COVID-19 Bulletin – Friday 28 May

May 28, 2021

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

New: Get in the loop with COVID-19 weekly saliva testing

The COVID-19 weekly saliva testing programme (LAMP – Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) is now well established across our organisation in lots of areas. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to register and continue with the testing programme.

This reliable test is an easy way to help us all ensure we are remaining safe, and, most importantly, keeping our colleagues and Trust as COVID secure as we can. Detecting positive cases sooner reduces the risk of the virus being passed on to patients, colleagues, and family members and beyond in our communities.

Even if you are vaccinated it is vital that you register and carry out the weekly tests. This will identify asymptomatic cases and is of particular benefit in helping to pick up positive cases that would then be sequenced to identify any variants.

All line managers are asked to remind colleagues to:

• Call and book a kit collection slot by calling 0121 507 2664 and selecting option 6
• To undertake weekly testing and drop off their samples.

Samples can be dropped into the phlebotomy department  Mon – Friday  from 7:30am –  3:30 pm and in the following locations:

• OPD first floor Corridor D Sandwell Site
• Ground floor BTC
• Ground floor Rowley Regis Hospital
• First floor Neptune Health Park
• Second floor Lyng Health and Social Care Centre
• Victoria Health Centre
• Oldbury Health Centre.

Alternatively, you can drop off your samples in the LAMP collection bins at Sandwell outside the Bryan Knight Suite, outside Pathology or A&E.

At City, the LAMP collection bins can be found outside Pharmacy main spine, outside Pathology and A&E.

The latest data by group is below.

Further information including the directorate and professional group rates is published here.

New: Maintain vigilance as restrictions ease 

The sun is shining (finally), pubs are open, and long-awaited catch-ups with family and friends are now a thing. We love that we can all start to enjoy some of the things we’ve missed out on throughout the pandemic.

Over the past year, we have all stood strong and faced COVID-19 head on. As we start to move towards a life with fewer restrictions, we urge colleagues to do so safely. We have all gone above and beyond to ensure we can continue to offer essential patient care, and we need to continue to follow this sensible approach.

Please ensure that you:

• Continue to follow social distancing, regularly wash your hands and follow our infection prevention and control guidance at work including use of the correct PPE.
• Carry out your weekly COVID-19 saliva testing (LAMP).
• Get your COVID-19 vaccination.

New: ICU welcome back visitors in a new phased approach

From Monday, 31 May, ICU will be recommencing patient visits on a phased basis. This is the approach that will be taken for those wishing to visit patients in ICU:

• One nominated next of kin (NoK) is able to visit for the duration of a patient’s ICU stay
• The NoK must be free of illness and willing and able to wear a fluid-resistant surgical mask (FRSM)
• One hour visiting slots are available and this time includes donning, bedside & doffing time
• Visits are booked the day before with the ICU admin team
• A maximum of three visitors are allowed on ICU in any time slot.

For non-COVID-19 patients at the end of life:

• Two next of kin can visit for up to one hour (this includes donning, bedside & doffing time).

For COVID-19 positive patients:

• No routine visiting
• 15 minutes for two next of kin visiting at the end of life.

Please read this guidance for more detail on ICU visiting.

We’d like to remind colleagues that there are exceptional circumstances where visiting is allowed in all areas, for example for young patients, patients who lack mental capacity and patients who are at the end of their life. For these patients it is important that we are able to safely facilitate visiting, so please if in doubt ask your group for advice.

New: Had your COVID jab yet?  

One of the most effective ways you can protect yourself, your loved ones and patients is by getting your COVID-19 vaccination. If you are yet to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, please do so. Pictured is our Chief People Officer, Frieza Mahmood getting her first vaccination.

• You can still book in to get your jab at either Tipton Sports Academy vaccination centre or at the Saddlers Shopping Centre, Walsall.  Please note: If you are under 40 you’ll need to go to Saddlers at this time to receive a Pfizer jab. Pfizer will  also be available at Tipton from Tuesday, 1 June.
• The hub at Tipton Sports Academy, Wednesbury Road, is running Monday to Sunday, 8am to 7pm.

