COVID-19 - News updates for all West Sussex Care and Support Providers
15 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.
Increased testing in outbreaks
As a reminder, care homes MUST inform the local Health Protection Team (HPT) as soon as a resident is identified as having or potentially symptoms of COVID-19. Here are their contact details:
- In hours: 0344 225 3861 (then option 3)
- Out of hours: 0844 967 0069
In suspected outbreaks Public Health England (PHE) will now arrange testing for the whole home – residents and staff, whether symptomatic or not at day zero.
PHE will arrange repeat testing on day 4 – 7 for all staff and residents who initially tested negative to reduce the false negative risk.
Re-testing after 28 days from the last suspected case will then be provided to confirm if an outbreak has ended. This can be accessed via the DHSC online digital portal.
Regular routine testing of care home residents and staff
From 6 July there will be a roll out of weekly testing of staff and testing of residents every 28 days in all care homes without outbreaks through Pillar 2. Care homes MUST register online via the online portal.
Care homes for the over 65’s and those for people with dementia will be first as they were the first to receive whole home testing.
Click here for further useful information on retesting in care homes without outbreaks, testing pathway, some Q&As and a helpful summary.
West Sussex County Council has also recently published the Local Outbreak Plan which explains how all organisations will work together to help prevent the spread of the virus and respond to any outbreaks.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has published a guide that aims to support day care managers, social workers, commissioners and providers, to restart or continue activities. It is focused on community-based day services, day centres (with and without personal care), including specialised day centre environments, and those with outdoor spaces. To read the guide click here.
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SCIE still has opportunities to sign up for live training sessions covering the Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding adults.
You can also view recordings of past sessions, covering different aspects or practice and legislation with each module. To find out more visit the page on the SCIE website.
West Sussex Partners in Care (WSPiC) would like to thank all providers who joined last Friday's 'Worries, Wants and Wishes' Forum. They hope you found it useful and are pleased to be able to provide a further link for this Friday's meeting, which you can find below.
Topic: Worries Wishes & Wants 2
Time: Friday July 17, 2020 10:30
Zoom link. Meeting ID: 847 2419 4297 Password: 041635 One tap mobile: 02034815240 / 02039017895
Description from WSPiC: The meeting is planned to be a really informal, 'coffee morning' style meeting for managers to meet and support each other with the common challenges that we're facing at the moment. It will be an hour long, and we will be introducing the meeting with a poll for participants to vote on their 'top three' burning issues to then discuss together. We've gathered popular discussion topics from feedback from WSPiC members and providers across West Sussex, some of which include weekly testing, track and trace or visiting care homes. All in all, we are aiming to create an informal, safe space in which managers feel comfortable to support each other and work in partnership to tackle some of the challenges that face the sector in this unprecedented time.
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Dementia Support UK is an accessible dementia consultancy service, funded by Innovate UK, and free at the point of referral, which builds a support infrastructure for the care of people with dementia across the care home sector. Using video conferencing, this non-pharmacological and person-centred model provides care home staff with dedicated one-to-one time with a dementia consultant to:
- Better understand the behaviour of the person living with dementia
- Problem-solve
- Build capacity within the care home.
This highly innovative approach was developed in Australia by The Dementia Centre, HammondCare. Since starting in 2016, the programme has supported over 25,000 people with dementia in care homes, domestic homes and hospitals.
Please see this flyer for more information and for details on how to access this service.
Wishing Well have been bringing live music-making into hospitals since 2013. They use music as a way to help everyone feel connected, expressive and more joyful. The team are professional music facilitators, trained specifically to work with vulnerable people. A new "Doorstep Music" programme has been created - live music being played to people from a safe distance in front of their homes, and this service is being offered to care homes across Sussex who have an outdoor space. This is a great opportunity and as there is funding in place for this work already - there is no fee at all. If you are interested in finding out more, or want to contact them to make an enquiry you can do this online by visiting: http://wishingwellmusic.org.uk/
Education and training for NHS staff in community health services - this information is also relevant to residential care homes staff and refers to free, accessible education and training resources that has made available in a single place on the NHS website here.
With thanks again,
Contracts and Performance Team
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