Policy Updates 13th December 2021

The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 13th December 2021.

New Policy

UK's most vulnerable people to receive life-saving COVID-19 treatments in the community – Press release
Thousands of vulnerable people are to receive cutting-edge antiviral and antibody treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19).

National study for antiviral to take at home launched today for over 50s and those with underlying health conditions
Those at highest risk from COVID-19 can receive either treatment directly from next week
Treatments set to reduce hospitalisations, easing pressure on NHS this winter

Thousands of the UK’s most vulnerable people will be among the first in the world to access life-saving, cutting-edge antiviral and antibody treatments from today, the government has announced.
Found at: GOV.UK

Updated Policy

Using your NHS COVID Pass for travel abroad and at venues and settings in England

13 December 2021
Updated to reflect that fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 15 can request an NHS COVID Pass letter for international travel.
Found at: GOV.UK

COVID-19 test validation approved products
13 December 2021
Updated 'COVID-19 test validation approved products'.
Found at: GOV.UK

Making vaccination a condition of deployment in the health and wider social care sector
10 December 2021
Added impact assessment and 'Impact assessment – DHSC further analysis and information'.
Found at: GOV.UK

Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund for adult social care
9 December 2021
Added 'Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund: examples of allowable activity'.
Found at: GOV.UK

Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread
8 December 2021
Updates to reflect new plan B measures being introduced to respond to the rise of the Omicron variant.
Found at: GOV.UK

Skills for Care podcast: Fly with wings
Our guest Mark Topps was a registered manager for 6 years, he reflects on his learnings during that time including the importance of sharing, making the role what you want it to be and having a good work-life balance. Mark discusses the importance of standing up for what you believe and challenging things you don’t agree with. He also shares his top tips for using social media to network, find support and latest guidance.
Found at: Skills for Care

Prime Minister confirms move to Plan B in England
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a move to Plan B in England.

Move to Plan B confirmed as Omicron spreads across UK, with early analysis suggesting cases could be doubling at a rate of as little as 2.5 to 3 days
Face masks to become compulsory in most public indoor venues, other than hospitality
NHS Covid Pass to be mandatory in specific settings, using a negative test or full vaccination via the NHS Covid Pass
Vaccines and testing remain our best lines of defence
People asked to work from home if they can

Found at: GOV.UK

Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) resources
Skills for Care has developed a range of guidance and best practice resources to support the social care workforce use DNACPRs to support people’s treatment and support preferences. These resources also support some of the key findings and recommendations from the Care Quality Commission’s report Protect Respect and Connect.
Found at: Skills for Care

Daily rapid testing for COVID-19 contacts launches this week
From Tuesday 14 December, people who are fully vaccinated and identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 – whether Omicron or not – should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for 7 days to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The practical move comes as Omicron infections are rising significantly in the UK and it is expected to become the dominant strain in the UK by mid-December. It aims to reduce pressures on people’s everyday lives by replacing the requirement for Omicron contacts to isolate for 10 days, while protecting the public by identifying asymptomatic cases and stopping the chains of transmission. Testing daily will also help us understand how and where the virus is spreading.
Found at: GOV.UK

NHS to offer booster booking to every adult by end of December
As part of the biggest and fastest vaccine programme in health service history, online bookings are available for all those in their 30s and above from today. The national booking service will then open up to everyone aged 18 and over from Wednesday this week. The NHS is prioritising bookings for boosters and is urging people to book a slot to guarantee their vital jab. Some vaccination sites may offer a walk-in service for 18s and over from tomorrow if they have spare capacity.
Found at: NHS England

Defence steps up support to vaccine programme
750 Armed Forces personnel have been made available to support the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care and Scottish Government to accelerate the vaccine booster programme. Over 100 personnel are currently supporting the vaccine rollout in Scotland. 600 Armed Forces personnel have been made available to NHS England to administer vaccines, working in small teams across the country. In addition, around 50 personnel will provide planning support to NHS England. 41 planners will deploy to NHS trusts across England and 10 logistics experts will be based at NHS England’s headquarters in London.
Found at: GOV.UK

Plan B Announcement

This evening the PM announced that England is now moving to Plan B of the Winter Plan. This means:

People should work from home where they can from Monday
From Friday, face masks are mandatory in most indoor venues but not when eating, drinking, exercising or singing
Vaccine passports will be required for visitors to nightclubs, indoor seated venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any venue with more than 10,000 people. LFTs can be used to prove entry.

He also stated that the government plans to introduce daily tests for contacts of Omicron instead of isolation - we will be seeking clarity on this and whether this applies to social care. This is currently not what guidance states. We will keep the membership updated as we receive more information.

VCOD Medical Self-Exemption Update

Believe it or not but DHSC has extended the self-exemption deadline again. See the attached letter and this link. Self-certification forms will continue to be valid until 31 March 2022 for self-certified medical exemptions, so long as they have been received before 24 December 2021.

