COVID-19 - News updates for all West Sussex Care and Support Providers
03 July 2020
Welcome to today's newsletter, which includes the following:
Visit our dedicated COVID-19 provider zone website for easy access to national and local guidance, resources on essential topics including PPE, infection control, testing and workforce and recruitment. We would encourage providers to visit the site before emailing or calling to see if their query can be easily answered.
Let us know if there is anything else you would find helpful to include in the newsletters or on the website and we'll do our best to add them. Contact us at contracts@westsussex.gov.uk.
Proud to Care West Sussex will soon by launching a campaign to inspire local people to work in care over the summer months.
The campaign will boost the temporary / bank care workforce during the summer to help ease any seasonal staff shortages. The aim is to promote the huge benefits of working in care to people looking for summer work and those that have recently lost their jobs, particularly from the tourism, retail and hospitality sectors.
The campaign will be launched across a range of communications channels, including social media, throughout July and August. Potential candidates will be directed to the Proud to Care website to find out more about working in care and search for local jobs.
The Proud to Care Team also offer a personal matching service where they match candidates to an ideal job based on their skills, background and availability.
If you have care vacancies and would like to get involved in the campaign contact the Proud to Care team by email: proudtocare@westsussex.gov.uk or visit www.proudtocarewestsussex.com to find out more and upload your vacancies.
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A reminder that care home managers should inform their local Health Protection Team (HPT) at Public Health England of a single possible, confirmed or ‘inconclusive’ case within the care home in an initial outbreak. The HPT will also help to arrange initial testing for symptomatic residents, and will provide advice and support, along with local authority partners, to help the care home staff to manage the outbreak. Care home managers should also contact their local HPT if they suspect their care home has a new coronavirus outbreak and/or it has been 28 days or longer since the last case and there are one or more new cases. As this may be a new outbreak, HPTs will again provide advice and help to arrange the first tests to confirm the diagnosis.
For more information please refer to the Guidance: Admission and care of residents in a care home during COVID-19
Staff and residents in care homes for over 65's and those with dementia will receive regular COVID-19 tests from next week as part of a new social care testing strategy.
- Care home staff to be given COVID-19 tests every week and residents monthly from Monday to identify anyone with the virus and reduce transmission
- Repeat testing will be initially prioritised for care homes primarily looking after over 65's or those with dementia before being rolled out to all adult care homes
- The government’s Vivaldi 1 care home study highlights the importance of regular staff testing while there is a higher prevalence in care homes
For more information please see here.
With thanks again,
Contracts and Performance Team
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