COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 29 April

April 29, 2020

This is our every single day bulletin. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. Remember KINDNESS is our watchword in implementing our plans. In the rest of April and throughout May we are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of.

The Trust is working really closely with local care homes and has been doing from the start of the pandemic.  It looks as if outbreaks in local care homes are lower than in the region as a whole.  But there is much more to do.  Look out for revised guidance and plans in the days ahead.  We are ensuring PPE is available in local care homes and are supported our partners with both wellbeing and infection control advice.

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

1. Next steps on COVID-19 and restoration

Our Chief Executive, Toby Lewis hosted two briefing sessions today for colleagues to hear an update on our Operation Mary Seacole response to the pandemic. Both sessions were hosted online and provided an opportunity ask any questions or raise concerns.

Thank you so much for participating!  Especially the colleague who had hand-washed 70 times so far today…

You can view the presentation slides here.

2. Testing asymptomatic colleagues

We have been part of a national pilot for the last few days undertaking swabbing on asymptomatic staff and patients within community services across the Trust. This pilot is to assist the national team to develop the future strategy for COVID-19 swabbing across the country to enable us to keep patients and staff safe and to work towards recovery of services within the NHS.

Thank you very much if you have taken part in this pilot and been swabbed. For staff, your results will be sent to you via the usual process via Occupational Health. They will contact you by telephone if you have a positive result and by email if you have received a negative result. This should be within 72 hrs of the swab test. If you have any queries, please contact Mel Roberts on 07969 228373.

3. Welearn from excellence during the pandemic

There have been a number of reports of excellence that recognise our colleagues contributions to their teams, groups, Trust and wider. These have ranged from contributing to national guidance, identifying how to reduce skin irritation whilst using PPE, to providing our patients with home comforts while they are away from their families.

welearn from excellence gives every member of our SWBH family the opportunity to recognise their colleagues everyday brilliance. Reporting is simple, you can either click here or go to Connect and click on the welearn from excellence logo.

Many of these excellence reports can also be used as welearn GEMS, as teams and individuals have been able to identify an issue, make recommendations or come up with solutions, and have been able to demonstrate a positive change. The GEMS certification form can be found by clicking here and once completed can be sent to swbh.welearngems@nhs.net.

If you would like more information on welearn from excellence or GEMS, please contact Claire Hubbard for more information.

4. Green brigade – part of rebuilding public confidence  

Our green brigades have been out in force this week cleaning the touchpoints in our communal areas with thanks to the colleagues who have been deployed into these teams to support our fantastic ward service officers. This weekend we will see deep cleaning in our Birmingham Treatment Centre as preparation for opening this for non-COVID-19 patients, carrying out surgical procedures that require less than a 24 hour stay. Pictured here are Sandra Cole, Sonia Arnett and Brinderjit Rai.

5. Managing transition to restoration – ‘downtime’ message from Toby Lewis and David Carruthers

Over the next month or so the Trust will be working through which services are restored where and when, whilst balancing that with the need to prepare for a second surge, and managing safely the care of over 100 inpatients with COVID-19.  This transitional period is bound to give rise to moments when we have more staffing than patients need.  Of course it will also give rise to moments where we have less staff than we need as sickness remains above historic levels.

A number of colleagues have themselves raised issues about SPA time, and other non-patient contact time during this transition.  Our current guidance is that senior clinical staff should be looking to assist in work on trial enrolment, support mortality reviews and SJR work, and contribute through the tactical cell to re-triaging patients waiting for future care.  In addition, the Trust will be completing organisational PDRs in May, June and July, and mandatory training requirements remain as is.  There is no expectation that in future lost SPA time will be paid back, and so it makes sense for local clinicians to use any ‘downtime’ both for personal recharging and for ensuring that teams are contributing to those organisational activities – and that individuals are entirely up to date with obligations on appraisal and training.

This weekend Toby took part in a YouTube broadcast to answer questions raised by people within our local black and minority ethnic communities about COVID-19. The film below shows you some of that interview.  If you do have questions on this topic do get in touch with Toby.