The reason for this extension is because some people who have applied for a formal exemption have experienced a delay in the outcome of their application being notified.

Please note that self-exemptions for people vaccinated overseas continue to be accepted until 1 April 2022 as well. Please also see the Q&A in the VCOD stakeholder toolkit

download Self-Cert Deadline Extension Letter

Timeline for VCOD in wider health and social care settings

DHSC have provided a rough timeline for the implementation of the wider policy in non-care home settings:

December - Votes in the Commons and Lords on VCOD in wider health and care settings
December - Stakeholder engagement on operational guidance (we can confirm this has begun)
Early January - Start of grace period
Early January - Operational guidance issued
4 February - Last date for first vaccine (8 weeks before regulations come into force)
1 April - Regulations come into force

We're aware that when the regulations are passed by parliament, the amendments relating to the care home regulations should go live at that point and not in April - we are looking for clarification on this point and will update members when we have it. The rough timeline provided by DHSC doesn't state this.

COVID-19 Antivirals

DHSC has announced a national study for COVID-19 antivirals for over 50s and those with underlying health conditions. We will circulate more information about what this looks like for social care when we have it.

Daily rapid testing for COVID-19 contacts launches this week
From Tuesday, fully vaccinated contacts of a COVID-19 case should take a daily lateral flow test for 7 days to slow the spread of the virus.

Those who test positive or develop symptoms will need to self-isolate
Unvaccinated adults must continue to self-isolate for 10 days if they are a contact of someone with COVID-19
It follows a significant rise in Omicron cases in the UK with the new variant expected to become the dominant strain by mid-December

From Tuesday 14 December, people who are fully vaccinated and identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 – whether Omicron or not – should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for 7 days to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
GOV.UK

News

New end of life care elearning pathway for nurses working in care homes
A new learning path designed for nurses working in care homes has been added to the End of Life Care for All (e-ELCA) elearning programme. It has been collated by Skills for Care, in collaboration with the Royal College of Nursing, and comprises introductory, core and additional elearning sessions which aim to support nurses working in social care with assessment, planning, implementation and review to support the person receiving care to live well until they die. The e-ELCA elearning programme was developed by Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) and the Association for Palliative Medicine (APM) to enhance the training and education of the health and social care workforce. The programme provides further sessions of interest to support additional continuing professional development (CPD) for nurses working in social care. A document signposting to these resources is available to download at the end of this learning path.
Found at: Health Education England

Haloperidol (Haldol): reminder of risks when used in elderly patients for the acute treatment of delirium
We wish to let you know that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published a Drug Safety Update article reminding healthcare professionals and prescribers of the need for special caution when using haloperidol (Haldol) for the acute treatment of delirium in elderly people. Haloperidol (Haldol) is a first-generation antipsychotic authorised for treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the acute treatment of delirium in adults when non-pharmacological treatments have failed. Please see the Summary of Product Characteristics for full indications. The MHRA received concerns from a patient representative regarding the use of haloperidol for the acute treatment of delirium in elderly people in the UK. We undertook a review and no new safety concerns were identified. However, the review identified that the practical use of haloperidol in patients with delirium is variable and is known to be especially associated with adverse effects of the central nervous system.
Found at: GOV.UK

Stepping up COVID-19 Booster vaccinations for social care staff – letter from DHSC
The NHS has already visited 99% of older adult care homes to offer booster vaccinations to residents and staff. The remainder will be visited by 24 December, subject to no further Covid-19 outbreak. These vaccination teams will offer a booster to staff when they visit care homes and where possible staff will also receive the offer of flu vaccination at the same time. Care home managers and teams have a crucial role in tracking who has had booster doses, both residents and staff, working with local partners to signpost opportunities for vaccination, communicating to local vaccinations teams the need for additional visits and supporting the planning process for the day of the vaccination visit to ensure that sufficient vaccine is brought onsite and consenting information is made available
Found at: Care England

Every adult to be offered Covid booster jab by end of December, says Boris Johnson
Every adult in Britain will be offered a Covid booster jab by the end of this month, Boris Johnson pledged tonight, as he warned there was “a tidal wave of Omicron coming”. Under plans for an unprecedented acceleration of the country’s vaccination campaign, from today anyone over the age of 18 will be eligible for a third Covid vaccination with plans to set up seven day a week mass walk-in vaccination centres around the country.
The Times

How do I book a Covid booster vaccine?
Can I book an appointment online? In most cases yes, here. But the system will not be open for 18 to 30-year-olds to book an appointment until Wednesday. Johnson said this was the best way for people to “guarantee” their slot but added that in some places people could attend a walk-in centre from today. How many people are now eligible? The government says about 15 million people will be eligible for a booster jab after yesterday’s announcement. Anyone aged over 18 who had their second vaccine at least three months ago will be able to book — or attend a walk in clinic.
The Times

Remote DigitalDecember 15, 2021