Weekly PCR testing of all individuals working at open day care centres across England providing essential care are now available.

Day care centre managers should register their centres online (‘self-referral portal’) and applications will be reviewed for eligibility by local authorities. If approved, day care centre managers should order tests every 28 days for workers and tests will be delivered for each day care centre worker to the centre, for a 28-day testing cycle.

Who is eligible?

Day care centres that are run by paid day care staff and deemed critical to be open during lockdown by local authorities. Services must be for adults over 18 and provided within non-residential care settings that support the health and wellbeing of adults. This includes settings such as:

• purpose-built day centres
• day centres attached to or part of a care home or supported living
• other buildings in communities specifically used for regular adult day care

For more information and to sign up for PCR testing, please click here.

The County Council and Clinical Commissioning Group want to work with you to help your engagement with digital technology.

During COVID-19 a lot of you will have received requests to carry out video calls with your health and social care colleagues and families will have also wanted contact with their loved ones online, when visits have not been possible. You may have also been asked to sign up to NHSmail, join the provider portal and submit data returns to the national capacity tracker. There has been a lot of new digital means and methods to get to grips with.

We know that some of you have embraced the opportunities offered by digital technology, however some of you have found this a lot harder. The first thing we want to do is understand how it has been for you and what will help you the most in this area in future. We are therefore carrying out this survey to find out how we can best support you get a handle on these new digital methods. In future we would hope to develop a comprehensive digital strategy, with our providers, which will identify the required actions needed to support all situations.

Please complete the survey, by clicking here.

This should take no longer than 10 minutes of your time, once it is complete there is no more you need to do and we do not intend to survey you about this subject again. We do, however, need to get a substantial number of providers feeding back so that our strategy and offer to you is as comprehensive as possible. We acknowledge that you are incredibly busy at present with the pressures of COVID-19 but we assure you that this survey will help us to know how best we can help you.

Please complete the survey by Monday 15^th March.

If you have any queries about the survey please contact Sam Howe: sam.howe@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Please click here to see resources in different languages that may be useful, particularly those working with people with dementia.

CQC have just published a news story which highlights the importance of visiting. 

Being able to see loved ones is incredibly important to wellbeing. The pandemic has made this challenging, but for some people in care settings this has meant being separated and deprived of physical contact with loved ones for nearly a year.

Kate Terroni, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care said; "Blanket bans are unacceptable and people should follow Government guidelines, give sufficient weight to local risks and advice from their Director of Public Health as well as giving consideration to the home environment.

The individual must be at the centre of the decision and all decisions need to stay under review as circumstances change.”

You can read the full story on the CQC website.

From the 8 March 2021 lockdown rules will start to change. This is part of the Government four step plan for England coming out of lockdown. 

An easy read document has been created with information about coming out of lockdown and Inclusion Gloucestershire's website details the Government lockdown exit roadmap and other relevant information. Please click here to view.

The Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office is working with government colleagues, disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, charities and businesses to develop and deliver a National Strategy for Disabled People. We intend to publish the Strategy in Spring 2021.

Despite the unprecedented challenge we face as a nation, this Government is committed to delivering an ambitious National Strategy for Disabled People with expert advice and the lived experience of disabled people at its heart.

The Strategy will make practical changes to policies which strengthen disabled people’s ability to participate fully in society and will place fairness at the heart of government work on disability, to level up opportunity so everyone can reach their potential and participate in life in this country.

We want to place the lived experiences of disabled people at the centre of our approach, as well as views from people across the country including those caring for and related to disabled people, as well as the general public.

This Survey continues the engagement that was carried out across government throughout 2020, and continues to be this year. It includes engagement nationally and across the regions with a diverse network of stakeholders, including leading charities, disabled people’s organisations and individuals from all parts of society that are affected by disability.

For more information and to access the survey, please click here.

April 1^st will mark 2 years since the launch of the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards, and from April 2021 the CQC will expect all services across health and social care to only use training in restrictive practices that is certified as complying with the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards.

To mark this, and help you practically comply with the Standards, the RRN are running a mini-series of webinars over 1 week, from March 31-April 6 2021.

Wednesday 31 March 2021, 12-1pm GMT – An introduction to the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards, with Sarah Leitch – Register here

Thursday 1 April 2021, 10-11am GMT – The Certification Scheme: how it works, with Glyn Connolly and Iris Benson – Register here

Thursday 1 April 2021, 2-3pm GMT – Using the standards in inspections, presenter TBC

Tuesday 6 April 2021, 10-11am GMT – Meeting the RRN standards: developing a practical action plan, presenter TBC

Tuesday 6 April 2021, 2-3pm GMT – Towards safer services, with Keith Reid – Register here

If you’d like to receive information about other RRN webinar programmes, sign up to the mailing list here

This webinar will focus on the Mental Capacity Act and how it can support people with a learning disability.

This webinar will include a presentation around the Mental Capacity Act which will be followed by case studies and professional interpretations.

The aim of this webinar is to provide an overview of the Mental Capacity Act and hear from expert speakers and those with experience in this area.

If you’d like to join on 29^th March 11:30 – 13:00, then please click here to register and all of the details will be sent over to you.