Frequently asked questions for Trust staff

Shielding is no longer in place.

You should only isolate if you have symptoms or are asymptomatic but somebody in the household has symptoms.

Isolation has prescribed timescales, social distancing does not.

Women over 28 weeks pregnant should complete a workplace risk assessment and seek occupational health advice if necessary.

Where women over 28 weeks pregnant can work from home they should be able to do so. If they cannot undertake their role from home they can work in a public facing role provided the individual and workplace risk assessment is undertaken and arrangements can be put in place to minimise exposure to the virus.

Social distancing is particularly important for women over 28 weeks gestation and this is key for them to be in work alongside the usual PPE and infection prevention and control considerations.

Staff under 28 weeks pregnant with no underlying health conditions should follow social distancing guidance and infection prevention guidance and can work in patient areas

As more people are now working from home we have prepared some guidance to support managers and staff.

Yes, the Trust can ask you to move areas and undertake a different role to the one that you have. Appropriate induction/training will be provided.

This may include changing shift patterns if this is possible based on personal circumstances and service need.

The aim of this is to keep critical services running and we appreciate that this may be challenging for some staff that have not worked in clinical areas.

In this situation managers and staff should have a discussion to understand any anxieties and concerns.

All non-essential meetings have been cancelled.

Where meetings take place Skype or Microsoft Teams should be used wherever possible.

Any small face to face meetings must observe social distancing guidance, but Skype or Microsoft teams should always be the preferred method.

If you are going in to a work space for a meeting a risk assessment must have been carried out and you must observe the rules that have been put in place for social distancing and hand washing.

All meeting rooms will have a “maximum number of occupants” sign and will have hand gel and wipes available for use within the block – please follow these instructions when in these rooms.

You should request annual leave with your line manager as normal.

You can take the annual leave for this financial year but you will have no leave if you return to work from maternity leave during this financial year.

Under health and safety regulations where identified by specialist advisors the Trust should provide PPE. The Trust should also provide guidance on the different scenarios of when different types of PPE should be used.

A member of staff can refuse to carry out a duty where the applicable PPE required is not available.
You should raise this with your line manager in the first instance. Managers can contact infection prevention and control for advice.

Staff should not refuse to undertake their duty if it is clear that PPE is not required.

The manager should support the member of staff by discussing their concerns and if required seek advice from occupational health, HR and infection prevention and control.

View PPE guidance on the intranet.

Ideally, if the staff members are able to work 12 hour shifts then we would want them to do this and they would receive enhanced payments for unsocial hours according to Agenda for Change terms and conditions. If they are unable to work 12 hour shifts or only some 12 hour shifts, managers will work with them to cover 12 hour shifts where possible and / or flexibly to accommodate service need taking into account individual circumstances.

The Trust will try to be flexible and supportive. We would ask that you work with the Trust to resolve your childcare to enable you to continue to work and maintain our service delivery.

In the first instance you should try to put alternative childcare arrangements in place to allow you to work as normal. If you can’t make alternative arrangements, and if this is not a practical option, you can discuss with your manager options around alternative shift patterns/times of work for the duration of their isolation. If neither of these options is possible you should talk to your manager about how many hours you can work, considering different working patterns to fit around childcare commitments, working from home if practical, taking any annual leave, possibly time off in lieu and working these hours back or a combination of all of these for the duration of the isolation period.

In these circumstances you will not be paid special leave for childcare issues unless you develop and test positive for Covid-19 yourself and then this will be your own isolation.

If your child has symptoms and has a positive test result then please see the advice on household isolation.

This situation needs to be handled sensitively, exploring with the member of staff any concerns they may have about returning to work.

All possible options should first be explored and the individual may be asked to speak to the infection prevention and control team or occupational health to alleviate their fears.

Careful consideration should be given to options that could allow the member of staff to work from home, or in other healthcare settings that would allow them to use their skills/experience.

Read the management guidance on supporting staff to attend work.

The Trust is not in a position to grant unpaid leave for staff at this time as NHS staff are classed as key workers. Please talk to your manager about your anxieties or difficulties in attending work and they will try to resolve them wherever possible. Managers can follow the guidance on supporting staff to attend work.

Occupational health have a dedicated Covid-19 query line – 01924 316036, 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday, and a psychological support line – 07774 335800, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.