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Monthly archives: February 2021

Heartbeat: Live and Work programme receives national recognition

 

A scheme which provides homes and apprenticeship opportunities to young people has won a prestigious award. The Live and Work programme, run jointly by our Trust and St Basils, has won the homelessness Partnership of the Year category in the UK Housing Awards.

The initiative provides apprenticeship opportunities and affordable living accommodation within the hospital to young people aged between 16 and 24, who are keen to develop their career prospects.

Olufemi Kuforiji, Project Support Officer for the Live and Work Programme, said: “I’d like to dedicate the award to everyone involved in the programme, especially the apprentices, recruiting managers, St Basils, our apprenticeship delivery team headed by Maxine Griffiths and other notable stakeholders.

“The category was very competitive, and winning the award shows the positive impact of collaborative working and how the support of everyone has helped to sustain the programme.”

Lawrence Kelly who leads the team of project support officers added: “The programme advocates for, and empowers the most vulnerable in our society through the provision of education, apprenticeship, access to medical care and many other support mechanisms which are necessary to ensure these young people achieve their dreams and contribute positively to the development of their communities.”

The success of the programme has led to a plan which will see three accommodation blocks at Sandwell Hospital site refurbished, creating a youth village. Lawrence added: “We believe there is the opportunity to create an aspirational ‘youth village’ which will provide a range of housing options for young workers in our society, which are affordable and would create a national exemplar of best practice.

Trust Wide Printer MFD Refresh to continue throughout February

 

Throughout February we will continue to replace the Trust’s Ricoh Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Printers with new and improved devices.

During the swap outs a Ricoh engineer and IT will be present and this will take around one hour. You will be able to print to an alternative device during this time.

To print to the new device (after this has been replaced) please select EQUITRACPRT1 (the old printers are currently set up on sw-equitracps1 and will continue to work until the devices are replaced).

As always, should you have any queries or experience any printing issues during or after the updates then please do contact the 24 hour IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 or 0121 507 4050 for home workers.

Reduced shuttle bus service between 12pm – 1pm: 17 – 19 February

 

There will be only one shuttle bus running between 12pm – 1pm between 17 – 19 February so please keep this in mind when planning your journeys across site when using the shuttle bus service.

Note: We must remind colleagues that the seating capacity for all shuttle buses has been reduced to six colleagues due to social distancing measures. Colleagues must also wear face masks on the shuttle. If you do not have a face covering they can be obtained from entrances on both sites or upon entry onto the shuttle.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Essential Maintenance affecting IT Service Desk Portal this Thursday, 7pm

 

Please be aware that essential IT server maintenance is taking place on Thursday 18 February from 7pm to the IT Service Desk Portal.

The work is scheduled to begin at 7pm and should be completed by midnight.

For up to 3 hours from 7pm 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.

LGBTQ+ History Month celebration online events

 

To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month there are a variety of online events taking place over the next two weeks including:

Big Queer Lit Quiz, 17 February, 6.30pm – 7.30pm: Lambeth and Sheffield Librarians are hosting the 2021 Big Queer Lit Quiz in celebration of LGBTQ+ history month. Click here for details and to join.

LGBTQ+ Army History, 20 February, 2pm – 3pm: It is now 21 years since the ban on homosexuality in the military was lifted. Lambeth Links will be hosting a panel discussion on the history of LGBT rights in the British Army. Click here for details and to join.

It Takes Blood and Guts, 23 February, 7pm – 8pm: Join lead singer of multi-million-selling rock band Skunk Anansie and LGBTQ+ activist, Skin as she discusses her new biography, life from Brixton to Glastonbury as well as everything LGBTQ+. Click here for details and to join.

Save the date: West Midlands NHS healthcare providers are working in partnership to bring you a regional LGBTQ+ conference for all colleagues. The digital conference will take place Thursday 25 March, 12pm – 3pm. Keep an eye on the daily communications bulletin for more details including how you can join the conference.

In case you missed it: Encounters with grief – impact on ourselves and our community

 

Encounters with grief is a conversation about the impact of grief on ourselves and our community. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many of us to have significant exposure to grief – that of patient loved ones, colleagues and our own.

