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COVID-19 bulletin: Wednesday 25 March

March 25, 2020

The Trust is now publishing a daily bulletin. This will take all guidance and information and tell you which changes we are implementing when and how. Please use this bulletin and daily cascade arrangements within clinical groups to guide local action. Remember KINDNESS is our watchword in implementing these changes.

  1. New: Change to PPE guidance – must read

To ensure the safety of our staff and manage our PPE stock effectively we have again updated our PPE guidance.  Our stock levels now support the next 7 days (with the exception of some scrubs where a large order arrives tomorrow).  But we need to make best use of those stocks.

To summarise:

1. Patient areas with no suspected or confirmed COVID patients where patients have been screened for symptoms:

  • No additional PPE
  • Social distancing
  • Hand washing

This includes our non-COVID ward areas at Rowley Regis Hospital, D25 and L2.  It also covers the vast majority of community contacts still taking place in either our adult, maternity or child health services.

2. Patient areas with suspected or confirmed COVID patients or areas where patients have not been screened for symptoms:

  • Fluid-resistant surgical face mask
  • Disposable apron
  • Disposable gloves

This will include AMAA, EGAU, SAU, A&E, and some urgent community contacts.

This is also the level of PPE for ancillary staff entering COVID areas.

3. Close patient care (within 1metre) of suspected or positive COVID patients where chance of rapid deterioration or performing aerosol-generating procedures (AGP):

  • FFP3
  • Long sleeved gown
  • Disposable gloves
  • Face visor
  • Scrubs

This does not mean that in COVID ward areas this protection must be worn all the time or by all entrants.

4. Critical care services

  • Silicon face mask or FFP3
  • Long sleeved gown
  • Disposable gloves
  • Face visor
  • Scrubs

For information on how long you can use the surgical face masks and FFP3 masks click here. For more detail on the rationale behind the revised guidance click here.

FP3 is only needed for close contact with patients where aerosol transmission is a risk or where imminent deterioration makes that risk higher.

If you are using a mask outside a Covid area expect to be challenged and asked to give it back.  If you in a Covid area and do not have the right PPE please raise your concern locally and get what the Trust are saying is needed.

In many cases by altering how close we are to a patient or our mode of contact, we can alter the risk.  In areas beyond assessment, for example wards, we will only need to use, and therefore will only provide, PPE into our bays, rooms or wards with query Covid patients in them.

2. Hotel accommodation: Can you consider moving?

We have secured 150 hotel rooms for colleagues, specifically for those who need to temporarily relocate to protect themselves and their families.  We have capacity to go quickly to 300.  Currently 50 staff have opted for this route.

Colleagues who see patients, administer patient care, clean or cater should consider whether (if they live with others) they have taken sufficient steps to keep themselves well outside of work.

We now strongly recommend that patient-facing colleagues take up this provision so that vital services continue to be provided. We will do our best to support your stay with funded WiFi and some access to food.  You will not be able to co-habit in these hotel rooms but of course may have social distant contact with loved ones.

To access the hotel facilities please email swbh.hotel-booking@nhs.net

3. Community and critical staff swabbing

Unfortunately we have had to pause today our programme of employee and community swabbing.  If you have been booked we will not be able to proceed.  This is due to a decision made regionally that the laboratory capacity we have for the next 10 days has to be focused only on symptomatic inpatients. Working across the Black Country we are looking by the end of next week to have increased lab supply and then see how we can bring back staff testing. Until that time, isolation in line with our guidance is the best response we have.

You may have seen national announcement about upcoming testing plans for staff, and indeed for the public.  As the reality of those plans is clarified we will work to implement them rapidly.  We very much hope that our efforts so far place us near the front of queue.

If you have had a staff swab and have not yet had the result, we will be in direct touch with you tomorrow to confirm next steps.

4. Closing down access to our sites tomorrow

From 9am on Thursday 26th March (tomorrow) our public entrances will be largely closed to ensure we follow government guidelines on non-essential visits and journeys. This applies to Rowley Regis, Leasowes, BMEC, City, BTC and Sandwell.

Security colleagues will staff our main entrances so that we can ensure that our restricted access rules are being followed. The team on the doors will also be able to give advice about where to go if you need help. Please respect the security team and don’t be offended if they ask to see your ID badge to gain entry.

The challenge process will include tackling visitors seeking to attend wards and departments, even though we introduced on March 14th a video call/telephone system for visitor/inpatient contact.  If you work in a ward environment and that system is not yet in place where you work, please ensure during handover this evening and tomorrow morning that you talk through how to make it work in your area.

5. Latest information on Connect

We have been regularly updating our Connect pages with information about the current situation. It covers clinical guidance, infection control, human resources, community response, and health and wellbeing. We also have included a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions sections and there are a number of useful documents that can downloaded which cover clinical procedures as well as other information for non-clinical colleagues. If you do not have access to Connect, all important information regarding Covid-19 is available through the myConnect app.

myConnect is compatible with both iPhones and Android handsets, and is available to download from the Apple Appstore as well as the Google Playstore, simply search for ‘SWBH MyConnect’.

If you have asked to Work From Home, one of the four steps you must take is to download this system onto your phone.