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As the return to ‘Living with Covid’ continues, the contents of this newsletter will start to emphasise other aspects of adult social care and health, including national campaign weeks and days. This week is Dementia Action Week until 22 May and next week is Acquired Brain Injury Week, with links to both websites in today’s newsletter.
We do our best to keep the content and structure of our PEN website up-to-date in these fast-changing times and your suggestions on how to improve the website are always welcome.
Ventilation Guidance Update
Ventilation to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19 – This guidance on the ventilation of indoor spaces to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including coronavirus was updated in line with 'Living with COVID-19' changes from 1 April. Updated: 13 May 2022
Testing update: Platinum Jubilee holiday, 119 change and digital reader service
There will be no collections from priority post boxes during the Jubilee bank holiday Collections will not be made from priority post boxes on Thursday 2 June, Friday 3 June, Saturday 4 June and Sunday 5 June. If you use priority post boxes to return PCR test kits to the lab for community admissions, for an ongoing evaluation project, or as part of the Vivaldi study, then we would ask you to consider rescheduling testing for before or until after the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday weekend. If your testing requirement is urgent a courier can be booked using the 119 service. Couriers will continue to collect PCR tests from care homes in outbreak as normal across the entire bank holiday weekend. Collections should be booked as normal on the online courier booking portal.
There will be reduced deliveries over the Jubilee bank holiday Any tests ordered on or after the 27 May will not be delivered until after the bank holiday period. We encourage care homes to ensure they have the sufficient stocks of rapid response and outbreak tests available. You can order tests for regular or outbreak testing using the online order portal.
New 119 opening hours from 30 May 2022 The current opening hours of the 119 telephone helpline are 7am to 11pm, 7 days per-week. From 30 May 2022 the opening hours will change to the following times: Monday – Friday: 8am – 6pm Saturday and Sunday: 9am – 1pm
Reminder: New digital reader service available for care homes The National Testing Programme was pleased to announce last week an additional method for care homes in England to register their rapid lateral flow device (LFD) results. Care homes will have access to the Digital Reader service from the 19 May.
Transparent Masks available from Devon County Council
Throughout the pandemic we have received request for transparent masks from those supporting people with learning disabilities, sensory problems, people with dementia and/or general communication problems.
The Department of Health and Social Care have approved two transparent masks for use with appropriate risk-assessment (equivalent to a Type IIR mask), Neither will be available free of charge through the DHSC PPE portal.
Devon County Council have purchased a ‘one off’ supply of these masks and they are now available for free until stocks last for all social care providers and teams who support people who find it difficult to communicate using Type IIR or Type II masks.
Please note: Transparent Masks will need to be purchased at organisations own costs in the longer term once this supply has ran out.
Please complete this short PPE order form to order a supply of Transparent masks, once submitted one of our PPE gatekeepers will call you to arrange a collection from one of our PPE hubs across Devon.
If you have any queries please email the PPE team.
Funded Nursing Care rates
New Funded Nursing Care rates have now been published at: Increased funding for nursing in care homes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Digital Transformation Fund questionnaire
On the 1 December 2021, The Department of Health and Social Care published the White Paper People at the Heart of Care which outlines the 10-year vision for the reform of the sector including embedding technology into care services. To help national planning, providers are being asked to complete the following questionnaire by 5pm Friday 3rd June 2022.
Digitising Social Care - Adult Social Care (ACS) Digital Transformation Fund (office.com)
Acquired Brain Injury Week: Headway Devon activities
This week (commencing 16 May) is Acquired Brain Injury week and Headway Devon will be working with Headway UK and brain injury organisations across the UK to raise public understanding of the hidden disability. At Headway Devon this will culminate in ‘Hilarious Hats for Headway’ event which will include a tea party, storytellers, music and more in celebration of the 2,000 individuals across Devon who live with an acquired brain injury. See the world differently on Saturday 21 May from 1pm at the Transit Shed on Exeter Quay and in the X Centre on Commercial Road, Exeter EX2 4AD.
Dementia Action Week until 22 May
Dementia Action Week is Alzheimer's Society's biggest and longest running awareness campaign. Each year, they work with individuals and organisations across the UK to encourage people to ‘act on dementia’. This year’s campaign is taking place this week and will run until 22 May with the theme of diagnosis.
Dementia Action Week | Alzheimer's Society (alzheimers.org.uk)
Dementia UK Summer School
Dementia UK is excited to invite all health and social care professionals with an interest in improving support for families living with dementia to attend their annual online summer school add dates. Find out more here.
Personal Assistants and Micro-Providers meetings
These sessions will be an opportunity for providers to ask questions, meet the team, and share information. Each month will be centred around a theme that emerged from PA feedback. In May we were joined by the Proud to Care team who shared information about training and wellbeing support offers available to PAs. In June we will be joined by Community Catalysts who are working in partnership with DCC to develop community enterprises, this work will help address market sufficiency issues and offer a greater choice of care options.
