Shropshire hospitals boss: 'The virus has not suddenly gone away'
The medical director of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Dr Arne Rose, describes changes being implemented at Shropshire's main hospitals - and urges people to remain at home as much as possible, as coronavirus 'has not suddenly gone away'.
This week we have seen another step towards the ‘new normal’ as coronavirus lockdown measures continue to ease.
While ‘non-essential’ shops have started to reopen, changes have also been made at our hospitals. Now, anyone attending our hospitals – including anyone attending for an appointment – will be required to wear a face mask throughout the duration of their visit to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The changes also affect colleagues, who are being asked to wear surgical masks on hospital premises. To prevent any risk of cross-infection, staff and visitors are being asked to wear masks supplied by the trust.
This is obviously a big change which has been carried out at considerable pace since it was announced by the Government just over a week ago, so I would like to thank colleagues and members of the public for their cooperation and their patience.
Sadly, at this time, we are not yet in a position to relax the restrictions that we have in place on visiting. It is important to remember that, even though some lockdown restrictions are being lifted, and the number of cases remains in decline, the virus has not suddenly gone away.
We are still seeing around 25 Covid-positive patients in our hospitals and people are still, sadly, dying. As I’ve said before, even a single death is a tragedy for everyone connected to that person – their family, friends and the people treating them – and no death should be dismissed or taken lightly.
More information on our visiting restrictions and on the new rules around masks can be found on our website – www.sath.nhs.uk/covid19
To accommodate the wearing of facemasks, some of our wonderful volunteers have be stationed at our entrances to help with their handing out and disposal. This has meant, however, that we now find ourselves in need of more help both for this and other volunteering opportunities in the trust. I know some people might be nervous about volunteering with us at the present time but full training, including in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) will be given and you will only be asked to do things you are comfortable with. If you are interested in volunteering, please call a member of volunteer team on 01743 261118/01743 492256 or email sath.members@nhs.net
Antibody tests for our frontline staff are continuing. While the test can tell if someone has had the virus or not, it does not provide information about any level of protection or immunity from getting the virus again, but it is another tool we can use to help us get more colleagues back into work.
Another of the things we are looking at to help us open up more of our services is the use of video clinics. These are suitable for a range of patients who will be able to access their appointments from home.
Finally, as we enter this ‘new normal’ there is a lot of talk about possibly relaxing the two metre social distancing rule. Whatever is decided, the most important thing as we continue to fight this pandemic is to continue to limit the spread of the virus.
Please continue to stay at home as much as possible, limit contact with other people, keep your distance when you go out, wash your hands regularly and do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.
