COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 14 April

April 14, 2022

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week) 

(Note: Percentages may decrease due to changes in the number of inpatients and in the number of staff members (starters and leavers).

1. New: IPC changes to be considered based on risk assessment

As colleagues no doubt know, there is an increased pressure across the Trust and in the community as numbers of COVID-19 cases remains high and flu cases rise. Surge plans are in place and being actioned. We must continue to keep our patients safe by assessing the situation and acting accordingly when needed.

Our Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team have been monitoring the situation very carefully and have devised a risk assessment document based on regional and national guidelines which sets out options to change IPC arrangements in light of capacity and patient safety, when the following triggers are met:

• Demand for red capacity cannot be met
• Increased numbers of patients in the bed base are testing positive for COVID-19
• Limited or no elective capacity
• High number of beds not accessible due to outbreaks or contact areas

The options include:

• Reducing isolation periods for COVID-19 positive and contact patients to seven days following two negative lateral flow device (LFD) tests on days six and seven with a further potential reduction to five days.
• Consideration of change to chlorine cleaning from HPV/UVC cleaning.
• Consider stepping down outbreak areas when ward is out of isolation at day 10.
• Cohorting / isolating and treating asymptomatic flu positive patients, and stepping down after five days of treatment as long as they remain asymptomatic.

The assessment includes actions for clinical colleagues to follow if needed and will remain in place until the end of April.

The IPC team will work with you to ensure this is in place when required and are available to advise should you have any questions.

The risk assessment can be accessed in full by clicking here.

2. New: COVID-19: Recording absence in ESR

Thank you to colleagues who continue to follow the Trust guidance for COVID-19 testing and return to work instructions after a positive test result.

Managers are reminded that if a colleague is unable to work from home, their absence must be recorded on ESR.

The section to record absence can be found on ESR using the following path:

ESR Self Service > My Team Personal Information > Absence

1. Search and select the correct employee record
2. Select Create Absence

If the related reason is added correctly to ESR, it will not be counted as an episode of sickness by HR and the employee’s pay and entitlement to sick leave will not be reduced.

Please see below for the correct method:

1. Absence Type – Sickness
2. Level 1 Reason – S15 Chest and Respiratory Problems or any other appropriate reason (such as S13 Cold, Flu)
3. Enter the Start Date
4. Scroll down to Related Reason and enter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Do not enter an end date until they have returned to work
5. Click Submit.

The ESR team will be updating and adding information to the comments to provide more detail regarding the reason for absence. It will be displayed as Code A, B, C etc. Please do not delete this information on the form.

Do not record a period of absence if the employee is working from home whilst COVID positive.

Colleagues can read the full information on how to record COVID related absence here.

3. New: Ensure inpatient referrals for imaging are clinically justified

As we have mentioned earlier the Trust is very busy and experiencing high levels of inpatients, whilst we have also seen a rising number of colleagues with COVID-19. This of course is having an impact on some services.

Clinical colleagues should only refer inpatients to the Imaging Service if this is clinically justified and cannot be performed at an outpatient appointment.

This will ensure high priority patients are treated and diagnosed, receiving the right care whilst they are being looked after as an inpatient at our Trust.

We’d like to thank everyone for their continued support and understanding.

4. New: Only use purple bags if you have an urgent sample

Colleagues are reminded that they should only use purple sample bags for urgent COVID-19 PCR tests, as they will be processed as a priority.

Rapid tests are limited to 50 a day so please do ensure that your patient fits the criteria for an urgent swab to be taken.

These purple bags can be collected from the Pathology laboratories at Sandwell and City sites. Please ensure you are calling the correct site when arranging to collect.

For the Sandwell laboratory, please collect between 9am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

For the City laboratory, please collect between 9am – 1.45pm Monday to Friday.

Samples submitted as urgent between 8am – 8pm, Monday to Friday, will be processed the same day up to the 50 limit. There is no overnight service meaning rapid swabs are not processed overnight but will be done the following working day.

If you have an urgent sample:

• Place the correctly labelled specimen into a clear specimen bag and sealed fully
• Repeat this process, using the second larger clear zip locked specimen bag
• Add this doubled bag specimen to a purple urgent COVID-19 sample bag
• The purple urgent bag can now also be posted into the URGENT COVID-19 drop off box

Further information on processing samples can be found on Connect by clicking here.

5. Updated: Ensure you continue to reduce the risk of transmission in work and at home

We continue to ask you to be cautious about your activities, for yourself, your patients and for your loved ones, particularly as COVID-19 cases in the community and in hospitals are high.

There are many things you can do to best protect yourselves and those around you to reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 or passing it on.

It’s important to follow the guidelines below if you do have to meet in person or when on Trust sites:

• Remain within the allocated ‘max capacity’ of each meeting area to allow for one metre+ social distancing.
• Colleagues should continue to wear fluid resistant surgical face masks when in a shared space, this includes when meeting with team members and close colleagues.
• One metre social distancing space should be adhered to ensure colleagues remain safe
• Ensure you complete and report a lateral flow test twice a week before attending work.

6. Updated: Vaccination pop up clinics throughout this week and bank holiday

The vaccination programme has contributed greatly to building a barrier against COVID-19 across the population. There is still time to get vaccinated, whether that’s your first, second or booster dose. We are also now offering COVID-19 boosters for the over-75s and those with a weakened immune system at our vaccinations sites. At Tipton Sports Academy, we are now welcoming five to 11 year-olds for their first jab.

