Policy Updates 18th July 2022
The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 18th July 2022.
New Policy
Building the right support for people with a learning disability and autistic people
People with a learning disability and autistic people should have the right support in place to live an ordinary life and fulfil their aspirations, in their own home. ‘Building the Right Support’ is our policy to achieve this ambition by:
strengthening community support
reducing the overall reliance on specialist inpatient care in mental health hospitals
improving the experiences of people with a learning disability and autistic people across public services such as health, social care, education, employment, housing and justice
This action plan brings together, in one place, the commitments that have been made by different organisations to realise these aims. It aims to make further and faster progress, and drive long-term change for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Care England has summarised this document, which can be found here.
Found at: GOV.UK
Updated Policy
Heatwave plan for England
The Heatwave Plan for England aims to prepare, alert and prevent people from the preventable health impacts from severe heat in England
18 July 2022
Updated information on heat-related illnesses and how to get help.
Found at: GOV.UK
NCF Member Briefing: DHSC Guidance on the Mandation of the Capacity Tracker
The formal notice of mandated data required via capacity tracker has now been published by DHSC alongside guidance, find both on the GOV.UK website here.
From 31 July 2022, the DHSC is mandating a core subset of the data that providers have been submitting regularly through the Capacity Tracker. The first set of monthly data is due at the end of 14 August 2022.
See attached briefing for an overview of the key points from the guidance, however, please refer to the guidance for a full overview of the changes and commitments that have been made.
The DHSC says: "DHSC has published the Formal Notice setting out what information is required by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from CQC-regulated adult social care providers, under section 277A of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, as inserted by section 99 of the Health and Care Act 2022.
DHSC has also published guidance on GOV.UK to support providers with this new requirement. The DHSC Guidance and the Notice can be found on the GOV.UK website here."
The NCF Position:
We are hugely supportive advocates of a robust data set for the adult social care sector, but we have consistently advised the department that:
the Capacity Tracker is not the right tool for this regular data collection
mandating the provision of data within the Capacity Tracker should not go ahead.
that the approach undermines the wider ambition for a robust social care data set
We have also conveyed a clear message from NCF members about the huge anxiety they feel about the proposed fines within the compliance regime, the challenge of what compliance looks like and how destabilising and distracting this will be for the sector which is already under huge pressure.
The NCF has also specifically advised the department that providers cannot demand vaccination data en-masse from their social care workforce because there is no legal requirement for staff to disclose their vaccination status.
We will continue to make put forward our case via the CT Data Advisory Group and will continue to convey the justified concerns of members. In the meantime, providers must read the guidance in full and understand the changes that are coming into force.
Kind Regards,
Finn Turner-Berry, Policy, Research & Projects Officer, National Care Forum
Wider Updates & News
Up to date information on wearing PPE in care settings
Many care providers are concerned that people in the general public have for the most part stopped wearing any PPE in public areas whereas staff in their organisations are still required to don PPE when at work in all care settings. They have been asking C&SW if the guidance issued previously from Government still applies.
We have looked on the various Government web sites and believe the link below is the most up to date version. Please use it to check what the current legislation and advice/guidance is for both building and community-based care provision in terms of PPE wearing.
Summary of Changes to COVID-19 guidance for Adult Social Care providers updated on July 7th 2022:
Heatwave Information Cascade
The Department for Health and Social Care has contacted Skills for Care to cascade the following information about the heatwave. Regarding PPE, please note that staff may need to change their face masks more frequently than normal due to sweat and the need to take more frequent breaks to drink. This should be supported and if there are any concerns regarding stock, providers should contact the PPE Portal customer service team on 0800 876 6802.
Found at: Skills for Care