Covengers assemble

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A clear message is emerging from these latest nominations: some  crisis initiatives may well turn into the post-crisis norm. To read the full stories go to our on-line ESTEEM gallery.

Michelle Angus, consultant physiotherapist and the team of advanced physios at Salford Royal took over running the minor injuries unit to release nurses for other responsibilities.  The team have dealt successfully with wounds, back pain, fractures, minor head injuries, eyes and suspected DVTs with support only when needed.

Gail Nash, Marc Beswick, Ailidh Hunter and Carole Curran from NHS Education for Scotland, NHS Shetland and NHS Lothian, have embraced new technology and new ways of working to support AHPs, hosting webinars on the use of technology, managing the deteriorating patient, and support and supervision during COVID-19.

ONCALLbuddy, an app downloaded 8,000 times in two weeks, has been created by physiotherapists, Stephanie Mansell from Royal Free London and Iain Loughran from North Tees and Hartlepool. It’s for physiotherapists and others providing in-your-pocket information on conditions, assessment, treatments and contraindications. ONCALLbuddy.co.uk

Two nominations from podiatrists. Patrick McGill in Western Health and Social Care Trust set up a Trust email address to allow all patients, carers and GPs to email images of wounds for the podiatrist to assess and advise on treatment. Podiatry staff now rotate, assessing and planning care, keeping patients away from hospital.

And in NHS Fife, Cheryl Smith and the podiatry team ceased all face-to-face non critical care and took over the treatment of 100 leg wounds, freeing up district nurses for other critical roles. Podiatrists are using their skills, their ability to prescribe and their multidisciplinary connections to support vulnerable patients in their own homes.

Paula Simpson, Midlands Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, praises the paediatric SLT dysphagia teams that came together to provide a community service for urgent dysphagia  which could become a new way of working. She is also proud to recognise the Trust’s children’s speech and language therapy team who have been redeployed to work with infection control to support the swabbing of symptomatic COVID-19 patients.  A great example of teams coming together from different professional backgrounds.

Seventy-five Staffordshire University healthcare science apprentices are working in NHS and PHE laboratories across England.  Course leader, Ian Davies says: ‘For trainees at the start of their biomedical science career, their commitment, resilience, and dedication has been amazing, and we are so proud to be part of their development as the agile and committed scientific workforce of the future.’

Maria Hopkins, specialist speech and language therapist, Swansea Bay, has reorganised services for adults with learning disabilities, shielding in their homes, creating a telepractice initiative which is already working well for them, their carers and speech and language therapists. It could well lead to permanent changes in working practices.

Sue Brierley-Hobson and the dietetics team, Betsi Cadwaladr, have been heroic in their efforts to support the nutrition of COVID 19 and non-COVID patients.  This includes agreeing pathways with nursing, speech and language therapists and catering colleagues to support nutrition in critical care, those needing oral nutrition and then at discharge.

Laura Guilfoyle, physiotherapist in Nottinghamshire Healthcare, quickly and effectively turned a team of mental health physios into a respiratory on-call team for isolated COVID-19 patients. Some  hadn’t done respiratory for 15 years but wholeheartedly threw themselves into additional training, showing just how adaptable they are and how willing to work in unfamiliar situations to provide outstanding care.

And finally we must thank medic Arafat Mulla at Blackpool Victoria Hospital for giving us Covengers, a respiratory team of medics, ACPs and nurses, providing expertise, knowledge, education and much needed support, including a Covengers assemble memory box to help staff reflect and process the pandemic experience.

If you would like to nominate a colleague or your team go to https://ahawards.co.uk/esteem/

 

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