Monthly archives: August 2021

Swabbing patients – understanding how long it takes for samples to be processed

Swabbing patients for COVID-19 and ensuring that screening and streaming processes are undertaken based on clinical presentation and test results is critical in ensuring that we are able to safely manage our patients.

Colleagues are encouraged to take some time to understand the proper processes and turnaround times for COVID-19 swab testing.

Urgent Test Turnaround Time – Once a patient’s COVID swab has arrived in the lab at City Hospital the actual processing time of the sample in the lab is 2 hours. This means that if the swab is taken in the morning (9 am – 12 pm) the overall turnaround time for urgent COVID swabs is around 4-6 hours. This has been the case since the first wave.

If the sample is received in a purple bag, between 9-3 pm then you will likely receive a result on the same day. If the allocation of urgent tests (allocated nationally) has been exceeded the swab will be forwarded to Wolverhampton for routine processing which has a turnaround time of up to 48 hours.

Chasing Results:

Please DO NOT telephone the laboratory for results as this is disruptive and wastes your time and laboratory staff time. Results are available on Unity as soon as the laboratory releases them.

The order status is visible on Unity under ‘Requests/Care Plans’. Samples that have been received in the lab and being processed are shown as ‘InProcess (In-Lab)’.

For patients booked for swabbing via the community contact centre (pods), this should be the first point of contact to confirm the patient attended and was swabbed. It is extremely inefficient for the laboratory to try and search for a missing swab if it has not actually been taken in the first place.

The telephone numbers for the contact centre are:

Monday – Friday – 0121 507 2664 option 6
Saturday – Sunday – 07816992873

Packaging swab samples – Please ensure swab samples are triple bagged and packaged in the correct manner and as instructed (two clear specimen bags followed by either routine blue bag or urgent purple bag).

Please DO NOT put the request form in the same specimen bag as the actual sample as this causes delays to the processing of the sample.

Star of the Week: Kulvinder Batt

Our Star of the Week this week is Kulvinder Batt, Senior HCA.

The outpatients department were recently asked to support a new process in urology that would deliver a one stop appointment to patients. Kulvinder embraced the training and although nervous volunteered to provide HCA support for the first week of clinics. Kulvinder acted professionally ensuring the consultant had total confidence in her ability to support the clinic. She ensured her patients felt safe and welcomed in the new environment. Kulvinder worked with the urology team to make sure this new way of working was successful and as a result enhanced patient care.

Nothing is ever too much for Kulvinder and she will always take on extra tasks to ensure we provide our patients with the highest quality care. She is a credit to the outpatient team and SWB.

Do you know someone in your team that has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Why not put them forward for Star of the Week by clicking here.

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 6 August

Whilst we all aim to use some of the summer period taking a little break and spending some quality time with family and friends, please remember to continue practicing the measures that have kept us safe over the past 18 months, sanitise your hands, be mindful of your personal space and keep an eye on any signs and symptoms of COVID in yourself and those around you.

If you haven’t done so yet, it is not too late to get vaccinated, whether you want to pop along to the Baggies or pop in to a drop in clinic, you have the choice. If you’ve already been double jabbed – thank you.

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

No. of our patients confirmed with COVID-19

No. of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged

No. of COVID-19 positive patients who have died in our hospitals

No. of COVID-19 positive current inpatients

No. of COVID-19 research trial participants to date

7,144

(7,033)

7,151

(7,052)

1,242

(1,235)

(83)

1,148

(1,147)

1. New: We have #ZeroTolerance for colleagues suffering abuse at work

Readers of Heartbeat will have seen that our Chairman, Sir David Nicholson wrote last month about the troubling rise in COVID-19 misinformation, which has brought with it a marked increase in abuse and harassment that colleagues are subjected to whilst trying to do their job. He wrote of his concerns about reports from colleagues who are being abused by patients ill with COVID, who are denying the virus exists. But regardless of the reason for this abuse, as a Trust and a wider NHS we absolutely will not put up with it. And, to be very clear to those who think they can get away with it, we have created posters which state categorically that we will not hesitate to call the police if we feel threatened.

