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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.
As part of this week’s overall easing of lockdown restrictions, there have been welcome changes to visiting arrangements both in to and out of care homes, with matching updates to the national guidance. Vigilance, of course, remains the vital watch-word and we have spelled out the key changes to the guidance in this newsletter as well as linking to the new national information.
Remember that we do our best to keep links to all national guidance for providers up to date on our Provider Engagement Network website.
More restrictions eased for care homes
From Monday 17 May care home residents are able to have more named visitors and more opportunities to make visits out with no need to self-isolate when they return.
- Care home residents will be allowed five named visitors, an increase from two.
- Self-isolation is no longer required following visits to GPs, dentists and day centres.
- Visits will only pause for a minimum of 14 days rather than 28 days following an outbreak.
Arrangements for visiting out of the care home sets out how care homes can support residents on visits outside of the care home.
From Monday 17 May 2021, care home residents may leave their care home to spend time outdoors (avoiding crowded spaces) and take part in outdoor exercise not involving close contact with others. Residents will also be able to go to medical appointments (excluding overnight stays in hospital), a workplace, educational setting and day centres without having to self-isolate on their return.
Please note that the 14 day isolation period remains for overnight stays and other visits where risks can't be adequately mitigated.
Care homes should always support visits out in exceptional circumstances, such as to visit a friend or relative at the end of their life.
The Director of Public Health has the ability to advise on restrictions beyond the guidance where local circumstances merit.
Visiting arrangements in care homes sets out how care homes can support families and visitors to visit residents. From Monday 17 May care home residents will be able to nominate up to five visitors for regular visits into the home.
Please note that this includes up to two at once and a maximum of two on the same day. Babies and very young children aren't included in the number limit.
Testing guidance for social care settings
The expected guidance regarding the reduction in time to determine the end of an outbreak in a care home has been published.
It also includes:
- new provision for visitors to extra care housing and supported living settings
- changed regime for day centre testing
- change from specific to universal testing offer for personal assistants.
Testing for adult social care settings outlines the COVID-19 testing available for testing staff, residents and visitors for all adult social care settings. There is a reduction in the time required to determine the end of an outbreak in care homes, extra care and supported living testing now includes visitors, the testing regime for day care centres has changed, personal assistants testing regime has been removed and universal testing is now offered.
Care homes testing spreadsheet updated
From Thursday 20 May, the Department of Health and Social Care will be switching to a new version of the multiple upload spreadsheet.
This means that providers:
- can input the test details at the beginning and directly on to the spreadsheet, saving time
- are now able to input both polymerase chain reaction and rapid lateral flow tests into the spreadsheet
- are also able to add the result into the spreadsheet if registering a rapid lateral flow test
- can check all the details on an updated review page before submitting.
Please download the latest version of the spreadsheet.
Completed spreadsheets should be uploaded to the portal.
Homecare testing guidance update
Testing for homecare workers sets out how homecare (domiciliary care) workers in England can collect, complete and register test kits for coronavirus, available in eight languages.
Testing for homecare workers: information for agencies in England can order regular tests for their homecare (domiciliary care) staff.
Ventilation of indoor spaces guidance
Research has shown that good ventilation of indoor spaces is one of the most effective things we can all do the prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Second doses brought forward for frontline staff
Second doses of the COVID-19 vaccination are being brought forward for people aged over 50, frontline health and social care workers and people who are in at-risk groups (cohorts 1-9). This follows the government announcement last week reducing the time between doses for those groups from 12 to around eight weeks.
People in cohorts 1-9, who have an appointment before Tuesday 25 May, should attend as planned. Those with later appointments will be contacted to make new arrangements as soon as possible. There is no need to contact your GP or vaccination centre. Patients who used the National Booking Service will receive a text message prompting them to cancel their existing second appointment and rebook an earlier one. There are currently plenty of appointments available and new appointments are being added regularly, so please keep checking. Those who are aged under 50 and in cohort 10 will continue to get a second dose at 12 weeks.
National vaccination booking website.
Message from CQC: Importance of transparent communications about visiting
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been clear throughout the pandemic that the individual must be at the centre of decisions around visiting. CQC knows the majority of providers are making every effort to follow the latest guidance but if something changes and providers are unable to do so, they should talk to their inspector. If CQC is made aware that guidance on visiting isn’t being followed they'll follow up with the provider and inspect if they consider there’s a risk.