Book your slot via the national booking website. You can also use this link to book an appointment locally to your home. For the Saddlers Shopping Centre follow this link to book: Walsall Saddlers Centre.

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.

New: Travelling abroad guidance for colleagues

There are now specific rules in place regarding the requirement for COVID-19 tests and the need to quarantine on arrival to the UK, which differ depending on whether the country or territory in question is on the red, amber or green travel list.

Before booking to travel internationally, employees have a responsibility to check the government website to ensure they understand the rules in place for the country they intend to travel to. The rules can be accessed by clicking here.

All requests for annual leave need to be submitted to the manager for approval, in line with local leave policies. Managers will take a number of considerations into account such as:

• The impact of the request on maintaining service delivery
• The need to ensure all employees have time for rest and recuperation.

For full details, please read the travelling abroad guidance.

Note: These rules apply even if the employee has been vaccinated.

New: Wellbeing and recovery

The Trust has considered how best to ensure people are able to recover and reflect on their experiences over the past 15 months, recognising that people’s experiences have been different and yet everyone has been impacted both professionally and personally.

Support for wellbeing

There are a range of wellbeing support resources in place that were expanded throughout the pandemic. These will be continued and refined over coming months and colleagues are urged to make use of this support. All the details can be found here.

Personal Development Reviews: Focus on wellbeing conversations

All PDRs should be completed by the end of July 2021 and the focus on these reviews is for each employee and their line manager to have a conversation about wellbeing with the inclusion of a personal recovery plan.

Team development and integration

As well as individual recovery plans it is recognised that teams need time together to reflect, discuss experiences and identify ways to move forward together. In order to facilitate this, the Trust will make funding available to enable teams to have time together that could be away from their workplace.

In order to arrange this, teams should discuss their preferences with Group Ops Directors / Group Senior Finance Managers who will shortly be provided with additional information on how to resource such requests. Suggestions will be made available to teams including locations, content, speakers and facilitators.

The wellbeing hour

Each team is encouraged to nominate one hour per week as a dedicated time to focus on wellbeing. This can be at any time that best suits the service or department. Within the wellbeing hour colleagues could be encouraged to take time within the working day to focus on something that helps with wellbeing such as a learning & development activity, reading, walking or team discussion. This hour must be discussed and agreed with your line manager to ensure that we are still able to deliver clinical services with minimal disruption for patients and other colleagues.

As well as the above measures we are also aiming to expand our wellbeing resources, including access to the Sanctuary, cutting down on meetings to save time for colleagues and creating welcoming spaces on our sites for outdoor socialising in a safe way.

New: Changes to FIT Testing

We have recently made changes to how you arrange to get FIT tested. Previously colleagues have been asked to call ext.5050 to arrange an appointment. It has now changed and colleagues can now access FIT testing in the following ways:

• Log onto ESR and complete the FIT testing course
• For any urgent requests, contact the Infection, Prevention and Control team on ext. 5195.

Reminder: Chapel services and Friday prayers

In case you missed it, social distancing and infection control measures have been put into place which will ensure that colleagues who wish to use the chapel and prayer rooms can do so safely.

Jummah (Friday) Prayers have resumed in the chapel at Sandwell and Millers old restaurant in City. Prayer times are staggered so that there are only a maximum number of people using the spaces at any one time on both sites.

Christian services have also resumed in the chapels at both sites, which also remain open for individual worship. Both spaces are set out to reflect social distancing measures.

The chaplaincy has continued to provide a service throughout the pandemic and every Sunday they light candles for colleagues and patients. If you would like a candle lit for a loved one who has passed away or is sick, please email mary.causer@nhs.net or call ext. 3552.

• Friday prayer – Khutbah, 1.15pm (Jamat, 1.13pm)
• Sunday communion services – City Chapel, 11am and Sandwell Chapel 2.30pm
• City Hospital catholic mass – 12pm, first Wednesday of every month
• Sandwell Hospital catholic mass – 11.30am, first Friday of every month.