Policy Updates 18th October 2021
The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 18th October 2021.
Fast Track DBS Checks
On 11 October, Care England wrote to Eric Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), in relation to fast tracking DBS checks in light of the continued workforce pressures.
On 13 October, we received a response which indicated that the Disclosure and Baring Service is currently experiencing a significant demand for their services as organisations start to recruit staff following lockdown. During September and October they have seen an increase of over 20% in demand for standard and enhanced checks. However, they continue to deliver their services in line with Published Service Standards and provide 80% of Enhanced checks within 14 days.
There are of course a small number of applications that can take longer, for genuine reasons as they carry out their in-depth processes to ensure all the right information is assessed and prepared before the check is issued.
Hospital discharge and community support: policy and operating model
19 October 2021
Updated to incorporate details of the national discharge funding settlement for quarters 3 and 4 of 2021 to 2022 (1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022). The updates relate to the funding only; there are no policy changes. Key points:
The fund is to help cover the cost of up to 4 weeks of post-discharge recovery and support services for new or extended packages of care delivered on or before 31 March 2022
The money also supports designated care settings for those discharged from acute care who are COVID-positive and cannot return directly to their own care home until they have undergone 14 days of isolation
The confirmed allocations use a blended approach, which has regard to weighted population and reported spend on national discharge support
The funding distribution mechanism will continue to follow the process used previously in that there will be a centrally held fund against which systems partners should claim expenditure (coordinated by CCGs / ICSs)
Unlike previous funding arrangements, national funding is not available for care delivered after 31 March 2022, even where discharge takes place on or before that date. Systems should plan to provide continuity of care for people receiving post-discharge recovery and support services at the end of March 2022
Systems should plan for discharge funding arrangements that are sustainable and affordable from core NHS and local authority expenditure from 1 April 2022
Found at: GOV.UK
COVID-19 vaccination: booster dose resources
19 October 2021
Added links to translated versions.
Found at: GOV.UK
UKHSA review into IPC guidance
19 October 2021
Updated physical distancing advice in 'Recommendation 1: reduce physical distancing in low risk areas for elective procedures or planned care' from 'pre-COVID levels' to '1m'.
Found at: GOV.UK
Updated Policy
Assessment and procurement of coronavirus (COVID-19) tests
On 11 October this guidance was updated to add 6 more lateral flow devices that have passed 3a validation.
Providers will not need to apply for the different test kits, they will be dispatched as they become available in the warehouses. The DHSC will however update providers when they are likely to see alternative kits arrive and ask providers to ensure their staff read the enclosed instruction leaflet as there are some nuances between the manufacturers.
This applies to the boxes of 7 rapid lateral flow kits, which will include;
DHSC
Acon
Flowflex
Orient Gene
MP Bio
The only exception in the boxes of Innova 25’s test kits. These are only supplied to care home staff at this point and a communication was send to all SPOC’s last week, followed by a webinar on Monday 11 October. Further instructions will be sent out again this week, to support this change.
Found at: GOV.UK
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care settings
Outlines the COVID-19 testing available for testing staff, residents and visitors for all adult social care settings.
13 October 2021: Updated to reflect policy has now changed regarding self-isolation for fully vaccinated individuals following contact with a COVID-19 positive case. References to lockdown also removed to reflect the easing of national COVID-19 restrictions.
Found at: GOV.UK
Information for care providers about Covid-19 testing
You will be aware of the recent announcement that testing has been suspended at a private laboratory in Wolverhampton following an investigation by UKHSA into reports of people receiving negative PCR test results after they have previously tested positive on a rapid Lateral Flow Device.
Please find the letter attached with further information regarding how this may have affected social care staff and those living in residential settings in South Gloucestershire. If you have any further queries not addressed in this letter, please contact
Covid-19 vaccination recording on the Capacity Tracker
There is less than one month left until the regulation comes into force which requires all care staff to be fully vaccinated to continue working (unless exempt).
Please ensure that up to date information regarding staff vaccinations is being added to the tracker and updated frequently. This information is used locally and nationally and accurate information will reduce any follow up calls required.
Staff exempt from vaccination can now be recorded on the tracker. Please can you review your tracker submission to ensure that this information is added.
Thank you for all your work and support in keeping the tracker as up to date as possible.
Covid-19 booster vaccinations
In line with legislation on vaccination as a condition for deployment, eligibility for priority booster vaccination is now extended to include all social care staff working in settings where Covid-19 vaccinations are a statutory requirement.
