Working safely

Latest briefing: 11 September 2020

Returning to the workplace safely – latest update
We’ve made some excellent progress on our level of compliance with the national guidance to safely return our workforce to the workplace for our phase 2 sites.

For the buildings which were not formally shut, or are a shared occupancy with other organisations, the following work is progressing:

• Operational risk assessments have been completed, by service managers supported by our Health and Safety Manager Richard Hill
• Place risk assessment have been completed across all sites where we have direct control of the site
• Review of risk assessments and procedures from corporate landlords have been completed
• We cleared our desks and work surfaces by 28 August for the deep cleaning which is now taking place
• Revised building occupancy levels have now been shared with floor plans clearly marked out – these can be found on Staffnet (remember you can use Remote Access, VMWare or Global Protect to get on Staffnet when off site)
• How the buildings will be utilised is being developed through the review of phase 1 sites and additional requirements and learning from phase 1 will be mapped to phase 2

The date for which of these buildings can be reset is outlined below:

Works to be completed over the next two weeks will include the development of the cleaning solution in line with the standard operating procedures (SOPs). This will be with the self-delivered team, landlords of serviced accommodation, Trust contractors and NHS Property Services.

The SOP will be implemented operationally when the sites are reopened and the utilisation agreed, following the workshop reviews.  It is important to understand the timeline for standing up services and the volume of activity to be undertaken (staff working from the building/face to face contacts) so we are able to ensure the correct volume of PPE is delivered to these sites. For our regional sites PPE will be couriered over.

For the sites below which were closed, there is an additional requirement to recommission the buildings.  The timeline for our closed buildings is driven by the water testing work. The deep cleaning and access to clear desks etc. cannot be completed until water testing and assurance is provided.  The water testing has been booked.

For the above closed buildings the process of risk assessments from a safe place, safe people and building occupancy level perspective, was completed for the end of August.  The deep cleaning of these buildings has also been booked in with contractors to allow safe access following water testing to clear desk spaces.  The clearing of desk spaces is to enable the deep clean to be as effective as possible, and to get the sites back to a standard that can be maintained as they have not been serviced whilst closed.

In other Return to the Workplace news . . .

Workshops have now all taken place at our nine phase one sites (Becklin, Newsam, The Mount etc.) and the detail required to develop standard operating procedures for each of them has been agreed. Our Heads of Operation are now tasked with drafting these up for approval.

The good news is that it appears that we do have enough space to accommodate all our clinical services on these sites, both in terms of providing a safe environment for staff and service users, and to enable the effective delivery of services.

Our new agile working policy is nearly ready. This is a vital piece of work to enable staff and managers to put flexible and smarter working arrangements in place on a more sustainable basis and adapt to our “new normal”. Our Joint Negotiating and Consultative Committee will review it next week and we hope to share thereafter.

Questions and feedback

We know there are always unanswered questions about returning to the workplace safely. This is as much as we can share for now but we are committed to on-going communication and engagement with affected teams going forward. Please raise any questions through your usual line management routes in the first instance.

If you have questions that cannot be answered locally, either about safe home working or coming back to one of our sites, please email our corona.virus@nhs.net address and we’ll ensure this reaches the right people to help.

Previous staff briefings

• Return to workplace staff briefing – 17 Aug 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 10 Aug 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 20 July 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 13 July 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 6 July 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 26 June 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 19 June 2020
• Return to workplace staff briefing – 12 June 2020 FINAL

Kit and equipment if you’re working from home

A process outlining what IT kit and equipment is available and how this can be ordered is available to download.

Please complete and record your wellbeing assessment to ensure you are able to order what you need.

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) such as laptops and computer workstations or other equipment can be associated with neck, shoulder, back or arm pain, as well as with fatigue and eyestrain and while these conditions do not indicate any serious ill health, it makes sense to avoid them as far as possible.

If you use DSE for prolonged periods of time, ensure that you have set up your workstation properly and take breaks regularly. By just taking a few simple precautions, work with DSE can be more comfortable and productive.

You can complete a DSE self assessment by using this self-assessment form.

A DSE e-learning module is also now available to learn about best practice. Search “DSE” in the catalogue on our iLearn system.

The module will provide you with an informative approach to the risks associated with using display screen equipment and the knowledge of how ergonomic principles can be adopted to reduce some of the risks. It also looks at potential ill health effects from working with display screen equipment and how good posture and simple effective solutions can be applied.

Please also remember to take regular breaks from your desk as you would in the office. There is some guidance in the health and wellbeing section on this with some suggested exercises from our Occupational Health Physio Joe Loftus.

Keeping you connected – diverting desk phones to mobiles

We know that some people are finding it hard to divert their phone lines to mobiles especially if they belong to a hunt group or are part of an automated service. If you are having difficulties with diverting your phone, please email the IT service desk or call 0113 85 52400.

The Trust has developed a really useful standard operating procedure for the use of video conferencing in direct clinical practice. If you are using video conferencing to work with patients and carers, then it is essential reading!

This document sets out the Trust policy for the protection of the confidentiality, integrity and effective use of video consultation platforms for use within service user consultations, and establishes the Trust’s and user’s responsibilities.

There have been a few reports of security issues when using Zoom for virtual meetings. We’ve reviewed these risks and, on balance, we’ve decided to continue using it as a way to stay connected when working remotely. The issue was around Zoom capturing technical information when used on an Apple device (iPhone or iPad). To stop this, if you or anyone you call uses an Apple device, please download the latest version of the app which fixes this issue.

Useful guides

• You can download a guide on working from home and how to remotely access Trust systems.
• If you’re hosting video-conferences here’s a useful guide to Zoom meetings
• Microsoft Teams can also be used for video call – Microsoft Teams-How to guide

Top tips on chairing a tele / video conference

If you are chairing teleconferences here’s a useful blog which might help you get the most out of them.

Online video presentations and interviews

This brave new world of online video presentations and interviews throws up some unique challenges. Here are 10 golden rules from leading agency Media First to follow for remote interview and presentation success.

The government has introduced a scheme where you might be able to claim tax relief if:

• you use your own money for things that you must buy for your job
• you only use these things for your work

This includes uniforms, work clothing and tools for which you may be able to claim tax relief on the cost of cleaning, repairing or replacing specialist clothing (for example, a uniform or safety boots).

Visit the government website here to find our more.

Now more staff are working from home and using mobile phones and other electronic devices, please remember your own cyber security safety. Do not share your personal details with service users or families or allow access to your social media profiles.

Also be particularly aware of apps that you use in your spare time that may link up with your work networks or that your children have access to. These are not always secure or private and security issues have been highlighted with apps such as House Party as seen in recent media coverage.

For more information and advice please look at the NSPCC online safety website.

Cyber safety
Please be vigilant to email scams, check Trustwide for the latest reports, and make sure you report any suspicious emails by ‘Forwarding as attachment’ to spamreports@nhs.net. Find out the latest examples of HMRC and Covid 19 related phishing emails.