In case you missed it, you can check it below:

Many times such encounters have happened over the phone, without the benefit of physical presence. This conversation covers the impact of grief and how the wellbeing of all can be sustained through such experiences. We also heard from the Trust bereavement service to report back on the follow up provided those who have lost loved ones in our care.

Panel:

  • Sue Edwards, SWBH bereavement lead nurse
  • Anna Lock, SWBH  consultant in palliative medicine
  • Mike Blaber, SWBH specialty Dr in Palliative medicine, wellbeing lead for Junior Doctors
  • Jane Harris, psychotherapist and bereavement expert

Heartbeat: Right to bare arms – Give hygiene a helping hand

 

‘Bare below the elbows’ has been one of the simplest and safest rules we have had at our Trust for a long time, and in its essence it mandates that colleagues must be bare below the elbows when in a clinical area – rolled up sleeves, no watches, stoned rings (wedding band only), bracelets or anything that could prevent you from effectively washing your hands.

Please follow these simple rules:

  • When you enter a clinical area you must be bare below the elbows so that you are able to properly wash your hands. This is a rule that applies to everyone.
  • Whilst you remain on the ward, you must remain bare below the elbows and follow the ‘5 moments of hand hygiene’ to wash your hands between patients and procedures.
  • Colleagues carrying out a single Aerosol Generated Procedure (AGP), for example intubation, extubation, insertion of tracheostomy, suctioning or those having prolonged close contact with a patient, should wear a single use gown with full sleeves with a plastic apron over the gown. Please remove the gown after the task is completed.
  • For sessional work within a VERY HIGH RISK area or an AGP area (for example D17), a sessional gown with rolled up sleeves (Bare Below the Elbows) should be worn. Colleagues should wear a disposable plastic apron over the sessional use gown and change this in between patients. Please wash your hands and arms in between patients

Sharing her thoughts on the ‘Bare below the elbows’ guidance, Julie Booth said, “The guidance is there to protect patients, visitors and staff to the ever present danger of hospital borne infections not just COVID. We mandate the bare below the elbows rules simply to ensure that every person that enters a clinical area where there is an increased risk is able to wash their hands effectively. This can’t be achieved if they’re wearing watches or large rings with stones.

“Ensuring that you wash your hands effectively is one of the basic tenets of infection control – washing for 20 seconds or more and ensuring that you clean all areas of your hands and doing so without any watches or rings on that might harbour bacteria.

“Secondly, an area that many of us will be used to is ensuring that we have the right personal protective equipment (PPE) for the environment, task or procedure we are undertaking. This doesn’t mean dressing for a disaster but taking a moment to thoughtfully risk assess the area and ensure you are suitably protected with gloves, gowns and respirators, for the task and your individual risk assessment.

“Remember, protecting yourself isn’t the only objective here – it’s preventing the spread of infection. So, colleagues who wear gloves inappropriately and in doing so aren’t able to wash their hands to prevent cross-contamination, are often adding to the problem rather than being part of the solution.

“Finally, it’s something we want to instil in all our colleagues, patients and visitors and that is that it’s ‘Ok to ask’. It’s ‘Ok to ask’ if the person who has come into your ward or department has washed their hands. It’s ‘OK to ask’ someone to give you a little room if they inadvertently stand too close and it’s ‘OK to ask’ any question you have, if there’s something you’re not sure of, it’s better to speak up, ask a question and know that you have done something proactive.

If you have a question about infection control, whether you’re not sure of your processes or practices, you can contact the infection control team on ext. 5900.

Online Grand Round: 18 February

 

We will be hosting an online Grand Round on Thursday 18 February, 12.30pm – 1.30pm via WebEx. The main topic will be around telemedicine with presenter Mr Vishal Paringe, Consultant T&O.

Please see WebEx joining details below:

COVID-19 Bulletin: Monday 15 February

 

1. New: Helping homeless patients – Safely referring for support

There has been an increase in referrals recently where patients are either positive for coronavirus, suspected of, or are contact patients with exposure to the virus. Due to this we would like to share the following guidance that we must adhere to, in order to safely accommodate homeless patients out of the hospital to reduce the risk of spread to the public.

