Keeping in touch blog

Our Chair Professor Sue Proctor, and our Chief Executive, Dr Sara Munro, have penned their latest Keeping In Touch blog ahead of an Easter weekend that will be like no other we’ve experienced before.

Coronavirus still dominates all our activity as a Board and across the Trust.

Across the country, things continue to develop rapidly and we are seeing nationally a disturbing rise in the numbers of people taken ill, hospitalised and dying from Coronavirus. Many of us will also know people who have experienced symptoms and are now recovering, even some who have now returned to work.

The way the news presents the daily toll of numbers of people who have died from virus can quickly desensitise us to the fact that every number represents an individual, a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, a partner or a carer who has lost their life.

In most cases, they have died without the comforting presence of family or friends, and they in turn may be unable to support each other in mourning or grief. It is a cruel, remorseless illness.

The consequences of the virus are not only physical. There is a clear risk to mental health and psychological problems among both patients and staff affected by the relentless demands on critical care, and other areas in acute and community care services.

This potential risk is reflected in the work our Trust is doing in contributing to the mental health and psychological care needs of Covid 19 patients and the staff who will care for them at the new NHS Yorkshire & Humber Nightingale Field Hospital. Led by one of our clinical leads Dr Peter Trigwell, who is Lead for Mental Health and Psychological Care at the new unit, work is underway in four main areas:

• Mental health needs of patients in the immediate period post ventilation and prior to transfer from the field hospital to their district general hospital,
• Mental health needs of patients in planning step down/ discharge,
• Psychological care and mental health for staff at the time of working at the field hospital, and
• Psychological care and mental health for staff after the crisis has subsided.

Detailed consideration is being given to the need to provide compassionate, sensitive care that recognises the particular psychological risks to patients in these very pressured and unfamiliar surroundings. This includes Covid 19 patients who may have existing mental illness or learning disabilities. Importantly, similar consideration is being given to the mental health and psychological care needs of staff who will be working in unfamiliar teams, possibly in new roles, with new team leadership and facing a great deal of pressure to make critical clinical decisions about every patient throughout their shifts.

The work to convert the Harrogate Exhibition Centre to this field hospital, which can take up to 500 patients is rapid and hectic. It is once again demonstrating the strength of leadership and ‘can do’ action from the NHS, working with partners including the military, and many others. Staff from our Trust are already doing an important job in this planning phase, and will continue as we move into the delivery phase in the coming weeks.

Our key areas of focus are:

• The need to get clinical ‘buy in’ and volunteers to staff the psychiatrist rota,
• Getting involved in the clinical scenario modelling,
• Agreeing arrangements for identification of known mental health and learning disability patients and using this to get appropriate clinical information, and
• Connecting to pharmacy and looking at what the patient record system is going to be.

We have a small number of confirmed Covid 19 patients at the Trust, some of which are being cared for at The Mount in Leeds, and staff are continuing their focus on ensuring the right personal protective equipment is available, to support care across the Trust.

As we approach the Easter bank holidays, we appreciate this will be unlike any other bank holiday we have experienced. We will be keeping in touch with teams throughout the weekend and are here to support our staff to give the best care possible to our service users, and to support each other in these extraordinary times.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for everything you continue to do, for your dedication and compassion. You are all heroes and a total inspiration!

Have a lovely Easter. If you’re not working, stay at home and stay safe.

Sue and Sara