Coventry & Warwickshire COVID-19 Portal

 

Primary Care Coronavirus briefing – Coventry and Warwickshire – 28 May 2020

 

**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 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

 

· Item 2: EMIS update for EMIS users in relation to shielding patients: Guidance on shielding patients defined as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 (Update Weds 27th May).doc

 

LATEST LOCAL PICTURE

Please remember: we are issuing the briefing twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) 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 28.05.2020

· 2,252 cases now confirmed in Coventry and Warwickshire (+13 / +0.6% from Tuesday)

· 86 of these are currently admitted (+4 / +4.9% from Tuesday)

· 634 beds still available (-95 / -13.0% from Tuesday)

· 3 ITU beds occupied by Covid patients (+0 / +0.0% from Tuesday)

· 466 reported deaths in a hospital setting (+3 / +0.6% from Tuesday)

 

Care Home current position as at 28.05.2020

· 220 Covid related deaths in care homes (+2 / +0.9% from Tuesday, note some of these deaths may have occurred outside of the home and so may be counted in the figure above)

· 539 Care home deaths in total (-2 / -0.4% from Tuesday, note a reduction here, this is likely a timing or quality issues with the data and has been queried.)

· 701 confirmed cases (+32 / +4.8% from Tuesday)

o Confirmed care home cases broken down by CCG:

o Coventry & Rugby: 349

o South Warwickshire: 232

o Warwickshire North: 120

 

LATEST LOCAL UPDATE

1. Government launches NHS Test and Trace service

 

New guidance means those who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive must isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms.

 

An overview of the NHS test and trace service, including what happens if you test positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or have had close contact with someone who has tested positive.

 

2. EMIS UPDATE: Guidance on shielding patients defined as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 (Update Weds 27th May) from EMIS

 

On 26 May, there would have been an update to your EMIS Web system with the latest weekly Shielded Patient List (SPL) data, which as of last weeks’ update now includes patient subtractions (those who are being removed from the SPL) as well as new additions to the list. This latest cohort of SPL additions and subtractions is collectively referred to as SPL8. Further details are attached.

 

(Attachment: Guidance on shielding patients defined as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 (Update Weds 27th May).doc)

 

3. Cervical Screening

 

You will be aware that the cervical screening testing service was paused from 25 March 2020 and you were advised to cancel any appointments made. The Public Health Commissioning Team have made us aware that Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT) testing lab and collections service have now been reinstated from today, 28th May 2020, collections will initially be provided on Tuesdays and Thursdays and this will return to 5 days per week once the service has fully resumed. Practices can therefore recommence cervical screening appointments now for any patients contacting the practice.   

 

Invitations to call letters were paused from 9 April 2020 by CCAS, these letters will recommence from next week with the backlog being through a phased in approach so as not to overwhelm practices and the testing services. Discussions are ongoing with the Public Health Commissioners regarding sending reminder letters to all patients who received a letter pre 9 April but hadn’t booked an appointment. 

 

Please also be aware that it is the national cervical screening awareness week 15- 21 June and the focus will be around cervical screening tests may have been cancelled and invitations paused recently due to coronavirus, and that the virus may have made the process more complicated. During the week the charity, Jo’s Trust, is going to highlight the changes with new information, videos and resources explaining what is happening across the UK and helping to answer questions from the public.

 

4. Health checks for people with a learning disability

 

Practices are reminded that the LD Health checks DES was suspended and GPs are reminded of the importance of proactive health checks for people with a learning disability at this time.

 

5. Equality and Diversity survey – deadline 31 May 2020

 

Please complete this online survey by EquIP to help capture and address the equality issues that affect both individuals and communities particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak.

 

EQuIP is the Equality and Inclusion Partnership, a charity working across Warwickshire to promote equality and diversity. They will use the results of this survey to work with key service providers to make sure any concerns are addressed.

 

6. Primary care wellbeing survey – reminder

NHS England is looking to understand the current wellbeing of the primary care workforce, and invites you to take part in a short survey undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies to support this and to support the wider evaluation of the #lookingafteryoutoo primary care coaching offer. The survey will take no longer that five minutes to complete and will contribute to their ongoing response to support your wellbeing. 

 

LATEST UPDATES FOR EACH PLACE

UPDATES FOR Coventry and Rugby – 28 May 2020

No updates this issue.

UPDATES FOR South Warwickshire – 28 May 2020

No updates this issue.

UPDATES FOR Warwickshire North – 28 May 2020

No updates this issue.

LATEST NATIONAL PICTURE

 

· As of 9.00am on 27 May 2020, 3,798,490 tests have been carried out in the UK, (with 117,013 tests carried out on 26 May) and 267,240 have been confirmed as positive. The number of COVID-19 associated deaths in the UK is 37,460. (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 30,177.) 

· The daily coronavirus press conference was held on 27 May 2020 and was led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The focus was the new Test and Trace system being unveiled by the government. A copy is available to view here.

· Slides, datasets and transcripts from press conferences at 10 Downing Street here.

· Press conference slides and datasets used by Baroness Dido Harding, Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace, and Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer here.

· The latest government advice on coronavirus is available online.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM NHS ENGLAND

 

7. 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

None this issue.

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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.

 

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/