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There’s lots of information in this week’s issue, including the important deadline for the new care home contract, latest vaccination and infection prevention information as part of winter preparations and lots of opportunities to influence national issues.
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.
Reminder: Sign and Return the New DCC ASC Care Home Contract and Join a Workshop!
There are just 8 calendar days left to return your signed contract to continue receiving new placements from 10 November!
Devon County Council’s new Adult Social Care (ASC) care home contract and new fee model for older persons care homes goes live on 10 November 2025.
All care home providers must sign and return the new contract by 7 November 2025 to ensure that they receive referrals including hospital discharges from 10 November. A big thank you to those who’ve already completed this!
What You Need to Do
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Check Your Inbox: An email from DCC Procurement was sent on 16 October with instructions. Didn’t get it? Contact: procurementpeople-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
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Use the Correct CQC Number: Make sure the contract includes the specific care home’s CQC number, not the overarching provider number.
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Attach Insurance Documents: Include a PDF copy of your insurance schedule, as issued by your insurer.
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Sign Electronically: Insert your electronic signature (image) into the signature field and return the contract in Word format.
- This contract applies only to homes within Devon County Council’s boundaries – not Plymouth or Torbay.
Final Workshops – Book Now!
To support implementation of the new contract and co-produced SOP, DCC is hosting online workshops:
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4 Nov (14:00–16:00) – Registered Managers
Registration links were emailed on 17 October. If you didn’t receive them or need them again, contact: socialcarebusinessrelations-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
Need More Info?
FAQs on the ASC All Ages Contract and Older Persons Fee Model will be shared on the PEN website throughout the implementation period.
Reminder – Care with Accommodation for People with Disabilities (CwA for PwD) Provider Forum
Thursday 6 November at 2pm on Microsoft Teams
You should have already received the invite link for our Care with Accommodation for People with Disabilities Provider CwA for PwD) Provider forum.
This is for all accommodation-based care providers including Care Homes (U65), Supported Living, Shared Lives and Extra Care Housing.
If you have not received the email with the invite link and are one of the providers, please email socialcarebusinessrelations-mailbox@devon.gov.uk so we can add your details to our distribution list.
Winter Infection Preparedness – Important Information from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
Winter Preparations
Please visit our Winter Preparedness and Infection Prevention & Control Pack for all adult social care settings: UKHSA Infection Prevention and Control and Winter Readiness - South West Councils
This pack is mainly for residential care but also includes guidance useful for non-residential settings.
You will find national and local resources covering:
- How to prepare for winter and prevent infections
- Acute respiratory infections
- Viral gastroenteritis
- Group A Streptococcal infections
- Scabies
- Risk assessments for new admissions during outbreaks
- How and when to contact the UKHSA South West Health Protection Team
The toolkit also includes new links to podcasts and recorded presentations.
Vaccination Support Eligibility Quick Guide
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has produced a helpful Quick Guide to Vaccine Eligibility in adult social care to help ensure everyone gets the relevant protection
Care home residents vaccination eligibility is listed as:
- COVID-19 – all residents
- Annual Flu – all residents and those at risk
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) – residents aged 75 to 79
- Pneumococcal – residents aged 65 and over
- Shingles – residents aged 70 to 79
Care staff vaccination eligibility is listed as:
- Annual flu vaccine – all care staff
- COVID-19 – if in high-risk group
- Hepatitis B (HBV) – those with contact with blood or body fluid
The Guide also contains links to the relevant national information sources an can be found on our Provider Engagement vaccination web page at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/providerengagementnetwork/document/flu-vaccination-2/
Reporting Acute Respiratory Infections Poster
The UKSA has also produced a poster including a QR code linked to the Report and Outbreak webpage for display in care settings.
The poster can be downloaded from our Provider Engagement Network web page at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/providerengagementnetwork/document/managing-and-reporting-covid-19/
Reporting Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs)
Please report any ARIs in your setting using the online form: Report an outbreak of acute respiratory infection in an adult social care setting
You do not need to call the Health Protection Team (HPT) to report. This system is only for ARIs in adult social care settings.
