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Message for DHCFT colleagues: the information here has been replaced by a new COVID section on Focus, our intranet. Please return to Focus and read the information there.

When to arrange a test for COVID-19 

There are a couple of different ways that colleagues may be contacted to advise that they need to arrange for a COVID-19 test.
This can include:
•    Contact from the national NHS Test and Trace Team
•    A notification from the NHS COVID-19 app
•    Contact from a Trust colleague working as part of our Staff COVID Tracking Team.

No matter how you receive this contact, if you are advised to arrange a test, all colleagues are expected to do so asap.  

Please note:
Arrange a test and isolate as soon as you start to experience potential symptoms

  • When arranging a test please confirm that you are an NHS employee
  • We cannot use any of the tests we have available for our patients for colleagues
  • Please do not request a kit for home delivery, given the additional timescales this involves – let us know if you have any difficulties in attending a testing site
  • The lateral flow tests are not as sensitive as the PCR tests.  Therefore if you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test, you must also arrange for a PCR test to confirm this
  • You must not come to work until you have a negative test result.

1.    When do I need a test and how can I get one?

If you have symptoms, or a member of your household or support bubble has symptoms, it is important that you take steps to self isolate and seek to book a test, following the national guidance. 

  • Access to the testing is via a National portal
  • This portal gives you the most up-to-date clinical advice and the online routes to book a test, either at a local testing site or a postal test if you cannot leave the house 
  • If you are symptomatic, you need to self isolate, along with members of your household, and book a test as soon as you can 
  • If arranging a test, please make sure you select the option that says you are NHS staff (or a key worker). Wherever possible, please arrange for a test to take place in person at either a drive through or walk in testing facility. Please avoid arranging for a postal test due to the delays this incurs.
  • It is the same process if anyone in your household is symptomatic 
  • The national website also gives details on what to do about any support bubble you have formed, and also links to the National Test and Trace system 
  • You must also call FirstCare to record an absence. 


The aim is to test people within the first three days of experiencing symptoms, and it is very unlikely that a test will be offered if someone has had symptoms for longer than five days, as it won’t be accurate. Do not return to work until you have received a negative result.


2.    Who can be tested?

  • Any member of staff who is self-isolating because of potential COVID-19 symptoms should be tested
  • Where a member of staff is self-isolating due to potential COVID-19 symptoms in a household member, we will test all symptomatic family members over the age of five
  • Children between the ages of five and 18 can be tested, but the test must be performed by a parent or guardian. Children under the age of five cannot currently be tested

3.    Being tested

  • The online booking system, as above, will either offer a home testing kit (if you do not have access to a car) or an appointment at a drive-through testing facility. You will be notified of the appointment slot to attend for testing. You must book before attending 
  • The symptomatic person drives or is driven into the test centre, waits until prompted to roll down their window and collects a test kit 
  • Test centre staff will place the test kit in a box to ensure kits are not passed directly between testing staff and participants
  • The participant will then park up and undertake the test whilst remaining inside their car 
  • Once the test is completed and registered, the participant drives to the site exit where a box is provided to deposit the completed and sealed test kits.

Please note: the car window is to remain closed at all times, other than where explicitly stated.

Please don’t take anyone else with you to be tested who has not booked and been given a slot.

4.    What is the test like?

Please see this link for a video of how to undertake the self-test. Please note that there is advice in the video that you wash your hands immediately before undertaking the test. As you are in a car you will not be able to do that on site, so will need to wash your hands before leaving the house.

5.    How will I receive my results?

The test is not a substitute for medical help.  If you are concerned about someone’s health whilst waiting for the results, please seek appropriate medical advice via the NHS 111 website.

The national testing service will text results to you directly, on the number you provide when you book your test. If you do not receive your results within 72 hours, please contact the testing centre via the contact details on the information they have given you.  

Once the results have been received into your household, you are asked to:

  • Inform your line manager of the result, and discuss the impact of the result on any need for continuing self-isolation 
  • Update FirstCare with the result, including requirement for continued self-isolation or return to work
  • Continue to follow the relevant government advice with regard to isolation periods

 

Change in guidance August 2021

From 16 August 2021 the advice to the public is that double-vaccinated adults and people under 18 no longer need to self-isolate if they are identified as close contacts of a positive case or live with someone who has tested positive for COVID. (See below for details of how the guidelines differ for healthcare workers.) Double-vaccinated adults must have received their final dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before the contact with a positive case, and must be able to prove their vaccination status; information on how to do this can be found lower down in this message. 

People who meet these criteria should book a PCR test as soon as possible. Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test will still be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status or age, in order to break onward chains of transmission. 

