Monthly archives: November 2021

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 26 November

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

*Numbers may decrease due to starters and leavers. 

1. New: Updated national guidance on infection prevention control

NHS England have issued some revised guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC) which provides more flexibility for local arrangements. We are considering the new guidance and reviewing it against our own policies.

At present, we ask all colleagues to maintain our current arrangements for swabbing pathways, use of PPE and social distancing. We will update you via this bulletin and our other communications channels if our IPC guidance changes.

2. New: Take advantage of time out with your teams

Taking time out is important for mental and physical wellbeing and is something many teams have expressed an interest in.

Many teams have already taken advantage of the opportunity to have team time outs – stepping away from the work environment to reflect on their experiences.

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to, you have until the end of March 2022 to take advantage of this opportunity and book something in.

Time out can take a range of formats and, the Trust is happy to consider centrally funding reasonable costs associated with these time-outs.

These are some ideas you may wish to consider:

• Hire of an external venue
• Facilitator/external speaker costs
• Transport to external venue
• Refreshment costs (no alcohol)
• External team building activities
• Backfill costs.

Staff Side recently took advantage of a time-out session and enjoyed time together and a meal at the Turquoise restaurant in West Bromwich. Simon Morley, Trust Deputy Convenor, remarked: “We had our team time-out and colleagues from Unison, RCoP, CSP, RCN and Unite attended too. It was a great bonding experience as most of us had not met face to face since pre-COVID. It was great to see all those involved in our area of work and would encourage colleagues to take up this offer of an wellbeing away day.”

How was your time-out?

We want to hear your stories and see your photos so we can share and inspire other colleagues. Email your stories to swbh.comms@nhs.net.

Visit Connect for more information on team time-outs including criteria and how to apply. In order for your time-out proposal to be considered for funding, and to access procurement support, please complete the form (Word) and send it to  swbh.recovery@nhs.net.

Please ensure you have agreement from your group director before submitting requests.

3. New: COVID-19 infection rates fall in Rowley

People in Rowley Regis have been praised for their efforts in helping to reduce COVID-19 infection rates in the area.

The significant fall in infection rates follows a warning being issued, which was shared widely by people on social media and well-publicised by the local media. Public health chiefs have thanked both the public and local media for their help over the past week.

In the week ending 14 November, Rowley had the highest COVID-19 infection rate in Sandwell at 519 per 100,000 people (63 cases). Just one week later the infection rate had fallen to less than half of that level. Tividale ward, where a warning was also shared, has also seen a significant fall in cases over the same period.

Dr Lisa McNally, Sandwell’s Director of Public Health, said: “We would like to thank members of the public and everyone who has taken extra care to prevent the further spread of infection. We were concerned by the surge in the rate in Rowley in particular, and this significant fall in infection rates is very welcome.

“We remain vigilant as surges in infection can happen at any time, especially in the light of the AY.4.2 variant and it’s greater ability to spread quickly. We all need to keep up our guard as we go into winter. AY.4.2 is thought to be more transmissible but there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness and the vaccine is very effective against it.”

Sandwell residents are urged to stay safe and prevent the spread of the virus to help protect themselves and others:

• Let fresh air in if you meet indoors. Meeting outdoors is safer.
• Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
• Get tested and self-isolate if required.
• If you haven’t already had your jabs, get vaccinated.

COVID vaccinations and booster appointments can be booked online via the National Booking System or by calling 119.

You can find a full list of vaccination sites in Sandwell via www.blackcountryandwestbirmccg.nhs.uk and at www.healthysandwell.co.uk/clinics.

4. Reminder: Vaccinations saves lives – there’s still time to get your jabs

Vaccines have saved over 120,000 lives and it is likely this winter will see a rise in flu cases as fewer people have built up natural immunity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stay protected and protect those around you by getting your flu jab and COVID-19 booster – getting your vaccines couldn’t be easier.

When and where to get your jabs

• Sandwell: Pop-up clinics for flu jabs are taking place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout November and December in the main reception area between 9am-5pm. There are also pop up clinics for both flu jabs and COVID boosters taking place in the Berridge Suite on 2 and 16 December between 9am-4pm.
• City:  Pop-up clinics for flu jabs are taking place at main entrance to City Hospital on Thursdays and Fridays throughout November and December between 9am-5pm. The City vaccination hub in Sheldon is open seven days a week for flu jabs and COVID boosters between 8am and 6pm for walk-ins.

