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COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 22 October

October 22, 2021

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
8,139

(8,062)

 8,274

(8,191)

 1,334

(1,326)

 56

(55)

 1,175

(1,175)
  1. New: Roll up, roll up, get your boosters – winter is coming

Did you know we are operating walk-in clinics for the COVID booster jab and flu vaccination at various sites across the Trust?

Now more than ever, it’s really important that we are all protected not least because we are expecting the next few months to be particularly challenging.

There’s the potential for a severe flu season, combined with increased COVID-19 transmission, long COVID and the usual winter illnesses circulating that we avoided last year due to lockdown restrictions.

There are also those patients whose treatment plans were regrettably disrupted due to COVID-19 who may need more care.

So with all these factors in mind, we’ve made it as simple as possible for you to protect yourselves and everyone around you as winter approaches.

Dr David Carruthers (pictured above), Medical Director, had his booster recently by taking advantage of the walk-in clinic at City Hospital’s vaccination hub.

He said: “I’ve had my booster jab and my flu vaccination. I’m sure you’ll all want to join me in protecting yourselves, patients and colleagues over the winter.

“It’s very easy to either book in or walk in at our hubs, so I would encourage you all to get protected.”

You can also book an appointment at the clinics, which are listed below with opening times.

Both vaccinations are perfectly safe to have together. Should you not wish to do this, you can split your jabs by booking two separate appointments or just make it clear when you attend a walk-in clinic.

COVID-19 boosters will be Pfizer and those eligible include those who have had their second dose (including Pfizer or Astra Zeneca) and have no contraindications to the Pfizer vaccination.

There must be at least six months (180 days) between your second dose of your COVID-19 jab and your booster.

Please be aware that the Sandwell vaccination hub is closed on 25 and 28 October but will remain open on all other days next week. It will close permanently after October 31, but pop up clinics will be held throughout November on site.

The City vaccination hub will remain open seven days a week where colleagues will be able to receive their flu jab and COVID booster. A pop-up clinic will operate on Monday at Rowley Regis Hospital, where no appointment is needed.

See below table for opening times.

  Sandwell Hub City Hub Rowley Regis, Westwood Ward
Saturday 23 October 8am – 1pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Sunday 24 October 8am – 1pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Monday 25 October Closed 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm 9am – 4pm
Tuesday 26 October 8am – 1pm and 2.30pm – 6.30pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Wednesday 27 October 8am – 1pm and 2.30pm – 6.30pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Thursday 28 October Closed 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Friday 29 October 8am – 1pm and 2.30pm – 6.30pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Saturday 30 October 8am – 1pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A
Sunday 31 October 8am – 1pm 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 6pm N/A

Prefer to book an appointment? Using our easy self-booking system you can arrange an appointment to have your vaccinations at a time and date to suit you. You need your NHS number which you can find on the NHS app or you can book via the following links:

Receiving your COVID booster/flu jab elsewhere?

If you receive your COVID booster and/or flu vaccination elsewhere please ensure that your place of work is recorded as Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust on the system. This will help to keep your occupational health records updated so that you do not receive further correspondence about the vaccinations.

If you have any other questions regarding the vaccine please contact occupational health on 0121 507 3306.

Watch Dr Carruthers talk about being vaccinated:

Colleagues should also be aware that we are now offering walk-in and booked appointments for 12-17 year-olds at the City hub.

 Boost your immunity this winter – get your flu jab and COVID-19 booster.

2. New: Wolverhampton COVID lab suspension not linked to Black Country Pathology Services

You may have seen in the media recently that a lab in Wolverhampton has been suspended from testing due to inaccurate results for COVID-19 PCR tests.

Please be assured that this is in no way associated with Black Country Pathology Services. Any results that you may have received for your patients, or your own LAMP test, will be accurate.

If you have any questions, please contact rwh-tr.communicationsdept@nhs.net.

3. Updated: New swabbing pathway for elective surgery

An updated swabbing pathway has been issued for patients undergoing elective surgery.

The new guidance covers the process around what to do if a patient arrives without their PCR test result or if a member of their household tests positive for COVID-19.

You can read the full guidance here.

4. Reminder: Join the saliva testing programme to protect your patients and loved ones

Did you know saliva testing (known as LAMP – Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) is a speedy and less invasive way of detecting COVID-19?

You can book a kit collection slot for the weekly test, which requires you to spit into a tube in the morning before you brush your teeth or an hour after you have eaten.

When you arrive at work, you can deposit your sample into a red collection box. Many of these are positioned around our acute and community sites.

You can find drop off points and more information by clicking here.

If you are still unsure how to complete your LAMP test, be sure to check out the step-by-step guide in the video below.

Even if you are vaccinated it is vital that you register and carry out the weekly tests as they will help identify if you’re asymptomatic. Your saliva sample is ONLY used to test for COVID and is disposed of after testing.

The weekly saliva test is an easy way to help us all ensure we are remaining safe and playing our part in the battle against COVID-19.

Uptake of the weekly saliva test is monitored to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our patients, the public and each other.

The latest data by group is below:

5. Reminder: Do you need a disposable FFP3 masks?

If you require disposable FFP3 mask please call ext. 4938 (City) or ext. 2824 (Sandwell).

If you are in charge of a clinical area, please ensure you have an ample supply of these masks.

Note: We must remind colleagues they should not be reliant on their silicone mask only.

If you have not been fit tested for a disposable masks please book an appointment via ESR. If you have issues booking through ESR, please call ext. 5195.

6. Reminder: Have you thought about taking advantage of time out with your team?

Taking time out is important for both mental and physical health and wellbeing, particularly after the difficulties many of us have experienced during the pandemic. Many team leaders have expressed a wish to arrange some time for teams to step away from the work environment and jointly reflect on experiences. These away days can take a range of formats, but in order to help managers, the Trust is happy to consider centrally funding reasonable costs associated with these experiences.

This could include:

  • Hire of an external venue
  • Facilitator/external speaker costs
  • Transport to external venue
  • Refreshment costs (no alcohol)
  • External team building activities
  • Backfill costs

If an away day or something similar is of interest to you and you team, please visit Connect for further details. These activities should be carried out in line with our Trust infection prevention and control guidance.