Monthly archives: December 2020

Comfortable being uncomfortable with race – virtual training and learning development workshop: 14 January

On Thursday 14 January, 10:30am, Enact Solutions Ltd. will be delivering a free engaging livestream taster session on ‘comfortable being uncomfortable with race.’

This powerful and engaging session will demonstrate approaches to support colleagues in having more open and honest conversations around racism, prejudice and inequality.

If you would like to book your free place please click here.

Essential maintenance affecting IT Service Desk Portal: 18 December, 9pm

Please be aware that essential IT server maintenance is taking place on Friday 18 December from 9pm to the IT Service Desk Portal.

The work is scheduled to begin at 9pm and should be completed by 10pm on Friday 18 December.

For up to 30 minutes from 9pm colleagues will be unable to access the IT Service Desk Portal to raise calls and requests, however the service desk team will still be contactable by telephone on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Data protection, patient details and you

There has been a concerning increase in the number of reported incidents where colleagues are inappropriately accessing patient records, which includes records of other colleagues, their relatives and their friends.

How we maintain security of patient data is an extremely serious matter.

Incidents such as these are routinely addressed via a conduct investigation and disciplinary process as breaches of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act.

If current patients or individuals outside the Trust are interested in their medical records – for things such as their time of birth, information about past treatments, scans and results they should make their request via our Governance Support Unit. This has to be done via them as it is the beginning of a legal process.

Requests can be made to swb-tr.SWBHRecordsRequests@nhs.net  or in writing to Governance Support Unit, Trinity House (Ground Floor) Sandwell General Hospital, Lyndon, West Bromwich B71 4HJ.

To follow up a case please call 0121 507 5836  – lines are open Monday – Friday,  10am – 4pm

Breaching of data protection can not only lead to potential action that affects your job (i.e. dismissal or referral to professional bodies) it could also lead to legal action via civil prosecution.

Still want to get your flu jab?

Our flu programme has seen over 5,000 people have their vaccinations so far since October. If you didn’t find the time to see your local Flu-Per Trooper we have some extra availability to get your flu jab due to popular demand.

A Flu-Per Trooper will be available on the following dates and times:

City Hospital, 9pm – 7am

• Saturday 19 December
• Sunday 20 December

Note: Please call ext. 4166 or 07507 523924 to arrange your vaccination for the above weekend dates.

Occupational Health, Sheldon block, 8am – 4pm

• Friday 18 December

If these dates do not work with your schedule, please call Cara Shelton on 07507 523924 to arrange a mutually convenient time.

Emergency equipment 2021 guidance

Following a challenging year for us all, the deteriorating patient and resuscitation team have made some changes regarding the way in which your emergency equipment is checked in your clinical areas. These changes will help to ensure your emergency equipment is always ready for use when your patients need it.

Click here for the details around the changes.

For more information please email swb-tr.swbh-gm-resuscitation-team@nhs.net.

Retail outlets opening hours during the festive period

Our retail outlets across all our sites will have reduced opening during the festive period. Please click here for details regarding opening days and times.

Colleagues working Christmas Day are entitled to a free meal from either the Hallam Restaurant at Sandwell or Arches Cafe at City. There are no meal tickets just arrive at the restaurant/cafe for collection of your meal with either your ID/name badge.

For more information please call ext. 5427 or email michael.best@nhs.net.

Sandwell Council COVID-19 grant scheme launched

A total of £1.4 million has been made available to Sandwell Council by the government to help those most affected by COVID-19. The grant is available for families living in Sandwell – to buy food or help pay household energy and water bills – as well as other essentials like warm clothing, toiletries, sanitary products, blankets and sometimes towards other essential household equipment.

Applications for the grant can be made online at www.sandwell.gov.uk/wintergrant or those with no access to internet can call 0121 569 2266 to apply.

Note: The grant is available throughout the winter until March and households can apply a maximum of twice during that period.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 16 December

Urgent appeal – Have you taken Sundstrom filters from City Hospital by mistake?

Does your filter look like this?

If so, DO NOT use it in your Sundstrom mask.

Infection control colleagues have discovered that some Sundstrom filters have been taken from the City Hospital fit testing hub. These filters are not P3 filters but are vapour/gas filters for the Sundstrom masks and will offer no protection when dealing with COVID-19 positive patients especially AGPs.

If you have the Sundstrom filters pictured above you must not use them as you are putting yourself at risk.

If your filter looks like the one above please contact infection control who will be able to provide you with the correct filter. You can contact the team on 07970023316.

Please share this message with your colleagues.

1. New message: Don’t forget your ID – COVID-19 vaccine

As you know our very high risk and high risk colleagues can now book to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

When you attend your vaccine appointment you will be asked for proof of where you work, so please ensure you take your work ID with you. The badge must be in date and clearly show your picture.

If you believe you are very high or high risk and have not been contacted by occupational health, you can contact the team on swbh.occyhealthcovidvaccine@nhs.net.