Education is the way by which we address misinformation, and so as a Trust we continue to work both with mainstream media and our own social media channels to share the truth and be a trusted information source for our communities. You can support us by sharing our content from any of the following:

2. New: ‘Grab a Jab’ comes back to the Baggies this weekend

‘Grab a jab’ is back at the Baggies this Friday (6 August), and Saturday (7 August) between 10am and 6pm.

West Bromwich Albion fans are being urged to ‘grab a jab’ at The Hawthorns, as the club continues to support the vaccination drive, after five successful clinic sessions already being held this summer. And it’s not just Albion fans who are welcome – ‘away fans’ and people not into football can go along to get vaccinated at The Hawthorns, or at several other locations around Sandwell if they are aged 18 or over.

Sandwell Council – in partnership with NHS colleagues and local community and faith organisations – is continuing with its programme of pop-up clinics giving residents the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Tuesday 10 August: 7pm-9pm at Church of God Of Prophecy, Unit N, Park Lane, West Bromwich, B21 8LE (Pfizer only)

Thursday 12 August: 11am-5pm at YMCA (West Brom Bid) – 38 Carters Green, West Bromwich, West Bromwich, B70 9LG (Pfizer only)

Details of clinics are available online at the Healthy Sandwell clinics webpage.

More clinics around the region are also available online via the NHS booking website.

Remember:

No appointment is necessary.
No NHS number is needed.
No need to be registered with a GP.
No residential address is needed.
Offering both first and second dose vaccines – remember to be bring your vaccine card if you’ve had your first vaccination.
With COVID-19 cases high both in Sandwell and across the West Midlands region, being fully vaccinated is the best way of protecting yourself and others from becoming seriously ill.
Anyone aged 40 or over who needs their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, can also go to Tipton Sports Academy, Wednesbury Oak Road, Tipton, Monday to Sunday from 8am-6pm. (First and second dose Pfizer and AstraZeneca available).

Please make sure it’s at least eight weeks since your first dose.

3. New: Still on the fence about getting your jab?

Community Services Lead for Sandwell, Ruth Williams is warning people about the dangers of Long COVID – which manifests after the original COVID-19 virus has infected the body. It is not known who will suffer Long COVID or how long it lasts, as Ruth explains some sufferers who attend our community Long COVID clinic have improved then suddenly relapsed with full blown symptoms. With no cure on the horizon, Long COVID is a risk for those who stay unvaccinated, with potentially life changing consequences.

If you are still unsure about getting vaccinated please talk to a trusted medical colleague or get the facts from reputable sources such as the Red Cross or the NHS.

4. New: Swabbing patients – Understanding how long it takes for samples to be processed

Colleagues are encouraged to take some time to understand the proper processes and turnaround times for COVID-19 swab testing.

Urgent Test Turnaround Time – Once a patient’s COVID swab has arrived in the lab at City Hospital the actual processing time of the sample in the lab is 2 hours. This means that if the swab is taken in the morning (9 am – 12 pm) the overall turnaround time for urgent COVID swabs is around 4-6 hours. This has been the case since the first wave.

Chasing Results

Please DO NOT telephone the laboratory for results as this is disruptive and wastes your time and laboratory staff time. Results are available on Unity as soon as the laboratory releases them.

The order status is visible on Unity under ‘Requests/Care Plans’. Samples that have been received in the lab and being processed are shown as ‘InProcess (In-Lab)’.

The telephone numbers for the contact centre are:
Mon-Fri – 0121 507 2664 option 6
Sat-Sun – 07816992873

Packaging Swab Samples – Please ensure swab samples are triple bagged and packaged in the correct manner and as instructed (two clear specimen bags followed by either routine blue bag or urgent purple bag).

Please DO NOT put the request form in the same specimen bag as the actual sample as this causes delays to the processing of the sample.

5. New: Getting help with COVID debt from Welfare Rights

More than 11,100 people have received benefits and debt advice from Sandwell Council during the financial year 2020/21 – and anyone else in need of support is being urged to get in touch.

With many being hit hard financially as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the council’s Welfare Rights team helped people boost their household incomes to the tune of a staggering £22.085 million in unclaimed benefit entitlements.

