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Heartbeat: Over 300 colleagues benefit from hotel accommodation to protect themselves

June 2, 2020

Top quality hotel rooms are still available if you feel you need to move into one. Please consider this seriously if you are recognising that for the next little while the best answer for you, your work, and your loved ones is separation.

As part of our plan to manage the pandemic, we need to have the right workforce at work and keep absence of all types below 30 per cent.

Hotels we are currently using include:

  • Mercure Hotel, West Bromwich
  • Holiday Inn Express, St Chads, Birmingham
  • Holiday Inn Express, Oldbury
  • Serviced City Apartments Ltd.

Any patient-facing colleagues including ward service officers and porters can have access to our reserved rooms to enable you to be away from a household with someone who has symptoms. We strongly recommend that patient-facing colleagues take up this provision so that you can continue providing your vital service to our patients.

Mark Whitehouse, Head of Patient Access & Planned Care, told us: “The main perk of staying in the hotel is reducing the risk of taking anything back to the family on a daily basis. I would encourage staff to book a room if they are at all worried about transporting the flu from work to home. The rooms at The Mercure are big and for your one hour exercise the hotel is located right next to Sandwell Valley Park.”

Staying in a hotel may increase the risk of passing the virus between colleagues working in different environments. National guidance is that where possible:

  • Minimise time in communal areas of the hotel including receptions and corridors to reduce risk of infection to colleagues.
  • Where possible, to limit to one or two people at a time in lifts where possible, or to use the stairs if appropriate.
  • Ideally eat in your room. If meals are provided within the hotel, please try to sit at tables at least two metres apart from other residents in any bar or restaurant.

We will be working with the hotels and providing guidance so they are aware of this and are working to support you.