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COVID-19 Bulletin: Monday 11 January

January 11, 2021

1. New: Vitamins are ‘in’

Many of us likely take vitamins now or had vitamins growing up, given to us by our parents or guardians – and maybe are even doing the same today with our own children. (And probably getting the same level of unhappiness we gave as kids.)

Multi vitamins provide an important booster to all the things the body needs to operate efficiently, so it’s perhaps not surprising that we have received new guidelines from NICE relating to vitamin use for adults, young people and children in hospitals and community settings.

The guidance encourages taking of vitamin D which we get from sunshine, but a lack of which is common in the darker months between October and early March. Vitamin D helps with bone and muscle health in particular, but may also have a role in helping the immune response to respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.

As such it is recommended adults, young people and children over 4 years should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 units) of vitamin D throughout the year:

  • If they have little or no sunshine exposure including because they:

o   Are not often outdoors, for example, if they are frail, housebound or living in a care home

o   Usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors

o   Are spending most of their time indoors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • If they have dark skin, for example, if they are of African, African-Caribbean or South Asian family origin, because they may not make enough vitamin D from sunlight.

2. Update: Access to vaccine hub at Sandwell expanded

As the vaccination programme continues to roll out, we are able to widen the criteria for receiving the vaccine from our hub in Sandwell.

Initially vaccines were being offered to very high, high and moderate risk staff as well as those who were in contact with patients with COVID-19. However we’re now in a position to offer any staff members who have direct patient contact to make an appointment to receive the vaccine too.

Colleagues meeting this criteria, including any in “red” areas who have yet to do so, should contact the booking team on 0121 507 4112 to arrange a suitable appointment time.

Please look out for further updates about the vaccine hub in future editions of the COVID-19 bulletin.

3. Reminder: Guidance on awake proning: Saving lives

We are working every day to save lives. Please make sure you do two things:

Our guidance on awake proning covers length of time, positioning and the importance of consent. You can also watch a demonstration of the positioning in the video above.  

 We must also record patient proning in Unity using the Awake Prone Position (APP) PowerPlan. A Quick Reference Guide (QRG) has been developed to guide you through the steps you need to take to record proning.

If you have any questions about our Proning Policy please contact Acting Chief Nurse, Mel Roberts.

4. Reminder: COVID-19 vaccine Q&A session tomorrow

On Tuesday 12 January at midday the Trust is holding an all staff Q&A session via WebEx. Experts from R&D and across the Trust will be on hand to share information about vaccinations including how they are tested and approved. We will also describe our arrangements for staff and patient vaccinations and answer your burning questions.

You can submit questions in advance to swbh.comms@nhs.net or use the Q&A function on the day.

If you are unable to attend we will be updating our Q&As and sharing them after the event. For our current FAQs please click here.

To join the WebEx please follow the link and instructions below: