Coventry & Warwickshire COVID-19 Portal

 

Primary Care Coronavirus briefing – Coventry and Warwickshire – 1 May 2020 

 

**Please find below the latest daily primary care coronavirus briefing.**

 

Information provided by NHS Coventry and Rugby CCG, NHS South Warwickshire CCG and NHS Warwickshire North CCG in line with Public Health England guidance.

 

This information may change rapidly as the situation develops. For the latest information for primary care, visit: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care

Today’s topics – use the links to jump to each section

 

**Latest local picture**

**Local updates** 

**Latest updates for each PLACE (Coventry and Rugby, South Warwickshire, Warwickshire North)**

 

Latest national picture

Communications from NHS England

Actions for Primary Care

Practice nurse communications - new

TODAY’S ATTACHMENTS 

• Item 3 – Details of CWPT services that are impacted by COVID-19: (Sent on behalf of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust.docx).

• Item 6 – Safeguarding newsletter, the latest version includes parent and children COVID-19 guides (Safeguarding Newsletter No.3 - April 2020 v5.pdf)

• Item 7 – Details of how to access the Compass Stars Hidden Harm Service: (CompassStarsHiddenHarmService.pdf)

Attachments from yesterday

A number of systems blocked the attachments from yesterday, these can be downloaded directly, apologies for any inconvenience.  

 

LATEST LOCAL PICTURE

Please remember: we are issuing daily (Monday to Friday) 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.

Coventry and Warwickshire COVID position up to 01.05.2020

• 1,795 cases now confirmed in Coventry and Warwickshire (+30 / +1.7% from yesterday)

• 172 of these are currently admitted (-2 / -1.1% from yesterday)

• 733 beds still available (-10 / -1.3% from yesterday)

• 8 ITU beds occupied by Covid patients (-1 / -11.1% from yesterday)

• 385 reported deaths in a hospital setting (+7 / +1.9% from yesterday)

Care Home current position as at 01.05.2020

*Today’s data is unavailable* 

LATEST LOCAL UPDATE

1. Patient explanation of total triage animation

A free animation has been put together for GP practices, which helps explain to patients how care can be accessed during COVID-19. With many changes to the way primary care services are delivered at this time, this video helps encourage patients to continue to seek medical attention where required, as well as outlining the total triage model in simple terms. The free animation is available to download and it is recommend you make use of it. The animation is hosted on the EMIS Now website but can be used regardless of what clinical system is employed in the practice, as the animation does not mention any particular system. Practices could consider adding it to their websites.

2. UHCW telephone advice and guidance

Many thanks for your support during the COVID-19 response by only forwarding the more urgent referrals to UHCW. It has been enormously helpful to support our COVID-19 response.

UHCW has been continuing to provide urgent and emergency surgery in most service areas and delivering all cancer support services through this time. All clinical areas for patients with and without COVID-19 symptoms have been physically separated so that the hospitals can flex up and down other clinical services depending on the changing demands.  

For outpatient appointments, during April 2020 over 50% of UHCW’s outpatient appointments were able to be delivered through telephone appointments or virtual clinics. Only patients who absolutely needed to be seen in person were prioritised, ensuring the service can be delivered within social distancing requirements. The feedback from those patients receiving services in this way has been very positive and is being formally evaluated to inform future services.  

Next Steps Second Phase Response

UHCW are now planning to step up non-COVID services:

1. Restore services in a phased way which supports all our system health service capacity, promoting messages to the public that they will be contacted when their hospital appointment is being reinstated, to help minimise a likely surge in telephone calls to our hospitals and GPs.

2. Encourage those with worrying symptoms to access services – nationally it is clear that there are patients with other symptoms who have been holding back during this time and they have been encouraged to contact appropriate services.

3. Retain some of the ways of working during Lockdown e.g. virtual outpatients 

Routine Referrals

As part of this next phase, UHCW accepts all routine referrals. All referrals will be prioritised and processed by our Specialists based on clinical need. Outcomes for referrals may fall into the following categories:

1. Clinically urgent and booked into an urgent slot (this will be either be virtually or in some cases face to face).

2. Placed on a monitoring list and flagged (each speciality will be reviewing this list regularly)

3. Provide patient and GP with advice

UHCW Pre-Referral Advice and Guidance Telephone Service 

A number of Pre-Referral Advice and Guidance telephone service areas are available directly from UHCW, supported by Consultant Connect and these are listed in detail below:

Specialty Times Days available

Acute Medicine GP Liaison 8.30 am - 5pm Monday to Friday

Ophthalmology 9 am - 7pm Monday to Friday

Tele-dermatology* 8.30am - 5pm Monday to Friday

Updates for how to access these services are available on the Coventry and Rugby CCG GP Gateway.

