Sent on behalf of the COVID-19 Primary Care Incident Management Team for Coventry and Rugby, South Warwickshire and Warwickshire North CCGs

In today's briefing we include the latest news stories falling into the following categories:

1. Updated guidance for shielding patients – they receive a letter if they are required to shield
Updated guidance was issued last Thursday (15 Oct) for people who were previously told to shield. In the future, formal shielding advice will only be reintroduced in the very worst affected local areas and for a limited period of time. This will only apply to some, but not all, very high alert level areas and will be based on advice from the Chief Medical Officer. The government will write to patients to inform them if they are advised to shield. Patients who have previously shielded will also be receiving a letter informing them of this updated advice including what actions they need to take in each of the tiers. 

People are not advised to follow formal shielding advice again unless they receive a new shielding notification advising them to do so. The full guidance can be read here

Please note that the shielded list and flags will remain in the GP system in case it is needed again at any point.


2. Acute Trusts to review waiting lists
All Acute Trusts have received national guidance to undertake a revalidation exercise of their waiting lists by 31^st December 2020. This means that all patients on waiting lists will have a virtual consultation with their medical team, this will result in one of the following outcomes:

1) Operation is booked in;
2) Operation postponed, patient to remain on the waiting list and to be contacted again in up to 6 months or patient can contact consultant’s secretary if wishes to proceed sooner than 6 months;
3) Patient requests removal from waiting list and is discharged back to GP
 
Please note that it has been agreed locally that the Trust will only notify GPs of patients who are being discharged.

3. Message from University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust regarding to disruption to Roche Supply Chain
We are aware of disruption to the Roche supply chain which is affecting the supply of the reagents needed to analyse biochemistry tests. These supplies impact mainly on biochemistry tests, please note that other pathology investigations such as haematology, coagulation and COVID-19 testing are not affected. During the next couple of weeks, we request your help and support by only requesting biochemistry investigations that will alter patient management, so that we can preserve our reagent stock in order to provide a comprehensive service for as long as possible.

We will continue to update on this situation as we receive information.

4. Reminder to book Covid-19 antigen tests via national test centres
Primary care staff are reminded to attempt to book Covid-19 Antigen tests via the national (pillar 2) test centres eg. Ricoh, before booking into the Trust testing services.

5. IAPT video to share 
IAPT have produced a short two minute video about the service and ways in which it can help people suffering from low mood, anxiety, stress and depression. Please share the video with your patients and networks either on screens in waiting rooms, on your website and/or via social media accounts. 
 
The link to the video is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPFzPscjF8Y&t=11s and the link to more information and resources on the IAPT website is: www.covwarkpt.nhs.uk/iapt

6. Domestic Homicide Review 
Warwickshire have recently completed a Domestic Homicide Review and a recommendation that has arisen is to highlight the following resource to staff:
 
http://genderedintelligence.co.uk/professionals/resources
 
This review will be presented as a case study at the next Safeguarding PLT in February.

7. Action required for recipients of Primary Care Briefing Newsletter 
Changes are being made to NHS mail which could mean that updates sent via the bulletin could go to the recipient's Junk folder. To avoid this happening, recipients of this newsletter need to add the senders email address (warnoccg.covid19primarycarecommunications@nhs.net) to their safe list. Details of how to add a sender to your safe list can be found on the Microsoft website.
 

NO UPDATES FOR South Warwickshire – 20 October 2020

NO UPDATES FOR Warwickshire North – 20 October 2020 

NO UPDATES FOR Coventry and Rugby – 20 October 2020

Please note all sessions are open to all localities

11. Healthier You: NHS National Diabetes Prevention Programme Webinars
You can find out more about the NHS National Diabetes Prevention Programme by attending one of the webinars in October. You don't need to book a place in advance and you can join the session by clicking on the links below: 

Thursday 22nd October –  13.00 – Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

12. Half-Day On-line Suicide Awareness & Response Training - Fully funded for GPs and all the Primary Care Team
Please see attached flyer about online half day suicide awareness sessions to GPs and GP practice staff. The training sessions will take place on the following dates: 

Wed 21st October – 13:00 – 16:30
Thurs 22nd October – 13:00 – 16:30  

If you would like to book onto a session, please contact Lorna Scott at Lorna.Scott@combined.nhs.uk or on 07498 731406.

13. Warwickshire Prevent Conference - 23rd November 2020
The annual Prevent Conference will take place on 23rd November at 9.30am - 12.45pm. This year the conference will be online. The conference provides leading expert guidance on key issues currently facing the Prevent agenda. The key areas of focus this year will be:-

• The impact of radicalisation within families and how to engage and support vulnerable individuals who may be engaging with extremist influences,
• Looking at the issues of mental health, well-being and Prevent,
• Considering the changing threat and risk from Right Wing Terrorism, and
• Looking at Contextual Safeguarding as a means of assessing vulnerabilities and potential for grooming and exploitation.

We are hugely fortunate to have secured the contribution of a fantastic range of speakers to address these issues, and this should be a genuinely engaging and informative event which will be delivered online. It will be directly relevant to colleagues from across all of the agencies covered by the Prevent Duty, in particular representatives from Health & Social Care, Local Authority, Policing, Fire, and Education, as well as those in Voluntary, Faith and Community sectors.
 
In order to reserve your place, please register on the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-warwickshire-prevent-conference-2020-tickets-120367096225

Please note: we are now issuing the briefing once a week (Tuesday) communications via: warnoccg.covid19primarycarecommunications@nhs.net. We would also ask that if you have questions or concerns relating to the current situation around coronavirus and COVID-19 you use the same address: warnoccg.covid19primarycarecommunications@nhs.net. Please keep us updated with any issues that you may be having so we can try to address them.

Please note that the below data does not include care home data.  

Coventry and Warwickshire COVID position up to 20.10.2020

• 8,900 cases now confirmed in Coventry and Warwickshire (+1417 / +18.9% from Tuesday)
• 42 of these are currently admitted (+16 / +61.5% from Tuesday)

Admissions by Trust:

• GEH: 6
• UHCW: 18
• SWFT: 10
• CWPT: 8

• 393 beds still available (+47 / +13.6% from Tuesday)
• 7 ITU bed(s) occupied by Covid patients (+3 / +75.0% from Tuesday)
• 547 reported deaths in a hospital setting (+5 / +0.9% from Tuesday)

The chart is available to view here

Latest National Picture

As of Monday 19 October 2020 at 5:47pm: 

• the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the UK is 43,726
• the daily total of people tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK is 18,804, with an overall total of 741,212
• there is a total of 63,822 cases in the West Midlands
• For the latest advice click here