Coventry & Warwickshire COVID-19 Portal

 

Primary Care Coronavirus briefing – Coventry and Warwickshire – 2 April 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

 

Today’s attachments

• Changes to University Hospital of Birmingham NHS services due to COVID-19 (UHB).pdf (item 3)

 

LATEST LOCAL PICTURE

 

Please remember: we are issuing daily (Monday to Friday) communications via: warnoccg.covid19primarycarecommunications@nhs.net which will now arrive in the afternoon between 3pm and 4pm. 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.

 

Local cases (as of 1 April)

 

• In the Local Authority of Coventry, there are a total of 127 confirmed cases.

• In the Local Authority of Warwickshire, there are a total of 190 confirmed cases.

LATEST LOCAL UPDATE

1. Death Certification & Cremation Forms – a handy resource

Available to all, the Coventry GP Gateway has been updated to include a valuable resource answering some of the questions around the interim changes to registration of death. The revised content has a valuable flowchart with which outlines the changes to Death and Cremation regulations (The Coronavirus Act 2020).

2. Immunisations, birth certificates and red books

Please be aware in the current situation, the red book should be accepted as proof in light of birth certificates not being available. This is as per the position with other services and local authorities are accepting of this.

3. Changes to University Hospital of Birmingham (UHB) due to COVID-19 

Due to the unprecedented demand on the NHS during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, UHB is temporarily relocating the Heartlands Hospital Gynaecology Assessment Unit (GAU) to Good Hope Hospital, from today (Thursday, April 2). Also from today (Thursday, April 2), they are having to temporarily close the chemotherapy and supportive treatment unit at Good Hope Hospital, for the same reasons. Full details are attached: (Attachment: Urgent changes to local NHS services due to COVID-19 (UHB).pdf)

4. National Bowel Screening

In line with national and local clinical guidance screening activity across Coventry and Warwickshire has ceased. As at the 24/3/20 the Bowel Screening Hub in Rugby is no longer sending screening invitations to patients, this is currently suspended for 12 weeks. All sites across C&W (UHCW, GEH & SWFT) will no longer provide a screening colonoscopy/bowel scope service. Patients who have tested positive with FIT prior to the above cut-off date will have a virtual SSP appointment and subsequently placed on a deferred list which will be addressed when normal services resume. 

In addition the hub has confirmed it will continue to test FIT samples received by the department.

5. Symptomatic FIT

This service remains available for GPs to refer into.

6. Cancer Macmillan Information Centres

Patients can continue to access help and support through telephone advice. The main contact numbers for each site is as follows:

Trust Contact Number/Name

UHCW 02476 966052

(Monday to Friday 8am – 4pm)

GEH Julie Hunt

02476 153201

SWFT Deborah Smith

01926 495321

 

LATEST UPDATES FOR EACH PLACE

UPDATES FOR Coventry and Rugby – 2 April 2020 

No updates in this edition

UPDATES FOR South Warwickshire – 2 April 2020 

No updates in this edition

UPDATES FOR Warwickshire North – 2 April 2020

No updates in this edition

LATEST NATIONAL PICTURE 

 

• As of 9am on 1 April 2020, 152,979 people have been tested in the UK and 29,474 were confirmed as positive. As of 5pm on 31 March 2020, of those hospitalised in the UK, 2,352 have died. (Please note: the figures for test results and for deaths are compiled from different sources. This is why the figures for deaths are reported from an earlier point in time than the figures for test results.) Yesterday’s figures provided were correct although the dates were incorrect.

• The most up to date government advice on coronavirus is available online.

• The Business Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19) delivered via a press conference on 1 April 2020, detailing the government’s response to COVID19 and outlining the activity to prevent the spread, a copy of the transcript is available online.

• The press conference slides and datasets used by The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP in the daily coronavirus press conference on 1 April 2020 can be accessed online.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM NHS ENGLAND

7. NHS England Primary Care Bulletin – new edition – 1 April

COVID-19: latest guidance for general practice is issued in the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin (1 April) and contains updates on online and video consultation products that are now available and Easter opening for general practice. This regular COVID-19 Primary Care Bulletin is from Dr Nikki Kanani and Ed Waller and you are encouraged to sign up here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/email-bulletins/general-practice-bulletin/

 

8. Primary Care webinar - reminder

 

The next GP Preparedness webinar is today, Thursday 2 April from 5-6pm. The link to access the webinar is https://bit.ly/covid19gp0204  

9. Cabinet Office Coronavirus update

The Cabinet Office has published Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can't do. This includes answers to questions such as “can I drive to green spaces?” and “can I go to the park?”

Coronavirus fact sheet for children: Information for children to help them understand what Coronavirus is, the importance of hand washing and how to help stop the virus spreading is available on the Campaign Resource Centre. This was developed by the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust. They have also made an animation to go with it. A We Transfer link to the video for download is here. 

 

Guidance for households with possible infection, staying at home and away from others, and protecting vulnerable people (shielding). 

 

Latest PHE guidance can be found here.

 

10. Latest coronavirus resources for regions

The latest set of coronavirus resources were published earlier this week. 

 

• Guidance for the public on mental health and wellbeing

• Keeping away from other people - new rules from 23rd March

• Advice about staying at home 

ACTIONS FOR PRIMARY CARE

Please note the link for the Primary Care webinar taking place this evening.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

We understand that journalists have begun asking some organisations about how many cases they are currently treating. The situation is so fast moving that any estimates are likely to go out of date quickly. Rather than trying to answer these questions, if you are approached by the media and do not want to handle it yourself, 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.  

 

 

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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.

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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/ 

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