During the COVID-19 pandemic more patients have required ventilation support and as a result have required temporary tracheostomies. Many of these have been cared for outside intensive care units or on COVID-19 wards by staff providing care they have never previously delivered in unfamiliar environments.
In a two-part blog series, the rapid roll out of the Safe Tracheostomy Toolkit is explained along with the role of AHSNs and Patient Safety collaboratives in the work.
In the first blog Dr Brendan McGrath, national clinical advisor for the National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes’ COVID-19 safe tracheostomy care response and intensive care consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, explains why the pandemic accelerated the need for safety interventions for tracheostomies.
In the second blog Jay Hamilton, Patient Safety Collaborative Lead at Health Innovation Manchester, explains the role of AHSNs and PSCs in supporting the rapid spread of safety interventions to improve care.
Videos of Brendan’s Blog and Jay’s Blog are also available.
