Policy Updates 25th July 2022
The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 25th July 2022.
Updates to managing COVID-19 guidelines
updated our recommendations on using remdesivir and advice on plasma exchange
COVID-19 variants identified in the UK – latest updates
Latest updates on SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in the UK.
Updated Policy
National flu immunisation programme plan 2022 to 2023
The annual flu letter describes the national flu immunisation programme and outlines which groups are eligible for flu vaccination.
22 July 2022
Added link to the 'Statement of amendments to annual flu letter – 21 July 2022' (HTML version of 'National flu immunisation programme 2022 to 2023 letter' and appendices A to F).
Found at: GOV.UK
UK Covid-19 Inquiry Officially Launched
Today, Baroness Heather Hallett officially launched the UK Covid-19 Inquiry with a live statement outlining her intentions of how the Inquiry will approach its work. A recording of the Chair’s statement is now available to watch on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website and on our YouTube channel.
Found at: UK Covid-19 Inquiry
The Circles programme: leadership development for women
Women occupy less leadership space in the health and care sector than men and continue to be under-represented in leadership positions, despite making up 78 per cent of the workforce. Here we outline our re-imagined leadership development programme for women who want to change that.
Found at: The Kings Fund
Accelerated monkeypox vaccination rollout in London as UKHSA secure more vaccines
The NHS in London, along with local public health teams, will be accelerating the rollout of the monkeypox vaccine from this week, prioritising individuals who are most likely to get the virus. NHS staff across the country have already started vaccinating eligible gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men (GBMSM), along with the frontline staff at greatest risk of exposure and those who have been in close contact with a confirmed case, in line with the UK Health Security Agency advice.
Found at: NHS England
Conservative Leadership Contest
We're now down to the last two contenders for leadership of the Conservative Party, and therefore, Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor, and Liz Truss, the current Foreign Secretary, will be spending the next month making their case to the Conservative party membership which will choose. The announcement of the next leader will take place at the beginning of September.
The social care sector is watching the Conservative leadership race with great concern. With two varying views on how to manage the economy, it is essential that the new leader commits to address the chronic underfunding in social care. This government has a responsibility to make good its manifesto promise and put in place a sustainable funding mechanism to meet the government’s reform plans and design a social care system for the future that all can hold in the highest regard.
Skills for Care Size and Structure of the ASC sector and workforce in England
This year's report makes stark reading. Key findings:
The total number of posts in adult social care in England (including filled posts and staff vacancies) was 1.79m as at 2021/22 (this was 0.3% higher than in 2020/21).
The number of filled posts was estimated at 1.62 million and the number of vacant posts was 165,000.
The number of filled posts has decreased by around 3% (50,000) between 2020/21 and 2021/22; the only annual decrease since records began in 2012/13.
Over the same period the number of vacant posts has increased (by 55,000 or 52%) which shows that the decrease in filled posts is a result of recruitment and retention difficulties rather than a decrease in demand for care staff.
The decrease in filled posts and corresponding increase in vacancies across adult social care comes as the wider economy has reopened following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) filled posts was estimated at 1.17 million and the number of people working in adult social care was estimated at 1.50 million.
An estimated 17,900 organisations were involved in providing or organising adult social care in England as at 2021/22. Those services were delivered in an estimated 39,000 establishments
Capacity Tracker Mandation
I've attached the briefing my colleague Finn circulated last week as a reminder that 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. The formal notice of the mandated data required has been published by DHSC alongside guidance.
Protecting Human Rights in Care Settings
The Joint Committee on Human Rights published its report on protecting human rights in care settings this morning. You can read our response to the report here.
Holiday pay for part year and irregular employees- Supreme Court Publishes its judgment
Anthony Collins has produced a briefing following a judgment published by the Supreme Court that part-year employees (and those working irregular hours) are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday calculated in accordance with a 12-week reference period (now 52 weeks).
Liberty Protection Safeguards Q&A
The CPA has produced a Q&A for the LPS. This can be accessed here.
National Data Opt-Out from 31 July 2022
The mandatory implementation of the National Data Opt-Out is fast approaching – 31 July 2022. If you are a Care Quality Commission registered provider who is partially or wholly publicly funded, you must take action by 31 July 2022.
If you do not, you could be in breach of the Information Commissioner’s Office regulations in relation to processing data fairly and transparently. The national data opt-out will also be a requirement of completing Standards Met in the Data Security and Protection Toolkit for 2022/23 onwards.
Access Digital Social Care’s short guide, including wording for you to use within your data processing policies and privacy notice, specifically for care providers. We strongly recommend that you read and act on this guidance now.
Adult Social Care Minimum Data Set Workshop
The NHS Digitising Social Care Programme are holding a workshop to establish what data adult social care providers need to consistently collect from people drawing on social care within the adult social care sector. This is to meet a Department of Health and Social Care policy commitment outlined in the recent health and social care data strategy.
Down Syndrome Act 2022 guidance: call for evidence
A call for evidence has been launched to inform the development of the statutory guidance for the Down Syndrome Act. The consultation will close on 8 November 2022.
Learning from Lives and Deaths - People with a Learning Disability and autistic people (LeDeR)
The latest LeDeR report for 2021 has been published. The report makes for sober reading. My colleague will be circulating a briefing in due course.
Building the right support for people with a learning disability and autistic people
This was published last week and we are currently working on a briefing for members. The 'Building the Right Support' document is an action plan intended to support people with a learning disability and autistic people to live an ordinary life and fulfil their aspirations, in their own home. The action plan seeks to do this by:
Strengthening community support
reducing the overall reliance on specialist inpatient care in mental health hospitals
improving the experience of people with a learning disability and autistic people across public services such as health, social care, education, employment, housing and justice