This is our weekly bulletin and will be issued every Wednesday. Please use this bulletin and cascade arrangements within care and corporate groups to guide your actions. We are determined to reduce avoidable harm and death in the people we are taking care of. Kindness remains the guiding principle of all the actions in our work to tackle the virus – kindness in how we look after patients, visitors, and one another.

Numbers not statistics: Today’s totals (Wednesday 24 June’s totals)

Number of our patients confirmed with COVID-19 during the pandemic

Number of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged during the pandemic

Number of patients who have died in our hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic

Number of patients entered by the Trust into a COVID-19 research trial to date

Number of COVID-19 positive patients who are inpatients with us today

Number of people who have had antibody tests including partner agency staff

Number of our staff absent due to ill-health or isolation today

1329

(1326)

913

(906)

384

(383)

155

(150)

32

(37)

9344

(7341)

518

(531)

1. Swabbing patients – Do you know when and how often you should be swabbing?

It is vital that inpatients are not only placed in the right care environment (Red, Lilac , Blue ward) but also that swabbing is carried out appropriately and effectively in each environment.

Remember:

1. Every patient MUST be swabbed on admission.

2. Patients on Lilac wards MUST be swabbed every 3 days.

3. Patients on Blue wards MUST be swabbed every 5 days.

Alongside swabbing at the right time, it’s critical that swabbing is carried out using the right swabbing kit and collected in the right manner.

White\Green\Yellow swab kits should be used for all inpatient swabs and for retesting in blue and lilac areas. Black swabs are only for urgent testing in pre-agreed areas.

Guidance on how to collect samples is available in the linked document.

COVID-19 Patient Swabbing Guidance

Where swabs are taken, colleagues must ensure that they are hand delivered to the pathology departments as soon as possible so that they can be tested and reported without delay. Samples must not be left on wards for extended periods of time as this significantly delays the time taken to report results and ultimately puts patients and colleagues at risk.

Triple bagging swab samples for safety

Remember when you are bagging your swab sample, you must ensure the red topped bottle is first put in a clear specimen bag, this should then be placed in a clear zip lock bag and finally packaged in a blue specimen bag alongside any paperwork.

2. Face masks and ID badges – it’s for your safety and that of your colleagues’

As with last week, we remind ALL colleagues that when entering the buildings where clinical services are being provided you must ensure you use hand sanitiser and put on a fresh Fluid-resistant surgical mask (FRSM). You are also required upon entry to show security colleagues your ID badge. This is so we can keep you, colleagues, patients and approved visitors safe and help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Additional stations with PPE are now in place at entrances. You must not take more masks than you need or take any home for use outside work. We are monitoring stock levels closely and checking what is being taken using CCTV.

Our security team are on hand at all main entrances to our clinical buildings to remind you. Please ensure that you give these valued colleagues the respect they deserve when they are implementing this approach. Any occasions of disrespect or discourtesy will be not be tolerated. Incidents will be reported and investigated in line with our Trust policies.

For more information about face masks see our FAQs here.

3. Colleague risk assessments

Many of you have completed a risk assessment with the Occupational Health department that takes into account your individual risk of COVID-19,...