How these rules apply to healthcare workers

These rules broadly apply to healthcare workers; however, Public Health England has issued separate guidance for healthcare workers which includes an extra instruction that healthcare workers who have a positive case of COVID-19 in their household should not come into work. In this case, the Trust’s Health Protection Unit would need to risk-assess whether it is safe for you to return to work. 

Below is a summary of the steps to take in two different scenarios – that is, if you are identified as a close contact of a positive case who is not in your household, or if you have a positive case who is in your household.

If you are fully vaccinated and are identified as a close contact of a positive case who is not in your household…

You should: 

  • Remain at home and arrange a PCR test immediately – if your test result is negative, you may be able to return to work, depending on your discussions with your line manager and the Health Protection Unit (see below). 
  • Contact your line manager and alert the Health Protection Unit via the Trust’s internal COVID-related issue self-report tool – please explain that the close contact was someone outside of your household 
  • Have a discussion with your line manager, who may ask you to work alternative duties, or in a different area if patients or colleagues in your department are classed as clinically extremely vulnerable. You should not return to clinical duties or alongside a vulnerable colleague until this discussion has taken place. You or your manager should seek support from the Health Protection Unit with regard to this – email dhcft.hpu@nhs.net or call 01332 389150
  • In the event that you do return to work, take a lateral flow test each day for the next 10 days, as you may become COVID positive but be asymptomatic during this period. You would need to report the test results to Test and Trace each day via the gov.uk website and to your line manager or duty manager as this provides assurance that you have not become COVID positive. The Health Protection Unit would also need to know the results of these tests
  • Isolate and arrange a PCR test if you develop symptoms while at work.

If it is agreed that you cannot return to work, and cannot carry out your duties while in self-isolation, then you should contact FirstCare and report your absence.

If you are fully vaccinated and a member of your household tests positive…

You should: 

  • Remain at home and arrange a PCR test immediately 
  • Contact your line manager and alert the Health Protection Unit via the Trust’s internal COVID-related issue self-report tool – please explain that the close contact was someone in your household
  • Have a discussion with your line manager and the Health Protection Unit about whether you can carry out alternative duties while you are self-isolating at home, assuming you stay healthy and well
  • In the event that you cannot carry out work duties while in self-isolation, then you should contact FirstCare and report your absence.

There may be times when it is appropriate for a colleague living with a positive COVID case to return to work, in a risk-assessed way, but this should be through a process agreed with the Health Protection Unit team, who will be able to advise you about this. 

Please limit the amount that you go out to other, non-work locations if someone in your household has tested positive. If you yourself develop symptoms, please self-isolate and arrange a PCR test.

The HPU team has summarised this in a helpful COVID contacts flowchart. 

I am not fully vaccinated, what do the rules mean for me? 

  • If you are contacted by Test and Trace or the Trust Health Protection Unit and you are not fully vaccinated, you must follow national isolation rules and stay inside your home for 10 days. Please contact the Health Protection Unit for advice in regard to when this period starts and ends.
  • You will also need to take a lateral flow test each day for the next 10 days as you may become COVID positive but be asymptomatic during this period. You would need to report the test results to Test and Trace each day via the gov.uk website and to your line manager or duty manager as this provides assurance that you have not become COVID positive. The Health Protection Unit may need to see evidence of these tests.

The COVID-19 vaccine is the safest way to protect yourself, your colleagues and your patients from the virus. You can arrange a vaccine appointment on the NHS website. 

How to demonstrate your vaccination status 

There are increasing requirements for people to be able to demonstrate their vaccination status. 

An NHS COVID Pass shows your COVID-19 vaccination details and/or test results. People aged 16 or over can get an NHS COVID Pass for travel abroad, with those aged 18 or over being able to get an NHS COVID Pass for domestic events.

The NHS COVID Pass is available as a digital version or a paper version. 

You can get a digital version by:

  • Downloading the NHS App – you must be registered with a GP surgery in England to use the app. You will need an NHS login to use the app; you can use the same login for the app that you use for recording the results of lateral flow tests. To create an NHS login, you will need an email address (which can be a personal email) and a mobile phone to set up a security code. This is sent to your phone every time you log into the app, unless you request it not to
  • Using the online NHS COVID Pass service on the NHS website.

We have developed a simple infographic that outlines how you can download your vaccination status on the NHS App.  If you download your COVID Pass as a PDF, always check the expiry date before using it.

You can get an NHS COVID Pass letter sent to you in the post – this shows your vaccination status only and does not show COVID-19 test results.  You can ask for a letter after having your second dose of the vaccine. You may need to wait five working days before using the service, so that your record will be up to date, but you should then get the letter within five working days.

