Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 15 January
January 15, 2021
Our vaccination programme continues to progress and we expect that around half of our workforce have now received their first doses of the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine at either the Sandwell Hospital hub or at neighbouring Walsall Manor or a primary care setting. This is in addition to vaccinating vulnerable patients and beginning to expand to cover staff in other health or care settings. Thank you to everyone who has embraced the opportunity to be vaccinated. Remember that all staff who have patient contact can now book a slot at Sandwell, by calling 0121 507 4112. Progressing with vaccination at speed remains the main way we are going to be able to exit the various restrictions that have been in place over the past 10 months in one form or another. And getting more people vaccinated with the first dose will save lives, which is why I am supportive of the change in policy to give the second dose at around 12 weeks rather than 3 weeks. The numbers in the community are very high and the more people get protected the safer our communities will be, which will impact positively on people’s health. Our services are under severe pressure and reduction in cases and spread of the virus is essential.
Thank you to the R&D team for leading our staff briefing on vaccination earlier this week. I hope that the 100 or so of you who were able to join in felt that we did justice to your questions. We are publishing today the recording of the session and the questions and answers so that more of you can feel fully informed about the vaccine programme and the regulatory process the vaccines have been through to ensure they are safe and effective.
As the need for patients to be admitted to our acute and community beds remains, and community cases are still high, it is more important than ever that we focus on the patients who are able to be discharged, recognising that there are a number of support services in the community who can safely look after people in their own homes or in a care facility. In yesterday’s Covid bulletin we outlined the services that are available and how to contact our Discharge 2 Assess team, pictured above, who can make all the arrangements necessary and ensure patients are well looked after. This includes the home oxygen monitoring for Covid patients that can avoid a stay in hospital. I know that many of you may feel uncomfortable or uncertain at discharging people earlier than you normally would and I have written to all consultants to outline the support and protection that is available to you as you make these difficult clinical decisions. Without timely discharge we are risking more people not getting the care they desperately need.
The need for reservists continues and thank you to everyone who has stepped forward to help our critical care service, respiratory hub, medical wards and vaccination programme. More of you are working in other areas, or because staff are absent, you are being deployed to a different ward or service to help and support. We do aim to keep these moves to a minimum but they are essential to keep our services safe. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
With high community infection rates and increased numbers of patients in hospital who are testing positive, we are now also recommending that an increased level of PPE is worn on red and amber areas when you are providing direct patient care. This means that you should wear a FFP3 or silicone face mask that you have been fit-tested for to provide you with additional protection. Make sure you have been fit-tested for the masks we currently have available. Additional fit-testing clinics have been set up and you can book an appointment at a time that is convenient to you by calling 0121 507 5050.
To end with some welcome good news, we are starting to see community cases reduce. This has been consistent over the last four days so it is early days but welcome nonetheless. We know that it takes time to see the positive impact of that on NHS services but I am confident it will come. With the vaccination programme progressing and lockdown restrictions reducing transmission hospital cases may continue to rise for a couple of weeks but they will come down. That is why it remains essential to follow IPC guidelines, even when you have received the vaccine.
No one repeats that mantra more at our Trust than Julie Booth, lead nurse for infection prevention and control, who is our most recent star of the week. Julie continues to work tirelessly to ensure we are following the right guidance and offers support and advice on all aspects of infection prevention and control. A large part of our pandemic response is thanks to Julie and her team, working hand in hand with Dr Saluja and our diligent microbiology team. Thank you, Julie and congratulations.
Dr David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive