Flu and Covid Vaccine
With the high possibility of a Covid Vaccine being launched in the next few weeks the Trust is urging all staff to prioritise their flu vaccine as you must leave a gap between having the two jabs.
The sooner you have your flu vaccine the sooner you will be able to have the Covid vaccine when it becomes available.
To help you get protected we have increased the number of flu clinics this week. Please see below
All flu vaccine info is available on the staff intranet
Updated national shielding guidance
New national guidance has been issued regarding shielding measures for the second lockdown period. The measures are less restrictive than in the first wave of the pandemic and state that:
Staff who are required to shield will be identified by their GP or hospital specialist to be Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV )and will receive a new shielding letter. If you receive a new letter please notify your line manager immediately.
If you do not receive a new shielding letter you are advised to attend work as normal. Your manager will review your risk assessment and make appropriate adjustments if required. In the meantime if you remain concerned, enhanced PPE will be made available.
Please note if you live in the same household as a CEV person the guidance confirms you can continue to work as normal.
The latest shielding guidance is available on the NHS Employers website
If you have any further queries on the new guidance please contact your line manager.
Guidance for managers
If you have a staff member who has received a new shielding letter dated 4th November 2020 onwards that states they are classed as being clinically extremely vulnerable and should shield then your staff member should be advised to work from home if they can.
If the staff member is unable to work from home then shielding will apply and they should be advised to go home.
Managers must receive a copy of the new shielding letter from your staff member and send it to your HR Business Partner.
Managers must record this latest shielding absence on the appropriate systems as below.
Please note: These records will need to be backdated to the date that the individual began shielding due to meeting CEV criteria.
| CEV | Recording on Roster | Recording on ESR | |
| CEV Shielding WFH | Received letter to advise they meet the new CEV criteria to shield and are able to work from home Letter must be viewed and confirmed by Manager and HR | Other Leave > Shielding WFH | Special Decreasing Balance > Other > Coronavirus (COVID-19) |
| CEV Shielding not WFH | Received letter to advise they meet the new CEV criteria to shield and are unable to work from home Letter must be viewed and confirmed by Manager and HR | Other Leave > Shielding not WFH | Special Decreasing Balance > Infection Precaution > Coronavirus (COVID-19) |
LAUNCH OF THE COVID RISK ASSESSMENT eFORM VERSION 2
The Covid Risk assessment form has been updated and Version 2 can be accessed via the following link; the changes also reflect the government announcement on 4th November 2020 and the guidance surrounding those deemed to be Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and Clinically Vulnerable:
There is no requirement for those that have already completed Version 1 to complete Version 2, though if you are required to conduct a review of your COVID risk assessment because your circumstances have changed, or you are completing it for the first time, you are advised to use the link above.
Main Changes to the new eForm:
- Inclusion of guidance on the use of the ‘People Picker’ when inserting your name and the name of your manager.
- A slight change to age groups.
- The pregnancy question is now contained within Underlying Health Conditions.
- Underlying health conditions only appear if you select ‘Yes’ to having an Underlying Health Condition.
- You are now being asked to confirm which Underlying Health Condition that you have to support the work of the Risk Assessment Panel.
- If you confirm that you are pregnant you will now be asked to confirm your expected week of confinement to support the work of the Risk Assessment Panel.
- As a result of the Government announcement on the 4th November 2020 there are now only 2 shielding options:
- I am not required to Shield.
- Medical Advice to continue Shielding (received CEV Letter in November 2020).
- You are being asked to forward a copy of your CEV letter to covidstaff@sthk.nhs.uk
- All none scoring questions (listed below) are now grouped towards the end of the eForm:
- Shielding.
- Self-Isolating.
- Disability.
- Childcare Arrangements.
Repeat testing of patients who have a negative admission screen
Any inpatients who test negative for COVID on their admission screen must be retested 5 days after admission. The repeat screens should then be continued every 5 days until discharge unless the patient is found to be positive.
This is important in identifying cases in a timely manner and reducing the risk of COVID transmission within the Trust, which protects both staff and patients.
Note that this is a change from the previous guidance of retesting 5-7 days after admission and then every 5-7 days until discharge