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Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

HomerJSimpson said:
I was originally employed as the admin manager but no co-opted into doing things like staff rostering including all our agency nurses and those from other parts of the trust. Can't do this at home as the rostering system is a clanky old stand-alone piece of kit. Getting involved in a lot of planning stuff as a facilitator (minutes) for the escalation as it was, the peak (not sure we've seen it) and then what happens next. As I have a background in recruitment and medical recruitment I have also been working with those teams and our NHSP (NHS Professionals) team to fast track ID, health checks and DBS clearance for staff so they are able to work fully on the unit with sufficient clearance

I am also a fully trained HCA and so have been doing the odd bit of work on the unit when we've had our limited HCA's on days off or self-isolating. On those days I was/am PPE but on the admin side of things as I am not anywhere near bedspaces or withing 2m of any aerosol generating equipment, I am deemed safe in gloves and an FFP3 mask to attend to issues in the Covid based areas. We have sufficient gloves and as I am usually in infected areas for short periods of time, I am able to use the FFP3 mask throughout the shift so not really using too much in the way of stock.

I am also line managing the ward clerks who have been deemed key to take the incoming calls/'queries usually from relatives (or internal sources like bed management, pharmacy, labs). I am currently working 5 days a week usually from 7.00am-3.00pm so I am available at handover to deal with any issues. Those hours haven't been adhered to and have been more like 6.15-6.30 until 4.30-5.00 so longer than I'd like. HCA shifts are normal nursing shifts so usually 7.15am until 8.00pm
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It sounds like you've got your hands full there & not much wiggle room to wfh. Cheers for taking the time out to reply

p.s i was thinking that the NHSP was something to do with where you have to stand in the correct place when someones making tea ;)
 
Fish said:
The majority of supplies across all goods required by pharmacies and hospitals alike, tend to come through AAH, who are in the main, a national (Independent) wholesaler. You'll see these vehicles countrywide, plodding around local areas dropping off an array of daily supplies constantly being ordered (daily) direct from trusts and pharmacies on a daily basis.

Like any wholesaler they will hold stock based on their trends of output at specific times of the year along with growth trends etc.

As wholesalers, and like in other markets, there's more than them, Phoenix, Alliance and more..., but they are the big boys to some degree, they order in from all over the world based on costs, availability and compliance of the products, like any company, but they are in the main, a medical/healthcare distribution company and operate a hub & spoke operation across the country, so, with the pandemic starting in other countries weeks/months before us, the wholesalers or however those countries operate, would be already draining supplies from the same manufacturers across the world, so we have been last to the table, and as such, I doubt full orders have been received by the likes of AAH and others as manufacturers of the goods, even in this country, would be under the same kind of constraints that we have seen, with reduced workforces or even some closure's!

My wife is a manager at a pharmacy so I'm fully aware of how the system normally and is still working to some degree and how they're still ordering, and like you rightly state, some trusts and pharmacies are going out of the normal chains to keep a flow of supplies to meet their needs, or fill in the gaps or shortfalls of goods that turn up, without being pre-advised, as the amounts they are receiving are not what they're ordering, so they double up on ordering, hence why were seeing excess stock piles in some places, possibly more down to ordering in from various sources and then arriving all at once!

Some pharmacies and trusts/hospitals have had a direct delivery from the NHS, but this is totally new and not been known before, where gloves, masks and aprons just turned up, without ordering or going through head offices or any manner of normal ordering processes. Trying to find out where these originated from though, is like looking for the holy grail!
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Thanks Robin. That's an interesting explanation of current events. I'm just struggling to put together the entire supply chain in my head at the moment. I might have a dig around later to see if there's a detailed explanation knocking around regarding the ordering/storage of PPE at a national level and also how that is managed logistically. Can't at the moment as I'm in work...
 
Slab said:
It sounds like you've got your hands full there & not much wiggle room to wfh. Cheers for taking the time out to reply

p.s i was thinking that the NHSP was something to do with where you have to stand in the correct place when someones making tea ;)
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Given the situation I think I would be making my own tea.
We had a catering pot get about 50 cups out of it , it was huge.
 
bluewolf said:
Thanks Robin. That's an interesting explanation of current events. I'm just struggling to put together the entire supply chain in my head at the moment. I might have a dig around later to see if there's a detailed explanation knocking around regarding the ordering/storage of PPE at a national level and also how that is managed logistically. Can't at the moment as I'm in work...
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I don't think hospitals, and especially pharmacies and care homes, who are also right on the frontline in need of PPE, have had to keep to specific internal stock levels before, most, like many companies over the years have little space for storage and have maximised space for the services they offer.

We have, as a nation I think, become very used to a 'just in time' operation where EPOS systems and computerised in-house systems automatically reorder goods across the board for delivery the next-day. Many hospitals and especially the other health areas I've mentioned have very limited storage facilities and have relied on goods arriving daily and put straight out to the relevant departments, what companies, including the medical profession have stores anymore?

This alone has contributed to shortages as the change in operations that procurement teams and technical managers have been used to, at their finger tips, has now been massively undone, and no doubt they are being bombarded with requests, and with all the national distribution companies stretched of supplies, it has led to the medical world sourcing goods from anywhere they can get their hands on it.
 
An interesting interview on the BBC website today with Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers today. I've put in bold two key sentences, seemed key to me anyway. The first one is how tough it must be if you believe you have ordered correctly and then the wrong item turns up. This is a story I have heard many times over regarding suppliers from China over the years so it is nothing new. Not the time for it though.

