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Emma Dixon, Director of Clinical Services at St Ann’s Hospice in Greater Manchester, writes about adapting services and how they implemented a rigorous Covid-19 testing programme.
It’s hard not to start a blog like this one by saying what a difficult year we’ve all had. But while we all know how hard this situation has been, it’s still incredibly important to pause and acknowledge our experiences – taking time out to reflect on how we’re feeling; lifting our heads up and spending time just breathing and thinking and acknowledging.
It’s even more important to stop and reflect on everything we’ve all achieved at such a difficult time too.
Hospices have had to dig deep. We’ve had to find innovative ways of not only trying to generate the funds we need to continue our services, but also seeking ways to adapt them to meet the ever changing Covid-19 guidance and rules, and of our patients too.
Those we care for need us arguably more than ever right now. Our teams are working 24-7 to ensure they can keep caring, and at St Ann’s I’ve been so proud of how everyone across the hospice – whatever team they work within – has come together to fast-track changes, adapt ways of working and systems, and be so responsive and resilient.
A robust testing programme
We’re providing more services than ever now – whether in our inpatient units, or in support of NHS colleagues in the local community. We’ve rolled out video contacts with patients, online classes and therapies, and refurbished and opened a new outpatient centre to ensure a safe environment for clinics and services from our Being You Centre to take place in.
Ensuring we remain as Covid-safe as possible throughout all of this change has been vital, and we have been leading the way on implementing a three-pronged approach to testing. This includes symptomatic testing for patients, asymptomatic testing for staff and patients, and, most recently, lateral flow testing for visitors.
Collaboration has been key to the effective roll out of this complex and comprehensive programme. We’ve worked closely with local acute trusts to have access to symptomatic patient testing and reporting, and this has enabled us to identify patients affected early, and isolate accordingly.
Collaborating and adapting
We have also adapted our approach as more information became available, and have remained nimble and responsive as a result. For example, as evidence became available about people who are asymptomatic but could be spreading Covid to others, we realised the risk this could pose to our organisation. We quickly introduced regular asymptomatic testing for patients and staff, and this continues to prove vital in our efforts to keep our hospice safe and open.
The final piece of this jigsaw has been the roll-out of lateral flow testing for visitors. Like many hospices, we’ve already adapted our visiting criteria, and continue to monitor it and adapt as guidance changes.
In addition, we have introduced new measures which see those visitors coming to the hospice for the first time receive a lateral flow test before entry, something which is then also repeated twice weekly following that initial test.
Our environment at the hospice is not immediately conducive to this kind of activity, so we have had to quickly adapt, setting up externally accessible testing areas. Staff have received training whilst also managing their normal duties, and have ensured proper communication to all involved, along with management of consents too.
Meeting the needs of the community
This has been a complex programme of activity to develop, manage, monitor and deliver, but I’m incredibly proud of how our teams have worked together to ensure it is an effective and safe process. It’s a vital part of our proactive plan to ensure we can continue to care for those in our community who need us the most. I’m also proud that all of the changes we have been implementing have been rolled out in a way which has ensured patients, visitors, staff and volunteers are reassured and informed at each step of the process.
We’re passionate about collaboration at St Ann’s, and have also ensured that we’ve regularly liaised with Public Health England, our local CCGs, local authorities and the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure the best outcomes for our patients, visitors, staff and volunteers.
We all know that there is still a lot of change ahead, and that we’ll all need to continue to adapt, to respond, and – most importantly – support each other to get through to whatever a ‘new normal’ will look like. That in itself will no doubt lead to more change, but I’m confident that both as a hospice, and also as a sector, the way we’ve all faced the difficult times, and come together to innovate, collaborate, and support each other so far will stand us in good stead for whatever comes our way next.
