A final Thank You of the year
This is our last newsletter of 2021. Our next issue will come out on Thursday 6 January.
We wish to once again thank you for the amazing work you have carried out tirelessly all year and will be sustaining over the festive break. We hope you have as good a break as you possibly can.
Today’s issue contains the latest letter of appreciation from leaders of Devon’s overall care system, echoed by comments from Devon County Council’s adult social care portfolio-holder.
Our contact details for festive period are published in this newsletter and can also be found on the Provider Engagement Network website. We have also done our best to provide the most up-to-date guidance links on the website but, as guidance is changing so often at present, please remember to always refresh the site when you visit those pages.
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COVID-19: latest guidance updates for health and social care settings and households with possible coronavirus infection
On Wednesday 22 December, the guidance on ‘Management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings’ was updated.
The ‘Guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection’ was also updated on 22 December.
The guidance on Self-isolation for COVID-19 cases to be reduced from ten to seven days following negative LFD tests changed. It is now possible to end self-isolation after seven days, following two negative LFD tests taken 24 hours apart. The first LFD test should not be taken before the sixth day.
COVID-19: infection prevention and control latest guidance also updated
The guidance was updated on Tuesday 21 December as follows:
- COVID-19: infection prevention and control for mental health and learning disability settings appendix has been withdrawn
- adult social care providers in England should refer to existing COVID-19 care home guidance already in place. The Department of Health and Social Care will continuously review this guidance and update as needed.
Residents returning to care homes following hospital admission or visit to hospital
Local guidance to support care homes when residents return to the care homes from the hospital admissions or visits.
Always remember to refresh your browser when looking at online guidance
Testing over the Christmas period
All test sites will remain open, with booking slots available on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Test site operating hours may be extended if there is increased demand for PCR testing.
Please book a PCR test if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you have tested positive following an LFD test. You can book a test online or by calling 119.
People will be able to order LFD and PCR tests every day over the festive period.
The 119 service will continue to operate on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 7.00am to 6.00pm and Christmas Day and New Year’s Day from 7.00am to 5.00pm. On other days, the service will operate from 7.00am to 11.00pm.
In some cases, tests may take slightly longer than usual to arrive due to Royal Mail’s collection and delivery times over the festive period.
Collection of PCR test kits during the festive period
For those organisations who return PCR tests via courier there will be fewer courier slots available between Friday 24 and Tuesday 28 of December and on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 of January. If you plan to test on those dates, please book your couriers in advance to secure a courier slot. As usual, you should have your courier confirmed before any testing takes place.
Please note that on Sunday 25, Monday 26 December and Saturday 1 January courier collection slots are only available from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Collecting LFD test kits from the PPE Hubs
Please see opening times of the PPE hubs to collect LFD test kits. Collection of test kits must be pre-booked via this order form.
Contacting the DCC COVID-19 response team when you have a COVID-19 outbreak during the festive season
On Saturday 25, Sunday 26, Monday 27 December and Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 January all three of the response team's COVID-19 mailboxes, including staffing, will be checked daily at 9.30am.
If you have an outbreak please report as usual to the UK Health Security Agency South West Health Protection Team on 0300 303 8162.
For urgent staffing issues during the above time please contact the emergency duty service on 0345 600 0388.
All three of the response team's COVID-19 mailboxes will be monitored through office hours on Tuesday 28, Wednesday 29, Thursday 30, Friday 31 December and Monday 3 January.
Reminder of the vaccination routes for care staff
If you haven’t yet had your booster please do so as soon as possible. Here are the ways in which you can currently access a jab:
- Book a vaccine through the National Booking Service or by ringing 119.
- Attend one of the many walk-in centres available across the county.
- Attend a pop-up clinic; different ones are advertised every week. Keep checking social media for more information.
- The hospital hub at North Devon District Hospital reopened on Tuesday 21 December and offers COVID-19 (Pfizer) and flu vaccines. Available dates.
