Coventry & Warwickshire COVID-19 Portal

**Please find below the latest 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 local information for primary care, visit our dedicated Coventry and Warwickshire COVID-19 support portal: https://www.cwcovid.support/  

You can also find the latest national information on the NHS England Primary Care site: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care

In today's briefing we include the latest news stories falling into the following categories:

• Latest Local Picture

• Local Updates

• Latest National Picture

• Education

• Communications from NHS England

• Actions For Primary Care

Please click on the relevant section to view specific information

Coventry and Warwickshire COVID position up to 22.06.2020 

• 2,415 cases now confirmed in Coventry and Warwickshire (+24 / +1.0% from Thursday)

• 65 of these are currently admitted (-3 / -4.4% from Thursday) 

o Admitted cases broken down by Trust:

o GEH: 55

o SWFT: 3

o UHCW: 7

• 583 beds still available (+45 / +8.4% from Thursday)

• 3 ITU beds occupied by Covid patients (+1 / +50.0% from Thursday)

• 501 reported deaths in a hospital setting (+6 / +1.2% from Thursday)

Care Home current position as at 22.06.2020 

• 252 Covid related deaths in care homes (+0 / +0.0% from Thursday, note some of these deaths may have occurred outside of the home and so may be counted in the figure above)

• 611 Care home deaths in total (+1 / +0.2% from Thursday)

• 781 confirmed cases (+2 / +0.3% from Thursday) 

o Confirmed care home cases broken down by CCG:

o Coventry & Rugby: 420

o South Warwickshire: 241

o Warwickshire North: 120

Download the weekly data pack.

1. Antibody testing for GP practice staff

We know and appreciate that there is demand for the antibody testing service to be rolled out. Teams are working to complete this as soon as possible and once the details are finalised an update will be shared. While the timescales have taken longer to complete please be assured that this has taken longer to make sure that the process is as seamless and robust as it can be and we thank you for your continued patience. 

2. Temporary residents

We have heard concerns from some commissioners and practices about the significant impact that holiday makers can have on local areas and the difficulties this will bring for general practice.

The current rules on patient registration set out that a practice may register patients as a temporary resident if they are resident in the practice area for more than 24 hours but less than three months. However, given the introduction of total triage and the rapid and widespread increase in use of remote consultations by practices, registering as a temporary resident might no longer be necessary or provide the most appropriate access or care for the patient. Under these circumstances and where it is clinically appropriate to do so, patients may be referred back to their registered practice to be assessed by a clinician who knows the patient and can access their medical record.

Practices may still need to see patients face to face in certain circumstances and therefore register them as a temporary resident. In addition, all patients, even if not on the practice list and not a temporary resident, must still be provided with primary medical services in core hours for any immediately necessary treatment, which may include medication.

Practices should note that if a patient needs a prescription while away from home, that some (not all) prescribing systems allow a prescription to be sent to another pharmacy as a ‘one off’.

3. Staff risk assessments in Primary Care 

A reminder to all practices that it is crucial that individual risk assessments are conducted for all staff in primary care, particularly for BAME staff, who have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19, and that these risk assessments are being prioritised and reviewed on a regular basis within practices.

4. Plans to ease guidance for shielding patients

Millions of people shielding from coronavirus (COVID-19) will be advised they can spend more time outside their homes from Monday 6 July July and that shielding will no longer be required from 1 August, the Health and Social Care Secretary has announced. Full details and the full government announcement.

Also today, the Guidance and updates for GPs managing highest clinical risk patients area of the NHS website has been updated with a letter from Professor Chris Whitty and Professor Stephen Powis on the shielding of patients. In addition, there is a copy of the letter for patients from Matt Hancock and Robert Jenrick advising of the changing situation.

5. GEH update

George Eliot Hospital Trust, with the support of local and regional NHS partners, Warwickshire County Council and Public Health England (PHE) is managing an increased number of COVID-19 cases in the hospital, and although understandably some people have been concerned about attending hospital during the pandemic, our staff have worked hard to minimise the spread of infection within the hospital. Our message is that our services remain open and operational, so patients should continue to attend their appointments unless specifically advised by the Trust not to. 

“We are in contact with all individuals and their families who have tested positive for COVID-19, and we continue to take strict action to help prevent further spread of infection within the hospital, said David Eltringham, Managing Director of the Trust. Also available is a message from Shade Agboola, Director of Public Health, Warwickshire.

