Each week the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust will provide an update on their plans to deliver excellent care to patients – those with COVID-19 and our non-COVID-19 patients, throughout the winter period - which I will share with my constituents by updating this article.
COVID-19 Cases in and around Hospitals
COVID-19 positive rates have increased significantly across the region. There has been a particular rise in cases in Basildon. As a result, the Trust are seeing an increase in admissions to the MSE Critical Care Centre, based at Basildon Hospital, and their Southend site is also seeing much sicker COVID-19 patients. The Trust are working together across their sites and with their health and care partners across the system to provide the best care they can for these patients.
Winter Pressures
The Trust's hospitals have been experiencing an extremely high demand for their services with far more demand coming through A&E than beds available in the system. There is also the added complexity of managing COVID-19 patients. The demand is currently highest at our Southend site with critical care and general inpatients under pressure.
Every winter the Trust experience these challenges. Their aim during this time is to manage admissions safely, maximise discharges by working with their partners in community healthcare and social care, and to ensure safe staffing levels. They’re well versed when it comes to dealing with winter pressures. The Trust have robust systems in place where everybody knows their role when it comes to responding to significantly high peaks in demand, and their dedicated staff rise to the challenge.
This year the NHS has launched the new Think NHS 111 first national programme. The ambition is that contacting NHS 111 first will help NHS urgent and emergency care services maintain social distancing and ensure that patients receive the right care in the right place, in a timely and safe way.
COVID-19 Vaccines
The Trust were very excited and honoured to be chosen as one of the 50 hospital hubs to administer COVID-19 vaccines to the over-80s cohort. From Tuesday 8th December they have been vaccinating approximately 200 people a day between 8am and 8pm. They hope it will be a relatively short period before the Trust are able to begin to offer health and care staff in mid and south Essex the vaccination. Constituents can find all the information on their website.
Details of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out for all health and care providers across Essex can be found on the EPUT website here.
This week the first local vaccination services will start, led by GPs, practice nurses and community pharmacists, with other services to follow over the coming weeks.
Key Messages
- This is a phased vaccination programme which will expand over the coming months
- The NHS will be in contact with people when it is their turn to have the vaccine
- If called for an appointment, please can you make sure you attend and in the meantime continue to abide by all the social distancing, face masks and hand hygiene guidance.
