As winter approaches a series of webinars have been set up by Community Infection Management Service and we have full details in this issue. Likewise, it’s Vaccination programme time again and we have details of the Autumn/Winter Vaccination Programme.

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.

ASC Care Home Contract (all ages) & Proposed Older Persons’ Fee Model Engagement now closed!

The window for submitting feedback on the ASC Care Home Contract (all ages) and the Proposed Older Persons Fee Model has now closed. Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback. We are currently considering the feedback to inform the council's decision which will be published in October.

Autumn/Winter 2025 Vaccination Programme

The Autum Winter vaccination program for Flu and Covid-19 campaign starts on 1 October. The National booking system is now open to support Eligible cohorts to book and manage their vaccination appointment.

Flu Eligible cohorts: Vaccinations available from 1 September 2025:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

Flu Eligible cohorts: Vaccinations available from 1^st October 2025:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza Chapter 19)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

Covid 19 Eligible cohorts: vaccinations available from 1^st October 2025:

• adults aged 75 years and over
• residents in a care home for older adults
• Residents living in non-older adult care homes should also be vaccinated, only if they meet the following criteria –
• Individuals aged 75 years and over
• Persons aged 6 months and over in a clinical risk group (as defined in tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book
• individuals aged 6 months and over in a clinical risk group (as defined in tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book)

Please Note: Frontline Health and Social Care workers are no longer eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations unless meeting an eligible criteria as detailed above.

RSV Vaccination

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs, it often causes symptoms similar to a cold inc. cough, sore throat, sneezing and runny or blocked nose.

RSV Eligible cohorts: Vaccinations are offered all year round to the those eligible but have an increased focus during the winter program. 

• Those aged between 75 – 79 (turning 75 on or after 1^st September 2025)
• Those that are pregnant from 28 weeks gestation

Accessing vaccinations:

Primary Care Networks will link directly with older person care homes to arrange a visit to administer vaccinations, Covid-19 and Flu vaccinations can be and will be co-administered where possible. 

Eligible residents in non-older adult care homes will receive an invitation from the NHS with instructions on how to arrange a vaccination.

Frontline Health and Social Carer workers can access Flu Vaccination via their employer led occupational health scheme. Those who are not part of an occupational scheme will be able to access a vaccination via GP community Pharmacy, vaccination centres and Vaccination Outreach services. Frontline Health and social care workers can book their Flu vaccination using the National Booking Service (NBS) via participating pharmacies.

Frontline care staff can self-declare eligibility for Flu vaccinations; it is recommended that they take their identification badge with them or a letter from their employer.

Information Session: 2025 NHS Standard Contract for Care Home Providers

Hosted by NHS Devon ICB Contract and Market Leads

Care home providers are invited to attend an information session to learn about the new NHS Standard Contract for 2025, which will replace the existing 2013 NHS contract (currently issued by Devon County Council on behalf of NHS Devon ICB).

Date: Friday, 3 October 2025, between 12:00noon and 13:00pm.

Location: Microsoft Teams (online session)

What to Expect

• Overview of the key changes between the 2013 and 2025 contracts
• Provider requirements in terms of provider information and documentation to be submitted to the ICB
• Q&A opportunity with NHS Devon ICB leads

This session is specifically for care home providers who have a 2013 NHS contract.

For those unable to attend, slides from the session and a FAQs will be sent to all providers following the event.

Booking Your Place

To reserve your place, please email ICB Market Management Team

d-icb.communityservicescommissioning@nhs.net

Please Note: The ICB intends to issue the new contract to providers in October 2025.

Please be Aware Phishing Email Targeting Skilled Worker Visa Sponsors

Please see phishing email that appears to be targeting sponsors of skilled worker visas. Please share and inform others. The screenshot below shows the link in the email is hiding behind misleading text, and it is not actually a gov.uk domain. The email was received from jimu[at]seidanren.jp 

Winter Preparations 2025/26 – Webinars for Adult Social Care

The Community Infection Management Service (CIMS) is offering a series of 30-minute webinars titled ‘Winter Preparations 2025/26’ for providers and staff working in Adult Social Care residential settings.

Who can attend? Sessions will be delivered by CIMS teams based in Exeter, Barnstaple, Torbay, and Plymouth, but staff from all localities are welcome to attend any date that suits them.

What will be covered? Each session will be based on national guidance and will include:

• Testing and reporting
• Access to immunisation
• Early detection of infections such as:
  - Seasonal influenza
  - COVID-19
  - Viral gastroenteritis

These sessions will run between 2:00-2:30pm

Dates of these session: 

• Wednesday 24 September 2025
• Monday 29 September 2025
• Tuesday 7 October 2025
• Wednesday 8 October 2025
• Tuesday 14 October 2025
• Thursday 16 October 2025
• Tuesday 21 October 2025
• Friday 24 October 2025
• Tuesday  28 October 2025
• Friday 31 October 2025
• Friday 7 November 2025
• Friday 14 November 2025
• Friday  2 November 2025
• Friday  28 November 2025

These sessions will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams,you can join the meeting by click this link -  Join the meeting now.

If you are joining the meeting you may need the meeting ID and passcode which has been provided below:

Meeting ID: 333 236 793 422 7 Passcode: aZ69uq2Y

You do not have to register for the event in advance, but it would be very helpful if you could let us know if you intend to join the session by emailing your local team: 

• Exeter, East and Mid Devon: rduh.infectioncontrol-eastern@nhs.net
• Northern Devon: rduh.infectioncontrol-northern@nhs.net
• Torbay and South Devon: tsdft.infectioncontrol@nhs.net
• Plymouth and West Devon: plh-tr.infectionmanagementadmin@nhs.net

Please also share any winter preparedness questions you have.

