COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 24 December

December 24, 2020

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

No. of our patients confirmed with COVID-19	No. of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged	No. of COVID-19 positive patients who have died in our hospitals	No.of COVID-19 positive current inpatients	No. of COVID-19 research trial participants to date	No.of staff logging lateral test results	No.of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation
Pre-Sept: 1,398From 1 Sept: 1,843 (1,732)	Pre-Sept: 1,218From 1 Sept: 1,754 (1,591)	Pre-Sept: 392From 1 Sept: 273 (252)	159 (177)	970 (933)	1,830 (1,603)	COVID+/ symptomatic: 43 (74)Total: 435 (435)

1. New: SWB joins COVID-19 hospital hub sites

This week we received the very welcome news that we have been selected as a ‘hospital hub’ site to deliver the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

As you will know a vaccine has been approved as effective and safe which is fantastic news in the fight against COVID-19, and from next week our Trust will begin to start administering the vaccination.

The order in which people will receive the vaccine is decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and they have advised that age is the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19.

Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the life-saving jab.

The hospital hub will start to work with care home providers to book their staff and patients in to vaccination clinics. Appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.

We expect we will begin vaccine administration by the middle of next week.

2. New: Getting to work over Christmas and New Year

With Christmas and New Year likely to cause further disruption to public transport, it’s important that colleagues who rely on these services are still able to get to work as planned.

Over the bank holiday weekend, if you are due on shift and the changes to the public transport schedules are likely to cause you problems getting to work or getting home, you’ll be pleased to know you can book a taxi and claim back the cost.

All you have to do is:

Confirm with your Line Manager that you need a taxi in order to get into work to cover a bank holiday shift.
Books and pay for the taxi and retain a receipt for the journey.
Collect and complete a petty cash form. These can be found in the cash offices at each site (Main Reception at Sandwell and AMU foyer at City).
Complete the petty cash form, attach the receipt and ensure your line manager has signed off Petty Cash form. They will also need to assign a cost code to the petty cash claim form.
You can then claim your expenses by presenting your completed petty cash form back to the cash office at Sandwell or City Hospital and be reimbursed in cash – up to a maximum of £50 per petty cash claim.

3. Update: Resource Pack for Managers

If you are a manager, you must familiarise yourself with the new COVID-19 Resource Pack for Managers. This resource pack contains all of the information you need to support your colleagues during COVID-19 and includes topics such as recording absence, isolation and shielding guidance.

As you know, our focus remains on kindness during difficult times with worried colleagues, visitors and patients anxious for information and advice. Things move very quickly with COVID-19 – it is therefore essential that managers keep up to date with key messages and guidance and read the COVID-19 bulletin.

The resource pack will be reviewed on a regular basis. You can access it on Connect.

4. Reminder: Elf and safety – Facemasks before fashion

Colleagues are reminded to please ensure that they are wearing the Fluid Resistant Surgical Face Masks (FRSM) provided by the Trust. Whilst not quite as fashionable as the fabric masks that can be bought on the high street, the FRSMs have been tested and certified as providing a safe level of protection in the hospital.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for fabric masks which differ significantly in their levels of protection. Wearing these puts yourself, colleagues and patients at risk of infection.

Remember, the rules and regulations are here to keep you, colleagues and patients safe,

Please try not to fall foul of any of the following faux pas:

Exceeding recommended number of individuals in lifts, meeting and other rooms
Using red lifts when not with COVID patients
Not wearing a face mask properly (e.g. below nose) or consistently (e.g. when walking down corridors)
Inappropriate and inadequate hand hygiene (e.g. using alcohol gel on gloves)
Not bare below the elbows (e.g .wearing bands/watches in clinical areas)
Not wearing masks at all times when in rooms with other individuals (e.g. when taking a break)
Not replacing mask immediately after having food/drink
Not maintaining social distancing
Wearing the incorrect PPE

If you feel that FRSMs are damaging your skin or you need support finding an alternative, please get in touch with colleagues in the Tissue Viability Team or Infection Prevention and Control.

And lastly: A far from silent Knight

We wanted to end things on our last COVID-19 bulletin before Christmas on a positive note, so thought we’d share this with you.

In gratitude to all the hard-working NHS and social care staff, whether you’re on duty over the festive season or taking a well-earned break – Beverley Knight (and friends) would like to thank you for everything you’ve done this year in the form of a very special performance of the song Lean On Me.

From everyone at the Communications Team have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Connect Coronavirus page is continually being updated with the latest news and guidance regarding the virus, please take the time to read and familiarise yourself with this.