COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 1 July

July 9, 2020

This is our weekly bulletin and will be issued every Wednesday. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. We are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. Kindness remains the guiding principle of all the actions in our work to tackle the virus – kindness in how we look after patients, visitors, and one another.

Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Wednesday 24 June’s totals)

1. Swabbing patients – Do you know when and how often you should be swabbing?

It is vital that inpatients are not only placed in the right care environment (Red, Lilac , Blue ward) but also that swabbing is carried out appropriately and effectively in each environment.

Remember:

1. Every patient MUST be swabbed on admission.
2. Patients on Lilac wards MUST be swabbed every 3 days.
3. Patients on Blue wards MUST be swabbed every 5 days.

Alongside swabbing at the right time, it’s critical that swabbing is carried out using the right swabbing kit and collected in the right manner.

White\Green\Yellow swab kits should be used for all inpatient swabs and for retesting in blue and lilac areas. Black swabs are only for urgent testing in pre-agreed areas.

Guidance on how to collect samples is available in the linked document.

• COVID-19 Patient Swabbing Guidance

Where swabs are taken, colleagues must ensure that they are hand delivered to the pathology departments as soon as possible so that they can be tested and reported without delay. Samples must not be left on wards for extended periods of time as this significantly delays the time taken to report results and ultimately puts patients and colleagues at risk.

Triple bagging swab samples for safety

Remember when you are bagging your swab sample, you must ensure the red topped bottle is first put in a clear specimen bag, this should then be placed in a clear zip lock bag and finally packaged in a blue specimen bag alongside any paperwork.

2. Face masks and ID badges – it’s for your safety and that of your colleagues’

As with last week, we remind ALL colleagues that when entering the buildings where clinical services are being provided you must ensure you use hand sanitiser and put on a fresh Fluid-resistant surgical mask (FRSM). You are also required upon entry to show security colleagues your ID badge. This is so we can keep you, colleagues, patients and approved visitors safe and help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Additional stations with PPE are now in place at entrances. You must not take more masks than you need or take any home for use outside work. We are monitoring stock levels closely and checking what is being taken using CCTV.

Our security team are on hand at all main entrances to our clinical buildings to remind you. Please ensure that you give these valued colleagues the respect they deserve when they are implementing this approach. Any occasions of disrespect or discourtesy will be not be tolerated. Incidents will be reported and investigated in line with our Trust policies.

For more information about face masks see our FAQs here.

3. Colleague risk assessments

Many of you have completed a risk assessment with the Occupational Health department that takes into account your individual risk of COVID-19, assessing underlying health conditions, age, gender and ethnicity. The occupational health team are continuing to carry out these risk assessments for people who request them and can be booked by calling 0121 507 3306 or emailing swbh.riskassessmentoh@nhs.net

We would now like to ensure that all colleagues have evidenced their own risk assessments by completing the risk assessment calculator and returning your completed assessment to the occupational health team via email who will be able to respond to you with actions required. For more information click here.

4. Visiting restrictions are staying in place – for now.

With the easing of lockdown and social distancing measures we are expecting to receive more enquiries about an easing of visiting restrictions, as well as members of the public thinking that the restrictions within our Trust space are likewise reduced.

To be clear for everyone, at this time our present visiting restrictions – those that have been in place for the past several weeks – remain in place.

We are ensuring that we keep a close eye on cases in the community and in hospital settings so that we can take a phased approach to changing visitor arrangements. It is especially important we take stock of both the local picture and what is being learnt elsewhere when it comes to our visiting restrictions and what happens immediately after July 4 will also certainly play a role.

Please continue to encourage the use of mobile devices/tablets for families to keep in touch with their loved ones. We recognise the challenges that are faced by colleagues whilst implementing these restrictions and we want to thank everyone for their support in enforcing the current visiting arrangements.

5. Working from home guidance extended

As we mentioned back in April, our Working from Home Guidance was originally proposed to take us through to the end of July, but this has now been extended to the end of August while we continue to evaluate what is best for you and the services we provide.

With that in mind, our safe office space review is continuing. There will also be engagement over long-term work from home arrangements during the summer. This longer-term strategy will reflect learnings from over the last three months and look to put arrangements on a firmer and more contractual footing that will carry the Trust through the period to 2023. This ensures fairness for existing and new employees and clarity about eligibility and decision making.  We expect this longer-term guidance to see more home working than prior to COVID-19, mindful of social distancing and the open plan nature of office accommodation in particular in the Trust’s estate from 2022. 

6. Handwashing is still essential, gloves are not an alternative

Wearing gloves does not prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Regular and effective hand washing is the best way to prevent the virus from spreading.

Colleagues are reminded that gloves are single use and  should only be worn  when they are needed as part of PPE for a particular procedure or task and should immediately be disposed of following this and hand hygiene performed.

Gloves should not be worn as an alternative to hand washing.

Gloves are not required for procedures where there is a minimal risk of cross infection between patients and staff and include the following:

• Basic care procedures without contact with blood and body fluids (including bathing/washing).
• Making uncontaminated beds/changing or removing patients uncontaminated clothing.
• Taking recordings of blood pressure, temperature, pulse.
• Moving patients around the hospital unless a specific infection control risk has been identified.

7.National Launch: NHSX Health and Care Video Library

NHSX aims to improve health and social care by giving people the technology they need. As part of the response to COVID-19, NHSX has secured a 6 month national licence for NHS clinicians to use the Health and Care Video Library of over 600 patient information videos with their patients, FREE OF CHARGE. The videos have been written by NHS clinicians to work within care pathways to help patients. They have been independently, clinically assured by multiple NHS Trusts.

NHSX evaluation programmes have already shown these results:

• Reduction in the length of appointments
• Removal of unnecessary appointments
• Patients better understand their conditions
• Patients enabled to manage their care at home

To help maximise the video library’s impact, they have created an online Resource Hub for NHS clinicians to access information and guidance on how to use and share the videos in clinical specialties and pathways.

8. Mental Wellbeing

The Trust has launched its Level 1 mental wellbeing training which focuses on supporting colleagues through the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery. Part of the wellbeing support plan is the provision of training for all line managers, plus any volunteer colleagues, to have initial conversations with colleagues and, where appropriate, open the door to further services that may help. This is the Level 1 supervisor training which is in the form of e-learning material. Please follow the attached information on how to access the course.

e-Learning Registration – Level 1 Mental Wellbeing Supervisor Training

A range of other mental health support is on offer that can be seen on our Connect Wellbeing pages. The recharge booth returns tomorrow (Thursday 2 July 2020) with a story on isolation and working from home. To join please email swbh.rechargebooth@nhs.net. A WebEx invite will be sent to your outlook diary, and you will simply need to click on the ‘join’ button to enter.