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COVID-19 bulletin: Tuesday 17 March

March 17, 2020

The Trust is now publishing a daily bulletin. This will take all guidance and information and tell you which changes we are implementing when and how. Please use this bulletin and daily cascade arrangements within clinical groups to guide local action.  Remember KINDNESS is our watchword in implementing these changes.

1. What PPE should I be wearing in different parts of the Trust?

We have produced a simple guide to the PPE you should be using if you are entering different clinical areas within the Trust. The guidance does change, so this replaces anything previously advised.

This includes what to wear if accessing clinical departments where there are patients who are either confirmed or suspected as having COVID-19.  Please see the guide attached.  Do not wear PPE in corridors and public areas.

This may be particularly useful for porters, ward service officers and pharmacists who need to access different areas across the Trust.  If you are a line manager in a department that does not usually use email please put copies of this guide into handover meetings and on noticeboards.

It is important to remember our usual infection control practices still apply, including that uniforms should be covered when moving to and from our sites, and the correct disposable of linen for laundering.

2. Should I be coming to work right now?

If you have symptoms you should self-isolate.  Beyond that our guidance has not yet changed from Monday, except that the time period has been re-extended to 14 days.

Tomorrow we will issue guidance for those in early pregnancy.  The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are due shortly to amplify announcements made yesterday.  We expect the focus to be on helping you keep working but supporting many women in this situation to work remotely.  We apologise that the position nationally could be considered confusing.

You will have heard or seen comments about essential travel and social gatherings.  This does not include preventing people travelling to work.  However, we will issue guidance tomorrow on how we will be supporting home working for some staff from later this week.  None of our change arrangements will prevent you being paid or affect your leave allowances this year or next.

If you work for us and are over 70 years of age, do continue to come to work, but we will be talking to the 48 of you individually about circumstances and assistance.

This is an especially concerning time for some bank workers in our Trust.  We are changing some bank pay rates to help guarantee you income if you work a certain number of shifts for us in the next five weeks.  We will also meet statutory obligations and offer you testing as required below.  We are working with our interpreting teams to ensure that we make good provision to support you in the coming weeks, even when outpatient appointments are cancelled.  A specific letter will go to all interpreters this Friday.

3. What digital platforms can I use help with remote working?

We are going to be working from home and remotely.  We will not support any choice of platform, but will support certain key platforms.

  • For instant messaging and group chat we are encouraging the use of WhatsApp on mobile devices. Please note that patient identifiable information should never be used outside closed clinical Trust systems.
  • We have enough Cisco WebEx conference call licences for people who organise meetings and want to do virtual meetings. The attendees do not need to download anything to attend and it integrates with Outlook (your email system). The IT service desk on 4050 can remotely install this for you.
  • People working remotely should download MyConnect from the official app stores as we will be using this to communicate updates. Search for SBWHMyConnect.
  • You can forward your desk phone to a mobile by typing #9 and the mobile number. ##9 will cancel this request.
  • NHS mail and ESR are available from any computer with internet access – you do not need to be on the Trust network.

If you have a laptop that you do not use or that needs upgrading, now is the time to hand it in. Thank you to those of you who have already done so.  Remember that the service desk on 4050 is still running 24 hours a day.

4. Are we offering tests to healthcare workers and if so, how do I access this?

We will test you if you have symptoms.  We can carry out an effective test on the third day of your symptoms starting.  Before that the test is not effective.

To access this test please contact occupational health and they will arrange for an appointment. The test results make take up to 72 hours but we will aim to expedite this.

If you are at home when your symptoms develop, or someone you live with develops symptoms, then please do not come to work.  Self-isolate – the time period has been re-extended to 14 days.

5. Where do I get more information about what is going on?

The best way to get information is via this bulletin.  In addition we are putting material on Connect and on My Connect.  We would like as many staff as possible to download My Connect because if you do need to work from home or be off work it is the easiest Trust-wide communications channel we have.  It includes both text and video.

Our Chief Executive and clinical colleagues will be doing one hour Question and Answer sessions tomorrow Wednesday 18 March:

  • Conference Room, Education Centre, Sandwell General Hospital: 10am – 11am
  • Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Postgraduate Centre, City Hospital: 12noon – 1pm

Tomorrow we will release details of “I have got a question” email addresses to help us tackle your detailed questions.  As per Toby’s Covid all-colleague emails, if you are unsure please contact him direct.

On Thursday we will try and release information about training aimed at preparing clinical staff to work in unfamiliar areas.  Nationally this will start in the days ahead as we prepare for further escalation of the inpatient effects of Covid during April.