COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 16 April

April 16, 2020

This is our once a night bulletin. Please use this bulletin and daily cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide local action. Remember KINDNESS is our watchword in implementing our plans.  It is also our way of keeping in touch with shielders, home workers, part-timers and volunteers.  You are on the team.  Thank you!

We have featured a bunch of videos here: Dr Mark Anderson, Dawn’s waste tips, Toby’s Easter sunshine message, and resilience with Richard. This one stands alone.…

1. “Off-site” but not out of mind…

Over recent days a simply incredible reconfiguration has taken place locally. Maternity services to West Bromwich Albion. Haematology to Halesowen. Gynae-cancer specialised services into the Priory. Lyndon general practice moved to Great Bridge. We are creating a new NHS map!

Thank you to colleagues who have relocated. New bases, new journies, new rules. Your flexibility is fantastic. All of this change is about @SWBHnhs trying to preserve access for our local people during the Pandemic. It may last weeks or months. Either way we have a duty to keep providing core services – none of which we could do without these changes.

Last Thursday we published here a massive list of service changes. We will keep that list live on Connect. It is dynamic. So keep checking in what’s where.

2. Shout out to our day nursery…

Schools and day nurseries closed with the lockdown. It is unclear how long that will carry on. But Emma Collier and the team have adapted. April was meant to be the opening of the allotment outside Hallam. Instead they have hugely expanded the service to take in your kids – eight and under.

There is still a little capacity. If you are struggling get in touch. The Trust is committed to making sure your children get the support they need while you get into work. As Easter holidays draw to a close, let’s work with you to get you back into our team while supporting your children.

Ring ext. 3566 if you want to discuss using the service this spring.

3. Blue brigade go first but others are coming….

This morning was the induction event (another one next week) for lots of colleagues joining our portering team. Tomorrow is Go-Live for the PPE Yellow Vests and the Green Dream Team on cleaning… over 200 colleagues are in our brigades and counting. Next week we start our red and purple teams, including our home workers.

This is a key moment in the Trust’s recent history. We have some terrific ancillary teams. And some brilliant back office and back bone services. The brigades give people a chance to join together at this massively difficult time and play your part in door handle touchpoint cleaning, supporting FIT testing, moving someone to their home, or opening a Pop Up shop. Go home next weekend and tell your family the role you are playing. Fear and anxiety are ok. But so is pride.

Click here for latest brigade guidance.

4. Ramadan guidance and support

23 April marks the start of a month of prayer and fasting. Clearly this year will be different in key respects and our guidance is attached, along with a toolkit used in some other organisations to support making good local arrangements and personal choices. A map of facilities is attached as well. Our Muslim Liaison Group and other advisors are available to support you.

• Read the Ramadan guidance
• Read the toolkit
• See the facilities map

5. QIHD – did you do it?

Thank you to everyone who took part in today’s WebEx Quality Improvement Half Day, considering subjects like Research Trial Enrolment and Brigading.

 welearn from excellence provides a platform for you to recognise colleagues for their everyday brilliance but especially to focus attention on actual care changes that make a difference.

The Trust, and the whole NHS, is currently responding on a scale and at a pace never before known due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. welearn from excellence will capture the learning and appreciate the amazing work that our colleagues are delivering today and every day.

Now we have Shout Outs, GEMS, and welearn from excellence and this simple guide explains the difference. Click here to check out the guide.

Numbers not statistics: An everyday feature of our bulletin (yesterday’s data..)