You can use your letter at venues in England where you need to prove your COVID-19 status two weeks after you have been fully vaccinated.  You do not need to be registered with a GP surgery or have an NHS login for this.  This is also known as a COVID-19 post-vaccination letter. 

You can get a letter by:

Colleagues may be aware that new guidance is coming to effect from 11 November 2021, from which date any professional entering a care home will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

If you go into a care home as part of your role with our Trust, from 11 November you will be asked to demonstrate your vaccination status – confirming that you have received two doses of an authorised COVID vaccine. You can get a digital version of your NHS COVID pass by downloading the NHS app.

If you are not vaccinated due to health reasons or personal choice, and you regularly visiting care home settings through your working role, please speak to your line manager.  It is important to have a conversation about how you will manage this issue in your role and discuss how we can support you to continue in your role, with some adjustments to your ways of working and how you visit services.

Further information about the guidance and a set of frequently asked questions is available on the NHS England and Improvement website.

If your circumstances have changed, or you have had time to review the evidence and want to re-consider your decision to be vaccinated this can still take place.  However, please note that in order to get two doses in before the regulation comes into effect, you will need to have had your first vaccine by Thursday 16 September.

Vaccinations can still be booked online through the national booking service at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination or by ringing 119.

Whilst our Kingsway Hospital vaccination hub is no longer offering first vaccines to colleagues, the team may be able to advise on settings where colleagues can be vaccinated.  Please contact our Health Protection Unit on email dhcft.hpu@nhs.net. 
 

From Friday 9 April, everyone in England will be able to access free lateral flow tests for themselves and their families to use twice a week, in line with clinical guidance. 

The expanded regular testing offer for people without symptoms will be delivered through:

  • a home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral flow tests online to be delivered to their home
  • workplace testing programmes, on-site or at home
  • community testing, offered by all local authorities
  • collection at a local PCR test site during specific test collection time windows
  • testing on-site at schools and colleges.

Colleagues who have access to lateral flow tests through their patient facing roles within the Trust are not to use these test kits for family members – they must only be used by the individual to whom they are assigned.

We are now asking all staff to undertake a health risk assessment.  This includes all new starters and all colleagues who previously declined the opportunity to undertake an assessment last year – including people who have no underlying health conditions to report.

There is a Manager Guide to completing the health risk assessment. 

  • If you haven’t had a health risk assessment or have recently started to work for the Trust, please discuss this with your manager and arrange a time to have this important conversation.  You will need to bring details of any medication you take to support any health conditions and some extra information such as your BMI given this is a key risk factor for COVID.  Please be assured that all of this information will stay wholly confidential.
  • If you have already had a health risk assessment, please revisit it to answer the new questions and check the rest of the information remains up to date. More details on revisiting the assessment can be found below.

How to access the health risk assessment

The updated health risk assessment can be accessed via the 'quick links to systems' page on Focus. Look for the link 'COVID-19 health risk assessment form'.

Alternatively you can click here for a direct link to the health risk assessment form. 

You will need to be logged in to the Trust network or remote access service to access the form.

Once the form has been submitted 

Once you have completed the health risk assessment form, you will receive advice from Occupational Health by letter or email. 

If you are waiting for an update from Occupational Health, please check for any missed calls and voicemails from the team as the Occupational Health nurse may wish to speak to you. If you need to return a call but are unsure of the best number to use, please use the main Occupational Health landline number – 01332 254747 – or email the team at uhdb.occhealth@nhs.net.

Any recommendations from Occupational Health then need to be reviewed and so you need to schedule a follow-up meeting with your manager. 

You should have been sent your report directly from Occupational Health. Please forward your report and the accompanying password to your manager so they can read it and prepare. If you prefer, the report can be downloaded and forwarded as an attachment. If you have mislaid the report, please email uhdb.occhealth@nhs.net with your name and date of birth for identification purposes and the report will be sent to you.

If you would like the report to be sent to your manager as well, please copy your manager’s email into your email request at uhdb.occhealth@nhs.net and confirm that you would like the report to be sent to both yourself and your manager (copied in). 

The information from Occupational Health, and your discussions with your manager, must be recorded on the health risk assessment form.  

So please liaise with your line manager to book a meeting, and then together you can review the advice from Occupational Health and record the findings, recommendations and jointly-developed plan on how you will work in this next phase of the pandemic.

Updating the risk assessment form with the recommendations and plan

Everyone who submits a health risk assessment form receives an email from the mailbox dhcft.applications@nhs.net to confirm that the form has been submitted. This email contains a link for you to access your assessment. Click on this link to go back in and add your feedback and plan.

