Nursing Perspective of the Yellow Lanyard Initiative During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Emilie Kerslake, Dr Hina Iftikhar, Dr Seema Alaee, Dr Rachel Kaminski, Dr Charlie Sharp
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Background and Problem
As part of our planning response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the
Associate Chief Nurse Craig Bradley at Gloucestershire NHS
Foundation Trust proposed the use of yellow lanyards for staff
with additional respiratory care skills. The initiative led to an
additional team of specialist nurses working together,
educating, training and supporting Trust wide health care staff in
managing patients; albeit outside of their speciality.
The early identification of the yellow lanyards enabled staff who
were caring for patients with Coivd-19 to easily identify those
staff with the additional respiratory skills to gain support. Staff
wearing the yellow lanyards were expected to meet a set criteria.
Methods
Our role particularly focused on non-invasive training
(Continuous positive airway pressures) a leadership
strategy employed by the Trust to manage COVID-19
patients with high FiO2 requirement in a respiratory high
dependency unit (HDU) setting. The respiratory HDU was
relocated and expanded to 31 beds compared to a normal
capacity of 10 and all patients requiring non-ventilatory
support only were managed on it unless deemed at high
risk.
We also liaised with our lung physiology department daily
for equipment calibration and programming enabling us to
manage the quick turnover of patients admitted.
Additionally we offered training opportunities to all staff
including NEWS monitoring, documentation, adequate use
of personal protective equipment, oxygen management,
initiating Hi-Flow nasal oxygen, and escalation of patients
to intensive care alongside delivery of conventional
respiratory care.
Results
Our strategies upskilled healthcare worker to manage the
ever increasing case load of COVID-19 patients using
enhanced decision making, critical thinking and improved
communication skills preparing them to work in the ever
changing environment. The Yellow Lanyard Team was an
asset during the pandemic available 24/7 and successfully
managed patients to recover from their illness