If you work in the NHS what is your hospital or department putting in place?

[Joyfulnhs]

I work in the NHS in a hospital but am non clinical. I work in an office that deals with hundreds of sets of medical notes a day with loads of staff from various areas who come into our office regularly. We've asked for hand gel this week but it looks unlikely we'll get any. Other than a trust wide email telling us to look at the public health website to see the latest guidance on hand-washing our hospital doesn't seem to be issuing any guidance at all or putting any measures in place to protect staff. I'm really hoping they are doing better to prepare the clinical staff and putting measures in place to support them but after speaking to some it doesn't seem like they are.

So I'm wondering, if you work in the NHS are your department or hospital taking any measures to deal with coronavirus? Are they sending guidance to staff? Or looking at policies to wfh/minimise the risks in any way?

I have a dc with a serious respiratory condition so I'm a little concerned I may pick it up in work and pass it to my dc because of the amount of people who and in and out of my office daily from clinical areas with no procedures in place. I really feel for front line clinical staff, must feel so risky with such little support.

Probably should have made it clear I'm not panicking, I very much feel like life needs to go on as business as usual for the time being until the government decides otherwise. But it would be reassuring to see procedures in place and some kind of plan to try and protect staff where possible.

Contact your Occ Health department. They should have a plan. Ours do. We've got fit testing for staff, a questionaire, pretty much daily briefings and detailed plans for patient management.

We have had (or not had) exactly the same as you. I work in AED.

Oh lord, I’m inundated with requests to go and speak to worried non-clinical staff who might pass a patient in the corridor or handle their notes

Haven’t had any queries from trained clinal staff. We’ve identified a holding zone for any potentially infected patients and have carried out mask 😷 fitting for suitable staff members.

We’re on standby and communicating across the network whilst just getting on with our job, which for includes being called to various admin departments to speak to their staff.

Those of you where clinical staff have had/ have booked to have mask fitting, are you in areas with more than average cases? There’s 5 in our catchment according to local news, but no mask fittings yet... should we expect this soon?

Fit testing for masks, Normally open door Wards are now closed wards and we have to ask all visitors and anyone else entering the ward to wash their hands first.

Lots of hand gel around.

I work with older people so am a bit worried, for them not me.

Are there no concrete plans for more extra beds (although I guess they'd have to build annexes or something for that) , or to buy up beds in the private sector??

This is more a governmental question, sorry. But if nothing has been actually planned by the government re beds, equipment, staffing, then that is very, very concerning to me..

No cases admitted to use yet and minimal positives in the area. Yes your trust should be fit testing staff now, shocked if they aren't.

It's nit space for beds we need, it's staff. And possibly more ventilators.