An extra £60 million for adult social care in January
The Government will provide an extra £60 million to local authorities to support the adult social care response to COVID-19 in January, Minister for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan announced recently.
The Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund is on top of the £388 million infection control and testing fund already announced to prevent infections and provide care sector testing.
As cases of Omicron rise rapidly around the country, the additional £60 million will help protect the adult social care workforce, those who receive care, and the family and friends who support them.
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 Over 1.5 million people work in social care, caring for and supporting people at the heart of their communities. Everyone working in this sector should be recognised and valued for their dedication to protecting and maintaining the health, dignity and independence of the people they support.
Visit Transforming Social Care to find out more about the Government's long-term vision for adult social care, including creating rewarding career opportunities, where staff have the skills and training to deliver the highest quality of care, and where their wellbeing is prioritised.
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COVID-19 booster vaccinations: all the reassurance you need
COVID-19 vaccinations are safe, effective and the best way to protect you, your colleagues and those you care for from infection. As the omicron variant continues to dominate new cases, getting your COVID-19 booster is essential to provide the most effective protection, in tandem with tight infection prevention and control measures.
These video clips featuring Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care and GP Dr Nikki Kanani MBE (pictured above) provide further reassurance about why the booster jabs are so important including where, when and how to get you and your colleagues vaccinated.
Meanwhile, please continue to spread winter vaccination messages among your colleagues. Free campaign resources remain available for download.
New regulations require frontline health and social care staff and volunteers, carrying out face to face CQC regulated activity, to be fully vaccinated by 1 April, unless medically exempt.
A 12 week grace period began on 6 January this year, with regulations fully in force from 1 April 2022. Staff must be fully vaccinated or have secured a medical exemption by this date.
Existing care home regulations will also be amended so that new care home staff can be deployed from three weeks after receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine, provided they have arranged and received their second dose within 10 weeks.
Guidance covering all details of the regulations will be published soon.
Researching NHS funded nursing care: your help needed
The Department of Health and Social Care is conducting research on the NHS funded nursing care (FNC) rate. If your nursing home has FNC eligible residents, we’d like to hear from you. Any information you give will provide valuable insights to help calculate future rates.
You will be asked to provide Information about your nursing home, shift hours for a recent payroll period and nursing payroll costs for May and October 2021.
If your nursing home has not received an email with an excel template for completion, please click the link below to email the team, who will be happy to help with any questions. Deadline for responses is 5pm 17 January 2022.
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 Skills for Care CEO, Oonagh Smyth, applauds the Samaritans' current wellbeing campaign, including their helpline to support the adult social care workforce. Meanwhile, Samaritans volunteer, Faith Williams, describes her experience answering calls from health and social care workers during the pandemic.
For anyone feeling the pressure, there is always someone to turn to. Click the link below to find out more about the support available.
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This communication has been sent by the Care Quality Commission on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.
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