Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 04 May 2024 at 03:42
This week's We Are EEAST Briefing and Executive Q&A was led by our CEO, Tom Abell.
For this week's briefing, Tom was joined by our Interim Director of Nursing and Clinical Quality, Juliet Beal.
Questions for Juliet
Q1 - Is it possible to rapidly find a replacement for the current cannulas in use across EEAST and stop the line on the ones we have? It is absolutely impacting on patient care and the confidence of well experienced paramedics.
Q2 - Will the Trust provide lateral flow kits as staff can’t get any!
Q3 - What way is the service going to ask staff to prove they’re actually positive on a LFT? Now a PCR isn't required.
Q4 - Would it be worth including a free text box on the MDT for non-conveyed patients to get a flavour of why we are not conveying and if public should be better educated? We only look at calls, not at the appropriateness of the call.
Q5 - Will the Trust re-consider the PPE guidance for FFP3 for all patient contacts? Many acute’s across EEAST are making this compulsory for staff in a better attempt to protect them, many Doctors are calling for the government to make it mandatory for all patient facing roles.
Have the Trust got an update on the gown-style aprons that two weeks ago they were going to go and look at so staff can protect their uniform in the winter months?
It seems bizarre with such high staff sickness and 1 in 20 people having Covid, that the Trust still deem surgical mask sufficient.
Q6 - Please can you tell me when we will revert back to the old cannulas as the new ones are not fit for purpose and I understand we have just extended the contract for the new ones for a further three months. I have asked our staff to Datix this in North Beds which they have been doing, but still, no one is listening.
We are always having staff that are having issues and we have asked the QI team for a review so staff can have their say but to date nothing is happening. These cannulas are eroding staff confidence so the patients we serve are not getting the best care that they deserve.
Please can I ask for your urgent review into this as I have been trying for months to get these reviewed and removed and replaced but like I say, no one is listening.
Q7 - After the government announced we need to take daily LFTs from Monday is there any sign of these being given to the Trust to be given out to the staff?
Q8 - Juliet - please review the DATIX submissions regarding the cannulas. The data is there already.
Q9 - Ref MDT, you can add notes to the job which will be stored on the CAD prior to pressing ‘clear’. After pressing clear the notes won’t be stored on the specific job.
Q10 - Hi Julia, why can’t ECA’s pull up patients GP notes on scene. We are going to every single call category now, please can all staff have access please as this will help with treatment. This is on the iPad, it makes it difficult if you are logged on as a ECA and Paramedic wants to access notes.
Q11 - Surely everyone's dynamic risk assessment is that every patient is potentially covid positive - therefore will the trust provide more FFP3 masks?
What evidence is there that when we're going to every patient that is Covid positive, that it isn't contracted at work? Can you provide the evidence that health care workers aren't contracting it at work? It is insulting that you say it isn't contracted at work when there is no "evidence" to suggest so.
Sleeve protectors do not protect the whole uniform, hence the suggestion of gown style aprons.
Q12 - We shouldn't have to be ordering the LFT’s if the government are insisting we take the LFT’s on a daily basis as critical workers.
Q13 - Why can’t we have a staff member in PPE at the door to check temps etc in AOC. Instead of relying on staff to be honest with temps and symptoms etc.
Q14 - Chris Martin - other Trusts and acutes using the old cannulas. EEAST obviously steps behind which always seems to be the norm sadly.
Q15 - Do the Trust look at workplace outbreaks as in stations, cabs, control rooms, etc? Or does the Trust look at what patient's the +ve person has been to, and if they are Covid +ve?
Are you able to make this evidence that Covid is not routinely being contracted at work available on NTK? There is a lot of evidence that Covid is somewhat airborne, rendering FRSM pointless.
Q16 - Is cohorting an unsafe practice not agreed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Just going to pile up patients at already challenged acutes. Sticking plaster comes to mind.
Questions for Tom
Q1 – a) With challenges in C1 performance, surely one way to increase is to offer incentives for RRVs so that a first response can be on scene quicker? Often there are limited RRVs in favour of DSAs
b) Surely one way to improve C1 response at night is more resources… today Waveney has 22 during the day 7 possibly less at night... I rarely see levels above 8 at night…can we not put at least 3 private ambulances on at night to bring this up to what I was led to believe was a minimum of 10.
Q2 - Who is going to man the new Nightingale Hospital at the Lister Hospital when they can't cope as it is? Are we going to be used as a PR stunt?
Q3 - When are the Trust going to take staff welfare seriously? Doing 250+ miles on a night shift, or any shift, is dangerous. Being late off constantly is having a negative impact on myself and numerous colleagues. It is no wonder that many people have low morale and wish to leave the Trust.
Q4 - What is happening with the cohorting teams? I remember hearing about them but am yet to see bigger cohorting teams.
Q5 - Why are we being sent to people with sore throats who can't get a doc appointment? It's being laughable that 111 are sending us to these jobs.
Q6 - Has the Trust chosen what coffee they are going to purchase? This is obviously a massive priority for some... unsure why we are spending time on it though.
Q7 - People aren't getting covid at work? Really???
Q8 - What are your thoughts on BMW’s colour-changing paint revealed at CES 2022? Is this type of technology something EEAST could utilise?
Q9 - We would like to clarify what is happening with the mental health street triage especially in both northeast and west Herts. We’ve been told it is being pulled for January and may or may not return for February.
However, when one of our colleagues in West Herts emailed Tom he was told it is not the case that these scheme cars will be pulled indefinitely, and it is to be reviewed daily based on sickness.
Please can we have some clarification?
Q10 - We do not pay enough - also we ask for temps and FTC - no one will leave a job for FTC. Can we stop recruiting FTC and offer permanent roles?
Q11 - What is the longer-term aim for Advanced Paramedics, the current scheme is a short-term fix to the dire situation the NHS is in. The Trust is yet to commit to a program/plan for further use i.e. rotation through surgery, ongoing development and back on RRV for example.
Q12 - Why do we not take an employee through a sickness process if they have Covid, but if they have cancer we could?
Q13 – Hello, we would like to clarify what is happening with the mental health street triage in both northeast and west Herts. We’ve been told it is being pulled for January and may or may not return for February.
However, when one of our colleagues in West Herts emailed Tom he was told it is not the case that these scheme cars will be pulled indefinitely, and it is to be reviewed daily based on sickness.
Please can we have some clarification.
Q14 - The Queens Jubilee medal award, for all front-line staff who have served more than 5 years, is scheduled for February - How will these medals be issued to those qualifying staff please?
Q15 - At JPUH a solo paramedic is looking after the cohort patients, has been like this for weeks, hospital is NOT supplying HCA…is this being chased up urgently……
Q16 - It is becoming common knowledge that our branch of Unison is absolutely in the pockets of the exec - discuss?
The Executive Q&A sessions are held once a week, and are led by a member of the Exec team. You can find out details of the next briefing here.
Published 10th January 2022