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If you are a care home provider then please remember that the national LFD Tests offer ends next Monday, so make sure you have checked your stocks and placed any orders by 11 December.
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.
Change to Devon County Council Festive Season Payment Periods for Care Homes
Please remember that payments to Care Homes from Devon County Council have been brought forward by a week to enable the Local Authority to make a payment just before Christmas. This means the payment periods for the festive season are as follows:
- Period 27/11/2023 – 10/12/2023 – will be paid to the provider on 15 December
- Period 11/12/2023 – 24/12/2023 – will be paid to the provider on 22 December
- Period 25/12/2023 – 7/1/2024 – will be paid to the provider on 12 January
Remember! Winter Preparedness LFD distribution offer to care homes ends on 11 December
The national Winter Preparedness LFD distribution offer for care homes will end on 11 December.
We strongly recommend that care homes check the expiry dates on your current stock and take advantage of this offer. Requesting an additional stock of LFD tests, which do not expire until March 2024, will not affect your ability to order LFD test kits should you need them later on during the winter period.
Care homes are able to place one order for an additional stock of COVID-19 LFD tests which will enable them to continue to test during the winter period inline with current IPC guidance.
You will be able to use these tests for:
- Outbreak testing.
- Additional testing only if this is advised by Health Protection Teams (or other relevant local partner) in specific circumstances.
If you are a care home with 10 or fewer registered beds you can request to receive 10 LFD test packs, with each pack containing 7 LFD tests, giving you a total of 70 individual LFD tests. If you are a care home with 11 or more registered beds you can request to receive 71 LFD test packs giving you a total of 497 individual LFD tests.
How do I request winter preparedness LFD tests?
You will be able to request your additional stock of COVID-19 tests via the online order portal or by calling 119.
- Navigate to the COVID-19 test order portal.
- Enter your UON and press continue.
- Select Winter Preparedness order option.
- Check your organisation’s address and press continue.
- Enter either 70 or 497 which indicates the number of individual LFD tests that you are requesting, and press continue.
- Confirm your order request.
Once you have placed an order you will receive a confirmatory email from organisation.coronavirus.testing@notifications.service.gov.uk.
You will also receive an email from that same email address when test kits have been dispatched, informing you of their delivery date.
Disposal of expired test kits
We ask that you take this opportunity to check the expiry dates of your existing test stock and dispose of any expired kits.
If you have one carton of expired test kits these can be disposed of in general household rubbish or as clinical waste. The outer box the test kits came in can be recycled subject to your local recycling arrangements.
If there is more than one carton providers must inform their waste contractor that they are disposing of unused test kits. This is a requirement of the Duty of Care regulations, as part of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, to adequately describe their waste.
Please note, we do not collect expired test kits.
If you have any urgent questions regarding testing within your setting, please refer to IPC guidance or contact 119.
Government response to national consultation on visiting in care homes, hospitals, and hospices
Earlier this year the Government conducted a public consultation to capture views on introducing secondary legislation to protect visiting as a fundamental standard across care homes, hospitals and hospices. The Government response to that consultation has now been published at:
Government response to the consultation on visiting in care homes, hospitals, and hospices - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Apprenticeship Levy funding
Devon County Council have opened a Levy Transfer Pledge for 2023/2024. There is £50,000 still available for Social Care, Education and Childcare employers to access for apprenticeship funding! Interested? Find out more here.
Take a moment to check out this case study of the apprenticeship levy to see the benefits and impact for the organisation.
Want to work for Yourself offering care and support? Community Catalyst can help!
Benefit from free professional advice to help you get set up!
To find out more please contact Simon Tickner, Devon Community Catalyst by calling or texting 07741 260 674, or emailing simon.tickner@communitycatalysts.co.uk
‘Pinpoint’ – the Devon Community Directory
PinPoint is Devon's community directory, used by the public, GP’s, health sector, DCC staff in order to find suitable services and support in their local area. Please can providers ensure you have your company/ service details registered on here and ensure the information is always up to date. It is populated by providers through setting up an account. If you need help or see any errors please email pinpoint@devon.gov.uk
Skills Bootcamps in Health and Social Care
Did you know that employers can use Skills Bootcamps to support their staff to develop new skills and transform their business?
Train4Tomorrow provides the support you need to invest in your team’s expertise with courses designed to equip your employees with the latest knowledge and best practices in providing exceptional care.
There are two part funded courses that are recruiting now:
- Working in Health and Social Care at Petroc College,
- Working in Healthcare at Exeter College
To find out more about available courses visit: https://www.train4tomorrow.org.uk/bootcamps/
Autumn/Winter Vaccination Programme rolls on!
Most eligible care settings have now been contacted and visited and those eligible who have consented have now received their Covid-19 and/or Flu Vaccination.
If there are any care home residents that are not registered with a local GP practice/ are a new resident to the setting or missed the care home visit due to being in hospital/feeling unwell, please can these residents be flagged to the Devon Vaccination Support Team, and where possible a further visit can be scheduled : d-icb.devonvaccinationsupport@nhs.net
The Capacity Tracker now has additional fields added to include COVID-19 and Flu vaccines for both staff and service users, please can we kindly remind settings that these sections are mandated therefore where information is known please can we request that these sections are completed to reflect the numbers vaccinated.
Just a reminder that Walk-in clinics are also available and can be found here Walk-in Finder
If there are any queries relating to the vaccine, including hesitancy please email - d-icb.devonvaccinationsupport@nhs.net or call 01752 398836.
For further information about the vaccination programme please refer to - Flu and Covid autumn vaccine programmes brought forward
Many thanks for your continued support.
Grey Matter Self-Neglect Provider Training
Here is the full list of all the training offers with Grey Matter Learning and details on how providers can access below.
A selection of eLearning that might be suitable for Self-Neglect:
How to access Grey Matter Learning
To sign up for an account, all providers and personal assistants contact the Grey Matter Learning team. Select access training and then complete the contact us page that you would like an account under the Devon County Council funding. A member of the Grey Matter Learning team will then be in touch with you to set up an account.
Remember to share your good news stories in this newsletter
Has your support helped transform someone’s life? Have you got innovative practice to share? Send us your celebratory photos and words and we will help share good practice.
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