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COVID-19 Bulletin: Monday 8 February

February 8, 2021

1. New: Countdown is on for switch to LAMP testing

As part of the national drive to continue asymptomatic testing of staff and in line with other Trusts, we will start the process of rolling out the LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) test, which is a more sensitive saliva test for COVID-19, replacing the lateral flow tests.

This is a weekly test where your saliva will be sent off to the lab to be tested.  Results are processed quicker than the usual PCR swab tests.  We have provided instructions on how to perform the test which can be accessed by clicking here. If the result comes back positive you and your household will need to immediately isolate for 10 days and you will not require a PCR swab test to confirm the result.

Your group leaders will be informed when the LAMP test becomes available in your area or service and you will be asked to register and book a kit collection slot a week before your testing regime starts. By 22 March, we will have testing available for all staff.

From week commencing 15 February we will start LAMP testing for staff in the following directorates:

  • Admitted Care A
  • Admitted Care B
  • Emergency Care

If you belong to these directorates please ring 0121507 2664 option 6, Monday to Friday between 8am – 6pm or Saturday and Sunday on 07816992873, between 8:30am – 4pm  to register and book your kit collection slot.

Those of you who have been doing your twice weekly lateral flow testing will likely be at the end of your test kits. You should continue with the lateral flow testing until you move to the LAMP testing programme. If you have kit left over from your lateral flow tests please return these to your service area and we will arrange for left over testing kit to be collected.

You can read the Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here.

2. Updated: Alternative sites for vaccination

COVID vaccinations for colleagues restarted again at Sandwell Hospital’s Education Centre today. There are a small number of slots are still available and colleagues can book through the contact centre by calling ext. 4112.

The hub will stop offering first doses after 11 February in order to support the allocation of vaccine supplies across the system so that priority groups are able to be vaccinated as quickly as possible. The facility will reopen in March to administer second doses. Staff who need to be vaccinated after 11 February with their first doses can book to have their vaccine at Black Country Living Museum by clicking here or at Walsall Manor Hospital by clicking here. Walsall Manor Hospital has provided guidance for colleagues attending its site. You can read it here.

Alternatively colleagues can book via the Your Health Partnership Primary Care Network by emailing yhp.cot@nhs.net for an appointment at Whiteheath Medical Centre, in Oldbury.

Please note you will be required to take your ID badge with you to the appointment.

3. Reminder: Face masks – They’re not one size fits all

There’s more to face masks than you would think. It’s not simply a matter of grabbing the closest mask to you as you enter a ward, they only really work if they fit well.

For those of us who simply wear a fluid resistant surgical mask (FRSM), it’s just a matter of making sure you put it on the right way round (colour side outside) and to pinch the bridge of the nose to get it to fit. However if you need to wear an FFP3 mask or respirator, there is a whole range to choose from depending on the shape of your face, and you must be fit tested and assessed before you wear one in a clinical setting.

Under no circumstances should staff simply wear any mask they have at hand or ask for an FFP3, unless they know what mask they have been fit tested for. Colleagues working within the PPE hub have a responsibility to ensure that all staff are safe by issuing specific masks following a fit test.

This is because masks that are ill-fitting allow particles to pass by the side of the covering leaving the wearer at risk. You MUST be fit tested to be able to safely wear a face mask and be assured it is working properly.

Please make it your aim to remember which FFP3 mask you have been tested for. If you don’t know, please ask your line manager to check ESR. If ESR does not contain the information, please contact Dinah McLannahan (dinah.mclannahan@nhs.net) who will access fit testing records.

To book yourself in for fit testing please call ext. 5050 and the team will book you into a slot at a site, date and time to suit you. Fit testing clinics are available everyday between 8am and 4pm.