CQC published a statement which shares some good practice to support providers. If providers have a website, they should publish their visiting policy for transparency.
The Care Provider Alliance has collated some great resources including their ‘Partners in Care’ material to support meaningful visits.
Survey reminders
Making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes
The Department for Health and Social (DHSC) care is seeking your views on a proposal to make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes. You can read more information on the GOV.UK website. The consultation closes on Friday 21 May at 11.45pm.
Local experience and planning survey
Devon County Council and NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group would like you to take a few minutes to complete this online survey which asks for your views on winter pressures and your thoughts on business continuity as well as the COVID-19 challenges. The deadline for responses is Monday 31 May.
National Care Forum (NCF) care workforce survey
The NCF is conducting a UK-wide workforce survey for frontline workers in adult social care to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic affected people's experience of working in the sector. It takes 15 min to complete the questionnaire and you can enter a prize draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher.
Impact of COVID-19 on NHS-funded nursing care interviews
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) would like to hear from nursing home providers on how COVID-19 is impacting the time spent providing nursing care, per resident as part of the provision of NHS-funded nursing care (FNC). DHSC would like to speak with registered managers and nurses. Interviews will take around 30 min. For further information or to schedule an interview please contact FNC.
Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS)
The ASC-WDS is an online service funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and managed by Skills for Care. ASC-WDS collects data about care providers and the workforce. This intelligence informs government, DHSC and local authorities on key decisions, for example on vaccination programs and implementing new national living wage rates.
As well as providing key insight to government, ASC-WDS allows you to access the Workforce Development Fund (money to help you train your staff), it allows you to store all your staffing, training and qualifications data in on place, as well as providing easy to understand benchmarking functionality. If you choose to, you can share your data to help build a full picture of you as a care provider.
You can learn more about the service and watch a short video on the Skills for Care website.
Reporting deaths of employees and volunteers
Michelle Dyson, Director General for Adult Social Care, DHSC, has written to all local authorities and social care providers, encouraging employers to tell DHSC about the deaths of all workers in the adult social care sector, regardless of role or employer, including volunteers. DHSC appreciate that this is another reporting requirement at an incredibly difficult moment for providers and have designed this process to be as light-touch as possible. If you have any queries regarding this process, please contact DHSC.
Data Security and Protection Toolkit support
The deadline for the 2020/21 submission of the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) is Monday 30 June 2021. Devon Care Homes Collaborative and NHS Devon are running weekly webinars and workshops to help you complete the Toolkit.
If you’re looking to get started on the DSPT come to an introductory webinar in June on getting you registered and logged in, and find out what your next steps might be.
Data Security and Protection Toolkit: Getting Started
The next webinar is on Tuesday 25 May, 11.00am. Registration.
More dates in June are available.
Completing the DSPT
If you’ve already made a start then these workshops to help you complete the Toolkit. You need to already have registered with the DSPToolkit and have your ICO registration in place so that you can complete the Toolkit during these sessions.
The next Staffing and Policies & Procedures Workshop is on Thursday 20 May at 11.00am. Registration.
More dates in May and June are available.
A local DSPT helpline is operating Monday to Friday from 2.00pm to 5.00pm on 01626 912790. You can also email DSPT.
South West Day Opportunities – webinar
Friday 18 June, from 8.30am to 10.30am
The South West ADASS and LGA will be hosting a webinar to share learning and generate ideas across the region on how to develop and reform day services so that they are engaging and worthwhile, whilst also being financially viable for LAs and providers.
The webinars will share the experiences and journeys of best practise examples, covering LAs and providers and will give attendees the chance to reflect on what lessons they can apply to their own work and LA. There will be an emphasis on looking at opportunities that can stretch beyond traditional groups and that support a range of different needs. It is also planned to cover learning from COVID-19.
Please contact LOCAL.GOV.UK to book a place.
Celebrating success - COVID HERO award
Jo Burke, Registered Manager, and Northam Lodge, part of The Northam Care Trust, have won the South West Care Home Network COVID HERO award for Devon in recognition of the hard work, dedication, team work and commitment of the staff team in keeping colleagues and residents with profound disabilities and health needs, safe during the pandemic.
Here is Jo with a resident GH.
Remember to share your good news stories in this newsletter
Has your support helped transformed someone’s life? Have you got innovative practice to share? Send us your celebratory photos and words and we’ll help share good practice.
Revisit previous good news stories
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