IPC&M Care Provider Bulletin Oct 23 - Special Edition!
Increasing staff flu and Covid-19 booster uptake is an important way to keep the care sector safe this winter
Every winter, thousands die from flu and people can still get very ill or die from COVID-19. Catching both viruses at the same time increases the risk of serious illness even further.
As frontline health or social care professionals, your teams are more likely to be exposed to these viruses. And of course, they can also be passed on to the people they care for, including care home residents, those with weakened immune systems and underlying health conditions.
Vaccinations are our best defence against flu and COVID-19 ahead of what could be a very challenging winter. With the potential for the new COVID-19 variant to increase the risk of infection, we are following the latest expert guidance and bringing the COVID-19 vaccination programme forward. This will give people the opportunity to get their flu vaccine at the same time as their COVID-19 vaccine to maximise protection against severe illness.
Getting both vaccines ahead of winter, when the viruses spread more easily, are two of the most important things staff can do to keep themselves and others around them safe, so they can continue to be there for the people they care for.
It is important for staff to top up protection, even if they have had a vaccine or been ill with flu or COVID-19 before, as immunity fades over time and both viruses can change each year. Both vaccines have a good safety record and if staff were to experience side-effects, they are generally mild and do not last for more than a few days. If vaccinated, they are also be less likely to require time off, later in the winter, due to a COVID or flu infection.
We encourage staff to get both vaccines in the same visit where possible, to get protected against both viruses, the appointment will only take a few minutes. If this is not possible, it is better to get each vaccine as soon as possible.
You can find out more information about both vaccines by visiting
www.nhs.uk/flujab and www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccine.
BNSSG’s Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination Award Scheme for care providers
The Scheme aims to provide the people you care for with reassurance that vaccination, and the protection it provides, is a priority.
Run in partnership with the Integrated Care Board, and Care and Support West, the award scheme recognises and rewards care providers who achieve high levels of both flu and COVID-19 seasonal vaccine uptake. The scheme is open to all health and social care organisations directly involved in providing care.
The award scheme
The award scheme runs from Monday 11th September 2023 to Tuesday 19th December 2023. It is graded into four categories - Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
As a registered care provider you are automatically enrolled in the Award Scheme and will be informed if you have met the threshold for an Award. If you achieve an Award, you will be sent a communications pack to help you promote your achievement.
How to get your Covid-19 vaccine: Frontline health and social Care workers
Anyone who is in direct contact with people who receive care is entitled to a free flu and Covid-19 top-up vaccine this autumn. Due to a new variant of Covid, we encourage staff to get their vaccines as soon as possible.
You can self-declare as a frontline staff member and book a vaccination appointment in the following ways:
Use the online National Booking Service or call 119 for free. [QR code attached] QR code for the online national booking service (NBS): Book, cancel or change a COVID-19 vaccination appointment - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Attend a walk-in clinic without an appointment. Visit www.nhs.uk/covid-walk-in or www.grabajab.net to find out if there is a clinic near you.
Contact your GP or local pharmacy.
Not all vaccination clinics offer flu and Covid-19 vaccination at the same appointment, but please have both vaccines as soon as possible. It is good idea to take proof of employment to your vaccination appointment.
Letter to Adult Social Care Service Providers from the Department of Health & Social Care dated 11 Sep 23 access it HERE
The theme for IPC Week 2023 is Celebrating the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention.
How do you celebrate Infection Control Week?The best way to celebrate IIPW is by throwing an infection prevention party! We have ideas for everybody's budget and time commitment.
Click here for some Party Guides | Infection Prevention and You | WHO IPC Global Newsletter
IPC Principles
Now is the time to review and refresh staff and visitors to your care setting of the essential IPC steps to help protect residents, staff and visitors from infection this winter.
Hand Hygiene
Your-5-moments-for-hand-hygiene-Care-Home-September-2020.pdf (infectionpreventioncontrol.co.uk)
Hand-hygiene-Leaflet-for-service-users-September-2020-v1.07.pdf (infectionpreventioncontrol.co.uk)
PPE - Donning and Doffing
Correct-order-for-putting-on-and-removing-PPE-October-2020.pdf (infectionpreventioncontrol.co.uk)
Due to the increasing numbers of infection we have included the link below to allow care providers to access Free PPE until Mar 2024.
Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Test Kit Supply
To get COVID-19 test for a care home – To apply you need to be the Care Home Manager
Order COVID-19 Tests for your organisation – You will require to have your Unique Organisation Number (UON) this is an 8-digit number sent to you by the National Testing Programme.
Order COVID-19 Rapid Lateral Flow Test Kits – This route is dependent upon eligibility advice and guidance on eligibility can be found HERE..
Testing
Symptomatic Testing only is required for those staff and residents, eligible for Covid-19 treatment (clinically highly vulnerable), and during outbreaks if advised by UKHSA or if the care home manager suspects an outbreak. Outbreak testing consists of testing for the first 5 linked symptomatic residents . High risk individuals (Treatments for COVID-19 - NHS (www.nhs.uk) should have been notified already with testing advice, if you think a resident should have received notification but hasn’t, speak to the GP. Individuals (staff or residents), that are not eligible for Covid-19 treatments, do not need to test if they are symptomatic for a respiratory infection.
No whole home testing for suspected outbreaks. *No requirement for rapid response testing.
Testing for eligible persons is by LFD only not PCRs. PCRs will no longer be available or processed for routine COVID-19 testing.
On admission from hospital an LFD only is required 48hrs prior to discharge to a care home. The result will be shared with the care home. If the result is positive the care home manager must risk assess the admission and whether the person can be safely supported to isolated until day 5 after the positive result and absence of a high temperature and supported to avoid contact with high-risk individuals until 10 days after the positive result
No testing is required for admissions from the community.
No further testing of individuals after the initial symptomatic test is required.
People receiving care at home who have symptoms of a respiratory infection and who have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do their usual activities are not required to take an LFD test (see below for further advice)
Closure of dedicated test ordering routes for adult day care centres, home care, social care workers, personal assistants, and shared lives carers. Individuals working in these services can order tests via GOV.UK outlined above if they are eligible for COVID-19 treatments
Specific advice on testing for NHS Hospitals, Hospices and other high-risk settings is contained in the guidance accessed at: COVID-19: testing from 1 April 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The New Web-based Care OBRA Tool
Due to its success, this Care OBRA Tool has been developed further to allow care settings to report ARI outbreaks directly online via a new web-based Care OBRA Tool without the need to call or email the HPT first, thus saving valuable time.
SW UKHSA have launched the new web-based Care OBRA Tool, Care settings will enter information about their outbreak via a designated webpage.
Aim of the New Care OBRA Tool
To allow adult social care settings to:
Report their outbreaks and single cases of flu without the need to ring or email the HPT beforehand
Collect all the relevant information and enter it into an electronic platform at a time that suits them
Receive a summary of the data entered in the Care OBRA Tool
Receive immediate email advice on how to manage their situation and automatically identify the higher risk situations
To allow the HPT to:
Identify and prioritise incidents requiring specialist HPT input
Focus on interventions that will achieve the greatest public health impact
Provide local system partners with timely and accurate information
Use time and resources more efficiently.
Want to find out more please click here to the PowerPoint Slide or here for the South-West Brief
You can also access further information in the SW Adult Social Care Providers Newsletter
Future Training - Register Now! Infection, Prevention and Control leads update.
Date: 8 November 2023
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Venue: Online via MS Teams
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/7DpemB5aAA
The session will be broken down into two areas:
1. Outbreak Management:
Suitable for those in a lead role or who have experience and basic IPC with a desire to further skills or knowledge.
Introduction and recap on IPC developments, guidance, and resources
An interactive group table-top exercise Outbreak Management the who does what, when and why.
Suitable for wider cascade training – train the trainer resources will be provided.
2. New Emerging and Endemic Infection Threats:
Suitable for those in a lead role or who have experience and basic IPC with a desire to further skills or knowledge.
Introduction and recap on IPC developments, guidance, and resources
Epidemiology, Vulnerable groups, Infection specific transmission IPC precautions & management
Scenarios – preparedness and response rehearsals