Note: There must be at least six months (182 days) between your second dose of your COVID-19 jab and your booster.

Act now and keep yourself safe. Visit a vaccination hub or pop-up clinic to get your flu jab and COVID-19 booster.

If you have any questions, you can contact the vaccine hub on 0121 507 4404.

5. Reminder: Process for enabling visiting on some wards

Our new visiting restrictions allow inpatients in amber areas to receive one visitor for up to 30 minutes per day. Patients can nominate two individuals who can visit for the duration of their stay, ideally from the same household. Visitors must use hand sanitiser and wear a face mask on entry. They must also show evidence of a negative lateral flow test result taken that same day to be checked on entrance to the building. All visits must be booked in advance by telephoning the ward to allow wards to limit the number of visitors on a ward / bay at any one time. All visitors must be free of COVID-19 symptoms, and must not attend if they are a household contact of a COVID-19 positive case. We regret we are unable to allow visits by children (under 16 years) or those who are immunocompromised.

Our poster explains visiting arrangements and can be viewed here. Visitors must prove either photographic evidence of a negative lateral flow test (done the same day they wish to visit) or provide evidence from the government website where they uploaded their results. The Trust cannot provide lateral flow tests or accommodate visitors who wish to do a lateral flow test on site.

The established visiting arrangements for paediatrics, maternity, community wards and ICU remain in place with the addition of evidence of a negative lateral flow test result.

Visiting remains permissible in all areas for patients at end of life and to support patients who are distressed or need support with nutrition and hydration. Please talk to ward nurse in charge who can provide guidance about a visiting schedule.

Red and green areas, (D17, D25, L2, L3, Newton 5, AMU 1 and critical care) where visiting is currently not allowed should ensure you have robust systems in place to communicate with relatives / next of kin and to support communication between patients and their loved ones.

We will review visiting arrangements weekly based on a risk assessment taking into account COVID-19 case rates in the community, numbers of COVID-19 cases in our hospitals and any outbreaks.

6. Reminder: Stepping into Christmas safely

It’s just under a month until Christmas will be upon us. It will undoubtedly be different and we are asking colleagues to be mindful that we are still operating in an uncertain time where COVID is still rife in the community and we are still battling to protect our patients.

So we can all enjoy Christmas, there are a few basic rules we need to follow when decorating wards and departments:

• Christmas trees can be displayed
• All decorations and trees must be flame retardant
• All decorations, including lights, must be wipeable and cleaned before being displayed
• Decorations cannot be in any area where clinical procedures take place, e.g. bays/side rooms on wards
• Decorations should be limited to a single area on wards to ensure effective cleaning can take place
• Decorations attract dust – do not suspend them from walls and ceilings

If a ward is closed due to an outbreak of an infection, e.g. Norovirus, you must dispose of all decorations.

And whilst our rules don’t apply out in the community, we ask that colleagues use their common sense and their skills as clinicians to avoid risky environments. Continue to wear masks when you’re indoors and in crowded spaces and remember to wash and sanitise your hands regularly.

For more details, please see the Christmas information sheet. Any further queries should be directed to the IPC team on ext. 5195.

7. Reminder: See the light and join our LAMP testing programme to protect your patients and loved ones

Did you know saliva testing (known as LAMP – Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) is a speedy and less invasive way of detecting COVID-19?

You can book 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.

You can find drop off points and more information by clicking here.

If you are still unsure how to complete your LAMP test, be sure to check out the step-by-step guide in the video below.

Even if you are vaccinated it is vital that you register and carry out the weekly tests as they will help identify if you’re asymptomatic. Your saliva sample is ONLY used to test for COVID and is disposed of after testing.

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:

Teamtalk Staff Briefing: December 2021

TeamTalk took place earlier this week (Wednesday 24 November) where colleagues were briefed on national and regional updates as well as the latest news regarding COVID-19.

If you were not able to make the session you can download a copy of the briefing presentation below and watch the TeamTalk video.

