Our planned response to COVID-19
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) has put in place a comprehensive plan ahead of any increase in the number of patients being admitted with COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The Trust performed a major reorganisation of both clinical and support services across its hospitals in preparation, and this includes a number of service moves.
The plan includes:
- Quadrupling the number of mechanically-ventilated beds, including using theatre areas and other areas increasing the number from 22 to 129 beds across Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton.
- Increasing the number specifically designated wards for COVID-19 patients at QHB and RDH as the number of cases rises.
- Retraining and redeploying large numbers of clinical staff to care for COVID-19 patients in line with expert advice on clinical management and safe staffing. Providing additional skills for non-clinical staff so that they can assist in patient areas.
- Maintaining critical services like emergency care, including expanding A&E at Royal Derby and establishing a separation between COVID--19 patients and general emergencies at QHB. Ensuring that we continue to care for our most urgent non-COVID-19 patients, including cancer.
- Safeguarding babies and children by concentrating the expertise of clinical staff which has required changes to our service model including pausing the midwifery led service at Samuel Johnson and temporarily relocating inpatient paediatrics from QHB to RDH.
- Speeding up our discharge processes to within one hour of being deemed medically fit for discharge, including establishing greater discharge lounge capacity.
- Working with system partners, including mental health, community partners and primary care to help keep patients out of hospital when appropriate and help to facilitate discharge when they’re ready to go home.
Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive, said: “We have all had to think very differently and been prepared to change our daily work to help our hospitals function effectively and keep our patients as safe as possible. Our staff have already supported these changes and have been incredibly flexible. Colleagues in all parts of UHDB have been working hard to prepare our response in anticipation of a significant increase in COVID-19 patients. We will navigate through these challenging times by all pulling together. The support of the communities we serve has been nothing short of exceptional and we will continue to draw strength from this.”
Dr Magnus Harrison, Executive Medical Director, said: “These clinical changes are ensuring that our services remain sustainable and provide safe care to our patients. We’re constantly reviewing our clinical services and will continue to make decisions that best protect our patients and the staff caring for them. We continue to provide care for all non-COVID-19 related emergencies and maintain care for urgent cancer treatment and those with chronic conditions. We have already switched the majority of outpatient services to remote working (video or telephone), suspended most elective surgery, and redesigned care for vulnerable groups like cancer and renal patients.”
Krishna Kallianpur, Interim Chief Nurse, said: “We are living through a truly extraordinary time. Many of us in our communities will find this unsettling and difficult and will feel worried. In these difficult times our values of compassion, openness and excellence have never been so important. I have been inspired by the dedication, courage and professionalism of my colleagues over recent weeks and know that we will look back on these events with pride for what we achieved for our communities when they needed us the most.”