Description of Assessment Task
Title: Covid-19 and the NHS
The following extract is taken from the report, How we responded to Covid-19, Barts Health NHS Trust (2020, p.4) (https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n14184):
Responding to the Covid-19 peak The beginning
The coronavirus arrived in East London at the beginning of March when an elderly man was admitted to The Royal London Hospital with breathing difficulties and confirmed positive. Within hours, about 30 staff in contact with him were identified and sent home to self-isolate. Another case was confirmed, and the numbers across the Trust started doubling every few days. Our chief medical officer, Alistair Chesser wrote to all our doctors alerting them to the urgent measures we would have to take. Within a week a staff member at Whipps Cross tested positive, and on 12 March a patient at St Bartholomews with underlying health conditions sadly died. The calm and organised manner in which the Barts Health group responded was testament to the preparations that took place over the previous month, as the NHS stepped up its contingency planning. By the beginning of February our hospitals were testing a dozen suspected cases a day coming through A&E. Extra isolation rooms were identified, and assessment pods installed outside our emergency departments for walk-in patients to report their symptoms to NHS111. When the World Health Organisation declared a global pandemic on 11 March, we were already in command and control mode, coordinating a Trust- wide response through a central Pandemic Executive Group. Staff were briefed daily through a bespoke bulletin, cascaded through the site safety huddles and linked to dedicated coronavirus pages on WeShare. A red alert ticker on the website guided patients and the public to the information they needed to know. We were also refreshing our People policy, in readiness for an unprecedented transformation in the way we would have to work in future.
Task 1
Examine how St Barts NHS Trust managed its capacity to meet demand during the covid-19 crisis
Task 2
It is estimated that up to 1.5 million elective procedures have not occurred during the pandemic, leading to a significant worsening of health for many patients whose procedures have been cancelled and a stressful situation for GPs unable to refer their patients on for specialist care. (https://www.bma.org.uk/media/2840/the-hidden-impact-of-covid_web-pdf.pdf)
From a service-quality perspective, critically assess the impact of covid-19 on non-acute healthcare patients.
Module Learning Outcomes assessed:
Coursework Assessed Learning Outcomes:
Describe in detail analytical and philosophical approaches to OM problems.
Analyse operations management problems that arise in service and non-service sectors
Recognise and discuss topical issues in OM and communicate effectively with OM specialists
Presentation Format
The report must be done in a structured essay format, and be Word processed in Calibri 12 pt. font. This should be a Word document rather than a PDF.
Word Limit
2000 words. Please note that: The Cover Page, Diagrams, Reference List and any Appendices are all NOT included in the word count. However, tables are included in the word count.
Resources/ Support Available
Relevant Course Materials are available on the DLE (Moodle) including lecture slides and tutorial materials.
Also, see the Library web pages as this has sections on:
Referencing & avoiding plagiarism (http://plymouth.libguides.com/referencing)
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