COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 7 May
May 7, 2020
This is our every single day bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. You are doing a great job!
Congratulations to everyone involved in R&D as we have topped 100 trial enrolees. “Research the movie” is reattached at the foot of this message. All of us can play our part in not following the science but leading the science by helping to create a body of knowledge about how to save lives. Please think about how you can help to sign up more patients to our studies or help us participate in more studies. For the avoidance of doubt we have applied for the NIHR/MRC study call in respect of BAME deaths with Covid-19 as we work together with our communities to understand what is happening and how best to address it.
Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)
| Number of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged during the pandemic | Number of patients who have died in our hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic | Number of patients entered by the Trust into a COVID-19 research trial to date | Number of COVID-19 positive patients who are inpatients with us today | Number of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation today |
| 1115 (1114) |
719 (712) |
303 (302) |
102 (101) |
93 (100) |
541 (527) |
1. #SWBCleanhand – How clean are your hands?
This week is Hand Hygiene Week and a friendly reminder to remember to continue washing and sanitising your hands. Today we caught up with Karen Morsley, Manual Handling Lead Trainer to talk about all things hand hygiene.
Karen told us: “I am currently supporting in our pop up shop at Sandwell. Whilst we all wear gloves and aprons we don’t forget the importance of washing our hands. We have a wash basin in the room we use and ensure we all wash our hands regularly.”
Let us know what you’re doing to keep your hands clean at swbh.comms@nhs.net, sharing your pictures, films and stories and share them on social media too using #SWBcleanhands
2. Proning patients with COVID-19 to improve clinical outcomes
We are working every day to save lives. One of the recommended ways that we can make a difference to patient outcomes is to consider proning in our acute medicine and general ward environments, as well as in intensive care. Our guidance on awake proning covers length of time, positioning and the importance of consent.
We must also record patient proning in Unity using the Awake Prone Position (APP) PowerPlan. A Quick Reference Guide (QRG) has been developed to guide you through the steps you need to take to record proning. Please make sure you read this guide so that you can record when patients are receiving this intervention.
If you have any questions about our Proning Policy please contact Chief Nurse, Paula Gardner direct.
3. Testing patients for COVID-19 using the right swabs
It is vital to follow the correct process for sampling of swabs from our patients. This will ensure that the swabs are able to be processed by the labs so that results are returned promptly and swabs are not wasted. The pathway sets out clearly who should be swabbed, which swabs to use, how to take a sample, the arrangements to collect and transport the specimens and which swabs to use.
Follow the directions on the swab guidance document linked below.
4. May Day Public Holiday – VE Day
This year, the May Public Holiday has moved from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Thank you to colleagues who will be working over the weekend and tomorrow continuing to care for all of our patients. Our services will operate on the usual bank holiday arrangements. Many GP services and pharmacies are also open and the NHS 111 service will be directing patients to the most appropriate health care service for them.
At 11am join us in observing a two-minute silence in honour of the heroes of the Second World War.
At 3pm you can “Raise a Cuppa” in honour of those who lost their lives during the Second World War, from your own home or workplace.