We hope you can join us in strengthening our collective preparedness and ensuring the best outcomes for residents this winter.

Good News Story - Chris Martin Launches New InFocus Care Home For Young Adults in Exeter

Infocus, the Exeter-based charity which supports young people with people with visual impairments and other complex needs. were honoured to welcome Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, to officially name and launch our brand-new care home in Exeter, Martin House.

Chris took part in a Q&A session with young people supported by the charity, listened to a Rachmaninoff/Coldplay mash-up performed by a gifted pianist studying at the college, and even joined in to perform a couple of Coldplay songs alongside them. He also heard more about the charity’s vital work and ambitious plans for the future.

Martin House will provide a supportive home for five young adults with vision impairment and complex needs, extending our care and creating new opportunities for young people to thrive.

InFocus give a HUGE thank you to Chris for helping them celebrate this milestone in such a special way.

Find out more about InFocus at: https://infocus-charity.org.uk/

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.

Revisit previous good news stories

Issue 241 25 September 2025

DCC COVID-19 updates

Coronavirus advice to the public

National COVID-19 guidance updates

The GOV.UK website

The NHS.UK website

National vaccination publication collection

The national government page contains vaccination guidance, training resources, consent forms, letters, leaflets, posters and more.

PEN newsletter archive

View previous issues

NICE newsletters and alerts sign up

Keep up to date with the latest news and guidance that may impact on your service and clients via the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Sign up to receive NICE newsletters here.

Bladder and Bowel Care Service - Virtual Training Around "Continence Assessment and Product"

In collaboration with TENA we are holding a monthly virtual training session on Continence Assessment and Product Training via TEAMS, starting in October.

These are for all levels of HCP, and they will provide an opportunity to upskill and increase your knowledge and awareness regarding effective continence management and assessments.

To register your attendance for one of the sessions please email- Lesley Turner, Clinical Trainer for TENA using the email address below-

lesley.turner@essity.com

Lesley will send you the TEAMS invite to join your chosen session.

Dates for the sessions are-

• October 3  2pm
• November 13 3.30pm
• December 11 2pm

Each session approximately 90 minutes long.

Department Work and Pensions - Disability Services Awareness Session

The Disability Services Advocacy Team is delivering upskilling sessions for external charities and organisations on Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance Child (DLAc), Industrial Injuries and Disablement Payment (IIDB), and Access to Work (AtW).

They also offer sessions on DWP Disability Services support for SEND Schools, Colleges and Support Organisations, Disability Services Appointees and Other Payee’s and in November are hosting a new session on Access to Work Payments. This new AtW session covers reasonable adjustments, the Health Adjustment passport (HAP), what Access to Work is, what it can fund, eligibility and how to complete claim forms.

Please note registration via Eventbrite is required to attend a session.

Below are links to flyers with more information on both the October and November sessions:

• External Sessions October 2025 
• External Sessions November 2025

Bladder & Bowel Team: Supporting Incontinence Care

The Bladder & Bowel Team provides incontinence assessments for residential homes, nursing homes, learning disability homes, supported living, care agencies, and housebound patients. The team, led by Susan Smith and Sarah Green, consists of assistant practitioners Stephanie and Katie.

Incontinence Assessments

• Exeter Care Homes (including both Nursing and Residential) North Devon Nursing homes and East Nursing homes: Complete the residential incontinence assessment 3 day dairy paperwork and email it in. The team will assist in getting residents set up with appropriate incontinence products.
• Care Agencies , Housebound Patients, East and North Devon Care Homes: Contact the local district nurse for assessments. The team is available for advice when needed.

Product Ordering and Urgent Requests

Most care homes receive Tena products on a 12-week delivery cycle. Before placing orders, ensure all residents are correctly listed. For new residents or changes, allow 14 days for processing. If requesting supplies for end-of-life patients, highlight this in your email for urgent processing.

Free Training Opportunities

The team offers free incontinence training, either face-to-face or virtual, covering:

• Completing assessment paperwork
• Understanding different pad types and proper fitting
• Incontinence types, constipation, and hydration for a healthy bladder
• Available incontinence equipment

Upcoming Virtual Training on Teams:

• 12 November at 2pm
• 10 December at 2pm

Stay informed and ensure best practices in incontinence care by reaching out to the Bladder & Bowel Team!

For enquiries and training requests, email rduh.bladderandbowelap@nhs.net

Care Home Infection Control Leads

The Community Infection Management Service (CIMS) is also launching a new network for Care Home Infection Control Leads. This will offer tailored content and support based on your setting’s needs.

Thursday 27 November Time: 14:00 – 15:00 Theme: A Consultation – help shape the network’s aims, objectives, and meeting frequency.

If you are interested, then please contact your local CIMS team (emails above) to express interest unless you’ve already responded to previous promotional messages.

Reminder - Work for Yourself?

Microproviders are self-employed, local people offering all kinds of good quality, reliable, professional care and support to others in their community. Almost anyone can do this but often they benefit from support to get started or to check they are legal and getting the key things right. Simon Tickner is the Microprovider Project Worker for Devon and can offer free support if you are keen to know more. Check out the website PA/Microproviders - Disability Focus to read more or make an enquiry if you’d like Simon to contact you.