When you access your form, there will be a choice of three outcomes:

  • Green – return to work with a risk reduction plan and any necessary adaptations
  • Amber – work from home for a further four weeks, with socially distanced visits to the workplace, and then review
  • Red – this reflects a colleague who is on the shielded list; the national guidance is that colleagues in the shielded group can begin to return to work from August.  

Once you have selected one of the outcomes outlined above, three new fields will then appear, allowing you to include one or more of the following:

  • A return-to-work date
  • A person-specific plan
  • A list of specific equipment requirements.

These fields need to be filled in; this information is vital to help us plan for the next phase, both in terms of equipment and understanding where and when you will be working safely in our Trust and what support you need. The ‘submit manager assessment’ button should be clicked to save the information. 

View a visual aid illustrating the process of updating the form.

Revisiting health risk assessments

Please make sure you are revisiting your health risk assessment and refreshing it if there is any new information that needs to be included. 

Also, if you have previously undertaken a health risk assessment but it needs to be updated, please revisit this as it is important the document remains live and up-to-date.  This process is in line with our duties as an employer to look after the health and safety of all out staff.

The health risk assessment process was also discussed at a Team Brief session for managers. Any managers who were unable to attend can view a recording of this session.

The majority of Trust colleagues come under the Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions. Under these terms and conditions, normal sickness provisions have been paused for the duration of the pandemic for sickness absence related to COVID-19. For any sickness absence that is not related to COVID-19, the normal rules will apply as usual.

There are some AfC colleagues whose sick pay is usually calculated using only their basic salary. For the duration of the pandemic, these colleagues will be paid sick pay as though they are working if they are off sick with COVID-19, using an agreed reference period. This will ensure all AfC staff receive full sick pay. 

Terms for medical colleagues already include full pay for sickness absence.

Any sickness absence related to COVID-19 for AfC and medical staff must be recorded separately, so please make sure First Care are aware when a sickness absence is due to post-COVID syndrome and are recording it as such. ESR has also been updated to allow for COVID-related absences to be recorded; learn more on the NHS Employers website.

Any sickness absence related to COVID-19 for AfC and medical colleagues should not be counted for the purposes of any sickness absence triggers or sickness management policies. 

In addition, colleagues’ attendance at post-COVID-related medical appointments during working hours will be paid, and therefore annual leave is not required for this purpose. 

Learn more by viewing the sickness absence page on the NHS Employers website. 

There is also a post-COVID workspace on Focus where colleagues can seek peer support and post questions in an online discussion forum. 
 

PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) tests look for the genetic code (RNA) of the virus. The test involves taking a swab of the throat and nose. The test will confirm if an individual who is showing symptoms of the virus currently has it. It will not confirm whether you have had it and have now recovered.

The lateral flow tests are simple devices intended to detect the presence of a substance in a liquid sample without the need for specialised and costly equipment.  These provide rapid results within about 30 minutes and indicate whether a PCR test is required or not.  The lateral flow tests do not replace the PCR COVID-19 tests and you are not ‘safe’ if you have received a negative lateral flow test result – you must continue to adhere to our IPC guidance at all times.
 

Advice if you have been self-isolating for 10 days with symptoms:

  • If you receive a negative COVID-19 diagnosis, you can return to work immediately if you feel well enough
  • If you receive a positive COVID-19 result, you need to complete your 10-day self-isolation. You can then return to work when your temperature has returned to normal (for 48 hours prior to your return to work) and you feel well enough  
  • If you receive a positive COVID-19 result, have completed your 10-day self-isolation by the time the results are received, and your temperature has returned to normal, you can return to work if you feel well enough. A positive COVID-19 result does not change this
  • If you have completed your 10-day self-isolation, your temperature has returned to normal but have not received your test results, you can also return to work if you feel well enough.  Even if your COVID-19 result comes back positive, the decision is based on symptoms, not diagnosis
  • If you receive a positive COVID-19 result but continue to feel unwell, you are advised to follow the advice on NHS111 and notify FirstCare with regard to continued sickness absence
  • If you receive a negative COVID-19 result but continue to feel unwell, you need to speak to your line manager and FirstCare with regard to continued sickness absence.

Advice if you have been self-isolating due to a household member’s symptoms:

  • If the symptomatic person in the household’s result is COVID-19 negative, you can return to work with immediate effect
  • If the symptomatic person in the household’s result is COVID-19 positive, you need to continue with your isolation for the remainder of the 10 days. If you subsequently experience symptoms, you must then self-isolate for 10 days from the onset of your symptoms, regardless of what day you are on the original isolation period. If this occurs, please contact your line manager and FirstCare and you will be invited for a COVID-19 test

Full guidance with regards to self-isolation is available in the Government guidance.

