I know the news that community infection rates for Coronavirus nationally have reduced over the past week will be welcome by many and rightly so.
In East Lancashire we have been hit harder by the pandemic than most other areas of the UK and for a very, very long time too. Any sign that it is in obeyance is a good thing which allows us to re-energise our hope that we will move out of this period of our lives.
But I want to use my guest blog spot this week to remind everyone that whilst this reduction in the spread of Covid is positive, we must continue to be cautious and mindful if we’re to beat it longer term.
I have seen too many families heartbroken by this horrific virus and seen many people taken by it far too soon, including some much-loved colleagues here at the Trust, to think it will just go away. It won’t. We have to control it and systematically protect ourselves from it before we can properly and permanently move on.
I’m proud of how everyone in and connected to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has worked together to get to where we are. Make no mistake, it’s not been easy and nothing less than a relentless and unwavering approach has been in place to protect patients, their families and our staff.
For months we have followed a heightened programme of infection prevention control (IPC) measures and Government guidance.
Of course, IPC isn’t new to us in hospital or community settings, but wearing face masks every day across all offices and workspaces as well as in clinical areas has been a new level of control. We were also no strangers to regularly sanitising our hands and wearing personal protective equipment pre-pandemic either, but the heightened approach and relentless nature of eradicating any possible avenue of infection spread has been exhausting. We’re used to supporting each other, our patients and families too – but the emotional burden of Covid has been crushing and it has taken its toll very clearly on a great many people in the team.
It is welcome progress that restrictions have been removed from our daily lives and I say this from a personal perspective. As much as anyone, I’d like to see the back of this virus and its control over our lives.
But I make no apology for keeping all our measures in place at the Trust for staff, for patients and for visitors. We must continue to protect the most vulnerable from Covid and the safe, personal and effective care of those seeking treatment in hospital will always be top priorities.
And so, we continue to ask everyone who enters our buildings to gel their hands, take and wear a face mask while they are here and remain socially distanced from others. For staff, we also require regular testing for those who might have the virus without knowing it, with the potential to then infect the other people around them.
But I am proud to say that we are the only NHS Trust in Lancashire and South Cumbria which continues to support visiting, with friends and family able to come in and see patients on our wards. I feel very strongly that visiting is an important element of helping people to recover and return home as soon as possible.
For this reason and despite the fact we have a great many challenges ongoing at the moment, I am pleased to say that not only will we maintain visiting, but we intend to expand our current arrangements safely too.
That we are able to even consider this is a direct testament to all the team here and their hard work and dedication. We continue to admit high numbers of Covid and non-Covid patients to hospital and in particularly our critical care wards. We are dealing with incredible and unprecedented levels of attendances in our urgent care centres including A&E. At the same time, we are focused on reducing waiting lists which have built up and have ramped up activity for most non-emergency surgical procedures. We are also struggling with staffing levels across the Trust as colleagues are asked to self-isolate themselves.
Yet, we continue to prioritise visiting and doing everything we can to facilitate this safely. It’s an incredible achievement and I want to thank everyone who is making it possible.
The Trust’s visiting pilot has been in place since April 2021 and has been a success with no nosocomial (hospital acquired) Covid outbreaks reported in connection with it. You can find the details of current arrangements here which include the ability for one person to visit for one hour each day via a pre-bookable slot on the wards included in the pilot. If you want to visit someone you will need to provide a negative lateral flow test and adhere to our strict infection prevention control, of course.
From next week (2 August) it is our intention to open visiting to more wards across the Trust and expand the criteria to include two nominated visitors for an hour each, although only one person will be allowed at a time. This will also be via a pre-bookable slot on an electronic booking system and similarly subject to a negative lateral flow test and strict infection prevention control.
Risk assessments around visiting and continued monitoring of it are in place and I am determined that we will remain vigilant to infection prevention control, not only in connection to Covid but also more common infections such as norovirus.
Please, whilst I know it’s of paramount importance for you to come in and see your loved one, don’t if you are feeling unwell in any way. It’s not worth compromising the safety of some very poorly people being cared for in our hospitals or our wonderful staff.
I completely recognise that seeing and supporting patients is something that helps them recover and rehabilitate from their illness or injury and for this reason we will prioritise visiting for as long as it’s safe.
Help us to do this – follow the restrictions on our premises, don’t come in if you’re feel unwell and showing any signs of Covid and test yourself if you have no symptoms to double check. If you haven’t had your vaccination yet, please take it up immediately.
Together we’ll beat not just Covid but all the day to day health and care challenges we face. And that will be very welcome indeed.
Take care,
Chris