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Welcome to this week's newsletter, published for adult social care providers.
The government recently announced that from Monday 19 July, double vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff in England who have been told to self-isolate will be permitted to attend work in exceptional circumstances and instead undertake daily testing.
The following national guidance has been issued.
Whether staff have been pinged by the COVID-19 app or contacted by NHS Test and Trace, self-isolation is the default position given that close contact with a COVID-19 positive person has taken place. When contacted by NHS Test and Trace via phone self-isolation is legally enforceable.
Care providers should undertake a risk assessment and be mindful of their health and safety responsibilities when making decisions about staff returning to work from self-isolation. This should only be considered in extremis situations to maintain continuity of care and ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of service users.
We are seeking clarification regarding a number of issues raised by providers concerning the guidance. We are working across the system including with representative providers to develop a standardised risk assessment framework and standard operating procedure and hope to communicate this as soon as possible.
Remember that we do our best to keep the content and structure of our PEN website up-to-date and your suggestions how to improve the site are always welcome.
 Heat-Health Watch 2021 - Level 3 - Heatwave Action
The Met Office has issued a ‘Level 3 Amber Extreme Heat Warning’ for all of the South West, with temperatures expected to peak with highs of 30C on Thursday 22 July.
Last week we published the Public Health England Hot Weather Communications Toolkit 2021 on the PEN website to support planning and response.
You can also find a number of other resources and information from Devon County Council.
Guidance updates
COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021
The government has published the ‘Moving to Step 4 of the roadmap’ document. This sets out the essential actions that everybody should take to protect themselves and others while prevalence is high, as we transition towards learning to live with COVID-19.
In care homes, the government will lift restrictions that limit each resident to five named visitors. Specific guidance will advise how visits should be conducted to keep care homes safe whilst also making visits as normal as possible. Care homes will need to retain infection prevention and control measures essential to protecting residents from the risk of infection.
Arrangements for visiting outside of care home
On 16 July the Department of Health and Social Care released new guidance regarding how care homes can support residents on visits outside of the care home. It has been updated to clarify advice on self-isolation and arrangements for care home staff accompanying residents out of the care home.
Visiting arrangements inside of care homes
The guidance sets out how care homes can support families and visitors to visit residents. It's been updated to reflect that from Monday 19 July, restrictions will be removed on the number of visitors care home residents can receive overall or on any one day.
Admission and care of people in care homes
How to protect care home residents and staff during the coronavirus outbreak. The guidance has been updated to clarify that where a resident is being admitted from another care home or care facility, care home managers should undertake a risk assessment to determine whether self-isolation is required.
Supported living services during coronavirus
The guidance for providers of supported living settings clarifies the policy on limiting close contact and visiting in and out of supported living settings.
Guidance on protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable
This guidance is for everyone in England who has been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable from coronavirus. There is emerging evidence that suggests that some immunocompromised and immunosuppressed individuals may not respond as well to COVID-19 vaccines as others and for whom the second dose is particularly important to generate protection. Their protection may also wane more rapidly and research is ongoing to determine who might need a booster when.
Ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus
Advice and information on how ventilation of indoor spaces can help to stop the spread of coronavirus, including how to increase ventilation at home and in other settings.
 Please continue to wear face coverings on public transport and in enclosed spaces
Although it is no longer a legal requirement for people to wear face coverings after Monday 19 July, the advice for everyone is to continue to wear them especially when indoors with people who you don't normally meet and in crowded spaces.
So, Devon’s public are encouraged to continue wearing face coverings on public transport after Monday 19 July.
We’ve written to local public transport and patient transport operators, asking them to support this.
CQC to publish death notifications in care homes at location level
As expected, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) today (Wednesday 22 July) published data showing death notifications involving COVID-19 received from individual care homes between 10 April 2020 and 31 March 2021.
Devon County Council (DCC) understands the potential impact that publication of this data may have on care homes and is able to offer homes media support if they are approached by their local press. If any Devon care home finds itself in this situation please notify DCC.