6. Join research investigating the psychological impact of COVID-19

Help shape how the NHS responds to future crises and share how COVID-19 has affected your mental health and wellbeing, in this global survey with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. Anyone over 16 can take part, follow the link to complete the survey online and say you heard about it from CPFT: bit.ly/30TRObE

More information on the CPFT website here: https://bit.ly/3e4siUC

7. Heatwave alert for Health, Care and Voluntary/Community Services

A heatwave alert has been issued by the Met Office for very hot weather to be experienced in the West Midlands from tomorrow Wednesday 24th June to Friday 26th June 2020, with temperatures of over 30 degrees. These temperatures are believe to reach levels that may pose a risk to vulnerable patients/residents. 

Please find heatwave key messages and a leaflet plus checklist for residential settings. Thank you for circulating to staff and residents and for taking action now, as per the messages, and for the duration of the hot weather, paying particular attention to those most vulnerable to the heat, i.e. older people, the very young and those with long-term conditions. It is recognised that some people may be self-isolating and so may need to be virtually supported to find ways to keep themselves and their homes cool (using only their own personal outside space/garden if they have it, if cooler than inside).

UPDATES FOR Coventry and Rugby – 22 June 2020

No updates this issue.

UPDATES FOR South Warwickshire – 22 June 2020 

No updates this issue.

UPDATES FOR Warwickshire North – 22 June 2020

No update this issue.

• 305,289 people have tested positive.

• As of 5pm on 21 June, of those who tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, 42,647 have died.

• The latest advice is here

• Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 19 June 2020

• Coronavirus and the social impacts on young and older people in Great Britain: 3 April to 10 May 2020

• PPE portal: how to order emergency personal protective equipment

• Plans to ease guidance for over 2 million shielding

• New saliva test for coronavirus piloted in Southampton

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for local government

• Latest local figures published by GOV.uk and PHE are as of Monday 22 June 2020 at 4:00pm, there are a total of 16,923 cases in the West Midlands.

8. Proxy Access for Care Homes - Medication Ordering FAQ on 24th June Time: 2PM - 3PM

 

This webinar is to support you during and after COVID-19 with successfully setting up proxy access for medication in care homes. The event follows on from the webinar we hosted on the 12th of May for Proxy Access for Care Homes - Medication Ordering. **Before joining the webinar, you will be sent supporting documents. Please read and bring any questions you have regarding the documents to this meeting**

What will be covered: Proxy access for care homes; NHS mail; Tips for implementing; Published Guidance and Q&A

Register here

9. Microsoft Team training

This training on Microsoft Team is provided by the ICT Team at SWFT. Session 1- Introduction and Session 2- Meetings. Dates include, 24 June, 26 June and 30 June. For further information please contact Emma.Fulham@swft.nhs.uk. The schedule, joining instructions and course content are both available.

10. Lunchtime webinar: Treatment and support for non-dependent and dependent drinkers in Coventry on 3 July 2020 from 1pm to 1.30pm

The session will aid front line staff supporting adults in Coventry. It will be in the form of a 30 minute lunchtime webinar briefing to outline treatment options and harm reduction advice covering the spectrum of alcohol misuse. The webinar will be presented by Karen Wagstaff from HLS Coventry and Steve Bliss from CGL Coventry and will be followed by a Q&A session. The briefing will include an overview of the spectrum of alcohol use and assessing the level of alcohol use. Access is via Microsoft Teams.

11. Medical education sessions for all

Medical education sessions available to all to watch, including a session on IT and AccuRx on 3 June on www.mededcoventry.com. Go to the GP section and then to Presentations, (log in using covgp for both GMC and password). The AccuRx information on 3 June starts about 30 mins in. Any queries, please contact gpteachingadmin@uhcw.nhs.uk.

COVID-19: latest guidance for general practice is issued in the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin from 19 June and 22 June. The 19 June issue has a reminder about ordering personal protective equipment (PPE) and an article on temporary residents. The 22 June update focuses on mental health and Covid-19 antibody testing - indemnity arrangements. The 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/. 

13. COVID-19 General Practice Webinar Recordings and slides

An archive of the national primary care webinars and slides are available online from the NHS Future NHS site: https://future.nhs.uk/P_C_N/view?objectID=19549104 (a login is required).

14. 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.