Well done to ....
Our fabulous (yet very humble!) chief executive, Tracy Allen, who has once again been named among the top 50 chief execs in the NHS. We’ve always known she’s one of the very best and it’s lovely to see this acknowledged again by the Health Service Journal in their annual ranking of healthcare leaders. Read more here.
The judges noted DCHS’ outstanding rating from the CQC and the fact that 87% of our staff would recommend the care we provide – the highest confidence rating of any community trust in the country.
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Key updates:
> Vaccination update
More than 25 million people in the UK have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine, while around 1.7 million have had a second jab, and the Health Secretary has confirmed the NHS is ahead of schedule to offer a first dose to all people aged over 50 by 15 April.
As you’ll have seen across the media last night, we’re expecting a national reduction in vaccine supply for four weeks from 31 March. This means the beginning of phase two, which is set to follow the 50+ cohort, will be delayed. The focus now must be on pushing uptake among all people over 50 and delivering second doses which will be unaffected. The vaccine will not be offered to anybody under 50 throughout April aside from those diagnosed as clinically extremely vulnerable, health and social care workers and unpaid carers.
This reduction in supply will mean using our vaccine programme teams in new ways, and possibly in different settings, to increase the 50+ penetration. We’ll be working intensely with system partners in the next few days to develop an effective plan and maintain our strong momentum.
Locally, more than 450,000 people have been vaccinated across Derby and Derbyshire, almost 50% of the adult population. We marked the 100 day milestone of the vaccination programme with William Jones speaking to BBC Radio Derby yesterday morning about the fantastic progress we’ve made. You can listen again here from 2:14:36. Those eligible for the vaccine can book online via the national booking service or wait to receive a letter from their GP.
> Staff vaccinations - ALL staff are now eligible
A reminder that we’ve now opened up vaccinations for all remaining DCHS staff. This does include colleagues under the age of 50. Appointments are available at Derby Arena – book your vaccination here. Please remember to bring your proof of I.D. with you when you attend your appointment. If accessing Derby Arena is a problem for you then please email Jo Hunter to request alternate arrangements: jo.hunter1@nhs.net
> Your second dose appointment
Second dose appointments for staff are unaffected following the announcements about a temporary reduction in supply. For the vast majority of people who booked through Swiftqueue, you should already have a date for the second dose of your vaccination. If you didn’t automatically get a second appointment then please wait to be contacted by the site where you received your first dose. This should happen automatically. If for any reason you haven’t been contacted by week 11 then please get in touch with jo.hunter1@nhs.net.
If you attended the Pirelli stadium site for your first vaccination then you will be invited for your second dose at either the Queen’s Hospital in Burton or the Royal Derby Hospital. Appointments will be arranged via text or email, so please wait to be contacted.
> Fertility and Covid-19 vaccines - webinar with the experts
Experts from NHS England & NHS Improvement and Birmingham Women’s Hospital are hosting a free webinar next Wednesday 24 March from 2-3pm, which will answer questions around pregnancy and fertility in relation to the Covid-19 vaccine. Head here for more details.
You can also find a range of information here from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), including FAQs, an information leaflet/decision aid tool and more. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, has said there is no risk to fertility from the Covid vaccines. “It is just not biologically logical that they would, no vaccine has ever done this.”
> Still have questions?
If you have any unanswered questions, please feel free to contact our People Services team or Jo Hunter, deputy chief nurse, who can also refer any questions as required to a number of our medical experts.
> Team Brief - what would you like us to cover?
Do you have any topics you’d like us to cover in next week’s leaders’ Team Brief? Or any rumours/issues you’d like addressing? If so just get in touch with robertsteel1@nhs.net (confidentially) and we’ll make sure we cover them.
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Patient facing colleagues:
- Important LFT update for community teams: From Monday 22 March you must provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test (LFT) result undertaken within the last 72 hours when visiting a care home, or you will be refused access. A screenshot or a text message acknowledging your result will be fine. We recognise this may mean undertaking more regular LFTs than you are currently expected to do. If you need support with LFT you can contact the employee relations helpline on 07785 414129 or email: dchst.twiceweeklystafftesting@nhs.net. Full guidance is here.
- Lateral flow testing protocol: Download the latest lateral flow testing protocol here. If required, help is available from the employee relations helpline on 07785 414129 or email: dchst.twiceweeklystafftesting@nhs.net
- Easter PPE deliveries: There will be no PPE deliveries on either Good Friday or Easter Monday. If this is your normal delivery day then please make sure you have ordered sufficient stock beforehand.
- Vaccination patient journey: This poster and videos (available in a range of languages; look for the Covid-19 vaccination patient journey 'blob' in the right hand column) help to describe the patient vaccination journey in Derbyshire, supporting our work to improve vaccination confidence.
- SOPs – updated: Our standard operating procedure (SOP) for inpatients, outpatients and urgent treatment centres was updated on 11 March. Click here to download that and all other available SOPs
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Reminders:
- LGBT+ on census for first time – please help DCHS with a quick survey: The census on 21 March will ask about LGBT+ declarations for the first time. Please can we ask people to fill out this quick survey to help us gauge attitudes within DCHS to support our LGBT+ staff network.
- A day of reflection: The Church of England has partnered with Marie Curie to mark the anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown with a national day of reflection. Next Tuesday 23 March they’re encouraging everyone to participate in ‘a minute’s silent reflection’ at 12 noon, to look back on our collective loss, support those who have been bereaved, and share hope for a brighter future. There are plenty of ways to get involved on the day, detailed here.
- Individual Covid-19 risk assessments: Keeping you all safe has been at the heart of our work throughout this pandemic and the risk assessments we developed were an essential part of that effort. As people have completed and refreshed their assessments they’ve shared plenty of useful feedback to help us refine the process for the better. You can find the new and improved version of the process here.
- Staff Survey results: The latest NHS Staff Survey results were published last week – you can read more in this full announcement. Hear from Darren Tidmarsh on our next Facebook Live session tomorrow at 12:00, who will reflect on the results and discuss our next steps. Join the Facebook group here.
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Wellbeing:
- Wellbeing calendar of events and opportunities: We’ve got a host of brilliant events, development sessions and more on this page, including personal power, beating burnout and financial wellbeing.
- Caring for yourself matters more than ever: There’s less than a week to go until our next virtual Schwartz Round. Whatever your role, this Schwartz Round will give you an opportunity to reflect on your own energy levels and your health and wellbeing. It takes place on Tuesday 23 March at 1pm. For more information or to get an invite please contact Ruth Bailey: Ruth.Bailey8@nhs.net.
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If you want us to cover any specific topics please let us know. It’s important we continue to work collectively to shape our comms so we get the most from it. Tell us more here: dchst.communications@nhs.net
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Many thanks
Issued on behalf of
William Jones
Chief Operating Officer & Accountable Emergency Officer
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS FT
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