31 December from 8am to 4pm week days.

The wellbeing rooms are located at:

• Conference Room at Sandwell Education Centre
• The Dining Room at Post Graduate Centre City

Free refreshments including tea and coffee and individually wrapped biscuits and snacks will be provided. Relaxing background music will be playing to help colleagues switch off, enjoy the moment, and get the most from their break. On using the rooms you’ll be expected to adhere to current IPC rules including social distancing, using hand sanitiser and wearing face masks appropriately.

Heartbeat: 100 not out for World of Work programme

Teams around the Trust have been celebrating after the World of Work programme hit its latest impressive milestone.

World of Work (WoW), is a unique work experience placement programme designed and funded to assist job seekers and unemployed people over the age of 25+ that live within three to five miles of City Hospital. Recently it completed its most recent group of cohorts and in doing so passed the 100 mark in terms of those it has been able to help.

The WoW programme aims to help individuals get ready for work, helping to focus aims, and arrange placements around the Trust (qualifications depending) in clinical and non-clinical departments. WoW apprentices help in vital service areas as apprentices, administrators, clerks and receptionists, hotel services, estate operatives, porters, patient transport drivers, health care assistants, trainee nurses and more.

“We are delighted to have reached this incredibly important milestone for us,” Liza Gill, World of Work Project Lead & Volunteer Service Manager told Heartbeat. “Despite the pandemic and despite only being in operation for a relatively short time, WoW has already been able to help so many people, several whom have been able to find roles in or connected to our organisation.

“Some have found a calling they want to peruse, others have discovered (or rediscovered) a sense of satisfaction in working, and others have found the guidance they needed. They have benefited and, the Trust has benefited too from their efforts. Thank you to all the teams that have assisted with placements. We are looking forward to seeing where we go next in 2021 and possibly beyond.”

Your Trust Charity teams up with Mission Christmas – Cash for Kids Midlands

Your Trust Charity have once again teamed up with Mission Christmas – Cash for Kids Midlands to help support our local children at Christmas.

Earlier this week the charity were invited to the Fort, Birmingham to select a variety of Christmas presents to give to our younger patients. The presents will be given to patients who will be in hospital during the festive period to help bring a little joy and cheer during their visit. Additional presents will also be distributed amongst the local community to support our most vulnerable children and young people.

Be sure to check out this short video to see how the team got on!