The number of COVID-19 patients in our hospitals has risen considerably over recent weeks, as levels continue to increase in the community. Given this, it is valuable that a spring (or second) booster jab will now be made available to those at extremely high risk from COVID-19.
Those eligible for the Spring booster are: adults aged 75 years and over; residents in care homes for older adults and individuals aged 12 years and over who have a weakened immune system.
These groups of people are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. Protection from the vaccine may be lower and may decline more quickly in these people. If the number of infections increases over the summer, this booster should help to reduce their risk of developing serious illness and being admitted to hospital with COVID-19. I would urge anybody who is invited by the NHS by letter or text to have the second booster.
If you have not had your first or second dose of the vaccination or your booster, it is not too late – please do not hesitate to come forward. Walk-in and pop-up clinics for the COVID-19 vaccination and boosters are still available across the county. More details can be found here: www.stwics.org.uk.
This week sees the launch of our Birth Preferences Card, designed for women being cared for by our Maternity Service. The card, produced by the Maternity Voices Partnership Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin and our Maternity team, aims to enable those we are caring for to discuss their birth preferences with their care team and support partners in full. This in turn enables our doctors and midwives to have a clear visual guide of their preferences during their birth experience.
The card will stay with women throughout their birthing journey to ensure their preferences are known and respected by their care team. It can be amended at any stage as clinical needs or preferences change.
The card has been produced following feedback from service users through our User Experience (UX) card system. The User Experience (UX) Card system is an initiative which ensures women, and their families are listened to and that their voices are heard by asking recent maternity service users, support partners and maternity staff to complete UX cards setting out what went well and where improvements or changes are needed.
Our Clinical Director for Critical Care Dr Chris Mowatt is appealing for more defibrillators in the community after leisure centre staff used one to save the life of a swimmer.
Father-of-two Ben Phillips suffered a cardiac arrest when he was swimming underwater at Oswestry Leisure Centre pool and blacked out.
Leisure centre staff resuscitated him by the side of the pool after staff administered CPR and the defibrillator. By the time Ben arrived at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital he was fully conscious and alert.
Dr Mowatt said that it was testament to the poolside resuscitation skills of the leisure centre team that Ben survived.
Well done to the leisure centre staff for having the essential skills and using the defibrillator to save the life of Ben. Their actions show the importance of having defibrillators in the community as the fact that they were able to administer it and CPR immediately ensured that this was the best possible outcome from a very nasty situation.