There are a number of pop-up clinics taking place across our sites throughout the bank holiday period. See the schedule below:

Don’t forget, the vaccination hubs are open daily at City and Tipton and no appointment necessary – you can just drop in.

Here are current opening hours:

7. Updated: Rules for visiting wards – what is and isn’t allowed

We continue to review the visiting arrangements throughout the pandemic and now have updated guidance for paediatrics.

From today, two nominated parents/carers will be allowed to accompany their child being cared for on our wards. They will have to be named at the start of the admission and can only be changed in exceptional circumstances. Additionally, two parents/carers will also be allowed to accompany their child to an outpatient appointment.

The following points summarise our rules and are for those wards where visiting is allowed (amber wards only). Visiting red and green departments is only allowed on compassionate grounds (this is where a visit by a carer or family member is central to ensuring that the patient’s fundamental care needs are met).

All wards regardless of COVID status should ensure robust systems remain in place to support regular communication between patients and their loved ones. Please note, there will be no visiting in outbreak areas.

To visit a patient on an amber inpatient ward:

• All visits must be booked in advance by telephoning the ward to allow wards to limit the number of visitors on a ward/bay at any one time. Ward staff should ensure that visitors are given the following information prior to visiting:
• All visitors must be free of COVID-19 symptoms and must not attend if they are a household contact of a COVID-19 positive case. We regret children (under 16 years) or those who are immunocompromised are currently not allowed to visit.
• Patients in amber areas should be supported to receive one visitor for up to 30 minutes per day. Patients can nominate two individuals who can visit for the duration of their stay, ideally from the same household. There should be no more than two visitors per bay.
• Visitors must use hand sanitiser and wear a fluid resistant surgical face mask on entry to the hospital site and ward.
• All ward areas must ensure adequate supply of PPE for all visitors and recheck they are wearing a mask on entry to the ward and have sanitised their hands.
• Staff should continue to strongly advise patients to wear their masks and ensure a minimum of one metre distancing is in place at all times.
• Bay/ward areas should be well ventilated.
• Weather permitting – visiting can be conducted in the hospital grounds as long as the patient is medically stable and can be kept safe.

Our usual exemptions apply for inpatient children, those at end of life and people who lack mental capacity.

We continue to review visiting arrangements based on a risk assessment taking into account COVID-19 case rates in the community and numbers of COVID-19 cases in our hospitals.

For more information see the visiting information here

8. Reminder: What to do if you are a household contact of someone with COVID-19

Colleagues who have household contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 should continue with twice weekly asymptotic Lateral Flow Device (LFD) testing before attending work.

However, you should be mindful that it can take up to 10 days for infection to develop. Colleagues should therefore discuss ways to minimise risk of onwards transmissions with their line manager.

This may include (but not limited to) considering:

• Redeployment to lower risk areas for staff if they work with patients whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness despite vaccination
• Working from home for non-patient facing colleagues
• Limited close contact with other people especially in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
• Whilst attending work, staff must continue to comply rigorously with all infection control procedures

9. Reminder: Lateral flow testing twice a week is a Trust policy

We must continue with our robust programme of testing and reporting to ensure we understand the spread of the virus. Lateral flow testing lets us do this.

All colleagues are required to complete a lateral flow test twice a week before coming in to work.

All completed lateral flow tests must be reported on the Trust Lateral Flow Test reporting form which can be found by clicking here.

Please ensure you only report your test results on the Trust system and not to duplicate your submission on the national reporting system.

Colleagues are no longer required to confirm a COVID positive lateral flow result with a PCR test.

Lateral flow tests are free to NHS staff. You can order your lateral flow kit by visiting https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests. You will be prompted to set up an account using your NHS email address. Once set up please select “Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust” from the list and continue to place your order.

10. Reminder: Wellbeing Hubs at Sandwell, City and the Sanctuary

Focusing on ensuring that colleagues have a good day every day, the hubs aim to help improve mental health, relieve stress, build resilience and restore balance for colleagues closer to their work base.

Services in the wellbeing hubs include:

• Confidential chat – an opportunity for colleagues to offload and talk about anything which is troubling them
• Meditation
• Relaxation POD (massage chair)
• Back, hips, leg massager
• Seated acupressure massage
• Hypnotherapy (sanctuary only)

The wellbeing hubs are completely confidential, all services and treatments are free of charge for colleagues and delivered by trained coaches and an holistic therapist.

The wellbeing hubs are a regular weekly service across all sites (see below list of venues), operating between 8am – 4pm, whilst the Sanctuary is open between 10am – 5pm.

• Monday – Friday, Jayne Wright Therapy Room, Trinity House, Sandwell
• Monday – Friday, Wellbeing Hub, Arches, 1^st Floor, Corridor A (old physiotherapy corridor) Room B002/F/049 situated to the right of the corridor, City Hospital
• Monday – Friday, The Sanctuary, Unett Street, Smethwick B66 3SY

Wellbeing events are available to book for groups of 16 or more staff. Our wellbeing events programme will help you to look after your mental health and wellbeing. Please submit your interest to christine.rickards@nhs.net.

To book or register your interest contact the wellbeing team on 0121 507 5886 or 0121 507 3854. Alternatively you can email Jatinder.sekhon@nhs.net