• TeamTalk December 2021
• Teamtalk December Feedback form – Facilitating patient discharges

The Coronavirus Act and the end of temporary suspensions for retire and return employees of the NHS pension scheme

From Wednesday 25 March the UK government’s emergency legislation had temporarily suspended some of the regulations governing the administration of NHS pensions, which allowed employees who had retired and returned to increase their working hours without having their pension benefits suspended or reduced.

This included the temporary suspension of:

• The 16-hour rule for retire and returnees
• Abatement for special class status holders in the 1995 Section
• Draw down abatement in the 2008 Section and 2015 Scheme

You can read more about the temporary suspensions on the NHS Pensions website: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/pensioner-hub/covid-19-guidance-support-retired-members

These temporary suspensions will end on Thursday 24 March 2022.

The Department of Health and Social Care has informed NHS Pensions to ensure employers and employees are prepared for an end to the temporary suspensions and a return to normal arrangements from Friday 25 March 2022.

This is when the 16-hour rule in the 1995 Section, abatement for special class status holders in the 1995 Section and draw down abatement in the 2008 Section and 2015 Scheme will come back into force.

Antimicrobial Awareness Week

In our continued efforts in recognising World Antimicrobial Awareness Week we are currently seeking clinical colleagues who want to become antibiotic champions. This could be nurses, junior doctors, ward managers, registrars, pharmacists, consultants, matrons and pharmacy technicians – anyone who is interested in helping to improve the use of antibiotics at the Trust to improve patient care and limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.

If this is something of interest to you, please see Connect for further details.

Be sure to check out this short video featuring, David Carruthers, Medical Director pledging to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance and promote best practice.

Antibiotics quiz: If you haven’t done so already, be sure to have a go at our antibiotic quiz. The person who gets the most answers correct will be entered into a draw to win some Love2Shop vouchers. You can complete the quiz by clicking here.

Changes to Oracle requisition and purchase order numbering

You may have noticed already that the numbers given for purchase orders and requisitions have shrunk. The finance and procurement teams investigated improvements in invoice processing and the longer order number, which included a suffix of the financial year and a dash, were sometimes complicated for suppliers to record on invoices. This made the process of matching your orders and receipts against invoices harder than normal. Therefore, the new purchase order number will remove the financial year indicator and the dash, changing from:

SWBH-012345-21-22 to SWBH012345

Similarly, we have removed the financial year suffix on requisitions, as it was not deemed useful and created more characters for colleagues to type and search on when enquiring in the system, therefore these have now changed from:

REQ-012345-21-22 to REQ-012345

Correct procedure for checking blood components for administration

The transfusion practitioners would like to clarify the correct procedure for checking blood components for administration as there is a lack of clarity especially with the unit numbers not visible on Unity.

The unit number on Unity has never been part of the checking procedure for the administration of blood components and therefore it’s lack of visibility should not be a reason to delay a transfusion.

The correct checking procedure is as follows:

Patient checks:

1. Ask the patient to confirm their full name and date of birth
2. Check this matches on their wristband
3. Check the patient’s full name, date of birth and hospital number match exactly on their wristband, prescription and the compatibility tag that is attached to the bag.

Blood bag checks:

1. Check the blood bag for clots, leaks, damage or discolouration
2. Check the expiry date
3. Are the donor blood group and patient blood group compatible?
4. Check the unit number on the compatibility tag match the number on the bag
5. Check for any special requirements (Bloor Warmer/Irradiated/CMV neg)

Note: Remember this requires two independent checks.

Sampling for blood transfusion: When requesting blood for transfusion, please ensure that two samples for cross match are sent initially to verify the patient’s blood group on the new laboratory database. Subsequent requests for bloods will require only one sample. These samples should be taken either by 2 separate people or 30 minutes apart. This will help to enable rapid provision of cross matched blood. Please contact Blood Bank for any queries: 0121 507 4251 (City) or 0121 507 3110 (Sandwell).

There is lots of helpful information such as an administration checking procedure video and blood transfusion bedside checklists available on the blood transfusion pages on Connect.

Please contact the transfusion practitioner team for any further advice or guidance by emailing swbh.bloodtransfusion@nhs.net or calling ext. 2494.