We are also starting to contact staff whose risk assessments are lower but who work in areas with high risk of exposure.

If you have not completed your COVID risk assessment you can still do so via this link http://sw-web04/CovidRiskAssessment/CovidRA.aspx

For more information about the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine please visit our connect page.

IMPORTANT – If you have received the link to book for the vaccine you MUST NOT share it. Remember, at this first stage, we need to keep allocations for our very high risk and high risk staff only. If you book to have a vaccine and you are not in this category then you are depriving a colleague who needs the vaccine.

2. New message: GP surgery starts delivering vaccine to patients

Your Health Partnership Primary Care Network (YHP PCN) have now started to vaccinate their patients against COVID-19.

YHP PCN has led the work, with support from the Trust’s pharmacy and estates teams to deliver the vaccination from Whiteheath Medical Centre in Oldbury.

Patients from the over-80s group have been contacted and pre-booked an appointment. YHP will aim to deliver the service seven days a week, between 8am-8pm as more vaccine supplies become available.

3. New message: Resource Pack for Managers

If you are a manager, you must familiarise yourself with the new COVID-19 Resource Pack for Managers. This resource pack contains all of the information you need to support your colleagues during COVID-19 and includes topics such as recording absence, isolation and shielding guidance.

As you know, our focus remains on kindness during difficult times with worried colleagues, visitors and patients anxious for information and advice. Things move very quickly with COVID-19 – it is therefore essential that managers keep up to date with key messages and guidance and read the COVID-19 bulletin.

The resource pack will be reviewed on a regular basis. You can access it on Connect.

4. New message: COVID-19 swabbing changes in line with national guidance

All acute admissions must be swabbed in ED even if they are readmissions.

Amber wards – All patients on an Amber ward must be swabbed on the day of admission and again on day 3 and day 6. This change means repeat swabbing every 5 days is no longer required.

Colleagues are advised to have a lower threshold to swab symptomatic patients and also consider patients with mild and atypical symptoms.

Red wards – Patients on Red wards don’t require any further swabbing unless the patient needs to be transferred to an Amber ward for a longer stay in hospital due to rehab (stroke and neuro pathways). This would normally be after 14 days following a positive COVID-19 test, with complete resolution of symptoms. The patient would need two negative swab results 24 hours apart or one negative lower respiratory sample e.g. sputum, to be considered an acceptable risk to stepdown to an Amber ward.

COVID-19 outbreaks – In cases where there is an outbreak in a clinical area, surveillance screening should take place for patients as well as for staff on the advice of the infection control team.

Exposed/contacts of positive patients – Contacts of positive patients will need to be swabbed every 3 days until they have completed 14 days of monitoring.

Nursing discharges – Nursing home/care home residents must be swabbed 48 hours prior to discharge from hospital. The discharge summary must state the swab result.

Please note – If clinical suspicion is high, continue to treat as suspected COVID-19 even with a negative COVID-19 swab result and consider repeat COVID-19 testing. A sputum sample is preferred for repeat testing. If you are unable to obtain sputum send combined throat/nose swab 72 hours after initial negative result.

5. Updated message: Are you currently wearing an Alpha mask?

We expect to run out of Alpha masks very soon but there are alternatives available.

Colleagues are therefore advised to get fit tested for a half face silicone or Handanhy mask as a replacement. To book yourself in for fit testing please call ext. 5050 and the team will book you into a slot at a site, date and time to suit you.

Plan ahead as there is limited availability for fit testing over the holiday period

Fit testing is available as normal until 23 December, at Sandwell (Meeting room Hallam Restaurant) and at City (upstairs old Physio OPD).

Apprenticeship awards go digital

In the weeks leading up to Christmas the Trust usually host an awards ceremony celebrate the achievements of our apprentices over the last 12 months. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we have to do things differently this year.

With this in mind, a special awards ceremony video has been put together showcasing or apprentices and their achievements over the last year.

Do you feel you’re ready to upskill yourself in the new year? Consider an apprenticeship!

We’re currently planning a range of apprenticeship programmes to start in the new year 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.

Online Grand Round: 17 December

We will be hosting online grand rounds on Thursday 17 December, 12.30pm – 1.30pm via WebEx. The main topic will be around IMCA decisions and vulnerable adults with presenter Clare Cotterill, Adult Safeguarding Lead.

Please see WebEx joining details below:

• Weblink: https://swbhnhs.webex.com/swbhnhs/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6da138a83c763ff06eafb47bc99c032b
•  Event number/access code: 174 066 5303
•  Event password: GRANDROUDDEC
•  Audio conference: +44-20-3478-5289
• Access code: 174 066 5303

Note: There will also be limited seating where you can watch the presentation in Rooms 12 and 13 of the Education Centre at Sandwell and clinical skills in the Postgraduate Centre at City. 

For more information please email swbh.welearngrandrounds@nhs.net.