Policy Updates 19th September 2022
The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 19th September 2022.
Outbreak Testing Guidance
Please see guidance regarding outbreak testing.
Care Home outbreak testing for COVID-19 flowchart: staff and residents (publishing.service.gov.uk)
South Gloucestershire Care Home Outbreak Drop-In Sessions
Our local multi-disciplinary team want to continue to support care providers experiencing an outbreak and we continue to offer a weekly drop-in meeting for managers experiencing an outbreak in their setting.
Drop-in sessions will now be held on Mondays at 11.30am.
The sessions are informal with the focus on addressing manager’s questions in order to provide support with acute issues that you would like addressed. We also hope that this session may provide valuable shared learning and peer support between providers.
If you would like to attend a drop-in session please use the link here.
Covid-19 Autumn Booster
Those aged 50 and over, residents in care homes, health and social care staff and those aged 5 years and over in a clinical risk group, will be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccination (Pfizer or Moderna) this autumn.
Appointments, available from the National Booking Service (NBS), will be offered between September and December 2022. There should be at least a 3-month gap between this booster and the last dose of vaccination.
Guide to the COVID-19 Autumn Booster: A guide to the COVID-19 autumn booster - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Printable guide can be found here and are available in a number of languages and formats: COVID-19: A guide to the autumn booster (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Further Vaccine Resources for Health and Social Care Staff
It is essential that all health and social care workers have the best protection against these viruses as we go into winter. The flu jab and the COVID-19 autumn vaccine are the best defence we have against them.
Please share the BNSSG Q&As with your staff which address Covid and flu vaccine concerns, along with a National Winter Vaccination Toolkit for frontline health and social care which might also be of use.