Our Homeless Team primarily use shared houses and hostels where the risk of spreading the virus between this vulnerable group is extremely high. Housing providers and guidance from Public Health England have stated we are not to refer into shared accommodations without a recent COVID swab to ensure the safety of their residents and reduce the spread. So we would ask that every patient referred to the team has had a COVID swab so we can determine what accommodation they require.

If a patient tests positive then we have to take a different route for accommodation and request a self-isolating property from the local authority council and put provisions in place for delivery of medications ensuring they have enough food/drink for their isolation period.

If a patient tests negative then the Homeless Team can take their usual route for accommodation into shared supported properties/hostels knowing they have done this safely.

The Homeless Team are available Monday – Friday 9-5pm, please contact Helen Taylor Helen.taylor54@nhs.net with any questions.

 2. Update: Getting vaccinated, getting protected

If you are yet to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, you can still book in to get your jab at either Walsall Hospital or at the Black Country Living Museum online. Alternatively colleagues can also book their jab through the Your Health Partnership Primary Care network. However the PCN vaccination hub in the Sheldon Block at City site is not able to accommodate walk ins from colleagues this week, due to an increase in their activity.

To book your jab online use one of the following links:

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust have produced guidance on the vaccination programme which you access by clicking here.

We advise all colleagues to take the time to read the COVID-19 guide for healthcare workers.

3. Reminder: Our biggest enemy now is complacency

It is easy to become complacent with infection and mortality rates declining but complacency is exactly what COVID-19 needs to take hold of our hospitals once again.

Whilst we all want to return to pre-COVID normality, it is also clear that our actions and adherence to rules has an impact on our ability to fight this disease. You are no doubt aware of the evolving situation at home and abroad with Coronavirus outbreaks, and the continued concern within the Sandwell region in particular.  It is vital we continue to abide by social distancing measures, washing and sanitising our hands thoroughly, wearing PPE (and doing so correctly) in the workplace and masks outside of it where required. This protects you, our patients and the public at large.

Studies have shown that nurses and doctors are the most trusted by the public. Please make sure that the message about COVID-19 and the importance of these measures are clear to friends, family and those you know within your communities.

4. Reminder: Waste disposal during COVID-19 – waste streams (clinical, offensive and domestic)  

The Trust is continuing to experience high volumes of waste that has not been segregated correctly and cardboard which has not been broken down. This is having a major impact on collections and disposal of clinical and offensive waste in particular.

Within the orange bags (infectious clinical waste) there is evidence of plastic bottles, packaging and general domestic items going into the incorrect waste stream. Cardboard is being left on the floor of cupboards and not broken down, and is not only causing a health and safety issues but preventing staff accessing the bins to dispose of waste correctly.

Domestic waste including packaging and office waste should not be placed into Orange/tiger bags.

All cardboard boxes should be flattened and either placed into the domestic waste bins or in a cage to await collection.

Waste disposal should always follow the rules of segregation:

  • Healthcare infectious clinical (Orange bag)  this includes COVID waste
  • Offensive (Tiger bag waste) healthcare non-infectious including PPE when not on a Red ward
  • Domestic (Black bag waste and cardboard).

Failure to follow segregation will result in waste not being collected and disposed of correctly.

PPE in offices should go into black bag domestic waste.

Sharps bins should remain in the wards and departments until collected. Under no circumstances should these be placed into the waste cupboards or left outside of wards.

For further details regarding waste segregation, please see waste descriptions information sheet. For more information please contact dawn.hall@nhs.net.

Drug safety notice: Phyllocontin and Phyllocontin Forte tablets are being discontinued

 

Napp Pharmaceuticals, are the sole suppliers of oral aminophylline. They have made a commercial decision to discontinue Phyllocontin Continus 225mg and Phyllocontin Forte Continus 350mg modified-release tablets.

Supplies are expected to be exhausted by March/April 2021.

There are some alternative preparations available for our patients. Please see Phyllocontin drug safety notice for further information on managing this supply issue.

For more information, please contact the pharmacy department on ext. 5263/3783.

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