Policy Updates 6th December 2021
The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 6th December 2021.
Priority updates
Update to management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings to reflect Omicron variant
This guidance has been updated for a second time in the space of a week to reflect the Omicron variant. The second change has been to clarify the language of the first which has proved confusing to providers. See sections 1, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 3.1, 3.2 and 4.1. In short:
Staff members who are identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant must take a PCR test and self-isolate for 10 days even if they are double vaccinated. They must follow this advice even if they are within 90 days of a previous positive PCR test result.
Residents who are known to have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case should be isolated or cohorted for 14 full days after their last exposure to a COVID-19 case. If they are cohorted, this should only be with other residents who do not have COVID-19 symptoms but who have also been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case. This also applies to residents who have previously recovered from COVID-19. Residents who have been exposed to a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, should be isolated separately.
Asymptomatic and fully vaccinated residents will not require self-isolation if certain additional mitigations are in place, unless they are identified as a contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant
Staff, patients and residents who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 within 90 days but have since become a contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant are no longer exempt from PCR and LFD testing.
Health and social care staff entering from any country not on the red list are required to take a PCR test on or before day 2 after their return. They must self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result. If the PCR test result is positive, they must start 10 full days isolation from the day of their test and follow the Stay at home guidance. If the PCR test result is negative they can return to work but they are also required to take a daily LFD test until day 10 after return from travel.
We are very aware of the concern that you won't know who has Omicron variant unless UKHSA or a local health protection team tells you! UKHSA has told us they are working on speeding up this process but it is likely they will be unable to identify every case of Omicron.
COVID-19 Booster & Flu Vaccinations
At the centre of the government's response to the Omicron variant are COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Recent data from Capacity Tracker would suggest that uptake is worryingly low for both staff and residents in care homes despite NHSE claiming to have reached the majority of homes with roving vaccination teams. We are aware of the issues of teams only vaccinating residents and other access issues and have been raising all of them with DHSC. We have made it clear that the prioritisation of social care staff and users needs to be ensured ahead of a mass rush for boosters. It is also worth saying that the flu vaccine is also very important and should also be encouraged. A few things to note:
The SOP for Roving and mobile teams was updated in October to make it clear that roving teams should be vaccinating staff and residents on site where possible and should be organising visits for the booster vaccinations. We have asked for the guidance to be updated to ensure that NHS teams carry out multiple visits for the booster vaccination itself. The guidance already implies this on page 28 - we want it strengthened and operationalised.
Ensure your Capacity Tracker data on booster uptake is accurate and up to date - we are aware that the Tracker may be underreporting booster vaccine uptake. DHSC is aware that some providers were waiting for staff to show evidence via NHS App etc which wasn't initially available for boosters.
We've raised the need to better join-up COVID-19 boosters and Flu vaccination programmes and operations and to have a dedicated prioritisation route for social care for both
We've pointed out that DHSC also needs to ensure they develop mechanisms to reach and prioritise social care staff who don't work in one place - i.e. home care workers and other social care workers in the community.
Government Policy Paper: The health and social care approach to winter
Overnight, the government published a document which sets out the range of preparations made to ensure health and social care services remain resilient over winter. There is nothing new here for social care - it is simply a list of what the government has already done and is planning. It also announces the allocation of the £700m Targeted Investment Fund for the NHS.
Visiting arrangements in care homes
Sets out how care homes can support families and visitors to visit residents.
3 December 2021: Added a comma after 'emergency stay in hospital' in the 13th bullet point on the page.
Found at: GOV.UK
New law to prevent use of force in mental health settings – press release
Today, the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act will commence to better protect patients in mental health settings over the inappropriate use of force.
GOV.UK
Oral Statement on the COVID-19 pandemic - Oral statement to Parliament
The Health and Social Care Secretary has given a statement to Parliament on the COVID-19 pandemic and action we are taking to tackle the Omicron variant.
GOV.UK
Updated Policy
Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 statutory guidance
7 December 2021
Published consultation response including link to final statutory guidance.
Found at: GOV.UK
Face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make one
7 December 2021
Updated to remove reference to workplace risk assessments.
Found at: GOV.UK
News From Stakeholders:
From the Home Office
Priority Visa Services
Yesterday, 30 November, we extended our priority visa services so they are now available to EU nationals holding a biometric passport from an EU country (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland), and who are submitting applications via the UK Immigration: ID Check app in the following routes: Skilled worker, Health and Care worker, and Student.
Further information on getting a faster decision using priority visa services can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/faster-decision-visa-settlement.