Staff can book their booster vaccinations no earlier than 6 months after completion of their primary vaccine course. This can be accessed via the National Booking system. Please note that individuals who book using this route must also provide proof of current employment as a social care worker at the vaccination site.
Please find FAQs on booster vaccinations here.
Covid-19 vaccinations
With under 1 month until the regulation for Care Homes comes into force, please see below information on how staff can access their vaccinations.
Book now using the National Booking System online or by phoning 119 (between 7am and 11pm).
Attend a Walk-In Clinic
Anyone aged 18 or over from anywhere in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire can attend any of the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics, below
Some walk-in clinics are open to people aged 16 and over. If you are under 17¾, please make sure the walk-in clinic you plan to attend offers vaccination for people your age
If you are severely immunosuppressed and seeking a third dose vaccination, please wait to be contacted regarding an appointment. For more information visit Third dose vaccination for severely immunosuppressed aged 12+ section
You don’t need an appointment to attend a walk-in clinic, but if you know your NHS number this will help speed up registering your details
We are following guidelines from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to give second vaccinations at 8 weeks. Please do not attend a walk-in clinic for your second dose, if your first vaccination was less than 8 weeks ago
WIDER NEWS & RESOURCES
National Papers
Why I decided to take the COVID-19 vaccine – Social care blog
A new post, “Why I decided to take the COVID-19 vaccine” has just been published on the Social care blog. “My name is Sofija Igonkina, from Latvia. I have been living in England for 15 years. I’m a nurse and I work in Evergreen nursing home in Hastings. I want to share my story about why I had the COVID-19 vaccine and why I’m going to get a booster jab this winter.”
GOV.UK
How to recruit and retain great care staff – Social care blog
A new post, “How to recruit and retain great care staff” has just been published on the Social care blog. Staff recruitment and retention remain long-standing challenges for the care sector, with the coronavirus pandemic adding to the difficulties many providers face. Cygnet Healthcare’s Fiona Oxley has this uplifting and positive take on recruiting great colleagues – and keeping them.
GOV.UK
MEETING THE EYE HEALTH NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO CANNOT LEAVE HOME DURING THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC AND WINTER FLU – guidance
New guidance has been published from the Primary Eyecare Sector’s Domiciliary Eyecare Committee. This guidance covers how they will meet the needs of people who are unable to leave home unaided owing to physical or mental illness or disability are potentially at higher risk of eye disease and vision problems than the general population. You can read the full guidance on how these providers will support the eye health of people you may provider services to here.
Tell us: have you lost a loved one to Covid-19 who was unvaccinated?
We are looking to speak with the families of British people who died of Covid-19 and were unvaccinated. We’d like to find out more about the circumstances around their Covid vaccination choices. Perhaps your relative hadn’t got around to having one – or there may have been concerns about the impact of the vaccination on their health.
The Guardian
Covid booster shots important to stop infection, finds English study
Scientists have urged eligible people to have Covid booster shots after a major survey in England found evidence of “breakthrough infections” more than three months after full vaccination.
The Guardian
Doctors face penalties for seeing too few patients
GP surgeries that fail to offer enough appointments will be named and shamed and face financial penalties under plans to improve access. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, pledged to “tackle underperformance” and insisted that patients must have the choice to see their GP face to face as he made £250 million in winter funding dependent on hitting local appointment targets.
The Times
Social care levy 'must double' by 2030
The health and social care levy will need to more than double by 2030 if the government wants to get a grip on social care issues, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned.
FT Adviser
Social care funding needed now
The news media are keen to talk about shortages of petrol, HGV drivers, fruit pickers, etc, but they are not talking about the social care crisis caused by the shortage of carers.
Socialist Party
Malnutrition resources for patients, carers and professionals
This week is UK Malnutrition Awareness Week and to mark the week, the Patient Association are launching three new resources for patients, carers and healthcare professionals to support people living with disease-related malnutrition.
These resources have been developed in partnership with patients and carers to ensure that they reflect their needs, their understanding of malnutrition, and their ability to manage their nutritional health.
The resources include two factsheets and a short animation:
What disease-related malnutrition is
What are oral nutritional supplements and why you might be prescribed them
The animation combines information on both these subjects.
Found at: Care England
What is integrated care meant to achieve and how will we know if it’s working?
Despite the growing mounds of national guidance and design frameworks being issued on integrated care, there is still a startling lack of clarity and agreement over what it is actually expected to achieve, and how we will know if the policy is working. By Siva Anandaciva.
HSJ
Further decline in number of registered nurses in adult social care
The number of registered nurses in adult social care in England has dropped again from last year and is down by almost 17,000 jobs since 2012, a new report by Skills for Care reveals.