North – Thursday 9th June 2pm to 2.40pm
Zoom joining link Passcode NorthPA
East – Thursday 9th June 3pm to 3.40pm
Zoom joining link Passcode EastPA
South & West – Thursday 9th June 4pm to 4.40pm
Zoom joining link Passcode SWPA
Health and Social Care skills Accelerator Programme
Access a variety of Fully funded, flexible learning and development opportunities all designed to support you and your team to progress & specialise in the Health and Social Care Sector through The Health and Social Care Skills Accelerator Programme - ESF
For regular training offers and updates, subscribe to our HSSAP E- Bulletin or Contact our team.
Transparent Masks now available for Adults Social Care teams, Childrens Social Care teams and Providers.
Throughout the pandemic we have received request for transparent masks from those supporting people with learning disabilities, sensory problems, people with dementia and/or general communication problems.
The Department of Health and Social Care have approved two transparent masks for use with appropriate risk-assessment (equivalent to a Type IIR mask), Neither will be available free of charge through the DHSC PPE portal.
Devon County Council have purchased a ‘one off’ supply of these masks and they are now available for free until stocks last for all social care providers and teams who support people who find it difficult to communicate using Type IIR or Type II masks.
Please note: Transparent Masks will need to be purchased at organisations own costs in the longer term once this supply has ran out.
Please complete this short PPE order form to order a supply of Transparent masks, once submitted one of our PPE gatekeepers will call you to arrange a collection from one of our PPE hubs across Devon.
If you have any queries please email the PPE team.
Vaccination Fact Cards for Black African and Caribbean communities
Fact cards featuring trusted health experts addressing common topics of concern about COVID-19 vaccines are available to support the promotion of vaccination and engagement with Black African and Black African Caribbean communities.
Download the vaccination fact pack on the COVID-19 Vaccine Equalities Connect and Exchange Hub on FutureNHS, or email england.vaccination-equalities@nhs.net
Chief Social Worker for Adults publishes annual report
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo, have published her annual report for 2021-22.
Higher Development Award - Unlocking potential
Devon County Council are reaching out for an expression of interest about a new training pathway following on from the Care Certificate for all social care providers. The Higher Development Award has three different levels (L1-L3) focusing on personal development, team leader skills and leadership. The award aims to build on the expansive knowledge staff already hold, give further tools to increase awareness and improve service user outcomes.
We have created a page with information about the award with links to Health Education England and case studies at Lambeth college. We would like to host an information session (date to be confirmed) for providers to find out more and potentially develop the first Higher Development Award pathway in Devon for all providers in social care.
If you would like to be involved or would like more information, please contact us at Workforcetraining&education@devon.gov.uk.
TALKWORKS reminder!
If you are feeling stressed, anxious, are experiencing ongoing low mood, or are having difficulty sleeping, the NHS can help. TALKWORKS is a free and confidential NHS talking therapy service, here to help anyone over the age of 18 living in Devon, improve their mental and physical wellbeing. TALKWORKS therapists will work with you, by providing a variety of tools and techniques, to help get your life back on track, so that you can feel like yourself once again.
Treatment and support includes:
- One-to-one sessions with a therapist
- Group therapy sessions
- Wellbeing workshops
- Access to online self-help
You do not need a referral from a GP to access TALKWORKS’ services, you can refer yourself online or over the phone. For more information on the different treatment options and therapy services, please visit the TALKWORKS website or call 0300 555 3344.
Equipment/TECS fund for care homes
Devon County Council have identified a one-off amount of £100,000 capital funding and are now inviting bids against this capital pot for minor adaptations and equipment including TECS.
Please see the attached slides for further information about the process and outcomes to be met and the application form for which the deadline is 24 June. If you have any questions, please e-mail socialcarebusinessrelations-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
Care Home iPad offer project survey
In winter 2020, to support the pandemic response, NHSX procured and gifted 11,000 iPads to care homes across the country. The iPads were to support care homes to access remote health consultations and wellbeing services for the people in their care, and to help keep residents connected to their loved ones during the pandemic
The central funding for mobile device management support is due to end in June 2022 and the NHS and partners Jigsaw 24 have launched a survey to collect the views of care homes with NHSX iPads. We have extended this survey (link) for two weeks and it will now close on Friday 20th May.
Torbay & South Devon Care Homes Online Training platform reminder
The HIVE, the Torbay and South Devon training platform, has a care providers’ page currently available to care organisations in Torbay and South Devon. For further information visit (link below) and to request access, please email tsdft.hivesupport@nhs.net.
Care homes and NHS work together on training page
Queen's Speech briefing notes
The State Opening of Parliament (10th May) marked the start of a new Parliamentary session and The Queen’s Speech summarised the Government’s commitments for the year ahead. Issues relevant to social care include: funding the NHS to reduce backlogs; bringing forward draft legislation to reform the Mental Health Act(England and Wales); simplifying public sector procurement “to provide more. Full details can be found in the Government’s briefing notes.
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