DHSC weekly coronavirus social care update

This bulletin was sent at 10-07-2020 03:36 PM BST

The independent regulator of health and social care in England

A message from Minister for Care Helen Whately

From Monday this week, we started rolling out regular testing for care home staff and residents in England. Regular testing is critical, even where residents and staff have no symptoms. Care home regular testing is about identifying and isolating all cases of the virus before it can spread further and become an outbreak.

Regular testing is available to all care homes who primarily care for those over 65 and those with dementia. We will expand to all other adult care homes in August.

All homes caring for the over-65s and those with dementia need to re-register on the care home portal to apply for regular testing, please take time to do this. You can read more about the testing programme in our press notice issued earlier this month and find all coronavirus information and advice published to date on GOV.UK.

I have tremendous gratitude for workers in our care homes and communities. I know you have strived to keep your clients, friends and families protected and reassured throughout the pandemic. New regular testing is another step forward in helping you do your job safely.

Update from the Taskforce

The Social Care Sector COVID-19 Support Taskforce is working with care services, local authorities and partners to deliver the social care action plan and care home support package put in place by the government to support the adult social care sector during the coronavirus pandemic. The Taskforce is also advising the government on the impact of COVID-19 on the care sector over the next year and plans to provide support through this period.

Recent taskforce activity includes:

Taskforce Chair David Pearson wrote to providers and local authorities on 3 July highlighting the importance of care staff only working in one setting at any one time. The letter reiterated that local authorities and providers should make use of the £600 million Infection Control Fund to pay staff their full wages to remain in one setting, ensuring staff do not suffer any loss of income due to limited movement, as well as to support people to stay off work, if advised to do so through the NHS Test & Trace programme.
Following a surge in coronavirus cases in Leicester and other areas with higher rates of infection, the Taskforce has been supporting the social care response as part of local action to help protect those receiving and providing care services in the area.
The Taskforce met for the second time on 2 July to discuss a range of issues, including the latest update to care sector testing, announced on Friday 3 July. This will see staff and residents in care homes for over 65s and those with dementia receiving regular coronavirus tests from Monday 6 July.

Four secondees from provider organisations have been appointed to provide additional advice and support to the Taskforce. They are:

Angela Murphy, Director of Community Services, Jewish Care
Christine Asbury, Chief Executive Officer, WCS Care
Lynn James, Managing Director, Care Bridge and Director, TFS Ltd
Ian Turner, Executive Chair, Registered Nursing Home Association and Director, The Partnership in Care Ltd

Guidance for young carers

Information to help young carers and young adult carers (aged under 25) is now available. It will also be helpful for those who provide services to support young people who provide care.

The guidance is designed to help young carers understand the changes they need to make and signposts assistance available during the pandemic. It builds on previously published guidance for those who provide unpaid care to friends or family and is also available as an easy read version.

Read the young carers guidance

Easy-read direct payments

Public Health England has produced an easy-read version of the guidance to direct payments for direct payment holders and those they employ.

This is particularly useful for people who have learning disabilities, who can use this to find out more about how direct payments should be used during this time.

Easy-read direct payments guidance

Blogs

To mark Co-Production Week we published two blogs from the Social Care Institute of Excellence to highlight case studies and ways to co-produce through the pandemic. Changes in self care in response to the pandemic was discussed this week by Helen Donovan, Chair of the Self Care Forum and Dr Knut Schroeder Chief Executive of The Self Care Forum.

Co-production week: Oxfordshire views

Co-production week: Online but not out of sight

Pandemics and the vital role of self care

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This communication has been sent by the Care Quality Commission on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.