This leaflet gives advice and guidance on how to stay safe while self-isolating. Please read it and act on the advice if appropriate.

Supporting colleagues in their COVID recovery
 
Given how widespread the impact of ‘long COVID’ has been, and how varied the physical after-effects have been, it is likely that some Trust colleagues who experience COVID-19 will only fully recover after a significant period of time.
 
Managers – please follow the normal ‘return to work’ process with colleagues who return after having COVID-19 and complete a thorough RTW interview, so it is clear if any adjustments are needed. Please also carry out reviews over time, to see if those needs have changed.  
 

The national Test and Trace service will generally contact you for one of two reasons:

  • If you test positive for COVID-19, Test and Trace will send you a text or email alert or call you with instructions of how to share details of people with whom you have had close, recent contact and places you have visited. They will wish to find out about those you have had close contact with both at home and at work; obviously at work, we would expect that you are not having any close contact with anyone without wearing PPE. 
  • If you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the national Test and Trace service will alert you by text, email or phone call. It is likely that you will be told to self-isolate for 10 days from your last contact with the person who has tested positive. You will be advised how many days you are expected to self-isolate, based on when you last had contact with that person. 

You must do this even if you don’t feel unwell because you could still be infectious to others. Failure to self-isolate for the full time period could result in a fine of at least £1,000. Your household doesn’t need to self-isolate with you, if you do not have symptoms, but they must take extra care to follow the guidance on social distancing and handwashing and avoid contact with you at home. If you develop symptoms, you must get a test and your household members must begin to self-isolate too.

Learn more by visiting the Test and Trace service page on the gov.uk website.

Use of the COVID-19 app at work
One of the features of the NHS COVID-19 app is a ‘contact tracing’ feature that will send a notification to users telling them to self-isolate if it detects that they were near someone who has tested positive.

The guidance for the app advises healthcare workers to pause the contact tracing feature “while they are working in healthcare buildings.” This is because healthcare workers “are working in highly specialised secure environments, trained in infection prevention and control processes, and wearing medical grade PPE as required. Specialist contact tracing controls are in place to understand how staff are moving around the building and when they are at risk of contracting coronavirus.”

Our own internal Staff COVID Tracking Team carries out the specialist contact tracing controls that the guidance describes. So our advice is to pause the contact tracing feature on the app whilst you are working in any of our Trust buildings. Our Staff COVID Tracking Team will contact you if you have been near someone at work who has tested positive, or is suspected of having COVID-19, and will advise you on the next steps to take.

You can pause the app’s contract tracing feature by moving the slider at the bottom of the app’s home screen to the left.  

Staff COVID Tracking Team

In this short video, Hayley Darn talks about the Staff COVID Tracking Team and how we are keeping colleagues and patients safe during the ongoing pandemic.
Hayley talks about the processes in place to make contact with individuals who may have been exposed to the virus whilst at work, minimise any risk of cross-infection and keep personal and confidential information safe.
Please watch this video to understand the processes currently in place across the Trust – please also make sure your contact details are correct and up-to-date on ESR. If you have not done this already, please see this short guide about how you can make these changes.
If you are contacted by the Staff COVID Tracking Team, please follow the advice you are given. This will be specific to each individual situation and circumstances.

 

NHS England and NHS Digital have announced that, given the effectiveness of the vaccination programme and other treatments, the Government believes that the time is now right to end the shielding programme. (Sept 2021)

This means people will no longer be classified as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) and will not be advised to shield going forward. People who were previously identified as CEV will receive a letter notifying them of this development. 

For us, the end of the shielding list does not mean the end of the need to support people.

What this means for colleagues

We continue to ask that all colleagues work with their manager to complete a health risk assessment using our online health risk assessment form. Please continue to review and update the assessment, and seek Occupational Health advice if anything should change.

It is important to report any COVID-related absences, using three methods:

  • Self-report your absence on iFocus via this link – use this checklist to support you
  • Contact your line manager
  • Contact FirstCare on 0333 3218052.

For more help please see the flow chart of different possible scenarios where colleagues may not be able to come in to work and a checklist for managers on what to do in the case of a staff absence. 

If you do call FirstCare due to a positive COVID test result, please make sure you clearly describe to the call handler that you have tested positive for Coronavirus or COVID-19. 

Your manager will be notified of your absence and they should also be able to check that your absence has been recorded correctly, for example when they log in to the FirstCare Insight portal to complete your return to work interview.

When you are able to return to work, please make sure you also confirm this with First Care.  If you are experiencing ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 after your isolation period, please also contact First Care to extend your absence.