Skilled Worker Eligibility Checker Tool
Yesterday, 30 November, the Home Office launched a new Skilled Worker Eligibility Checker (SWEC) tool. This interactive tool will enable applicants and employers to immediately see if vacancies are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.
The tool can be found on gov.uk: https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/skilled-worker-points-calculator and can also be found in the attached partner pack.
PBS Anniversary
Today, 1 December, marks the one-year anniversary since our points-based immigration system’s Skilled Worker route launched.
The Skilled Worker route accounts for 61% of work-related visas granted, and saw the largest increase in visa numbers, up 45,866 or 57%.
This has meant that over the last year, the UK has welcomed thousands of skilled workers including scientists, plumbers, architects, butchers, doctors, creative workers and bricklayers.
We will be issuing a Home Office press statement on the skilled worker route to mark the anniversary and will also be using this opportunity to promote the points-based immigration system via a series of posts on our Home Office LinkedIn account. The assets we will be posting can be found in the attached partner pack.
The skilled worker anniversary is an ideal opportunity to communicate to your stakeholders about the international recruitment opportunities available through the points-based immigration system, along with promoting the new Skilled Worker Eligibility Checker tool, which will be a valuable tool for both employers and applicants.
With changes taking place to UK immigration routes, we recently refreshed our points-based immigration system introduction for employers to ensure employers are aware of how they can recruit talented individuals from around the world. The guide provides an overview of our points-based immigration system work routes and sets out the steps employers should take to access the system.
We continue to encourage employers to first consider domestic recruitment options within the UK, and this guide provides examples of programmes available to employers who are considering hiring employees, offering work experience or upskilling their existing staff.
We will be communicating these updates with employers through our own channels, and we encourage you to share them within your organisation and with your own stakeholders.
The health and social care approach to winter
Sets out the wide range of preparations made to ensure that health and social care services remain resilient, joined up and available to patients over the coming months. It also announces the allocation of the £700 million Targeted Investment Fund.
Found at: GOV.UK
Care home workers' attitudes to work in COVID-19 times
We are seeking the views of care home workers for this research study by the University of Oxford. We are interested in the experiences and opinions of people in direct care positions, such as Care Worker, Care Support Worker or Care Assistant, or Senior Care Worker. If this is the work you do, we would love to hear from you. If this does not apply to you, but you know people who work in these roles, we would be grateful if you could make them aware of this call and share it across your networks. Participation will involve a recorded online or telephone interview of an hour to an hour-and-a-half in length. The interview will be based around the experiences of social care workers, including their working conditions and work motivations. Participants will be given a £20 high street shopping voucher once the interview has been completed to compensate them for their time.
Found at: DSPI
North Somerset News
It is now a requirement for all care home staff to have received both their vaccinations. There is now also a requirement making vaccination a condition of employment in the health and the wider social care sector. These regulations will require workers who have direct, face-to-face contact with service users to provide evidence that they have been vaccinated, subject to limited exceptions. This will apply across Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated health and social care services. Staff will be required to have their first vaccination dose by the 1st February 2022 to meet the deadline that will come in to force on the 1st April 2022.
Vaccinations can be accessed via www.grabajab.net which has a list of walk-in clinics staff can access.
This email is also a reminder that you need to regularly update all areas of the National Capacity Tracker – at a minimum, this should be every 48 hours.
Central Government continues to use this data on a daily basis to identify issues or raise concerns with Local Authorities to investigate further. Therefore, it is really important that the system is kept up to date, particularly vaccination uptake for staff, and residents where you are a care home provider.
The tracker is also a Government requirement and its regular use forms the basis for distributing additional funding support to providers, eg Infection Control Fund.
We appreciate that at times the system experiences data errors so if you notice this then please continue to raise your queries directly with the Capacity Tracker Support Team (tel: 0191 691 3729, email: necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net and insert ‘Capacity Tracker’ into the subject line.
Kind Regards
Contracts and Commissioning Team
ASC Covid19 Inbox
Wider News
New film shows Martin Kemp as Father Christmas in vaccine drive
Former EastEnders and Spandau Ballet member urges people to get their COVID-19 jabs as part of their Christmas preparations.
Martin Kemp stars as Father Christmas in a new film to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake this winter
The music and television personality urges people to get their jabs as part of their Christmas preparations
Booster programme is being accelerated with more vaccination centres and military support
Former soap star and member of music group Spandau Ballet, Martin Kemp has joined the national effort to get people vaccinated – by appearing as Father Christmas in a new film released today (Tuesday 7 December).
Found: GOV.UK