COVID-19 Bulletin: Tuesday 12 May
May 12, 2020
This is our every night 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 – kindness in how we look after patients, visitors, and one another.
‘Today is international nurses’ day. Whether you are a student nurse, associate, registrant, or healthcare assistant today is for you. Thank you for the work you are doing to reassure patients and their loved ones, care for the people we look after, save lives and prevent harm. This is a chance to say thank you to you. But make sure you celebrate too. Whether you look to Mary Seacole, Paula Gardner, Florence Nightingale or a colleague you work with for inspiration, you are inspiring the rest of us.’ – Toby Lewis, Chief Executive
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 |
| 1152
(1147) |
760
(756) |
320
(318) |
108
(105) |
72
(73) |
531
(592) |
1. COVID-19: Led by the science (properly..)
SWB Library and Knowledge Services are producing daily updates that highlight the latest evidence from NICE Rapid Reviews, guidelines from Royal Colleges and professional bodies, SWB Trials update, WHO situation reports, rapid evidence summaries from Oxford CEBM, education/training resources for all healthcare staff and healthcare technology news.
The Library page on Connect has a new section on COVID-19 evidence updates. Rapid evidence summaries by the SWB Therapeutic team to support Clinical Advisory Group are also included as part of these updates. Library services are keen to help with any literature search requests you might have that are related to COVID-19. Please email your topic request to swbh.library@nhs.net
COVID-19 Research Pass (CRP) program is now available for all SWB clinical staff who are studying or writing about COVID-19.This programme will give you access to over 26 million full text articles. You can apply for their pass at https://covid19.readcube.com.
2. Sampling for COVID-19 – Change to swab type from tomorrow
From tomorrow (13 May) black dry swabs must be used for COVID-19 tests.
Yellow Cobas swabs should no longer be sent for COVID-19 PCR. It may not be possible to process the yellow swabs if sent after 13 May.
Please click here for more information regarding the change of swabs.
3. PPE – Staying safe and up to date with your personal protective equipment
PPE stocks are ever changing as stocks are replenished and new masks become available. It’s critical that colleagues stay up to date with the availability of masks that they have been fit tested for.
If you have been fit tested for a mask that is now discontinued or is short on supply, please ensure you book into a face mask fit testing clinic as soon as possible by contacting 0121 507 5050 or ext 5050 internally.
If you have been issued with a JSP silicone face mask (as pictured), please note there has been a change to the filter design that now makes the ‘Press to check’ seal test harder to carry out. Colleagues will likely be coming up to their 28-day filter change and will need to carry out a ‘Press to check’ seal test when attaching the new filters. When new filters have been fitted, press the heel of the hand to the filter and fingers around the back of the filter to allow for a better squeeze which will achieve a seal on the filter.
| Protecting your skin from damage beneath PPE
The Tissue Viability Team have produced helpful guidance for colleagues to protect and treat skin from damage beneath PPE. |
4. The Recharge Booth
This week we launch the Recharge Booth as part of our welearn programme.
The Recharge Booth is a ‘virtual’ space that allows you to come together with others, reflect, recharge, decompress, and join a safe and confidential discussion. The booth this week will be hosted by Richard Burnell and will focus on the feelings and emotions that are experienced during our daily work, rather than trying to find solutions.
The Recharge Booth will ‘open’ virtually on Thursday 14 May, 2pm, with each session lasting about 20 to 30 minutes, and will run every Thursday at the same time. Each week we will be sharing different colleagues’ stories and experiences.
By joining the Recharge Booth, we hope that colleagues will feel better enabled to maintain their health and wellbeing, and that it helps to support resilience in both personal and working lives.
For more information please contact Richard Burnell on 07747 144874 or Claire Hubbard on 07866 004575.
If you would like to be part of the Recharge Booth, drop an email to swbh.rechargebooth@nhs.net. A WebEx invite will be sent to your outlook diary, and you will simply need to click on the ‘join’ button to enter.
5. Testing still available for colleagues and household members
The testing provision for key workers and their family members has expanded. Our own testing facilities are still in place at City Hospital, the Little Lane car park at Sandwell and our mobile facility that can come to your home!
If you develop symptoms please book an appointment to get tested. You can also book for members of your household who have symptoms, including children. Asymptomatic testing is not currently available.
To arrange a test contact 0121 507 2664 and choose option 5. Test results will be communicated to you as soon as possible with negative results returned via text or email and a telephone call if you have a positive test result or if there are any queries.
Be sure to check out our latest wellbeing film on the importance of staying connected during the Pandemic. For all our health and wellbeing resources go to the dedicated pages on Connect