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COVID-19 Bulletin: Tuesday 22 December

December 22, 2020

If a message is in the bulletin, then it means all colleagues need to know about it. It is your responsibility to read the bulletin every day and if you think of a way to improve the bulletin, please let us know by emailing swbh.comms@nhs.net.

 All the messages that are published in the bulletin are signed off during our daily Trust tactical meeting, and you can find the latest information about our COVID response on Connect here. Please take the time to keep yourself updated and safe.

1. New: Fears for Tiers – Test before you travel to work

The new Tier guidelines that have come into force across the country, but in particular within the South and East of England have caused confusion and frustration for a number of colleagues. Not just because of Christmas plans being scuppered, but for some the possibility of having to cross tier boundaries, even Tier 4, on the commute in to work.

For clarity, as NHS workers we are all able to travel in to work as part of the guidelines. Even those who may be affected by Tier 4 guidelines, as explained on the GOV.uk website’s Coronavirus section:

“Where people cannot do so – including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing – they should continue to travel to their workplace. This is essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers.

 Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.”

If you work in a clinical capacity and you are from or travel through one of these areas and are concerned please ensure you regularly carry out your lateral flow test. These are designed to help identify any asymptomatic COVID positive cases and helps ensure we are playing our part in keeping patients, fellow NHS colleagues and our families safe.

Thousands of frontline colleagues have received the self-testing home kits, however only a relatively small percentage of results have been submitted so far. Recording these results could help to save lives, so it’s really important that each time you use the test your results – positive or negative – are submitted, as well as give you some additional peace of mind.

You can upload your test results here or via the link on Connect, but only when you are on the Trust network. If you carry out the test and it is positive, please ensure you contact your line manager immediately and book in for a PCR swab test to confirm the result.

The initial roll out of self-testing home kits for colleagues has now been completed. So, if you haven’t yet received a kit and work in a patient-facing area, please speak to your service lead and ask if they have included you in the submission that they have made for additional kits required.

Important information for managers distributing kits:

Please return your completed collected kits proforma to sandwell.adminhub@nhs.net along with the number of additional kits required.

2. Reminder: Do the right thing and bring back your scrubs

We must remind colleagues to return scrubs that they have stored or stockpiled at home. It is essential that colleagues abide by the rules and think of others by returning their scrubs. If everyone does this we will have enough to go round so that each time a colleague needs scrubs they can have a newly laundered pair.

Currently we do not have sufficient sets of scrubs to meet the increase in demand as many have disappeared, been worn or taken home, contrary to Trust policy.

All used scrubs must be placed in the blue trollies situated on the links and in departmental areas so they can be laundered and put back in to circulation.

Harsher penalties will be introduced should you not return scrubs. You will be challenged if caught in person or on camera arriving in or leaving the hospital in scrubs. There is no special circumstance that allows ANY colleague to disregard this rule.  

No scrubs rules:

  • No scrubs should be stockpiled in lockers – they must be laundered regularly on site
  • No scrubs should be binned, they should be deposited in to the blue trollies situated on the links and in departmental areas
  • No scrubs should be worn outside the hospital or while travelling to and from hospital or taken home for laundering. By doing so you are putting yourself, your family and the public at risk.

3. Reminder: A welcome break for colleagues

Many staff will be working over the Christmas period caring for our patients. We know it can be a stressful time so it is important that you take a break. The Trust has expanded the Wellbeing Sanctuary onto both City and Sandwell sites, in a bid to offer more colleagues the opportunity to take a break away from wards and clinical areas. These new spaces are open to all colleagues, and provide a place to chill out, relax, unwind and recharge your batteries from 21 – 24 December  and 29 – 31 December from 8am to 4pm week days.

The wellbeing rooms are located at:

  • Room 14\15 at Sandwell Education Centre
  • The Dining Room at Post Graduate Centre City

Free refreshments including tea and coffee and individually wrapped biscuits and snacks will be provided. Relaxing background music will be playing to help colleagues switch off, enjoy the moment, and get the most from their break. On using the rooms you’ll be expected to adhere to current IPC rules including social distancing, using hand sanitiser and wearing face masks appropriately.