The second sentence shows the scale of what is required. Mulitply that across the world for each country and no wonder there are supply issues. What would be interesting to know is how many were used previously per day?

Mr Hopson gave the example of an expected consignment of 200,000 gowns from China which actually only contained 20,000 gowns when it arrived last week.

"We know that with other orders, when the boxes were opened up and it said on the outside 'gowns', when you opened it up, they were actually masks," he said.

"But I suppose the question we will need to ask when all this is over is, actually, was the pandemic stock reserve that was meant to tide us over correctly configured?"

Mr Hopson added that while the 400,000 gowns would be welcome, NHS staff were getting through approximately 150,000 gowns a day.

"What we really need to get to is from the current rather hand-to-mouth approach to where sustainable supplies consistently and reliably arrive," he said.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
An interesting interview on the BBC website today with Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers today. I've put in bold two key sentences, seemed key to me anyway. The first one is how tough it must be if you believe you have ordered correctly and then the wrong item turns up. This is a story I have heard many times over regarding suppliers from China over the years so it is nothing new. Not the time for it though.

The second sentence shows the scale of what is required. Mulitply that across the world for each country and no wonder there are supply issues. What would be interesting to know is how many were used previously per day?

Mr Hopson gave the example of an expected consignment of 200,000 gowns from China which actually only contained 20,000 gowns when it arrived last week.

"We know that with other orders, when the boxes were opened up and it said on the outside 'gowns', when you opened it up, they were actually masks," he said.

"But I suppose the question we will need to ask when all this is over is, actually, was the pandemic stock reserve that was meant to tide us over correctly configured?"

Mr Hopson added that while the 400,000 gowns would be welcome, NHS staff were getting through approximately 150,000 gowns a day.

"What we really need to get to is from the current rather hand-to-mouth approach to where sustainable supplies consistently and reliably arrive," he said.
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That’s where your old fashioned store man/woman came in.
Any boxes of equipment were checked on arrival to make sure it was what it said on the box.
Is this happening or is it just stored and taken for granted that it’s what stated on the label.?
 
PPE question...

Is it not possible to have predominantly reusable, as opposed to disposable, items?

Accepting that any filters would need to be destroyed but gowns, masks, gloves etc???

Or is that just too inconvenient / expensive?

Disposable strikes me as a cost / convenience type compromise.

A case of us being tied by the economic systems we've constructed for ourselves?

Or do I need something better to do with my time!!
 
clubchamp98 said:
That’s where your old fashioned store man/woman came in.
Any boxes of equipment were checked on arrival to make sure it was what it said on the box.
Is this happening or is it just stored and taken for granted that it’s what stated on the label.?
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No, they are opening them on arrival and seeing then that the product inside is incorrect. They ordered gowns, the box says gowns, the contents are masks. The problem then though is they still don't have the correct product, the shortage is still there and they are waiting on the next shipment in. Chinese suppliers are a bit wild west in that sense, good luck in resolving that easily.
 
clubchamp98 said:
That’s where your old fashioned store man/woman came in.
Any boxes of equipment were checked on arrival to make sure it was what it said on the box.
Is this happening or is it just stored and taken for granted that it’s what stated on the label.?
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From experience, Receipt and Despatch depts. at hospitals don't open boxes. R&D receive the box from the courier/haulier and deliver it to the Unit, e.g. ITU, and the staff will open the box and stack the shelves in their stock room.
 
huds1475 said:
PPE question...

Is it not possible to have predominantly reusable, as opposed to disposable, items?

Accepting that any filters would need to be destroyed but gowns, masks, gloves etc???

Or is that just too inconvenient / expensive?

Disposable strikes me as a cost / convenience type compromise.

A case of us being tied by the economic systems we've constructed for ourselves?

Or do I need something better to do with my time!!
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Disposable is cheaper. And from a Control of Infection perspective you take the gown/mask/gloves off, put them in a yellow bag and off they go to be incinerated. That said, every hospital has a sterilising dept which is huge but won't be kitted out for those type of items.
 
Covid-19 confirmed in my dad's nursing home?. Local uni have 3D printed some visor PPE's and barrier nursing being performed on known cases. GP has been in and suspects about half a dozen have it but they're struggling to get them tested.
Very very worrying times.
 
Been talking with a neighbour who's better half works at a funeral directors... Advised the crem, just around the corner, is now not allowing anyone to attend funerals... Will be tough to deal with that...
 
funkycoldmedina said:
Covid-19 confirmed in my dad's nursing home?. Local uni have 3D printed some visor PPE's and barrier nursing being performed on known cases. GP has been in and suspects about half a dozen have it but they're struggling to get them tested.
Very very worrying times.
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Its a tough time for those of us in this situation

You've just got to put your faith in the system and in the folk looking after your dad - we mainly hear the bad news from these situations but there is also a lot of better stories as well - here's hoping for you and your dad (and others)

I just try to keep focussed on other day to day stuff - that helps
 
funkycoldmedina said:
Covid-19 confirmed in my dad's nursing home?. Local uni have 3D printed some visor PPE's and barrier nursing being performed on known cases. GP has been in and suspects about half a dozen have it but they're struggling to get them tested.
Very very worrying times.
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It must be exceptionally worrying for you. Hopefully he can stay well.
 
The number of deaths for Spain yesterday has been announced at 399. This is the first time in the 3's for a long time. Almeria region saw its first death yesterday after 4 clear days. Newly infected continues to be around the 2.5k each day.

Whilst we take some small measure of comfort in the trend we are seeing we mustn't forget that there another 399 families in great pain right now.
 
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