Black Friday technology benefits

Be sure to make sure you don’t miss out on your chance to take home the latest technology and spread the cost, with affordable monthly payments from your salary with the Black Friday technology benefits!

Note: The order window will be open until 5 December.

View the full range of products at www.swbhbenefits.co.uk.

For more information please call 0330 2000 230.

NHS pensions response project – free pension seminars

NHS England’s pensions response project is designed to explore the most impactful way to communicate with colleagues directly and explain the benefits and value of the NHS Pension Scheme and Pensions Tax for staff aged 50+. As part of this project, NHSE are working with pension partners, Isio, experts in the NHS Pension Scheme and Pensions Tax, to deliver a series of seminars on flexible working and pensions and pensions tax as part of phase one of the project.

They are offering the following seminar dates in December. For this phase of the project, these seminars are aimed at nurses, AHPs and consultants aged 50+ to attend. Details of the seminars are below:

• Flexible working and pensions (max 500 colleagues), Wednesday 15 December, 3pm – 4.30pm – click here to book
• Pensions Tax (max 500 colleagues), Thursday 16 December, 3pm – 4.30pm – click here to book

Note: Slots will be offered on a first come, first served basis. These seminars are being provided by NHS England. Our internal pre-retirement seminars are still available for all SWB employees. Please look out for future dates as these are advertised. 

Antimicrobial Awareness Week

This week we celebrated World Antimicrobial Awareness Week with the theme – Spread Awareness, Stop Resistance’.  Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.

We have been sharing messages in the daily communications bulletin along with pledges from clinicians.

The week culminated with BTC and Sandwell ED being lit up in blue last night (Wednesday 24 November).

What you can do to help – become an antibiotic champion

Anyone who is interested in helping to improve the use of antibiotics at SWB to improve patient care and limit the spread of antibiotic resistance can become a champion.

We expect that champions will do the following:

• Pledge to be an Antibiotic Guardian (antibioticguardian.com)
• Carry out at least one antibiotic champion activity on every shift
• Upload or email  details of your activity once a month
• Get at least one other colleague to sign up to be a champion within 6 months
• Promote World Antibiotic Awareness week and talk to colleagues, patients, friends and family about the importance of protecting antibiotics for the future

Find out more on Connect.

At SWB we will continue to raise awareness. All of us have an opportunity to make an extra effort to go blue for AMR, raise awareness and tackle the issue. Each and every one of us at SWB must be part of the solution to stop antimicrobial resistance and avert the silent pandemic.

Be sure to check out this short video featuring Tranprit Saluja, consultant microbiologist and antimicrobial stewardship lead taking about the importance spreading of  antimicrobial awareness.

Antibiotics quiz: If you haven’t done so already, be sure to have a go at our antibiotic quiz. The person who gets the most answers correct will be entered into a draw to win some Love2Shop vouchers. You can complete the quiz by clicking here.

Vaccinations save lives

It is likely this winter will see a rise in flu cases as fewer people have built up natural immunity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So ensuring you have your flu vaccination and your COVID-19 booster is extremely important.

As an NHS worker, you are strongly encouraged to get your flu jab and COVID-19 booster to keep yourself safe from flu and COVID-19 as we move towards what is likely to be a difficult winter for the NHS.

When and where to get your jabs

Sandwell: Pop-up clinics for flu jabs are taking place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout November and December in the main reception area between 9am-5pm. There are also pop up clinics for both flu jabs and COVID boosters taking place in the Berridge Suite on 2 and 16 December between 9am-4pm.

City:  Pop-up clinics for flu jabs are taking place at main entrance to City hospital on Thursdays and Fridays throughout November and December between 9am-5pm.

The City vaccination hub in Sheldon Block is open seven days a week for flu jabs and COVID boosters between 8am and 6pm for walk-ins.

Rowley: A pop up clinic for flu jabs and COVID boosters is taking place at Rowley Regis, Westwood ward today (Thursday 25 November) between 9am-4pm.

Note: There must be at least six months (182 days) between your second dose of your COVID-19 jab and your booster.

Act now and keep yourself safe. Visit a vaccination hub or pop-up clinic to get your flu jab and COVID-19 booster. If you have any questions, you can contact the vaccine hub on 0121 507 4404.