The most up-to-date information from these bulletins can be found on our website.

For general advice about COVID-19 please go to: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

This bulletin covers:

COVID-19 guidance and updates: infection prevention and control; testing in hospices; leaving hospital

Wellbeing: mental health awareness week; suicide prevention fund; new website for registered managers

Adult social care strategy: East Sussex local strategy

Have your say: East Sussex care home vaccination survey; learning and development opportunities; falls and older people

COVID-19 guidance and updates

Infection prevention and control

This government guidance infection prevention and control in adult social care, COVID-19 supplement was updated on 03 May to reflect the latest guidance on symptoms and aerosol-generating procedures. Information on testing and PPE for live-in carers was also added.

Testing in hospices

Testing for hospices guidance sets out how hospices can access COVID-19 testing for staff and patients on-site, for staff visiting patients in their own homes, and for visitors to hospices.

It was updated on 05 May in line with changes to testing in adult social care settings from 04 April.

Leaving hospital

Leaflets given to patients when they leave hospital to go to another place of care and when they leave hospital to go home were updated on 06 May. 

The update reflects changes made to hospital discharge guidance following the end of the national discharge fund.

Adult social care strategy

Developing an East Sussex adult social care strategy

We are about to start developing an East Sussex Adult Social Care (ASC) strategy.

This will set the future direction of adult social care for everyone who has - or will have - care and support needs within the county, the projects and services that support them, and their carers and families.

The strategy will:

• start with identifying what is most important to local people
• describe priorities for adult social care in East Sussex
• translate national policy and evidence into local action
• align with existing local services, strategies and plans
• consider the links between our priorities and services that prevent, reduce or delay care and support needs
• provide a clear direction for services, staff and stakeholders

A strategy steering group has been set up which includes representatives from partners in the independent care sector; voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, and NHS. 

Lived experience representatives will help us ensure that local people who need care and support are at the heart of the development of our strategy.

Engagement with people who need care and support is planned for this summer, followed by engagement with providers, NHS colleagues and wider stakeholders in the autumn. At that point, we would like to talk with you about strategy priorities and links with your services.

We’ll keep you up-to-date via this bulletin and other channels, and if you have any questions or comments, you can contact us at: ASCPersonalisation@eastsussex.gov.uk  

Wellbeing

Mental health awareness week

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week  (9-15 May), hosted by the Mental Health Foundation.

The theme this year is loneliness.

The Mental Health Foundation says that one in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time. It hopes to raise awareness of the impact of loneliness on mental health and practical steps to address it.

The Foundation has produced a short animation about loneliness and mental health which you can watch on YouTube.

It also has resources offering help and advice on how to cope with loneliness and improve your mental health.

Other resources which may be helpful:

The Silver Line - The free, 24-hour confidential helpline for older people

Scope UK: managing mental health

Rethink: Black Asian and Minority Ethnic mental health

Mind Out: mental health charity for the LGBTQ community

Charities benefit from suicide prevention fund

The government announced (09 May) that over 100 charities are benefiting from a £5.4 million suicide prevention fund to prevent suicide in high-risk groups, including people from black communities and men.

Demand for services increased during the pandemic and funds have bolstered services including therapy, stigma-busting workshops and helplines.

Government will publish a Suicide Prevention Plan later this year to outline further support.

Brand new website for SCARRF

Supporting the wellbeing of registered managers in adult social care in Sussex is the focus of Sussex Care Association’s R&R Framework (SCARRF). 

And now the organisation has its own brand new website full of useful and practical information.

Juliet Smith, Project Manager, said: “The effects of the pandemic over the last couple of years have taken a massive toll on our sector, but we know that some of the issues faced have been there for a while and were just polarised by COVID-19.”

The SCARRF offer is tailored to meet individual needs and includes:

• specialist one-to-one input and wellness action planning
• peer networking and mentoring
• access to wellbeing and development opportunities – including sector-focused masterclasses, resources and invitations to events and forums across Sussex

More information: scarrf@eastsussexrca.co.uk

Have your say

COVID-19 vaccination survey for East Sussex care home staff

Our survey about COVID-19 vaccination for East Sussex care home staff closes on 12 May.  The results are going to help us understand the motivations and barriers for care home staff around the COVID-19 vaccines.

One care home will be picked at random to win £150 if a member of their staff completes the survey.

Full prize draw terms and conditions are on the first page of the survey.

Learning and development opportunities

Skills for Care wants to ensure its learning and development offer continues to support the sector and is responsive to your needs. 

To share your views about learning and development topics and delivery methods, you can complete a survey which should take less than 25 minutes to complete.

It closes on 16 May.

Online events

Skills for Care is also running online events for people who make decisions about learning and development (providers with less than 250 employees). 

There are two dates:

Tomorrow, 11 May from 10:30am to 12 midday             Register your place

18 May from 10:30am to 12 midday                              Register your place

And an event for learners:

19 May from 10:30am to 12 midday                              Register your place

Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention

NICE is inviting comments on its guidance for falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention.  The consultation closes on 12 May.

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