If you require further support please contact your local authority: Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council.
North Devon Hospital Hub vaccination sessions for social care staff
National letter for any social care staff lacking formal ID for vaccinations
As some social care workers such as personal assistants will not have formal identification issued by employers, a letter has been signed by Sir David Pearson, Chair of the national Social Care Task Force at the Department of Health and Social Care. The letter can be downloaded and used at vaccination centres.
The letter contains the following statement:
“For vaccination centre staff, please allow the bearer of this letter priority access to your services, as they have been identified as a social care worker.”
Six free training courses for personal assistants
Living Options runs free training for personal assistants. The courses are both on and offline, funded by the Skills for Care, and are free to attend for personal assistants in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth area. The courses run from January to March 2022.
To find out more about each course and book your place please follow the below links. You can sign up for as many of the courses as you like.
Need assistance booking onto this course? Email Living Options or phone them on 01392 459222.
Workforce Retention and Recruitment Fund Phase Two
Further to our support for the domiciliary care market the Council is pleased to announce that, following the award of a second phase of the WRRF from central government and with further financial support from our NHS partners, we are able to now offer a grant on the same terms as for domiciliary care to all CQC registered care homes in the Devon County Council area. A DCC media release was issued on Thursday 23rd December and care homes will be contacted as soon as possible in the New Year to invite applications to the Fund. Payments will be made at the earliest opportunity in January and February and all funds have to be spent by end of March 2022.
This Grant, like the one to domiciliary care, is designed to support retention and recruitment this winter, to ease pressure on our hospitals and to keep the people of Devon as safe as we can through the pandemic. The grant, whilst very welcome, is not enough to make the same offer to all adult social care markets in Devon and does not resolve long term pay issues. The Appreciative Inquiry held on 3rd December has, however resulted in the initiation of an urgent piece of work to examine any local action we can take to address differentials in pay and conditions between health and social care and to enable us to lobby further at a national level. This will include consideration of all markets.
Cllr James McInnes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for adult social care and health, said:
“Social care in all its forms is crucial to the well-being of our population and that has never been clearer than during this pandemic.
“I want to do all I can for everyone working in the sector and, whilst I am pleased to have been able to allocate grants to the domiciliary and care homes sector, we will continue to lobby for extra money for all those working in other social care services.”
 Capacity Trackers update: please keep reporting during the festive period
Christmas break
- Please update as normal during the Christmas period. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will issue communications to confirm exact arrangements. However, at this stage, it is unlikely to change from the current position, which is weekly for ICF, daily for vaccinations/vacancies etc. The Capacity Tracker Team want to assure you that all the information you upload into the Capacity Tracker is important, reviewed and reported every day by the DHSC and NHS colleagues together with ministers and a number of agencies, including UK Health Security Agency and the CQC.
- If you contact the Capacity Tracker support team (NECS) over the Christmas period, please note any ‘Out of office’ redirection details.
COVID-19 bed status
Please ensure the Capacity Tracker accurately reflects the status of your bed types such as those beds that are closed to admissions are accurately showing as closed within the Costs, Vacancies and Business Continuity section of the system.
This will help prevent unnecessary calls to care home locations from discharge teams who need to know at speed if a bed is open and the home is able to accept a new resident.
Amendments to questions
Please note following changes to the Capacity Tracker which are now live:
- care homes are asked to confirm if they have any under 18s deployed within their setting and the number of under 18s partially/not vaccinated within the Costs
- maternity exemption has now been added to the general exemption question
- Type of PPE is now asked if less than 48 hours worth left is selected (including aprons, eye protection etc).
Self-certifications (reminder)
Self-certifications were due to expire on Friday 24 December, but now the deadline is extended to 31 March 2022. It is only applicable for those that registered self-certification by Friday 24 December. Where applicable (for care homes), these can be viewed on the Capacity Tracker.
If you have any queries, please contact the Capacity Tracker team.
Further details on the Capacity Tracker.
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