Hospitals in East Sussex are prepared to ‘step up’ services should there be a second wave of the coronavirus infections, health leaders have heard this week.
Preparations for a potential second wave were discussed on Tuesday (August 4), at a board meeting of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust — the trust that runs the DGH and Conquest hospitals.
Following questions from board members, hospital bosses said the trust was prepared to face a second round of cases “up to around double” the first.
Dr David Walker, the trust’s medical director, said:
“We have protocols in place for the management of patients with covid or suspected covid.
“We have stepped a lot of those down but they are absolutely ready to step up again in the event we see a new surge coming.
“At the moment we have very few patients with covid but we can reverse those changes very rapidly and reimplement a much larger red [isolation] area at the front end of both hospitals and within the wards of both hospitals.
“We have gained significant experience from what has happened before and, within reason, we are well-prepared for a second surge.
“Obviously we would not want a second surge to be considerably larger than the first surge and if that happened then further changes would have to come into play.
"But we could certainly cope with something up to around double the first surge, if we absolutely had to.”
Preparations for a second wave includes work to ensure the trust has staff available to cover its wards.
It is also working with care homes on arrangements for discharging patients and has contributed to infection control training for home staff.
The trust is also working to ensure it has enough critical care beds on standby (which can also be isolated) to cope with a sudden increase in covid cases.
Director of nursing Vikki Carruth said:
“We have absolutely learned a huge amount that will stand us in very good stead and there are things we can stand up and down should we need to.
“If we do see surges, periods of increased incidences – and we have had some little tiny ones over the last couple of months – then I think we know what to expect now and our staff know what to expect.
“I think the knowledge is there and the experience is there, it’s just making sure we are keeping everybody going over through the next couple of months.”
Much of the trust’s preparation for a second wave is being worked into the trust’s usual planning for its busy winter (and flu) season.
Particular effort is going to ensure a separate covid pathway (with areas of isolation) could operate during this period, the trust board heard.
Mrs Joe Chadwick-Bell, who is set to take over as chief executive from Dr Adrian Bull in September, said:
“I’ll say what I say every year; it’s either winter or we are planning for winter. Nothing else exists in our operational world.
“Everything we are doing is planning for what is almost like the worst case scenario.”
While much of the discussion centered around the trust’s planning for a potential second wave, Dr Bull told board members that such an event should not be considered “inevitable”.
He added:
“Several people have mentioned the first phase as though a second phase is inevitable.
"It is not inevitable, it’s possible and we shouldn’t assume it will necessarily happen.”
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