If your role and symptoms mean you are able to work from home during your self-isolation, please discuss this with your line manager and make sure these arrangements are recorded with your General Manager. This is because we need to know how many colleagues are self-isolating, and for what reason, and who is unable to attend the workplace. We also want to be able to keep in contact and make sure you are safe and well.
 

A temporary agreement is in place for employees who have suffered financial detriment (reduction in sick pay) because elective surgery or treatment has been postponed by a hospital due to COVID-19 pressures. 

This agreement is in accordance with NHS Terms and conditions of service handbook under 14.13 (bullet point 2).  It will start from December 2020 and run for an initial period of six months, with a review due for June 2021.

The agreement outlines that:

  • Colleagues will need to provide a cancellation letter as proof of delay
  • Each case will be looked at on an individual basis and agreement to ongoing payment will be signed off either by a senior Employee Relations Manager or a Divisional People Lead (DPL) in conjunction with the line manager
  • Payment will be in accordance with existing or any revised NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook during this period
  • Colleagues will not be entitled to an additional day off if sick on a statutory holiday.
  • In the event of employment coming to an end, entitlement to sick pay ceases from the last day of employment.
  • Employers will have discretion to extend the period of sick pay on full or half pay beyond the scale set out in paragraph 14.2 in the NHS Terms and Conditions of service handbook for the following reasons:
    • where there is the expectation of return to work in the short term and an extension would materially support a return and/or assist recovery, particular consideration should be given to those staff without full sick pay entitlements; 
    • in any other circumstance that the employer deems reasonable (for which the Trust is agreeing that the Covid-19 pandemic is such a situation).

Thank you to StaffSide for their support in agreeing this position.
 

How to protect yourself when in shared spaces

1.    Make sure you are wearing the right type of face covering for your area of work
Colleagues who work in patient facing roles, services or areas must wear the type 2R blue surgical masks at all times except for when they are outside or in a room on their own, when they can be removed.  Colleagues performing aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) must wear FFP3 masks and wider PPE such as protective eyewear or visors plus long-sleeved gowns for this purpose.  Please see more details in our Wearing face masks: a guide for Trust colleagues working in patient facing roles in hospital and community settings, which also includes details on how to correctly use, remove and dispose of face masks.

Colleagues in non-patient facing roles, services or areas must wear either a type 2R mask or a fabric face covering (including the Trust’s branded fabric face coverings) at all times except for when colleagues are outside or in a room on their own, when these may be removed.  Please see more details in our Wearing face coverings: a guide for Trust colleagues working in non-patient facing roles, settings or areas, which also includes details on how to correctly use, remove and wash fabric face coverings.

In all areas the face mask or covering is not a replacement for social distancing, good hand hygiene, ventilation and cleaning. 
 
2.    Keep your social distance of two metres wherever possible
It is important that we all keep our distance from each other as much as possible – even when we are wearing PPE or face coverings.  In clinical settings this is not always possible, but it must be maintained as much as possible – and certainly between colleagues as much as we can.
 
3.    Wash your hands often, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds each time
Over time it is easy to become less thorough with our hand hygiene.  Please watch this short video from Richard Morrow, our Assistant Director of Public and Physical Healthcare on how to wash your hands properly.
 
4.    Use hand sanitiser if soap and water are not available
 
5.    Clean items that are regularly touched
This can include printer key pads, door handles, door codes etc.  Please make sure they are wiped down with disinfectant wipes between use.
 
6.    Don’t share items that have not been cleaned
For example pens or other stationery items.  Keep your own stock of items and do not share these between colleagues (or patients/visitors) if they have not been thoroughly cleaned between use.
 
7.    Ventilate your work space
Keep your windows open much as possible and ventilate your work space.
 
8.    Be careful when eating or drinking
Please be really cautious when you remove your mask to eat or drink, particularly if there are other colleagues nearby when you do this.
 

The requirement for COVID secure office environments remains in place. The vast majority of our buildings are classed as healthcare premises and we have few buildings that have little or no patient contact. It is therefore additionally important that we continue to protect not just colleagues, but patients who come into our services, many of whom will have additional vulnerabilities to COVID.

We are aware that a number of healthcare trusts have received recent inspections from the Health and Safety Executive, to ensure that COVID secure working arrangements continue to be in place. 