Capacity Tracker updates
Care homes regular Q&Answer Session
Donna Schell has replaces Katherine Emmerton as the South West representative for the Capacity Tracker. She set up weekly Q&A sessions on every Thursday from 8.30am to 9.30am starting from Thursday 29 July so you can ask about any issues you might have about the Tracker. This also provides an opportunity to update you on the most recent changes in the Tracker and urgent messaged from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. Please pop in when you can.
Care Homes – registering staff absences
The Capacity Tracker team reminds all care homes to record the number of staff absences due to COVID-19. These will feed into the national figures in case there is any need for action. Please check the figures are changed daily. Remember, viewing the screen does not update it, please press ‘Save’.
Support available:
Reminder
Please make sure that you continue to provide your daily updates on the Capacity Tracker. It is particularly important at this pressured time that you ensure all of your bed vacancies are recorded.
Virtual long COVID programme to launch next month
A virtual HOPE Programme for people living with the long-term effects of coronavirus (long COVID) will be starting on Monday 9 August.
The programme helps people to focus on themselves as a person, not as a long-term condition. It helps them to discover new strengths and rediscover old ones to keep well. It also aims to boost self-confidence and resilience, to help them to cope better emotionally, psychologically and practically with their condition.
This course is taking place over ten weeks and each weekly session will run from 1.00pm until 2.00pm.
To register on to this programme please visit their website or contact the HOPE Programme Coordinator or phone 01803 210493.
Digital COVID-19 passport scam
The latest coronavirus scam is currently circulating on social media asking people for payment in exchange for a 'coronavirus digital passport'.
The email claims to come from the NHS and says it will "allow you to travel safely and freely around the world without having to self-isolate" if you've had a COVID-19 vaccine or have recently recovered from the virus.
The email states "who is eligible" and asks people to click a button at the bottom of the email to access their "digital passport." The link will then take you to a fake NHS website, where it will ask for personal information and payment details towards 'an admin fee'.
What to do?
- If you receive this email please forward it onto PISHING.GOV.UK.
- If you have disclosed bank account details you should contact your bank immediately and notify action fraud.
 All adults urged to have second jab at eight weeks
People in Devon are being urged to bring forward their second COVID-19 vaccination to reduce the interval between doses to eight weeks. You can either rebook your appointment or attend one of the many walk-in clinics being held around Devon.
The government recently shortened the dosing interval to eight weeks for those under 40 years old, which means all adults are now eligible to have the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccination eight weeks after the first and will have had the opportunity to get a full course of vaccine by mid-September.
Details of walk-in clinics are being regularly shared on the social media pages of the NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and you can find your nearest walk-in clinic on the NHS website.
Booked appointments can be made through the National Booking Service or by calling 119. If you attend a walk-in session and have a booked appointment for a second dose, please remember to cancel it.
 Concerns for pregnant women as restrictions ease
There are concerns that the combination of restrictions easing this week, increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in the community and hesitancy to get vaccinated will lead to a further increase in infections among pregnant women.
The warning comes from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).
Pregnant women are at risk of getting severely ill with COVID-19, particularly in their third trimester. With a rise in COVID-19 cases across the UK, national data suggests the numbers of pregnant women being admitted to hospital each week are now more than three times greater than they were at the end of May.
Doctors and midwives are urging those who are pregnant, or considering pregnancy, to seriously consider getting the vaccine as soon as possible, and to book their second dose as soon as they are eligible. Evidence shows that having the COVID-19 jab is safe for pregnant women, and they should be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines where available.
They are also advising that unvaccinated or partially vaccinated pregnant women should take steps to avoid COVID-19 infection by continuing to practice social distancing, particularly in their third trimester. Everyone can help pregnant women stay safe by wearing face coverings in indoor spaces, taking tests as appropriate and self-isolating when required.
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