Updates
Update, 30 March
Published: 30 March 2020
24/7 consultant-led model in place
As part of our Covid-19 preparations, one of the most significant achievements in the last week has been the introduction of a 24/7 resident consultant-led model of delivering inpatient care across all four hospitals. This went live across the Trust on Friday and has worked well over the weekend in delivering timely and effective decision-making and patient management across the front door and entire inpatient bed base of 2500 beds. Our Senior Responsible Clinicians (Dr Chirag Dave, Dr Rifat Rashid, Prof Paul Cockwell, Dr Khaled Elfandi) and supporting teams have been instrumental in designing, implementing and mobilising a fundamentally different model of 24/7 consultant-led care within the space of two weeks.
The willingness, flexibility and commitment of the teams partaking in the new model has been amazing as we seek to prepare ourselves for what is going to be a period of sustained pressure. Getting this work done early and embedded ahead of the surge will, I am sure, prove crucial to our patients and staff over the coming months.
Another crucial planning task making rapid progress is the ITU surge plan that aims to provide sufficient ventilator capacity for patients over the coming weeks. Dr Jeremy Willson is leading on this at pace and working closely with the Senior Responsible Clinicians to determine staffing, environment, infrastructure and equipment requirements are in place in time.
Refreshed guidance on IP&C
As you will have seen we now have extended guidance on Infection Prevention and Control issued. This includes an updated definition of aerosol generating procedures to which we will immediately respond.
In response to this change in guidance and the need to significantly expand our approach to FFP3 fit testing and checking, Lynn Willets, Director of Operations for Division 2, Andrew Woodhouse, Director of Division 6 and Sat Parmar, Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon, will constitute a PPE support group that will work with the Infection Prevention and Control team and Deputy Director of Nursing Hayley Flavell.
The guidance can be viewed in "Downloads" section.
Access for Chaplaincy team
During the current crisis please regard the Chaplaincy team as front line staff and enable their access to all wards and departments where requested.
The team offers essential spiritual and pastoral support to staff, patients and visitors alike; to those of faith and of no faith. They perform a crucial role around the end of people’s lives and, importantly, act as a bridge between the hospital, families or carers unable to visit who are often deeply anxious about a loved one in our care. It is important that we work collaboratively at this time and draw fully on the skills, expertise and experience of the whole multi-disciplinary team, of which Chaplaincy is an integral part.
WH Smith range at QEHB
WH Smith has been working to find additional ways to support NHS staff during this very challenging, unprecedented time. In addition to offering 20% off for all NHS staff in their stores, including M&S food, they have been working with M&S to source additional, everyday essentials to support staff at QEHB.
The WH Smith store in the main entrance will now receive additional M&S everyday products, from pasta, tinned products, tea, coffee, cleaning products (household), toilet roll, etc. This will comprise up to 90 key additional product lines.
These products should be arriving in store from this week. They have been price matched to M&S high street prices and in addition WH Smith will be funding a further 20% off in line with our NHS staff offer currently live in all hospital WH Smith stores.