COVID-19 Bulletin: Sunday 5 April
April 5, 2020
This is our once a day bulletin. This will take all national and professional 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 our plans.
We will be looking to deploy our first dozen HCAs and nurses into the Birmingham NEC Nightingale Hospital. If you wish to volunteer interest in this general medical ward work, please drop your details to our Chief Executive via tobylewis@nhs.net by 4pm Monday 6th. You must be available in April for work.
1. New swabs for patients and staff swabbing update
Capacity to test patients and staff is now expanding rapidly. Our Black Country Pathology laboratory at New Cross will be processing patient swabs alongside the current PHL Lab at Heartlands. Existing swabs can be used but new swabs will also be available. A briefing on that is attached.
Read the lab briefing document.
The local health and care system is still able to access staff testing for symptomatic staff and adult household members whose symptoms are preventing you being at work. So far we have tested and reported over 1,000 local staff which we understand is the 2nd largest volume in the NHS. Please do come forward if you believe you meet the criteria, details of how to do that are below.
- Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, call 0121 507 2664 option 5
- Weekends 9am – 4pm, call 07970428995 or 07816992873
2. If you are not getting the PPE you need, say so
Our guidance on PPE is displayed outside every department. Yesterday we altered our guidance to include visors or eye-wear with a surgical face mask for some situations in red areas. In order to help keep you safe and working with departments, we have moved to a ‘drop off’ system for most PPE. That system has been running this weekend. If you are a line manager / shift leader and are not getting what you need please email our CFO dinah.mclannahan@nhs.net and we will work out what’s gone awry.
Supply of both gowns and scrubs continues to be a challenge and external suppliers are being sourced to improve the position. That change, and Trust-led laundry, will be confirmed on Tuesday 7th April.
3. This coming week is “the start of the surge”
It is really important that we have all of our new critical care capacity open this week. And that we bolster ward staffing numbers, whilst supporting the Nightingale ‘plan b’. If you are unsure where you are moving to please talk to your Group Director of Nursing or Group Director. If you listed for induction training, you must attend that if you are fit to be at work. The training will give you an insight into how you will work, what you need to know and how you will be supported.
It will not be possible for all staff who had booked leave over Easter to take that leave. Please be flexible with those creating “weekday” staffing models for the coming weekend. It will be much easier to work with individuals and support ‘a few days off’. If this has not proved possible by 08.00 Wednesday 8th then we will resort to a complete leave ban. That is not what we wish to do, because this is a marathon not a sprint.
4. Please put yourself forward for our Brigades
We launched on Friday our volunteerbrigade.swbh@nhs.net process to ask those working away from patient care now, or working from home, to opt into our brigades to bolster numbers in key areas like cleaning, portering, transport and clinical administration. Thank you to everyone who has come forward so far. Please do consider whether this is your role in the weeks ahead. We will support you with training and induction. Read more information here.
5. Changes to our staff pregnancy guidance
Last weekend we issued Trust guidance supported by the Royal College on working whilst pregnant. That initial guidance highlighted 28 weeks as the cut off period after which working in COVID-19 areas was not advised. Subsequently the guidance nationally was changed. We are now changing our guidance.
Staff who are pregnant and less than 28 weeks should talk to their manager and identify existing work which can be done with lower risk of exposure to COVID-19 patients. This might include clinical administration or audit work. We believe this will impact around forty employees. If you need further advice please contact extension 3116 who will help to identify opportunities outside your immediate work area.