Birmingham and Solihull

Developing a collaborative early supported discharge process in response to Covid

Following the Government’s change of discharge arrangements in March earlier this year, in response
to the Coronavirus pandemic, organisations within Birmingham and Solihull sustainability and
transformation partnership, worked together to come up with a way of discharging patients into care.

The team identified that some of the patients who were occupying hospital beds were fit for discharge, but due to the nature of their complex conditions and sometimes the disconnect of the system, had not yet been discharged from hospital.

The Nursing Team’s Approach 
Nurses in NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG, and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust all worked together and rapidly created a Pathway Two/Three Discharge Team, encouraging a ‘home first’ ethos.

This led to the integration and colocation of colleagues from across the system, including complex
discharge nurses, advanced nurse/care practitioners, social workers, senior practitioners, hospice nurses, community end of life nurses, inpatient and community mental health nurses, infection prevention and control nurses, admin support and brokerage teams. The nursing team met on Teams twice daily to enable patients to be discharged safely to care homes and support the ongoing delivery of the integrated discharge hub.

The team was also careful to ensure they constantly kept abreast of swabbing and isolation requirements
for the Covid pandemic. The support of the whole team at such a special time in the YONM from across the system in coming together at pace and breaking down organisational barriers meant the flow of discharges were timely, safe and appropriate.

Fundraising Effort Delivers Bundles of Joy To Hardworking Colleagues 
Natalie Jackson, a rapid response sister at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Birmingham, helped raise
over £600 to buy shower gel, shampoo and other goodies for her colleagues, after new guidance requiring staff to shower after caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Covid was introduced during the pandemic.

Sexual Health Service Goes Digital During Pandemic
The Umbrella Sexual Health Service at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust turned to technology to launch a new telephone triage, video consultation, home self-STI testing and postal
medication service to keep their service going during the pandemic.

Kathy Jones, Delivery Suite Midwife from Birmingham Women’s and Children’s (BWC) NHS Foundation Trust Provides Insights Into Her Role at The Hospital 

“The best thing throughout my time at BWC has been becoming part of a well respected and hard-working team and my sense of pride in the job we all do a on a daily basis. I have been fortunate
enough that over the last 17 years a number of my colleagues have become my great friends. So great, that they helped me deliver my own babies.”