This includes around £2.304 million for council tenants, as a result of the council’s rents teams referring more than 1,500 tenants to the Welfare Rights service.

The team is available to help anyone in need of advice about claiming benefits or is struggling with rent arrears. There is also a debt advice line for anyone concerned about debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Welfare Rights team can be contacted online at www.sandwell.gov.uk/welfarerights via an online form, by email to welfarerights_team@sandwell.gov.uk or by calling 0121 569 3158 Monday to Thursday from 9.30am – 4pm, and on Friday from 9.30am-3.30pm.

The team also runs a Covid-19 debt helpline for anyone concerned about a debt, which is available by calling 0121 569 5333 and operates the same hours.

6. Updated: Join the weekly saliva testing programme to protect your patients and loved ones

Did you know we currently offer a weekly testing programme for all colleagues that allows you to get reliable results on COVID testing through a completely pain free and non-invasive test?

You can register for LAMP testing and book in to a kit collection slot for the weekly test, which requires you to spit into a tube in the morning before you brush your teeth or an hour after you have eaten.

When you arrive at work, you can deposit your sample into a red collection box. Many of these are positioned around our acute and community sites. And within 24-48 hours you will get a text message confidentially sent to you alerting you to your results.

For a full list of drop off points and for details on how to register, click here.

Uptake of the weekly saliva test is monitored to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our patients, the public and each other.

The latest data by group is below:

7. Reminder: Last opportunity to take part in an important COVID-19 study

Our Trust is taking part in this important study that aims to examine the relative contribution of occupational, sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCW) in NHS Trusts in the West Midlands, and how to minimise these risks. The outcomes would also be highly relevant should we experience a different pandemic in the future. The study also considers how things have changed overtime as the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed.

Time is running out as study recruitment closes 16th August 2021 and we are keen for as many of our staff / students / volunteers as possible to complete the baseline survey by that date.

If you have not already taken part, please access the link below to see if you are eligible for study participation.

https://is.gd/copewmret

Although the research team are not currently able to provide any specific results, they have advised us that preliminary analysis on the exposure data has shown signals suggesting higher risk of infection based on certain exposures. Every member of the trust that takes part will help to strengthen the study outcomes.

Please consider supporting this study.

Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 6 August

By David Carruthers, Medical Director. Richard Beeken is away.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet and welcome many of our new junior doctors who have joined the Trust over the last fortnight. I know that they will receive a warm welcome from you all as they continue their medical training with us. Our juniors are valued parts of our multidisciplinary teams and I am sure they will have a good experience with us. The Trust’s medical training programme continues to receive excellent feedback and lots of people who trained here return later in their careers because of the fond memories they carry of their training here. Welcome to all those new starters. As I said in my video message to you all, and those I have talked to in person (with a mask!), we are here to support you in your training and development. Don’t be afraid to speak up if something doesn’t feel right and take care not to step beyond your competency and responsibilities. Learn how to use Unity well, which will save you time as well as ensure our patients receive the right care. We have much to learn from you from your experiences elsewhere so please share any learnings with your teams. And my ask on all colleagues is that you continue to support and welcome our new junior doctors, being ready and willing to answer questions about how things work round here and not expecting more than they are able to provide from their training and experience.

It is once more a busy time to join the Trust and Covid-19 inpatient numbers continue to be high. This is causing huge pressure on many clinical areas so I want to call out people working in our newly created ward areas, those who are working in red wards who weren’t previously, ICU, AMU, ED and the respiratory hub who have been consistently a COVID-19 area. I know the toll that this continues to take on you so thank you for your ongoing commitment and sacrifice to our Trust and patients. Reservists have also been deployed to support those who are critically unwell and those patients are typically younger than those we have seen before and almost all unvaccinated. Fit and healthy young people are succumbing to the virus and it is very worrying. But it is not just those in our frontline clinical services who are going above and beyond. We are one team and our services only work with everyone delivering their roles effectively. We have all had our work turned upside down by the pandemic which has dramatically changed how we do things. Those who work in support functions are as much a part of our pandemic response as those in frontline clinical services and vital to our restoration and recovery arrangements. Thank you for all that you do.

