Skip to content Skip to main menu Skip to utility menu

COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 12 February

February 12, 2021

1. New: Massage service is paused

Colleagues are asked to note that the massage service provided as part of our wellbeing offer has been paused due to concerns raised around social distancing. We recognise that this will be disappointing for many colleagues, but would encourage staff to make use of other wellbeing activities such as music therapy, mindfulness, counselling and online yoga – which you can access here.

If you had an appointment booked, unfortunately this will now be cancelled effective immediately. As soon as we are in a position to restart the massage service we will let you know.

The Sanctuary is at Learning Works on Unett Street, Smethwick, B66 3SY. Any queries please call 0121 507 5886.

2. New: COVID vaccine does not deliver superpowers

Colleagues will be aware that once vaccinated against COVID we must continue to maintain strict observance of the rules around hand hygiene, social distancing and wearing appropriate PPE. Being vaccinated DOES NOT imbue you with superpowers to repel infection. We need to be sensible and continue the precautions that we know will protect us and those around us. It is vital that all colleagues continue to wear the correct PPE on their wards, areas and departments whether in a patient facing or office environment. Should you be unsure of what PPE you need please see the PPE guidance.

Don’t forget: PPE is only part of what is necessary in order to combat Coronavirus and keep ourselves, our patients and the wider public safe.

  • Regular and effective hand washing will help reduce the spread of the virus.
  • Practicing social distancing by leaving 2 metres (6ft) between you and those around you.
  • Wearing a mask when in communal rooms and are not alone for both clinical and non-clinical areas.

3. New: Call for message to our future selves from Sandwell Council

Our colleagues at Sandwell Council have asked for our involvement in their project – ‘A Message to Me in 2022’. The aim of the project is to encourage the communities of Sandwell to look forward to a time when life will be easier by writing messages to ourselves of things to do or remember post pandemic. They will share the messages prominently across Sandwell including projecting them onto large buildings, displaying them on banners in parks and across social media. The hope is that the people of Sandwell will feel encouraged, uplifted, hopeful and positive as they look to the future.

Not only will the messages and project be shared this year, but they will be repeated in 2022 to remind our future-selves of what we were thinking. The organisers are calling on Trust colleagues to participate with a brief message. They are looking for a mixture of poignant, humorous and sentimental messages, such as:

  • “My colleagues are family, they’ve helped me through.”
  • “Sometimes only a Snickers will do.”
  • “She smiled and lit up the room.”
  • “Is it wrong to have the takeaway on speed dial?”
  • “What I’d give for the wind in my hair.”

Each message should be no more than 10 words ideally relating to your personal situation (i.e. as a healthcare professional etc.) The messages must be positive, not have any political intent and not liable to cause offence. To take part, please email your message, name, age, town where you live and a photo of yourself (in uniform if appropriate) to discover@sandwell.gov.uk by next Friday 19 February. If you are happy for your message to be shared across social media please also send a recording of you delivering your message.

Here are a few tips to help you with recording:

  • Make sure that the filming phone is landscape, at eye level and you are fully in the frame.
  • Put the phone on aeroplane mode so that there are no notifications during filming.
  • Don’t try to hold the phone while filming, balance it on something at the right angle.
  • Press play then take 3 seconds before you start to speak. Similarly, at the end, pause in your finishing pose for 3 seconds before you turn off the video. This will help when editing.
  • Try to film in a reasonably quiet location with some natural light directed onto your face

4. New: Film Friday – ‘My view on the COVID vaccine’

Colleagues across the Trust may have different reasons for getting their COVID vaccine, so we asked Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist Ria De Leon Casili what hers was. Here’s what she said:

5. New: Working from home tax relief

We would like to remind colleagues who have moved to home working during the pandemic that there is an opportunity to claim tax relief from HMRC on your work related expenses incurred from working from home. To check your entitlement please click here.

It is a simple process requiring two forms of ID to check your eligibility. You do not have to register for self-assessment to claim.