Updates
Update, 24 December
Published: 24 December 2020
COVID vaccination update
We’d like to thank all our colleagues vaccinating against COVID for their hard work in vaccinating patients and staff over the past week, we know it has been a labour-intensive process, however an important one to protect our most vulnerable colleagues and patients.
UHB have temporarily finished vaccinating at the Hospital Hub, this will recommence on Monday 28 December 2020.
If you are identified as a higher risk member of staff, you will be contacted by a member of the divisional team to book your vaccination appointment and will be provided details of where to attend. Until you are contacted, there is nothing that you need to do. You cannot book an appointment or be vaccinated unless you have been contacted by a member of the team.
For patients and the public, the message to them is that the NHS will contact them when it is their turn. Currently, those over 80 years old, care home residents and staff, and NHS workers are given priority.
While there are many sources of nationally produced information regarding the vaccine, we have created a website which pulls together these key resources and answers many of the frequently asked questions as thoroughly as is currently possible. The Birmingham and Solihull vaccination website is also now live and can be accessed at the link below. This is website will be continually updated as more information becomes available.
Support for staff testing positive for COVID-19
Occupational Health continues to provide support to staff who have a confirmed PCR positive test for COVID-19. Part of our role is to test and trace any colleagues who may have been significantly exposed to the virus. This would occur where members of staff did not follow the Infection Prevention and Control guidelines, namely:
- To remain two metres apart
- To always wear a fluid resistant mask, especially if there is a necessity to be within two metres of others
- To wash and gel hands frequently
If you do not follow these guidelines when interacting with a member of staff who becomes COVID positive, you may potentially have been exposed to the COVID virus and you will need to isolate for 10 days.
If you test positive for COVID, the national Test and Trace team will contact you. It is important that when you give details of your contacts you must only provide details of your contacts you have seen socially or in your household. Public Health England have agreed that NHS staff will be wearing appropriate respiratory protection when unavoidably coming into close contact with patients and members of staff. Occupational Health are therefore responsible for assessing whether work contacts have been significantly exposed. If you do give the names of work colleague to Test and Trace, then these names cannot be removed from the system. This means some members of staff will have to self-isolate, possibly inappropriately. This has led to major disruptions to the effective delivery of services.
Staff are also reminded to turn off the Test and Trace app while at work to prevent unintentional recording of positive case exposure.
If you require more information or need to report a positive test, please ring Occupational Health.
Tel: 0121 371 8355
Study Leave
To support the ongoing operational pressures all non-essential study leave will continue to be stood down until Sunday 31 January 2021.
Virtual visiting for patients
Earlier this year, UHB Charity funded over 500 iPads for patient use which have been distributed around the sites. The iPads have been set-up to make it as easy as possible for patients to speak with their loved-ones via video call.
Members of staff are encouraged to have a conversation with all inpatients about the iPads to help familiarise patients with the iPads and the process of setting up a virtual visit.
The Virtual Visits app allows patients to send a Zoom invite through to their loved ones, and then open the Zoom meeting easily and without complication.
Over the Christmas period, Virtual Visits will enable patients to see and speak to their loved ones, helping to aid their mental wellbeing at what will be a difficult time.
If you are unsure about whether your ward or department has access to one of the new iPads then please speak to your Ward Manager.
If you are a Ward Manager and have a question about the iPads then please contact UHB Charity.
Email: Charities@uhb.nhs.uk
Parcels for Patients over Christmas
The Parcels for Patients (P4P) service supports inpatients unable to have visitors due to COVID-19 and enables friends and relatives to deliver essential care packages to their loved ones.
Led by volunteers, the service will continue to operate for patients and their loved ones over the Christmas period.
Please note the opening times for dropping off parcels at the hubs on each site will be shorter on the Christmas bank holidays (between 12:00 – 16:00).
For more information, please visit the P4P page:
Updated visiting guidelines
The Trust’s guidelines for visiting restrictions have been updated for inpatients and outpatients.
Updates include:
- A new visit guideline for a situation where a patient may not survive surgery
- An update to Maternity to include partners accompanying woman to postnatal ward after delivery for one hour
- Further guidance around children visiting
- Updated guidance around religious or spiritual care needs
- An additional guideline relating to use of technology for virtual visiting of an unconscious patient at end of life/patient without capacity
In addition, there is also a new guide to support staff with communication with relatives (teams are encouraged to print this off locally and to display it behind their reception areas) and an adult inpatient visiting decision making flow chart to also provide further support teams.
The visiting guidelines for staff, including the exceptional circumstances for visiting criteria, can be found on the following link: