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This is our final newsletter of 2022 and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we hope you manage to get some well deserved rest during the festive period. Thank you so much for all the work you have done for the people of Devon over the past twelve months.
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.
System Pressure and Seasonal Thank You
Many of you may have seen or even experienced our health system is extremely busy as we approach the Christmas period and the demand is expected to remain high into to the New Year. All of our teams are working hard to support people who are being discharged from hospital.
Each of you are key to health and care delivery in Devon and during this difficult period, so please carry on accepting new packages of care or care home placements, and supporting your clients to return home. We know many of you will already being doing this but given the extreme pressure the local system any increased capacity or focussed effort to bring people home would support vulnerable people in our communities and enable people to access emergency care over the festive period.
If we can help to support your service to continue to accept hospital discharges then please let us know by contacting your Arranging Support Teams or Hospital discharge teams directly to advise them of any spare capacity, and alert them to any support you need to achieve this.
East Arranging Support Team mailbox - adultsc.arrangingsupportadvisorseast-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
North Arranging Support Team mailbox - adultsc.arrangingsupportadvisorsnorth-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
South Arranging Support Team mailbox - adultsc.arrangingsupportadvisorssouth-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
This year has seen some very challenging circumstances for us all, and working in partnership has enabled us to be in the best position we can be to support those who need us. We thank you and your teams for their ongoing resilience and hard work, and look forward to continuing to work with you in to 2023.
Warm Regards
Solveig Wright - Head of Integrated Adult Social Care Commissioning
Keri Storey - Head of Integrated Adult Social Care Operations
Nicola Tribble - Senior Manager Commissioning – Markets
Proud to Care recruitment support success!
Are you taking full advantage of the recruitment support provided by Proud to Care?
The Proud to Care website hosts a jobs board with live vacancies in Devon. The jobs board is funded for all health and care organisations in the Devon to post their jobs. It directs job-seekers to vacancies in individual organisations. The jobs board has approximately 750+ live vacancies advertised by around 150 different organisations at any one time. The team is now organising more face-to-face careers events, as well as online events, at colleges, universities, job centres, apprenticeship events, and with community partners.
Proud to Care uses social media to engage with local communities, the current workforce and to encourage people to start a career in the sector. Please join us and like and share posts to increase our reach:
Facebook: @ProudtoCareDevon
Twitter: @ProudtoCare
LinkedIn: @Proud-To-Care-Devon
Instagram: @ProudtoCareDevon
Proud to Care staff have attended a range of events including Jobcentre events, careers fairs, community events. school and college events, the County Show, the National Apprenticeship Show and an Exeter City Football Club event.
Since September 35 people have been offered placements with care providers and 252 people have registered their CVs with Proud to Care.
Visit the Proud to Care webpage to ensure you make the most of the support on offer and for more information, please contact Workforcetraining&education@devon.gov.uk
COVID-19 Vaccination campaign update - last chances to get your Autumn Booster reminder!
We are expecting the Covid Autumn Booster offer to end in mid-February (available to anybody who turns 50 before 31 December 2022).
As we get further into winter please do take up this offer to boost your immunity and protect yourself and the vulnerable people you work with.
Vaccinations can be booked via the National Booking Service or please access one of the many drop-in centres Search - Find a walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site (www.nhs.uk)
N.B. The offer of a first and second vaccination to those who have not yet taken these up will continue beyond February.
Priority Registers for Power and other utilities
The Care Provider Alliance provides advice on power disruption and business continuity at:
https://careprovideralliance.org.uk/business-continuity-power-disruption
Vulnerable individuals can register as priority customers who may get additional support from utility providers:
South West Water - Priority Services (southwestwater.co.uk)
National Grid - National Grid - Priority services
Wales & West Utilities - Priority Services Register (wwutilities.co.uk)
Use of Face Masks in Care Settings
The recently updated national guidance (Mask and outbreak guidance updated in care settings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) states that care workers and visitors to care homes do not routinely need to wear a face mask at all times in care settings or when providing care in people’s own homes. However the guidance states that there remain a number of circumstances where it is recommended that care workers and visitors to care settings wear masks to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19. These are:
- if the person being cared for is known or suspected to have COVID-19 (recommended Type IIR fluid-repellent surgical mask)
- if the member of staff is a household or overnight contact of someone who has had a positive test result for COVID-19
- if the care setting is in an outbreak – see section on outbreak management for further information
If a care recipient is particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID-19 (for example, potentially eligible for COVID-19 therapeutics ) mask wearing may be considered on an individual basis in accordance with their preferences. Mask wearing may also be considered when an event or gathering is assessed as having a particularly high risk of transmission.
Given that we are currently seeing increasing cases of not only COVID-19, but other acute respiratory infections, you may want to revisit your risk assessments around mask wearing and also to ensure that you are continuing with infection prevention and control measures. The full PPE guidance can be viewed via the guidance link above. We would also encourage anyone who is not yet vaccinated to take up the opportunity of their flu and covid vaccines as these offer the best protection against severe illness.
What you need to know about Scarlet Fever and Group A Strep
We've sent the public information about Scarlet Fever and Group A Strep, along with other health advice for December. You can read the special edition of Connect Me online.
National Infection Prevention and Control and Winter Readiness Advice and Resources - reminder!
The UK Health Services Authority (UKHSA) has produced the three posters below:
Please also note that flu (influenza) has begun to circulate across the UK.and COVID-19 swabs do not detect flu.
- The symptoms of flu and covid-19 (and for several other respiratory viruses) are very similar.
- For symptomatic residents/clients or staff, please always test using COVID-19 LFD. If negative, then consider other viruses. The HPT can assist with testing for other viruses, including Flu
- It is also possible that a person may be infected with both COVID-19 and Flu at the same time. Be suspicious if your residents are particularly poorly and/or the infection appears to be spreading very rapidly.
Use our Checklists – one for acute respiratory infections and one for viral diarrhoea and vomiting ( D&V_ICP).
If you have an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting, always call the HPT if:
- You suspect a food source as a cause – an indication of this might be that cases all arise within a very short time period
- Cases have blood in their stools
- Cases are severely affected and require hospital care
Rigorous Infection Prevention and Control measures are crucial to preventing transmission of all sorts of infections.
See UKHSA Infection Prevention and Control and Winter Readiness - South West Councils (swcouncils.gov.uk) for lots of useful information and advice.
Free Preventing Infection Workbook for Care Homes
The Devon system has funded infection control training workbooks for all care home staff in Devon. There are still homes in Devon that have not come forward to request these free workbooks.
These workbooks are nationally recognised, being developed by an infection control team in Harrogate and recognised in NICE guidance and provide a foundational level of infection control knowledge to enhance your existing training and help with CQC requirements.
Each workbook also contains the contact details for the Devon community infection management service, who offer local infection control support for care homes.
Here is a Preventing Infection Workbook sample.
These workbooks provide:
- Latest national guidance
- Evidence-based information
- 18 topics including the 10 Standard infection control precautions, Aseptic technique, Specimen collection, Preventing a UTI, Urinary catheter care, Viral gastroenteritis/Norovirus, Clostridioides difficile, MRSA and MRGNB
- Each topic includes a ‘test your knowledge’ section
- When 100% competency has been achieved, managers sign the ‘Certificate of completion’ at the end of the Workbook, providing evidence for CQC compliance
- The Workbook is kept by the member of staff as part of their portfolio of evidence of learning and can be used as a reference guide for day-to-day working
If you would like to order these for your care home, please contact aharlow1@nhs.net including:
- the number of staff in your home and
- the address of the home (including named contact).
They will then post you the workbooks free of charge- one workbook per patient-facing staff member.
Exeter Connect Digital Buddy campaign
Exeter Connect has launched its Digital Buddy campaign which sees volunteers buddied up with people unable to access the internet, whether through a disability, lack of digital skills or confidence. Several buddies have been trained and DBS checked and are now available to groups and communities. Exeter Connect provides a free advice, training, networking and events service to help community organisations develop and grow. It's networks include the Digital Inclusion Network, Exeter Community Food Network, The Ukranian VCSE Network, Socially Enterprising Network, Community Growers, Network and several ward-based stakeholder groups. To access Digital Buddy support call 01392 205800.
Pressure Ulcer Prevention (PUP): Solutions & Interventions Webinars
Pressure Ulcer Prevention training is a high priority for all Devon teams. There are now 2023 dates for future virtual webinars which are designed to help you to identify risks and take action to reduce the risk of pressure ulcers with practical interventions. The webinars are for NHS and Devon County Council staff who have direct patient contact, and for independent care providers who work alongside NHS or Devon County Council. You will have the opportunity to find out more about solutions to reduce risk of pressure damage and improve posture and movement in bed and chair. The virtual training is run by the Independent Living Centre and Devon Tissue Viability teams, and the combination of nursing and occupational therapy knowledge gives a great understanding of the cause and prevention of pressure ulcers.
A link to the 2023 webinar dates can be found here.
Is your answerphone message up to date?
Please note that providers need to have up to date answerphone messages on their systems. This is particularly important at the moment because of staff shortages, which also means that people who would ordinarily be in the office to answer the phone could being out delivering care.
Are you struggling with the cost of living?
There's some useful advice on our website for residents and businesses in Devon who are struggling to afford to pay for their energy, water, food or other essential items. It includes information about support for low-income families via the Household Support Fund, such as free school meal holiday vouchers, the holiday activities and food programme and 'Fuel, Food and More' grants.
There's also help for those using pre-payment meters, and who are struggling to meet their energy needs, via Citizens Advice Devon.
The Warm Spaces website has a map of places in the community that are free to go and be comfortable and warm with no judgement. They include places such community centres, churches and libraries.
If you can't afford the food you need, you can contact one of Devon's foodbanks listed on our PinPoint website. There are a number of supermarkets, cafés and restaurants offering free or £1 meals for children during the school holidays.
Edenmore Nursing Home in Ilfracombe - Christmas Card Campaign
Edenmore Nursing Home in Ilfracombe recently received handmade Christmas cards with personalised messages from pupils at Ilfracombe Junior School as part of their Christmas card campaign. The campaign serves the purpose of building relationships within the community and spreading the joy of Christmas.
Residents, who are fondly referred to as family members, spent the morning opening their handmade Christmas cards and reading the beautiful messages inside. With the smell of mince pies filling the room and the rustling of envelopes, the family members were eager to read what was inside.
Home Manager, Gayle Cooper, watched as each family member opened their card and said that “Family members loved opening their cards and reading their messages inside. It felt like it was Christmas day already”
Edenmore Nursing Home is a Nursing Home based in Ilfracombe North Devon. It’s approach to life recognises the vital connections we make with one another. These connections build a bond that becomes unbreakable, creating the foundations to what really makes a house a home.
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