EATS and COVID Update June 2020
11th June 2020
At the current time the East Midlands region appears to be past the initial surge of COVID-19 cases, we are not able to state whether there will be a second surge. People who use communication aids; services; schools and many other establishments are beginning the road to 'recovering' their service offer, this includes the EAT Service.
We are aware that different organisations and people will be making different decisions regarding their risk and the potential impact of COVID-19 on them, their staff or their organisation. Therefore at the current time we are delivering a service which, where possible, fits the individuals / organisations needs.
All of our team who were redeployed are now back in the team. At the current time we are completing:
Initial assessments
Where possible these will be completed remotely via one of the approved video calling facilities. Where this is not possible a conversation will take place between the department, the person who requires the assessment or their carers and the referrer. This conversation will take into account the risks, the potential impact and any other factors. We will come to a joint decision about whether the visit should take place; or be deferred.
Installations
The installing clinician will call you prior to installation to discuss risk, potential impact and and other factors. We will come to a joint decision about whether the visit should take place; or be deferred.
Repairs
Where possible these will take place remotely (via remote support such as TeamViewer). Where this is not possible a conversation will take place between the department, the person who's device requires the repair or their carers. This conversation will take into account the risks, the potential impact and any other factors. We will come to a joint decision about whether the visit should take place; or be deferred.
Proactive Maintenance (PPM Visits)
On the 16th March we suspended routine PPM visits. The lack of annual maintenance will, in the vast majority of cases, present very little or no risk to the user of the device - however if you have any issues with the equipment which has missed a maintenance visit, please contact us straight away. We will attempt to offer support remotely where possible.
In most cases we are unlikely to restart Proactive Maintenance Visits (PPM) before September 2020. However we have identified some situations where a system would benefit from a PPM sooner. In this case we will contact you about arranging a PPM
Training
At the current time all of our Level 1 and Level 2 training is suspended however we are going to be offering training remotely following the install of any equipment. Our intent is to re open our Level 1 and Level 2 training as soon as recommendations about group gatherings allow.
All Visits
Where any visit takes place, we will take precautions in order to reduce the risk of infection - the staff member will wear PPE in line with our Trust's recommendations and where possible we will socially distance ourselves throughout. This may mean that the installation takes place in a room without others, for example.
Contacting the Office
A number of staff have returned to the office to answer phones and complete administrative work. Therefore our current office number (01522 697282) should be used for routine enquiries. However we can only have a certain number of staff in the office at any one time, due to distancing advice. Therefore staff from the EAT service are having to work from home. Although we have tools in place to achieve this, combined with the closure of schools, some staff are having to work as well as looking after children. Please bear with us if we take slightly longer to get back to you during this time or if your call is interrupted by the caller’s children.
If you have any concerns regarding your appointment, please contact eats.lincoln@nhs.net or 01522 697282
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