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COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 8 May

May 8, 2020

This is our every single day bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. KINDNESS remains the guiding principle of all the actions in our work to tackle the virus.

Thanks to everyone working this Bank Holiday weekend. A special shout out to the team coming into Rowley Regis this weekend to get things cleaned up as part of our Restoration work #greenshoots. Like the BTC where we kick off again next week, we want to make sure that people have confidence in our arrangements. So you will find new hand hygiene requirements on entry and a general ‘tight regime’ around infection prevention and control. Please work with staff implementing those rules, they are there to protect us all.

Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Yesterday’s totals)

Number of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 during the pandemic Number of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged during the pandemic Number of patients who have died in our hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic Number of patients entered by the Trust into a COVID-19 research trial to date Number of COVID-19 positive patients who are inpatients with us today Number of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation today
1116

(1115)

 723

(719)

 307

(303)

 103

(102)

 86

(93)

 605

(541)
  1. #SWBCleanhand – How clean are your hands?

This week is still our Hand Washing Week and a friendly reminder to remember to continue washing and sanitising your hands. Today we caught up with Liza Gill, SWB World of Work Project Lead and Volunteer Service Manager to talk about all things hand hygiene.

Liza told us: “It is important for all of us to remember to wash our hands throughout the day for no less than 20 seconds each time. I find that singing the Happy Birthday song twice, ensures I wash my hands for the correct length of time.”

Let us know what you’re doing to keep your hands clean at swbh.comms@nhs.net, sharing your pictures, films and stories and share them on social media too using #SWBcleanhands

  1. Home working is part of our present and our future

About 5% of the Trust’s workforce are working from home right now. We know that with social distancing rules and restrictions on travel this summer, that will carry on. So we want to make home working work for everyone who needs it. There is a special Webex event to hear from people who have been working from home which is taking place next Thursday 14 May at 2.30pm.

Anyone working from home is also asked to take 10 minutes to complete this short survey to share your views and ideas on what has worked well and what has been difficult. This will help to inform the Trust’s future home working guidance.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SWBWFH2020

  1. Social distancing – Don’t stand so close to me

Two metres apart. In lunch queues. On garden benches. In your office. During handover. On the bus. It’s ok to challenge people standing too close to you.

You may work in an environment where you feel social distancing is almost impossible. For example, the room where you do handover in critical care may be too small for the number of people now working there. Speak up. Ask your line manager what can be done, make your suggestions or get in touch with Rachel Barlow or Toby Lewis. We want to find solutions where you work.

Some of the team have developed a short film just to illustrate the two metre rule. Enjoy!

  1. Personal Protective Equipment – gloves are off…

We can see from the Stock Tracker that we are doing pretty well for PPE. But we also know that there remains confusion or disagreement over the guidance, and real fear about getting hold of what you need. So please take another look at the Red Poster. This poster reminds you that the safe guidance says you may wear different things in different parts or situations of a red area.

Remember, gloves should not be used by you on more than one patient. Just like handwashing, gloves can spread the virus. So when you start work, work out how you will get your supply.

  1. Let’s help you look after you

It is really important to continue to look after your health and wellbeing during the Pandemic.

A range of resources and support are on offer for all colleagues including 24/7 access to confidential counsellors, the Wellbeing Sanctuary, and our wellbeing film and podcast library. Go to the dedicated pages on Connect for full details.

The film below is about the benefits of exercise and tips on how you can exercise safely during the current lockdown restrictions. Please consider how you can make physical exercise part of your daily regime.