Firstly, welcome to colleagues from across a number of community services who have joined Team STHK today. This was not how we expected your first day to be and we promise that we’ll say an official hello (with cake) once this is all over.
Please remember the staff intranet is the place for the latest Covid related information and updates.
Today’s messages from Covid Cabinet are below:
Scrubs – Please do not hoard scrubs or take them home:
In order to use our resource in the most appropriate way, only key teams in high risk areas should wear scrubs ie theatres, ITU, MET and medical team responding to arrests.
Furthermore, to minimise the risk of cross contamination from work to home, these teams must change into and out of scrubs at work and they are washed by the Trust’s laundry service.
If you have your own scrubs, different looking to ours, by all means wear them at work, change out of them before returning home and wash them.
Management of COVID-19:
Using antibiotics to prevent CAP in COVID-19 positive patients is not currently recommended.
Available evidence suggests that the frequency of secondary bacterial infection in patients with COVID-19 is low.
Antibiotics can be started as per this policy if bacterial CAP/HAP or other foci of bacterial infection/sepsis is suspected.
Please consider oral stepdown or stopping antibiotics at the earliest opportunity.
Blanket use of broad spectrum antibiotics in COVID-19 suspected or positive patients could lead to supply chain and stock issues for patients with confirmed bacterial pneumonia.
Visiting for EOL patients:
National and Trust guidance states that Patients who are receiving end of life care are allowed to be visited by 1 member of their immediate family (or alternative if the patient has no family). Any exceptions to this rule are to be managed at ward level.
Visitors in this situation must:
- Be counselled regarding the risks to themselves and to others and cross transmission.
- Wear appropriate PPE (gloves/apron and surgical mask – FFP3 masks are not required)
Staff must ensure that visitors in this situation:
- Put on and remove PPE correctly
- Adhere to strict hand hygiene after removal of PPE
- Are not present whilst aerosol generating procedures are being carried out on the patient.
Visitors do not need to self-isolate afterwards, as their contact with the patient will be brief and they will be wearing appropriate PPE.
The patient’s pre-existing household contacts MUST self-isolate until 14 days after the onset of symptoms on the index case patient as per gov.uk advice
Ward moves:
There has been a considerable move around of wards in recent days please see details below:
| 1st floor | Unchanged |
| 2a | Haematology – Unchanged |
| 2 b, c, d | All Respiratory Wards |
| 3a | Plastics now includes Burns and plastics trauma |
| 3alpha and 3b | Ortho (unchanged) |
| 3c 3d | 3c now accommodating diabetes patients who were previously on Ward 2d as well as Gen Med 3D Gastro – Unchanged |
| 3e | Ortho (closed) |
| 3e | Gynae – Unchanged |
| 3f | All Paeds |
| 4a and 4b | Urology/Gen Surgery and SAU – Unchanged |
| 4c | closed currently (will be ITU phase 4) |
| 4f | new HDU |
| 4e and 4e med | 21 spaces as ITU |
| 4e annexe a (theatre recovery) | ITU spaces |
| 5a 5b | DMOP – Unchanged |
| 5c | Acute stroke – Unchanged |
| 5d | stroke rehab – Unchanged |
Reporting of staff swab results:
Positive result:
HWWB contact staff member, inform them of positive result and advise them to follow national guidance re self-isolation
Negative result:
HWWB contact staff member, inform them of negative result and advise them to return to work
In both instances results are entered onto Cohort and HWWB inform staff member’s line manager of the result via email.
Self-Isolation forms:
Managers are reminded to complete all fields on the self-isolation forms
Also please complete 1 form per person NOT multiple names on each form
Recovery Clinical Trial of COVID-19 Therapy:
The Trust is taking part in the National Recovery clinical trial of treatments for COVID-19 positive inpatients.
It is essential that all potential treatments for COVID-19 infection are used in the context of clinical trials. This will enable the effects of these treatments to inform the international body of knowledge and to identify the best possible treatments for future patients.
We received our first delivery of medicines for the trial today and nurses from the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Dept have commenced the process of informing patients and seeking consent.
Those patients consenting to take part in the study will be randomised to one of several arms of treatment 1) best supportive care 2) dexamethasone 3) Kaletra 4) hydroxychloroquine. The study design allows for the addition of further treatment arms as other therapies emerge.
International supplies of these medicines are in high demand and are not unlimited.
Our current allocation of medicines will allow enrolment of about 150 patients but it is hoped that further supplies will become available.
Pharmacy and the RDI teams are supporting clinical staff in the practicalities of prescribing, supply and administration of the treatments.
#HiddenHospitalHeroes
Today’s heroes are the PALS & Quality and Risk Teams who are working together to deal with a huge number of enquiries and providing direct support to patients and their families. It’s an heroic team effort thanks to you all!
We really do appreciate how much everyone is doing to help us manage the increased pressure in our hospitals. Please remember to take care of each other. Thank you