Weekly COVID-19 Supply Chain Bulletin: 7 May 2020

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Weekly COVID-19 Supply Chain Bulletin

7 May 2020

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Welcome to the NAG and SOPO newsletter for 7 May 2020. Feel free to circulate to your colleagues.

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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

We understand the new Clipper delivery system for PPE to care workers will not be nationally available for at least another fortnight. In an update to MPs, Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick, said that the service is being piloted in 1300 settings, many of which are care homes, but the logistics system could take three more weeks to launch across the country as the Government wants to undertake further testing and improvements to the service to help deliver PPE to the frontline.

We continue to push for the online system to be fully rolled out as soon as possible, so that councils and care providers can directly request that critical protective equipment gets to those who desperately need it. 

Waste and recycling 

Government has published non-statutory guidance to local authorities on re-opening household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) during the COVID-19 outbreak. The guidance sets out the Government’s view on the need for recycling centres to open and what constitutes a reasonable journey. Importantly, the guidance notes that opening a recycling centre is a decision for individual local authorities. The accompanying press release includes an LGA comment that reinforces this point and indicates that opening HWRCs will be a gradual process over the next few weeks.

Those looking at re-opening recycling centres can draw on a new resource from the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO). Their helpful guidance on re-opening household waste and recycling centres during the COVID-19 outbreak has been developed by council waste experts as a flexible resource. It provides a comprehensive overview of key issues such as site operation and layout, health & safety and hygiene.

Children's services & education

Directors of Children’s Services (DCSs) will have received a request for data today from the Department for Education. The collection is intended to help Ministers to understand how vulnerable children are being supported through the COVID-19 pandemic, and we encourage councils to respond as far as they are able. We have been clear with the Department that, while we understand the concerns of Ministers, this data collection represents a significant increase in central oversight at an extremely challenging time for councils, and it is important to respect the professional judgement of DCSs and their teams and make sure they are not being diverted from their vital task.

The DfE has published new guidance for schools and other educational settings on managing premises, which are partially open, during the outbreak. It has also published guidance for local authorities and education providers on making decisions on cluster or hub models in educational settings. This refers to the grouping of schools and settings in order to offer continued provision for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children.

Maintaining the resilience of broadband and mobile networks

The LGA is in regular contact with telecommunication providers as well as Government to understand how councils can support providers to undertake essential maintenance to digital infrastructure during these incredibly challenging times. In partnership with transport policy colleagues, we have been disseminating Government guidance on how street works and other on-site activities can continue whilst ensuring the safety of council staff and local communities.

Death Management

We have launched a new webpage which brings together guidance, resources and other relevant items related to death management, registration services and coroner services. One of the resources is a new flowchart which outlines the current death registration process and highlights the changes made to the process by the Coronavirus Act. Please pass this on to your death management teams.

Adults Services – Adult Social Care Workforce App

Tpday the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched a new app for the adult social care workforce. This aims to act as a single digital hub for social care workers to access relevant updates, guidance, support and discounts from their phone.

NHS support for Care Homes

NSHE/I have issued a letter requesting primary care and community health services help, building on what practices are already doing, to support care homes and their residents. The letter outlines a model which they should adopt.

LGA COVID 19: Good Council Practice

Is your council doing a great job responding to COVID-19 in the procurement space or otherwise? Please send your good practice examples to coronavirus.enquiries@local.gov.uk and we will look to share them on our website.

Webinars/e-Learning

Buying Digital Community virtual meet-up

From 19-22 May we’re taking the Buying Digital Community meet-up online to bring you a daily, hour-long session at 10am. Each session will be led by a guest speaker and explore a range of topics designed to support you at this challenging time.

  • Tuesday 19 May: Making the most of commercial during the coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Wednesday 20 May: Unleashing the quiet power of introverts
  • Thursday 21 May: Understanding the latest IR35 update and its implications on digital procurement
  • Friday 22 May: Engaging with SMEs during COVID-19 - a supplier’s view

Please find the full details of the Buying Digital Community virtual meet-up on Eventbrite.

Free contract management e-learning course

For those of you not involved in front line service delivery and currently being asked to work from home, you might now find some time for some continuing professional development. We negotiated a number of places on the Government Commercial Function’s Building contract and supplier management capability across government contract management e-learning modules. Please get in touch if you or your colleagues are interested in joining them on: productivity@local.gov.uk

SVP Webinar - National TOMs Tutorial – 11 May 2020 Social Value Portal will be hosting a webinar to look at how you can use National TOMs to maximise value for communities

Effective E-Procurement in the Public Sector - 25 May 2020

Risk Management in Public Procurement - 29 May 2020

Procure to Pay Process Optimisation - Reducing Costs - 9 June 2020