We have had the support from many patients who have wanted to share their stories widely to encourage people to take up the offer of a vaccine. If you haven’t yet read these do take some time to read about the experiences of patients Jeanette and Claudia. Jeanette describes her symptoms of long Covid which are shocking for anyone to read. Claudia’s baby was delivered by C-section very early as the ICU team battled to save her life. She has been discharged home now but urges pregnant women to get the vaccine. The risks of COVID-19 for pregnant women far outweigh the risks of vaccination. Her story could have been so much worse.

We continue to see abuse on social media directed towards people who promote the COVID-19 vaccine and I am saddened and angered to learn of that abuse being experienced in our clinical services. We all come to work to do a good job and none of us should expect or tolerate verbal abuse, aggression or physical harm. I know that cases of this have increased recently and I want to reinforce Richard Beeken’s message last week, that you must report all cases, call security or the police if you feel threatened – we will not hesitate to prosecute where necessary. Frustration, pain and discomfort can quickly escalate into aggression and whilst this is never acceptable let’s all think about what we can do to ease people’s distress to try and reduce incidents.

Our priority remains to keep you all safe so I would urge you to ensure your individual risk assessments are reviewed and up to date. Community cases of COVID-19 have been reducing over the last few weeks. Although some of that drop may be the result of fewer tests being done, I am hopeful that we could expect to see a reduction in patients being admitted with COVID-19 in the coming weeks. We will be receiving more equipment to get fast COVID testing done which will better enable us to stream patients to the right place of care. However, it remains vital to continue practising good infection prevention and control. Wear the right PPE, wash your hands and keep a safe space from others. Get the vaccine and do your weekly LAMP testing. Let’s carry on keeping ourselves and others safe.

Congratulations to our star of the week, Kulvinder Batt, senior HCA in outpatients who was nominated for her approach to support patients through a new process for one stop appointments in urology. Although nervous, Kully embraced the training and volunteered to provide HCA support for the first week of clinics. Kully has worked with the team to ensure this new way of working was successful and enhanced patient care. Thank you, Kully. Congratulations also to Jo Harvey and the upper GI/HPB CNS team for being finalists in the innovation category of the Mcmillan Professionals Excellence awards which is a significant achievement. We wish you the best of luck in the judging in early September.

Dr David Carruthers, Medical Director

Apprenticeship of the week: Level 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker

Do you have substantial acute experience as a level 2 healthcare assistant and looking to develop into a level 3?

We have vacancies in critical care for experienced level 2 healthcare assistants to develop through undertaking the level 3 senior healthcare assistant award.

For further details or you would like to complete an application form contact the apprenticeship team by emailing swbh.apprenticeship@nhs.net or calling 0121 507 6425.

Note: The closing for this role for all applications is Friday 13 August.

Don’t forget, apprenticeships are open to all colleagues of any age and all study will be within your working hours and your salary will not be adversely affected.

Heartbeat: Taking part in trials – Steven’s story of stepping forward

Just over 12 months ago Lead Pharmacist, Steven Shanu took the decision to step forward and take part in a ground breaking trial, one that would go on to save millions of lives – the trial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccination. Today we find out more about why Steven took the decision which alongside thousands of others helped prove the safety and efficacy of the lifesaving jab.

When uncertainty about the future was at the forefront of everyone minds and hospitals across the country were battling to stabilise and save their patients, an army of researchers were desperately working away in the background to develop a vaccine, but to trial it they needed people to step forward and volunteer.

Steven had for a long time been in a privileged position, with the clinical knowledge, understanding and experience to know exactly how much work goes in to developing a viable vaccine before the first dose goes anywhere near a person. And most importantly, how incredibly important it is to be able to carry out trials to ensure every potential issue has been addressed and evidence gathered.

To find out more about why Steven stepped forward, Heartbeat caught up with the pharmacist, he said: “I know when the vaccine was rolled out, there were lots of people asking, ‘who took part in the trial, is the data that was gathered valid to me?’ and these are valid and justifiable questions.

“I decided to take part in the trial because I’ve got a child who suffers from febrile convulsions, so my train of thought was that if there was anything I could do to prevent taking COVID home to my son or to other people who are vulnerable, it was something that I wanted to be a part of. And also, when the results were published, I wanted to make sure as much as I could, that people could relate to the data as it included people from ethnic backgrounds.