Nursing Times
Ministers must address ‘lack of knowledge’ of social care
Government ministers must address the lack of knowledge and experience of social care within the Department of Health and Social Care and senior levels of the NHS, a group of MPs have recommended.
LaingBuisson News
Adult social care’s contribution to economy grows, says report
An additional £6.1bn investment in long term care is needed to sustain the sector and release its full potential, a Skills for Care report has said. To reduce the levels of unmet need, the volume of local authority funded long term care needs to increase. This would also need a fee rise to enable higher pay for more staff and to sustain the provider market.
LaingBuisson News
Wider Stakeholder News
Principles of Advance Care Planning and DNACPR (document consultation)
Following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) review and report into do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitations (DNACPRs), NHS England and NHS Improvement has committed to developing a set of high level principles for Advance Care Planning to facilitate a consistent national approach to this.
Found at: NHS
ICS leadership
Following a robust selection process, ICB chair designates have been appointed in most ICSs. Below is a list of the current ICS independent chairs and the ICB chair designates who will take over the role from April 2022, subject to the Health and Care Bill being approved.
Found at: NHS England
Measuring the Self-funding Population in Care Homes
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is looking for feedback to support the development of statistics measuring the number of people in care homes who are ‘self-funders.’
People who self-fund their care make up a significant proportion of revenue for care home providers. However, a lack of comprehensive, standardised and linked-up data currently stands in the way of fully understanding the care homes market. This, in turn, can hinder effective delivery and improved outcomes for people in social care.
The ONS is looking to address this gap, and has recently released an experimental, or ‘beta’ version of how we might be able to measure the number of self-funders in England.
Found at: ONS
State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, 2021
Skills for Care’s latest report was published this week and shows the significant impact the pandemic has had on both the short and long-term challenges faced by the workforce.
The report reveals that on average, 6.8% of roles in adult social care were vacant in 2020/21, which is equivalent to 105,000 vacancies being advertised on an average day. Turnover rates across the sector also remain high, at 28.5% in 2020/21. This figure had decreased during the pandemic, but since March 2021 many employers report that recruitment and retention is now more difficult than before the pandemic.
We’re grateful to all the adult social care providers who continue to update their data within the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS). This report is just one way we use the data to provide intelligence for the government and decision makers to help create a sustainable workforce as we enter a period of reform for adult social care.
Found at: Skills for Care
Adult social care contributes £50.3 billion to English economy
The growing adult social care sector and its skilled workforce contributes £50.3 billion to the English economy according to Skills for Care’s new report.
‘The value of adult social care in England' report argues that the best way to make adult social care sustainable in the long-term is to move away from payment for adult social care processes to payment based on better outcomes for people who draw on care and support services.
It also argues that the skills and knowledge of the 1.5 million strong adult social care workforce is central to high quality, and that investing in the development of talented and productive care workers has significant benefits to the outcomes of people drawing on care and support as well wider benefits to the national economy.
Found at: Skills for Care
Helping you to retain your staff
Throughout October and November, Skills for Care is putting the spotlight on retaining staff, sharing information and ideas through blogs, articles, and social media posts to help you #RetainToGain.
Investing in staff retention is vital to the success of any organisation, helping with the continuity of high-quality care, staff wellbeing and time and cost savings.
Skills for Care can provide support to help you retain your workforce and ensure you have the right people with the right values working with you.
Found at: Skills for Care
DHSC webinar: COVID-19 medical exemptions for care home workers
An online webinar, also relevant to volunteers, will include information on the public health aims of making vaccination a condition of deployment (VCoD) in care homes, the CQC enforcement approach, and workforce issues.
The session is scheduled for Wednesday 20 October at 9.30-10.30am. A previous VCoD guidance webinar can be viewed here.
A letter from DHSC's Claire Armstrong, Director of Adult Social Care Delivery and COVID-19 Response, providing further details on exemptions, including self-certification, has been sent to care colleagues and local authorities.
Found at: Eventbrite
Resilience and Mindfulness how it can help you in your business – online event
Date and time: Fri, 22 October 2021, 11:00 – 11:30 BST
A short session introducing Karl's unique resilience valley model and some interactive insight into Mindfulness and how they can help you in your day to day management of your wellbeing in business.
Click here to register.
NO GOING BACK- the future of workforce wellbeing and retention webinar
What if the future of retention, recruitment, and the entire health and care workforce, depends on future provision for support and wellbeing? Join an expert panel, including Professor Martin Green, on November 4 from 11:30 – 12:30.
Found at: Talent for Care