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COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 27 January

January 27, 2021

New:

Updated:

Reminder:

  1. New: Increased bank rate for health care assistant shifts

With immediate effect we are temporarily increasing the rate for Health Care Assistant shifts booked through Trust Bank. We are doing this to encourage our own staff to cover shifts, recognising and valuing the significant contribution that you are making to support patients and colleagues at this time. It is important that you have time to rest but if you are able to do additional HCA shifts it would be greatly appreciated.

The basic bank rate for HCA Bands 2, 3 and 4 will increase by £3 per hour for all shifts up to 31 March 2021. This means that the new basic rates are:

  • HCA band 2/3 = £14:50
  • HCA band 4    = £15:10

Contact Trust Bank to book your shifts or to join, if you are not already registered.

  1. New: Oxygen supply for community patients   

NHS E/I has issued guidance around the quantity of oxygen prescribed to patients in the community who have been discharged to Step-Down beds following admission for COVID-19.

To avoid any compromise with community oxygen supply, they should be prescribed oxygen at no more than 5L/min for 10-14 days. The focus is on Long-term oxygen therapy rather than ambulatory oxygen.

Where possible, colleagues should be proactive in their discharge planning to avoid requests for oxygen in less than a four hour window. This is because the oxygen provider will not have time to organise an essential risk assessment for the patient and their home.

Where known ‘cohorts’ of patients are being discharged to the same care home please try and provide advance warning, so that the oxygen provider technician can use their time more efficiently and productively.  Where physicians believe patients require more than 5L/min, discharging medics are asked to ensure the patient meets the critieria within the virtual ward SOP – the Monitoring You at Home (MYAH) service – and speak directly to their provider to ensure they have the capacity to provide this higher flow rate of oxygen.

The protocol for escalation if a patient’s 02 saturation drops is documented in the Virtual Ward SOP. Click here to see the document.

  1. New: Tell us if your LoW isn’t WoW anymore 

Colleagues are being urged to report any issues with Laptop on Wheels (LoWs) or WoW (Workstation on Wheels).

Those that are not functioning can be reported to the IT Service Desk on ext. 4050 so they can be treated as high priority and get them back up and running.

If there are any LoWs or WoWs that are no longer required can they also be reported to the IT Service Desk so they can be redeployed to other clinical areas where they are needed. The team has also been patrolling areas to pick up any defunct kit.

  1. Updated: Slots for COVID jabs are still available        

Talks are continuing with our colleagues across Black Country and West Birmingham regarding supply of the vaccination, however we do have availability for slots week commencing 8 February.

To make an appointment, colleagues should call the booking line on 0121 507 4112.

We’d also like to remind you, that those of you who have had your first dose are also able to report any reaction you have had to the vaccine by filling out an online form, via the Yellow Card Scheme website.

The scheme is run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and is the UK system for collecting and monitoring information on safety concerns such as suspected side effects or adverse incidents involving medicines and medical devices.

If you wish to record a reaction to the vaccination, please click here.

  1. Updated: Red bags are back in stock 

Red Alginate water soluble bags for infected linen, scrubs and uniform are now back in stock and are being distributed across the Trust sites. The red bags are put into the appropriate coloured laundry bag according to the Trust site before they are taken away to be cleaned.

  1. Reminder: Sharing is caring but please follow the rules  

 We all like to help out where we can and car sharing is a perfect example of that. If you do need to share a car to get to and from work, please reduce the risk of transmission by:

  • Driver and passengers to wear a fluid resistant surgical mask during the journey
  • Share the transport with the same people each time where possible
  • Minimise the group size at any one time
  • Opening windows for ventilation
  • Travelling side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow
  • Facing away from each other
  • Considering seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle
  • Keep your bags on your lap if possible.
  • Avoid touching inside of the car/ vehicle if not necessary.
  • Avoid long conversations, if possible.
  • Wash/Gel your hand before & after the ride
  • Cleaning your car between journeys using standard cleaning products – make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch
  • Avoid eating inside the car while sharing

Remember – car sharing is not permitted with someone from outside your household or your support bubble unless your journey is undertaken for an exempt reason. For example, if car sharing is reasonably necessary as part of your work as outlined.