“A lot of trials struggle to get a representative mix of people, depending on where the trial takes place and whether the community feel they can believe in it, trust it and want to contribute. This was my opportunity to do what I thought was right.

“I had my first dose of OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine in June 2020 and since then I’ve had regular blood tests to see how my body is responding to the vaccine, the antibody and immune cell levels. This is ongoing intense monitoring, months ahead of the general public vaccine roll out. Through that, the trial investigators are able to continually assess and review the evidence for the vaccine and inform the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and other regulators. My response to the vaccine has been positive, I’ve had a negative PCR test every week since starting the trial over a year ago, as part of the ongoing long term monitoring.”

“I was able to play my part in demonstrating that the vaccine was safe and effective and showing that the vaccine is our way out of this pandemic.”

Heartbeat: Hats off to newly qualified advanced critical care practitioners

Vicki Davies and Kayleigh Wadrup are on their way to contributing to the continuity of care for patients and their loved ones and help deliver strong service leading to greater efficiency and support of best practice.

The two are part of the advanced critical care practitioners team. Vicki and Kayleigh will be awarded Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine associate membership enabling them to be part of the medical team, incorporating the knowledge and experience gained through working in critical care for many years.

Vicki began her career as a healthcare assistant and had always had an interest in advanced practice roles. She said: “I get the best of both worlds. I can still use vital nursing skills gained over the last 20 years and the many new skills I have acquired within the critical care medical team.”

Kayleigh became interested when she worked with critical care practitioners while completing her degree, she said: “The independence, knowledge and experience first drew me to the role and the Trust has supported me through my MSc and the last two years of supernumerary practice.”

This year as we know has been particularly tough on the whole of the NHS, with a complexity and volume of patients we have never seen before.

Kayleigh added: “Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the trainee critical care practitioners have completed university modules and other clinical competencies, so we can become associate members of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine. So this has been an additional challenge.”

Vicki echoed this and said: “The sheer enormity of what we encountered makes me incredibly proud to work within this team. The faces and lives of the many patients and their families that we treated will be forever in our memories of this pandemic.”

Congratulations to both Kayleigh and Vicki for their qualification and award of Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine associate membership.

Martin to hit the heights for the homeless

Martin Daker, from informatics is taking part in a sponsored walk up Snowdon on behalf of Your Trust Charity and the Trust’s Homeless Pathway Team on Thursday 12 August. Martin suffers from Sarcoidosis, a condition that affects his lungs that leaves them with only 50 per cent of ‘normal’ capacity for a person of his age. The thought of tackling Snowdon again never occurred to Martin until a friend asked him to join in and he was reminded of doing it back when he was younger and healthier. Although still able to walk reasonable distances and even jog a little, Martin has had to undergo training – including breathing exercises – to condition himself as much as possible.

As part of his fundraising efforts, Martin is also planning to take ‘remote working’ a lot farther than the Trust originally intended – by hosting a meeting on top of the mountain itself!

If you wish to donate towards Martin’s climb please click here.

Verification of death training: 2 September

We will be hosting verification of death training on Thursday 2 September in clinical skills room 1, Sandwell Education Centre. The training will be spilt into two sessions; 1.15pm – 2.30pm and 2.45pm – 4pm and is aimed at all clinical colleagues.

Note: Before booking onto this training you must confirm with your manager that they are happy for you to undertake this training and you must be carrying out verification of expected deaths often enough to remain competent.

To secure your place please email jatinder.kaur7@nhs.net.

For more information please call Jo Clews on 0121 507 3611.

Company Shop: Get your free membership and say hello to a different kind of super market!

Company Shop is unlike any other supermarket because when you become a member you can enjoy high quality food and household brands at super low prices. Memberships can now also be extended and shared with up to two family members and/or friends.

How do they do it? By saving perfectly good quality surplus stock going to waste by selling them through our member-only superstores.

Store address: Unit 10, Castle Mill, Birmingham New Rd, Dudley, DY1 4DA

For further details please click here.

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Monthly archives: August 2021

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