Please see the attached poster on how to use “Report an Outbreak”. We recommend keeping a copy in your staff room with your CQC Location ID number written on it.
Please also review PPE requirements for caring for someone with a suspected or confirmed respiratory infection.
The above link goes on our ARI page which contains a range of other useful informnation: https://www.devon.gov.uk/providerengagementnetwork/document/managing-and-reporting-covid-19/
And the PPE link goes to our wider Infection Prevention Control page: https://www.devon.gov.uk/providerengagementnetwork/infection-prevention-control/
Testing
Care homes and residential adult social care settings should keep a small stock of COVID-19 LFD test kits. Use these if a service user who is eligible for COVID-19 treatments develops symptoms of a respiratory infection.
You can get free test kits in advance from most community pharmacies: Find a pharmacy that offers free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests for eligible people.
Do not wait until you need kits to order them. If you have trouble getting tests or treatments, contact your local Integrated Care Board.
You may also wish to buy a few extra LFD kits for COVID-19 or combined COVID-19/Flu testing. These are available from pharmacies or supermarkets. Whilst it is not national policy to use these in an outbreak, having a small supply may help the HPT get flu antivirals to you faster if you have an outbreak.
Please tell the GP about any positive test results.
- COVID-19 treatments are available from the GP, NHS 111, or hospital specialists.
- Flu antivirals are available from the Health Protection Team or the GP.
If you suspect a respiratory outbreak, test any eligible service users before completing the Report an Outbreak form. If you cannot test, do not delay reporting.
The Find a Pharmacy link and the ICB link go to our wider Testing page at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/providerengagementnetwork/document/testing/
Act Now – direct links to Vaccination Quick Guide and ARI Reporting Poster
Flu is already circulating, and COVID-19 rates are rising. Please prepare now to keep your residents and staff safe.
Please click on the links below for additional information:
Quick guide to vaccination eligibility for Adult Social Care
Poster- Report an Outbreak of Acute Respiratory Infection in Adult Social Care
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:
- 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:
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.
Fraud and Cybercrime Awareness for Social Care - Resources from recent Webinar and National Survey
Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) held a Fraud and Cybercrime Awareness for Social Care webinar. Here are some of the key resources and videos from that event:
Resources
Films
Sign up for future events
The Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre are running future sessions on cyber security for social care which you can sign up for on their website https://www.ecrcentre.co.uk/events
Social Care Webinar Slides
Short national survey
Please take 3 minutes to complete our national feedback survey so we can continue to offer events and services like this one..
Further information
For our further information as well as various other resources/webinars, please visit our website www.easternprotect.org
Good News Stories - A Birthday Lifeboat Visit in Ilfracombe and Hospice Care Coffee Morning in Sidmouth
A Birthday to Remember: John’s Ilfracombe Harbour trip
Recently, one of the residents at Edenmore Nursing Home, John Baker, celebrated his birthday with an outing to Ilfracombe Harbou, accompanied by friend Pamela. including seeing a full-sized lifeboat up close.
The day included visiting the RNLI Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station where the lcrew gave him an informative tour and presented John and Pamela with a commemorative plaque.
‘I’ll never forget that day’. Gayle Cooper, home manager, shared, and the lifeboat crew has now been invited to Edenmore give a talk on lifesaving at sea.
To find out more about the home, please visit https://www.edenmorenursinghome.com/
Sundial Care Home Charity Coffee Morning
Sundial Care Home located near Sidmouth, Devon recently held a coffee morning in support of Hospice Care.
Hospice Care previously supported the care home by attending their Summer Fair with a popular tombola stall, and this coffee morning offered a wonderful opportunity to return and show support for each other, strengthening connections within the care community.
Sundial’s kitchen team baked a rich coffee and walnut cake, and a classic victoria sponge with whipped cream and fresh raspberries picked straight from the care home’s gardens, where the gardening club has been busy growing a variety of fruit and vegetables.
If you would like to learn more about Sundial Care Home, please visit https://www.sundialcare.com/lifes-journey-continued/
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