3. CWPT services impacted by COVID-19 

There are a number of services that CWPT provide that are impacted by the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Please find details attached. It is appreciated that this is a fast-changing environment and they will continue to update practices as required. (Attachment: Sent on behalf of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust.docx)

4. COVID Resilience Funding and Reimbursement

Yesterday’s attachments including the reimbursement forms are available to download online.

5. Cervical Screening

We are aware that a number of concerns and issues have been raised at a number of forums. Please be advised given the clinical risk concerns this has been escalated to NHSEI via the established quality routes. As soon as we receive a response we will write to you further with additional information.

6. Safeguarding newsletter

This Safeguarding Newsletter is for General Practices to provide you with current safeguarding guidance and information. Supporting you to protect children, young people and adults. The latest version includes parent and children COVID-19 guides and is attached. (attachment: Safeguarding Newsletter No.3 - April 2020 v5.pdf)

7. Treasury cuts taxes to reduce PPE costs

From today (1 May 2020), PPE purchased by care homes, businesses, charities and individuals to protect against Covid-19 will be free from VAT for a three-month period. Full details.

8. COMPASS hidden harm service access details

Are you concerned about a child or young person from age 5 upwards, living in Warwickshire who may have been exposed to someone else’s drug and/or alcohol misuse? Do you feel the child or their family would benefit from support with these issues? Compass can help with a range of services outlined in their leaflet, this also contains full contact details. (attachment: CompassStarsHiddenHarmService.pdf)

9. Warwickshire CAVA coronavirus update (issue 14)

The latest copy of the newsletter is available to download.

LATEST UPDATES FOR EACH PLACE

UPDATES FOR Coventry and Rugby – 1 May 2020 

No updates this issue.

UPDATES FOR South Warwickshire – 1 May 2020 

No updates this issue.

UPDATES FOR Warwickshire North – 1 May 2020 

No updates this issue.

LATEST NATIONAL PICTURE 

 

• As reported at 5.30pm on 30 April 2020, 901,905 people have been tested in the UK and 171,253 were confirmed as positive. The number of COVID-19 associated deaths in the UK is 26,771. (Please note: there is now an improved daily reporting system for deaths, so that deaths in all settings are included, wherever the individual has tested positive for COVID-19, rather than just those in hospitals. On the old measure there would have been 22,791.)  

• The transcript for the Coronavirus press conference on 30 April 2020 delivered by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is available online. A copy can also be viewed on YouTube.  

• The press conference slides and datasets used by Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Advisor on 30 April are available to read. 

• The latest government advice on coronavirus is available online.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM NHS ENGLAND

 

10. PHE update

Public Health England is working with partners to share key public health messages, and continues to produce and update guidance on COVID-19 for the following audience: 

• Guidance for the public

• Guidance for non-clinical settings

• Guidance for health professionals

Specifically, PHE has published resources to help social care staff ensure they are working safely in the current situation, including How to work safely in care homes, as well as, PPE Resource for care workers delivering homecare (domiciliary care) during sustained COVID-19 transmission in the UK.

The resources help to describe how PPE might be used in different scenarios in care homes and people’s own homes, and includes:

• tables showing when different PPE items are recommended for use in social care settings

• a list of FAQs about PPE and working safely in social care

• case studies

• video guide to putting on and removing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 

• two posters for care homes showing how to put on PPE and how to take it off safely

 

11. Media enquiries 

Our communications team is here to support you if needed. If you are approached by the media, please forward on to your local communications team: agem.communications@nhs.net. Outside of working hours the communications team can be reached via 01522 537887.   

ACTIONS FOR PRIMARY CARE

Download the total triage animation explain to patients how care can be accessed during COVID-19 and make use in your practices.

Review the latest update from PHE.

PRACTICE NURSE COMMUNICATIONS

12. Vaccine update now available

The April edition of Vaccine Update is now available to view and download.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  

Please note: This is the designated inbox for all Primary Care enquiries for practices across Coventry and Warwickshire, set up to help support practices and provide a single point of contact to send and receive information about the rapidly developing COVID-19 situation. Please be aware that guidance is changing regularly and we are endeavouring to keep you as up to date as possible.

 

Please note: the CCG has made the decision to use every email distribution list at its disposal in order to ensure as many people as possible receive these important updates. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, please reply to this email and we will remove you from the distribution list.

 

The inbox is monitored regularly, and we will respond to you as soon as we can. 

 

In the meantime, the latest guidance for primary care can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/