  • We continue to limit the number of people who can be in an office space at any one time and colleagues need to adhere to the numbers listed on each door – please don’t bring in extra chairs or people
  • Please continue to maintain a good distance between people in a room or office together – don’t move furniture around as this has been set to maintain sufficient distance between people
  • You must continue to wear a face mask or covering if you are in an office or room indoors with another person – this requirement continues to be in place for healthcare premises
  • Some clinical colleagues may need to see patients face to face for clinical or safeguarding reasons.  Local arrangements for these patient consultations – such as use of bubbles, PPE and identified consulting rooms to allow social distancing – must remain in place
  • Continue to open windows and doors and ventilate your office/working space – and remember to close windows when rooms or buildings are no longer in use, for security reasons
  • Please continue to work from home where you can and where this has been agreed.  Some of our corporate office space continues to be used by clinical teams and we are not currently releasing this estate back for its previous use
  • Please continue to adopt a ‘people first’ approach if you are using a shared desk or someone else’s office: please be respectful and leave the workspace clean and tidy, as you would wish to find it. This will make such a difference to your colleagues
  • Office and meeting space continues to be available for colleagues at Kingsway House – with prioritised use for those who currently have no or limited access to office accommodation.  For further details on how to book this space, please see the IMT message from 27 April 2021 on Focus. 

  • We still continue to ask colleagues to hold virtual meetings where possible; face-to-face meetings should only take place when there is a clear reason to do so
  • If colleagues are meeting as teams outdoors, please follow relevant national guidance. 
  • Interviews must still take place virtually, even in circumstances where there are internal candidates who may be coming into work in person.  This is to ensure a safe and equitable interview process is in place for all applicants, whether they are internal or external to the Trust.
     

It is very important that colleagues who are working at home are in an environment that is safe and healthy.

All colleagues working from home are being asked to complete a home working risk assessment. You need to be logged in to the Trust network or using the remote access service to complete this form.

Please also view the following documents:

Requesting IT equipment

If you need to work from home, you will need to contact the IT Service Desk to gain remote access. Click here to email the IT Service Desk.

If you need IT equipment, please complete the IT equipment request form; you will need to be on the Trust network or using the remote access service.

You can use this form for keyboards, mice, docking stations, headsets and new or replacement smartcards

Please log any items you take home using the asset logging system. Or your line manager can log items on your behalf using the managers’ asset logging system. 

Direct Dial In (DDI) phone numbers

If you are working remotely and not able to answer your in-base extension number, please set up a Direct Dial In (DDI) phone number. 

If you have a DDI number, please advertise it on your email footer and tell contacts and service users about it directly, as appropriate.

You can also easily divert calls from your DDI number to work mobile phone, if needed, via a simple procedure on your office phone – dial #99 followed by the mobile number you want to divert to. For internal transfers use #9 followed by the extension number. To cancel the transfer, simply dial ##9. The Telecommunications Team can also divert your phone for you remotely if that’s helpful.
Setting up a DDI number is free and straightforward. To set yours up, simply call Telecommunications Manager Rob Mason on his own DDI number 01332 623341, or email him on dhcft.telecommstelecomms@nhs.net
 


Health and safety advice

  • A series of short videos are available for colleagues, providing musculoskeletal advice on the wellbeing page

Data security and protection

Read a special edition of the Data Security and Protection Bulletin focusing on home working.

Costs of working from home 

Colleagues who are or have been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether full or part time, can now claim a year’s worth of tax relief direct from HMRC by completing a simple online process through the gov.uk website. The tax relief helps towards costs incurred due to working from home, like heating and electricity, and the rate of tax relief is dependent on the rate of tax you pay. 

 

Mileage claims and working from home

A number of colleagues are now working from home or a base different to their usual location and continue to incur work-related travel expenses. It is not currently possible to change your home address to be your base, as this would be a permanent change to terms and conditions and would have personal tax implications.

Mileage continues to be claimed as though it was a typical day where an employee hasn’t gone into base and has therefore claimed the difference in mileage over and above their normal commute. 

We have now updated the eExpenses system so that it no longer applies the same commuter mileage deduction rule for additional trips back home during the day; from now on, only one home-to-base return journey per day will be deducted.

Any previously submitted claims have automatically been corrected and backdated to 1 April 2020 and were reimbursed in the November 2020 payroll.  All new claims submitted (within the usual three-month window) will now apply the new rule.

Training has been paused again (26 July 2021)

The rising rates and staff absences mean that we are having to make swift decisions about our Trust ‘roadmap’ for the coming months. We need to take further steps to keep colleagues safe and to ensure that services can run safely.

As a result, we are pausing all staff training except for Promoting Safer Therapeutic Services (PSTS), Immediate Life Support (ILS) and Paediatric Basic Life Support (PBLS)
 

All statutory mandatory training is accessible via ESR; colleagues are asked to please make sure their online training requirements are completed.

A step by step guide on accessing e-learning is available. 

