COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 26 February

February 26, 2021

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)*

1. New: Responding to changing numbers of COVID-19 patients: Moving forwards

As you can see from our data updates in today’s bulletin we are beginning to see sustained reduction in the number of patients in hospital beds with COVID-19 which is good news. The government have also published the roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions which will see, should the cases remain on the current downward trajectory, a gradual opening up of schools, workplaces and the hospitality sector in coming weeks with an end to COVID-19 restrictions in late June.

Numbers in the community remain high (Sandwell has one of the highest rates of infection per 100,000 people in the country), so the numbers of COVID patients needing admission and those needing critical care support will continue for some time. We will also need to be mindful of the importance to keep within the current restrictions and follow our infection prevention and control policies in terms of PPE, social distancing at work and frequent handwashing.

However, in light of the down trend in COVID-19 cases we are now in a position to plan towards the next stage that includes:

• Critical care is aiming to move out of Newton 1 over the next few days if possible. The facility will initially remain available to re-open should that be required.
• We are planning for elective surgery to restart on 22 March for all those patients whose have been classed as Priority 2 – treatment required within one month. This will enable procedures to be rescheduled for those patients who have had their treatment plans unfortunately delayed.
• Wards will move from red to amber in a phased approach reflecting the numbers of patients with COVID-19 requiring admission.

All staff who have been redeployed into ICU or medical wards will be communicated with individually over the coming weeks and by no later than the 19th March setting out when they are able to return to their substantive roles.

2. New: LAMP continues to light the way

Our roll out of LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) testing continues and from 1 March, we will be going live with the following areas:

• Anaesthetics
• Specialist Surgery
• Theatres
• Ophthalmology
• General Surgery

They will join:

• Admitted Care A and B
• Emergency Care
• Gynae and Gynae Oncology

Colleagues from the following Directorates should start to register for LAMP from next week, as they will go live on 8 March:

• iCares
• Operations
• iBeds
• Maternity & Perinatal Medicine

LAMP testing is a weekly test where you collect a saliva sample first thing in the morning (before you brush your teeth or have your breakfast). You collect your sample at home and as you come into work, you deposit your sample in to one of collection boxes in phlebotomy on our acute and community sites which are then sent off to the lab to be tested. LAMP test results are processed quicker than the usual PCR swab tests and notifications of both positive and negative results sent back to you via text message.

Instructions on how to perform the test 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. By 22 March, we will have testing available for all staff. 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. If you are at the end of your Lateral Flow Test kit and not due to transition over before you run out of kit, please contact the Community Contact Centre on 0121 507 2664 option 6.

You can read the Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here.

3. New: Still not too late to get vaccinated – New vaccination centre open in Tipton

If you are yet to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, you can still book in to get your jab at either Walsall Hospital, at the Black Country Living Museum or now at the newly opened at Tipton Sports Academy vaccination centre.

Alternatively colleagues can also book their jab through the Your Health Partnership Primary Care network.

To book your jab online use one of the following links:

Black Country Living Museum

Walsall Hospital

Your Health Partnership

NHS COVID-19 Vaccination booking

We advise all colleagues to take the time to read the COVID-19 guide for healthcare workers.

Please ensure you take your Staff ID with you when you attend your appointment as it’s important you’re able to confirm you are eligible for the vaccination.

4. Reminder: Misinformation and Mistrust – Don’t delay getting vaccinated

Our vaccination programme for staff is continuing, as outlined above, and we want to thank all of you who have stepped forward and had your jab. This means you are not only protecting your patients, but also your family and teammates.

However, there still remains an amount of misinformation and mistrust around the life-saving vaccine.

Deputy Medical Director Chizo Agwu talks about why she was vaccinated and is encouraging colleagues to do the same.

You can watch her video below:

Her message is echoed by Dr Masood Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer for the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG.

He recently urged members of the BAME community to ignore the myths around the vaccine in a series of videos produced by the Trust, which feature hard-hitting footage of an intensive care unit at City Hospital.

Meanwhile, Dr Harj Kainth, a consultant in the acute medicine unit at City Hospital, delivers her message about the vaccination in Punjabi. The BBC Asian Network also has a series of myth-busting videos in five South Asian languages, which can be viewed by clicking here.

Last week ITV weatherman Des Coleman also recorded a video exclusively for the Trust encouraging people to take up the jab. We would encourage you to share these films with your patients, family and friends.

They can be accessed by clicking the names below:

ICU – featuring Dr Masood

Dr Harj Kainth

Des Coleman

5. Reminder: Keeping you safe by shielding, isolating and working from home

You may have seen in the press recently that the 1.7m people nationally have been added to the shielding list, encouraging them to safely remain at home to protect themselves. At the start of the pandemic, our Trust was quick to adopt remote working, allowing teams and departments to keep themselves and each other safe, this rule remains in place and we have over the past 12 months demonstrated that we can continue to deliver safe and effective services, by using technology and remote working.

Whilst remote working is encouraged, we have to be clear that this must be done with the agreement of line managers and risk assessments regarding working practices completed.

• If you are working from home you must have the written agreement of your line manager and work in a non-clinical function
• If you are self-isolating because of your own symptoms or those of your loved ones, you must contact your line manager who will register your absence on ESR / eRoster.
• If you are shielding because of a notified condition having received a letter from your GP or NHS England, please make sure your line manager has updated your record on ESR.

If you are not sure if you qualify to work from home or if you feel that you have reason to be shielding, please contact the HR department on extension 3116 or email swbh.hr-advice-for-COVID-19@nhs.net

6. 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. 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.

There is availability at both sites most days this week and next for fit testing.  Please call 0121 507 5050 to get booked in at a site, date and time that suits you. Fit testing clinics are available everyday between 8am and 4pm. Phone lines are open till 8pm daily.