Sandwell Hospital expands intensive care unit in bid to cope with coronavirus
A hospital trust is ramping up changes in an effort to allow it to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
Intensive care units are being expanded at Sandwell Hospital, in West Bromwich, and City Hospital, in Birmingham, while wards and specialists are being relocated to ensure they are put to best use.
Staff at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs the hospitals, have also raised concerns about personal protection equipment (PPE) and if and when they will be tested for the virus.
The Government has come under huge pressure to ensure NHS workers are provided with PPE and get tested.
Trust chief executive Toby Lewis said: "Of course PPE and staff testing dominate the inbox, as they dominate my time.
"There are teams out in wards in the next couple of days making sure everyone knows how to protect yourself and why we have the rules we have.
"Coming days sees us expand ITU, carry on relocating wards, and beginning to move roles from place 2 place and speciality 2 speciality. Clinical leaders working 18/7 to try and get right training in place to help. Do suggest ideas locally or to me. We all need this to work best."