For any general help or advice about training or e-learning, please contact the People Development team: email dchst.peopledevelopment@nhs.net or call 01332 564856 option 4.
For more information and useful guides, go to the Mandatory training page on Focus.

 

Annual leave planning 

It’s really important that colleagues have the opportunity to take a break. Many colleagues have worked at an incredible pace and focus during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is vital for our health and wellbeing that we all take the opportunity to have a break, relax and switch off every now and again.

All colleagues are encouraged to maintain their wellbeing through regular breaks and taking of annual leave. The Trust understands that there are services where it is difficult to release colleagues for periods of annual leave, due to the limited number of staff available.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • What is the current process for annual leave?
    • Colleagues are encouraged to request and book annual leave as normal.  It is really important that we all take regular breaks as this is vital to our health and wellbeing.  There are a few more checks that will be made before annual leave is agreed at the moment – for example checking arrangements with rotas and bubbles and ensuring adequate staffing cover is in place while you are away.  However, we have been encouraging colleagues to take annual leave and continue to do so, to ensure that people take their full allocation this financial year.
  • Is annual leave being cancelled?
    • No, we have not recently cancelled any agreed annual leave and have no plans to do this.  It is important that all colleagues take regular annual leave to support their health and wellbeing.
  • Can I take annual leave if I am redeployed?
    • Yes.  Please make sure this is agreed with the team you have been into and also let your substantive line manager know when you will be on annual leave.
  • What will happen in March at the end of the leave year?
    • It is important that colleagues start to plan their annual leave with their teams now, as we will not be able to accommodate a significantly high number of staff all on annual leave in March.  Please plan your annual leave as you ordinarily would do and ensure appropriate cover is in place during your absence.
       

What happens if I travel outside the UK on holiday?

For more information, please visit Travel abroad from England during coronavirus (COVID-19) on the gov.uk website.  

This site provides:

  • Travel advice for the country you are travelling to – including whether the country will allow people to enter from the UK, whether you will need to show proof of COVID vaccination or testing, and whether any quarantine is required on your arrival
  • Information on how to arrange COVID tests to enter countries where this is required
  • How to use the NHS COVID Pass to provide your vaccination status abroad
  • Details on what you need to do when you return to England. This will vary depending on your vaccination status and where you have been
  • Guidance for testing and quarantine when travelling with children.

Any colleagues who do need to self-isolate following international travel will need to take additional annual leave to cover this extended absence.  People will not be able to work from home for this period and will need to ensure this additional annual leave is agreed before travelling.

We would ask any colleague who is pregnant to share this news as early as possible.  Please also note the following steps that will need to be taken for all pregnant colleagues:

  • The normal maternity risk assessment (considering physical and psychological safety) should be completed along with the COVID specific health risk assessment
  • The  health risk assessment, alongside conversations focused on personal choice and safety, will determine the best place of work for pregnant colleagues
  • High risk pregnancies are likely to require self-isolation away from the workplace
  • All pregnant colleagues have a choice whether to continue on the clinical  front line after the 12th week of pregnancy
  • Subject to the outcome of the health risk assessments and individual conversations, colleagues may choose to remain in direct clinical care for up to 28 weeks, in non-COVID positive areas
  • Alternatively pregnant colleagues can be placed in a non-direct care area, working virtually or in a lower risk area.

Please see further details on this below:

Risk Specific Group Key actions and consideration Choices
Work acquired infection, e.g. COVID-19 Pregnant workers         Pregnant worker risk assessment
  • If individual is over 28 weeks pregnant
  • High risk pregnancies will require self-isolation away from the workplace
 If under 28 weeks pregnant:
  • May work in patient facing area if chooses to do so and correct guidance is followed. 
  • If over 28 weeks pregnant:
  • Work in a COVID secure environment
  • High risk pregnancy: extremely clinically vulnerable colleagues to work from home if possible. 

 

Information for pregnant women is being updated regularly on the website of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists​ - please view the website.

Our BAME risk assessment process continues to work in parallel with our wider health risk assessments.  Additional information about the COVID vaccines, including guidance for BAME communities, can be accessed as follows:

  • A video of why vaccination is important for health and social care colleagues featuring Dr Nikki Kanani and a video from the NHS chief people officer, Prerana Issar about why vaccinations are important (both available via Twitter)
  • A statement about the vaccine from The British Islamic Medical Association, with the support of the Muslim Council of Britain.

 

Useful information:

 

We have created a thank-you letter which you may like to print out and send to your young children to thank them for their support of you and the Trust's efforts at this time. Please print out and fill in your child's name. If you would like a different version of the letter, please contact the Communications Team on dhcft.communications@nhs.net

 

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