Updates
Update, 23 March
Published: 23 March 2020
Faecal assays suspended
Due to the increased potential for Covid-19 infection, all faecal assays are suspended until further notice.
While Biochemistry have suspended faecal assays due to the increased risk of COVID-19 infection, Microbiology continue to process all faecal samples as required.
Reminder: abnormal laboratory results
Due to increasing demands on everyone's time, Clinical Laboratory Services will attempt to telephone abnormal results a maximum of three times.
The results will be available to view electronically from the moment they are technically validated so that patient care will not be compromised.
PPE guidance
The Trust is adhering to PHE guidance on PPE. This guidance has been carefully formulated by national experts and is based upon the latest evidence. It has been reviewed by our own infection prevention and control team and the Medical and Scientific Advisory Group.
Whilst we appreciate that Covid-19 is a cause for significant anxiety amongst healthcare professionals, we are clear that the advice is appropriate. The aim is to reduce the risk of transmission of infection in the same way and to the same extent, that social distancing aims at to reduce the risk of transmission in the general population undertaking our daily living, such as shopping.
Our advice is the same as that from other large and busy centres with which we have regular communication. It is extremely important that all our staff are reassured that these matters are considered extremely carefully. Simon Ball and Margaret Garbett will be communicating more information on the practical use of PPE over the coming days, particularly when caring for cohorts of patients on your wards.
The Trust currently has appropriate PPE stock levels across all sites and we continue to monitor levels on a daily basis. With the release of the National Pandemic PPE Stock the Trust has had assurance that ongoing levels will be maintained. Please can you ensure that the use of PPE is proportionate and justified so that our stocks are not used unnecessarily. Please be advised that any queries regarding availability of PPE should be directed to this email address:
Email: COVID19PPE@uhb.nhs.uk
This will be monitored by Procurement and anything requiring escalation will be facilitated appropriately. Please feel free to forward to your clinical teams.
University of Birmingham offers free parking
For parking information, please see:
Authorised visitor passes
The Patient Experience team have issued authorised visitor pass packs across all wards/all sites. Once issued, the authorised visitor will need to show their pass to get in using the original pass - copies or pictures of passes are not to be accepted.
The process for issuing passes can be viewed below:
Approaches by and to media
The Trust is aware that media interest in COVID-19 is leading to more and more members of staff being contacted direct by the media to speak about the subject. You must ask any journalists to call or email the Communications team so that we can agree a response based on the Trust’s overall position and guidance. The Media Policy is there to protect you, the organisation and our patients.
The same advice goes for comments you choose to post on social media. We have had several instances of members of staff being put on the spot by journalists because of things they had written in an unguarded moment.
Please remember we all have a personal responsibility not to spread misinformation. As NHS staff, we have even more of a responsibility to ensure that the information we give out or share is accurate. If you don’t know the source or cannot ascertain whether a claim is true, please do not share it.
Changes to ward pharmacy service at QEHB
From today, Monday 23 March, QEHB’s Pharmacy Department will be adapting the way their ward service is delivered.
Due to the availability of PICS on the QEHB site, ward pharmacists will undertake patient medicines optimisation reviews and the processing of discharge prescriptions remotely.
The remotely working ward pharmacist will be supported by a pharmacist working across all the wards on that floor level to address any issues or queries that cannot be resolved by remote working.
There will be constant senior pharmacy management oversight to assure that the service is being delivered as expected.
Your ward contact posters will be completed to notify you of who your ward pharmacist is and their contact number(s) so that you can still communicate with them for advice or to notify them of any pharmacy tasks you need them to complete.
Medication orders and missed doses will still be processed as they are normally and will be delivered to ward and theatre areas by portering services. Discharge prescriptions will continue to be dispensed at discharge pharmacy or the inpatient pharmacy as they are currently.
Any further changes will be communicated to you as they develop.
For further information, please refer to the QEHB Pharmacy service provision document in the "Downloads" section.
Pathology Supplies
All requests for Pathology supplies should be directed to Pathology Stores and not Pathology Reception at HGS.
If there are specific issues that are being experienced relating to Pathology supplies, please let the laboratory know so that we can take appropriate action.
Reminder: Solihull Pathology Service temporarily closed
From today, Monday 23 March, the Pathology Department at Solihull Hospital will temporarily close and the service will be provided from Heartlands Hospital, operating overnight and at weekends.
Samples will be collected regularly from AMU throughout the day and night and couriered to Heartlands for analysis. There will be no staff at Solihull Hospital, so all telephone calls should be directed to the Heartlands service.
This is a temporary closure and affects Solihull Hospital only.
For laboratory enquiries please contact:
Specimen Reception (Haematology and Clinical Chemistry)
Tel: 0121 424 2252
Blood Bank
Tel: 0121 424 0705 / 0121 424 0706
For any enquiries please contact Mark Hill, Head Biomedical Scientist:
Tel: 0121 424 0725 or 07769 284791.
Which supermarkets have special hours for NHS staff?
Asda
08:00–09:00 on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.
Co-op
Co-op has announced a special shopping hour for NHS staff, every day for the first hour of trading.
The dedicated hour is 08:00–09:00, Monday to Saturdays, and 10:00–11:00 on Sundays, in all stores.
It won't be closing off stores to other customers during these times, but said it'll be prioritising NHS workers and vulnerable customers.
Iceland
Iceland is allowing only NHS staff to shop for the first hour of trade, every Monday to Saturday.
Elderly and vulnerable people will be allowed to browse at the same time.
NHS staff will need to bring their ID to shop.
M&S
M&S is reserving the first hour of opening in every store for NHS workers, every Tuesday and Friday.
It's not clear if other shoppers will be allowed to browse during these hours.
Morrisons
Morrisons has introduced an NHS hour at the beginning of every day (apart from Sunday) so that NHS workers can stock up on the products they need.
Staff will need their work badge to get in.
Sainsbury’s
07:30–8:00 in stores, Monday to Saturday.
Tesco
Every Sunday, all Tesco stores (except Express stores) will prioritise a browsing hour before checkouts open for NHS workers.
It's not clear if other customers can shop at the same time.
Access to blog to support mental wellbeing
As unprecedented pressure is exerted on our health service, the Unmind platform has been opened to anyone with access to an NHS email address.
Staff can sign up for free at the following link:
As a digital solution, the Unmind platform and mobile app will give 1.5 million members of NHS staff free access to clinically backed tools and support for proactively managing their own mental health. Available anytime, anywhere and on any device, it aims to support as many professionals as possible - be it to help with stress, sleep, coping, or nutrition.