Care Matters Weekly: Friday 27 November 2020

This is the Care Matters Weekly update for Friday 27 November 2020, including information on:

• Weekly home testing for Home Care workers now available
• Applying to the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• VIDEO: Thank you to Sutton’s care sector staff
• Staying mentally well this winter
• Weekly Q&A with Care Homes
• London ADASS returns now three times a week
• NHS Capacity Tracker
• Training for nurses offered by St Raphael’s Hospice
• NHSx iPad offer
• NHS Digital – Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT)
• Staff flu immunisation
• Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities

The latest guidance on Testing, PPE and Training can be found in the relevant sections on the Sutton Care Hub website.

Weekly home testing for Homecare workers now available

This information is for Homecare staff only.

Care workers looking after people in their own homes are now offered weekly coronavirus tests. From 23 November all registered Homecare agencies will be contacted with details of how to apply for test kits for their carers. 

Homecare agencies will be responsible for ordering and distributing tests to all homecare workers for them to conduct at home on a weekly basis. 

Those working for CQC-registered providers will receive weekly PCR tests to administer at home, which will help identify more asymptomatic cases and protect care users who are more vulnerable to the virus.

Further information and guidance can be found on the Government website.

Applying to the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

If you are a European Union citizen, who is resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, you and your family members (including non-EU citizens) need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if you want to continue to live, work and study in the UK after 30 June 2021.

The EU Settlement Scheme allows you to continue to live, work and study here in the UK. It means you will continue to be eligible for:

• public services, such as healthcare and schools
• public funds and pensions
• British citizenship, if you want to apply and meet the requirements

The deadline for applications is 30 June 2021.

To get support, call Citizens Advice Sutton on 07389731261 or email [email protected]

VIDEO: Thank you to Sutton’s care sector staff

In March 2020, the UK locked down for the first time to fight the spread of COVID-19. Despite the risks, the care sector continued to provide vital services for the people that needed them. Their jobs didn’t stop. 

Sutton Council, along with our partners at Sutton Health & Care and care providers, have produced this video to recognise the incredible work undertaken during those difficult months. Care workers acted bravely and with compassion to keep doing their jobs, to care for those that needed it.

Staying mentally well this winter

This year has seen an unprecedented change to our lives, as COVID-19 has disrupted our routines, our livelihoods, and our way of life.

The government is absolutely committed to supporting everyone’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the winter period and beyond, and to ensuring that the right support is in place.

This winter, it is important that we make use of the extensive resources and advice available on Public Health England’s Better Health: Every Mind Matters platform to make conscious plans to support our own mental wellbeing, and that of those close to us.

Further advice has also been issued on the importance of considering your Vitamin D intake this winter, given the unprecedented amount of time we have all spent indoors this year.

Weekly Q&A with Care Homes

We are holding a weekly Q&A session for all Care Home Providers, every Wednesday 4 – 5pm, via google meet. The session will give you an opportunity to ask questions and discuss situations arising due to COVID-19. The session is optional, and you can drop in and out of the session as you are available.

If you have any questions you would like to share in advance of the session please send to [email protected] and mark FOR Q&A LOG. Questions may be asked during the session which have not been submitted in advance, however please note we may need to come back to you with an answer at a later date.

Following the latest discussion on outbreaks, here is some more information on best interests decisions and COVID-19.

London ADASS returns to be completed three times a week

This information is for Home Care and Supported Living staff only.

The London ADASS returns now need to be completed three times a week from the 30 November. Please ensure you are completing the ADASS Market Insight tool every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as this information is essential for London wide and local emergency planning. 

Providers are currently asked to complete information on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with regard to client, staffing, service capacity and PPE stock levels via a London-wide provider portal. This information represents a valuable and critical input to both London and Sutton emergency planning and response activity to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation; at a local level, it will enable our commissioning teams to deliver targeted and effective support to Sutton’s social care providers. 

If you have any problems submitting your returns then please email [email protected]

NHS Capacity Tracker

This information is for Care Homes staff only.

There are some new links to recorded Capacity Tracker webinars on YouTube:

Date	Theme
8 October 2020	Update Frequency
15  October 2020	New Flu Vaccination and Discharge Questions
22 October 2020	Flu and COVID-19 Testing Reporting
29 October 2020	Interpreting COVID-19 Data
12 November 2020	ICF2 (Updated Infection Control Fund Questions)

Training for nurses offered by St Raphael’s Hospice

This information is for Care Homes staff only.

St Raphael’s Hospice still have spaces available on the following training sessions:

• Syringe Pump Training – 1 December, 09.30-16.30 at Civic Offices, Room G3 (for Trained Nurses).
• Wound Care Training – 8 December, 09.30-12.30 and 13.30-14.30 at Sutton Civic Offices. 
• Catheter and Bowel Care Training – 10 December, 09.30-16.30 at Sutton Civic Offices.

There is also Verification of Death training available for Trained Nurses. Please login or sign up to St Raphael’s Hospice’s Training for Healthcare Professionals portal for further information on these sessions.

NHSx iPAD Offer

This information is for Care Homes staff only.

The majority of those care homes which applied,  will receive an iPAD (you should have received notification),  for delivery over the next few weeks.  If your application has not been successful and you are struggling with your existing IT equipment, can you please contact Paul Harper at South West London CCG, as there may be additional devices available to distribute.

NHS Digital – Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT)

If anyone is struggling with NHS Digital’s Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), please contact Paul Harper at South West London CCG. We are keen to support all homes to reach ‘standards met’.

Staff Flu Immunisation

Thank you to those who took part in our recent telephone survey on staff flu immunisation. Overall we found that 50% of homes surveyed are experiencing problems with the local availability of flu immunisation (we are assured that new stocks are on their way) and 60% of homes were experiencing significant reluctance from staff to have a flu jab. 

Please see below a myth-busting document to help explain the importance of having the vaccine this winter.

Annual Health Checks for people with learning disabilities

It’s important for people with a learning disability to have an annual health check as they often have poorer physical and mental health than other people. It is still a priority for GPs to ensure that people still have their annual health check.

Face-face appointments will always be provided if the GP feels they are clinically necessary. It is appreciated that people with a learning disability might have specific access needs that might require face-to-face.

To find out more you can watch an annual health check video from the NHS website.

Anyone over the age of 14 with a learning disability, can have an annual health check. Children would usually see a different doctor until they are 14 years old.A Good Quality Annual Health Check needs good quality information from the person and the key people who support them (family/unpaid carers, paid carers or friends). There are tools to help people to prepare, one example can be found here.