Welcome!
Welcome to this week's newsletter, published for adult social care providers, issued on behalf of Devon County Council's Director of Adult Social Care Services and Director of Public Health and NHS Devon’s Chief Nursing Officer.
The vaccination roll-out continues at pace with great progress being made in Devon. Our vaccination success does not, however, mean we can drop our guard when it comes to infection prevention and control, hence the reminders about car-sharing precautions and the importance of ventilation below.
We are also maintaining our ongoing publication of the latest guidance updates in this newsletter and in the relevant sections of our Provider Engagement Network website, and your feedback on that information is always welcome.
Advice for frontline social care staff on second vaccinations
If you were vaccinated at Derriford Hospital Plymouth, Torbay Hospital or North Devon Hospital you should have an appointment for a second vaccination or the hospital will be in contact to confirm your appointment.
If you were vaccinated at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital please refer to the following letter.
If you were vaccinated between Monday 25 and Wednesday 27 January at Westpoint please refer to the attached letter.
New appeal to car sharers and people in the workplace
Case numbers are coming down, but we're still seeing positive cases of Coronavirus in workplaces. This has prompted a fresh appeal from Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon, asking people at work, and car sharers in particular, to take extra precautions.
One in three people don't have any symptoms of coronavirus and it can easily spread in the small enclosed space of a vehicle. So avoid car sharing with those outside your household or support bubble. Think twice before getting a lift to work with colleagues or taking a friend or relative grocery shopping or to a medical appointment, unless they are part of your household or support bubble.
If you have to car share, please follow these simple steps to reduce the risk of spreading the virus:
😷 Everyone should wear face coverings
↔️ Sit as far apart as possible
♀️ Share with the same small group of people each time
💨 Open windows for ventilation
Wash or sanitise your hands before and after your journey.
Clean the car between journeys, paying attention to touch points such as door handles.
Why is fresh air so important?
Making sure there is good ventilation in a room is something we sometimes overlook, but it’s one of the basic measures we should all be taking to reduce the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus.
With roughly one in every three people with coronavirus not showing any symptoms of having it, it's important to take every precaution, and remember that good ventilation is one of those measures.
The government has updated the guidance on its website about how to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
Vaccine research: fertility and pregnancy
The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists issued a joint statement to confirm there is “no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines will affect fertility”.
The bodies have also produced an information sheet to help eligible pregnant women make an informed choice, as well as a question and answer document on COVID-19 vaccination, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
The original advice was a very cautious approach based on lack of evidence rather than any confirmed evidence of impact on pregnancy from the trial data. The risks associated with receiving the vaccine in pregnancy are extremely low and the advice has subsequently been updated. There is no longer any advice to avoid becoming pregnant after vaccination as stated in the Green Book and a selection of short helpful films from Public Health England:
Vaccine research: general safety
Latest monitoring data confirms safety of COVID-19 vaccines
Data published from UK’s independent medicines regulator confirms approved vaccines meet strict regulatory standards for safety.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine adverse reactions
A report covering adverse reactions to approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Information sheet for support staff with vaccination of people with learning disabilities
Learning Disability England has produced a guide for people and organisations that offer paid support to people with learning disabilities to help them to prepare the people they support to make a decision about having the Coronavirus vaccine.
South West Water: Neighbourhood fund
The Neighbourhood Fund is all about supporting our local community. There will be £100,000-a-year funding available for neighbourhood community groups which inspire physical activities, education, health and wellbeing and deliver positive environmental outcomes.
The type of projects we're funding:
- Protect nature and the environment for the benefit of community health and well-being
- Providing new opportunities for people to learn and develop
- Assisting local projects which bring communities together, virtually or physically – when safe to do so
- Supporting the upkeep of local neighbourhood centres and facilities to keep communities strong.
Further details available via the South West Water website.
Latest national COVID-19 updates
COVID-19 vaccination: information for healthcare practitioners
Guidance for healthcare practitioners about the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme. Various updates detailed on pages 4 and 5.
NHS and social care staff: check if a COVID-19 patient has an attorney or deputy
Find out about the information we have on our registers and how NHS staff and local authorities in England and Wales can ask us for it. Added information about searching on behalf of patients for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Being a deputy or attorney during the coronavirus outbreak
Find out how you can continue to act in the best interests of the client or donor during the outbreak. Added information about consent and medical treatment such as the COVID-19 vaccination.
Enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus (COVID-19)
This guidance aims to help organisations and groups understand how to safely and effectively involve volunteers during the pandemic.
Guidance updated throughout: new sections on 'Political campaigning' and 'Volunteers eligible for vaccines'.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): providing home care
Information for those providing personal care to people living in their own home during the coronavirus outbreak. Added guidance on vaccinations and the NHS capacity tracker and the definition of 'home care'.
Care home vaccination follow-ups
How to contact us if your eligible care home in England has not yet been visited for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): providing unpaid care
Information for people who are caring, unpaid, for friends or family during the coronavirus outbreak. Updated the personal protective equipment section with guidance for unpaid carers who do not live with the person or people they care for.
Understanding lateral flow antigen testing for people without symptoms
An explanation of the technology behind asymptomatic testing and the role these tests play in the national COVID-19 testing programme.
Infection control evidence and guidance
Infection control remains crucial through winter, even when all staff and residents are vaccinated. A comprehensive review of evidence has been undertaken by the UK Infection Prevention Control Cell in light of the new variants and there has been no change to guidance on the use of infection prevention control measures. This means it remains essential to follow the existing 'How to Work Safely' guidance on personal protective equipment.
Latest Long-Term Care Policy Network posts
The International Long-Term Care Policy Network has a list of resources to support community and institutional Long-Term Care responses to COVID-19. It includes a study of health inequalities in the care pathways for people living with young and late-onset dementia and research into the sustainability of long-term residential care in a COVID-19 environment and in the future.
Elton John and Michael Caine star in video to promote COVID vaccination
NHS England produced a lighthearted video with Sir Elton John and Sir Michael Caine to encourage all people in high priority groups to book an appointment and get the jab.
Blog to help overcome vaccine hesitancy in our diverse communities
Clenton Farquharson's family have had many heated debates about the new COVID-19 vaccines and whether or not to take them. Clenton believes this is a common worry among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, fuelled by misinformation and a shortfall in efforts to assuage concerns about safety. He writes for the DHSC Social Care blog to counter these issues, encourage honest conversations and presents a short video demonstrating how getting a COVID-19 vaccination is really no big deal at all.
Closure of NHS 'payables' mailbox
NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) provide finance services to a number of NHS organisations, including processing invoices for payment. Over the coming months NHS SBS will be moving from using the sbs.payables@nhs.net email address to their new online web form only, which will make the service more efficient and responsive. If you would like to start using the new online form ahead of sbs.payables@nhs.net being switched off, please use their corporate website. You can contact them on 0303 123 1177, from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).
Celebrating success - Kickstart
The Northam Care Trust was awarded 30 Kickstart jobs by the Department of Work and Pensions and the success of this is evidenced in the BBC TV Spotlight news.
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