Care Matters Weekly: Friday 15 January 2021

This is the Care Matters Weekly update for Friday 15 January 2021, including information on:

• Sutton Care Hub feedback survey
• Rapid COVID-19 testing site
• Updated guidance: Visiting care homes, visits out of care homes, discharge into care homes and DoLS
• Temporary Alternative Discharge Destination (TADD)
• Weekly Q&A with Care Homes
• COVID-19 vaccinations for Care Homes
• COVID-19 vaccinations for LD/MH Care Homes
• COVID-19 vaccinations for Home Care providers
• COVID-19 vaccine discussions
• Supported Living and Extra Care testing webinars
• Free PPE provision extended until June 2021
• Wellbeing phone line to provide mental health support
• Training opportunities
• Weekly Information Sharing FAQs

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

Sutton Care Hub feedback survey 

We launched the Sutton Care Hub in November 2020 as the single point of access for guidance, resources and information for all staff working across all Sutton’s provider services.

As we move onto phases two and three, we would like to get your feedback to ensure we are developing the site in a way which is most useful for you.

Please complete this short survey to let us know your thoughts.

Rapid COVID-19 testing site

There is a rapid testing site at the Civic Centre in Sutton. It is now open to all staff working in or for the London Borough of Sutton to book a regular weekly test.  

Rapid test appointments can be booked online. The Civic Centre site is open weekdays between 8.00am-8.00pm (Monday-Friday).

Please be aware that lateral flow tests are for people who do not have symptoms of coronavirus and have not received a positive test for COVID-19 within the last 90 days. They are a self-administered nose and throat swab and this short video explains how the testing process works. 

There’s more information in a recent news update on the Sutton Care Hub.

Updated guidance: Visiting Care Homes, visits out of Care Homes, discharge from Care Homes and DoLS guidance

Following the latest changes to COVID-19 restrictions, the government has issued a lot of updated guidance.

It states: An exception to this process is for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are within 90 days of their initial illness onset or positive test date. If these individuals have already completed their 14-day isolation period from onset of symptoms or positive test result (if asymptomatic) and have no new COVID-19 symptoms or exposure, they are not considered to pose an infection risk. They therefore do not have to be re-tested and can move directly to a care home from hospital.

Please make sure you are aware of the current rules for each of these subject areas:

• Visiting Care Homes
• Visits out of Care Homes
• Discharge into Care Homes
• Looking after people who lack mental capacity

TADDs

Please make sure you are aware of the latest designated discharge guidance and familiarise yourself with how the process works locally.

Weekly Q&A with Care Homes 

We are holding a weekly Q&A session for all Care Home Providers, every Wednesday 11am – 12pm, 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.

Care Home vaccinations

Please remember that to support the vaccination programme all Care Homes receiving new admissions must advise their GP and/or the Care Home Support Team, so that they can be vaccinated, if they haven’t already been.

COVID-19 Vaccinations for LD/MH Care Homes

The NHS will shortly be starting the rollout of the vaccine in LD/MH Care Homes within Sutton. This letter sets out how this process will work.

COVID-19 Vaccine for Home Care Providers

The COVID-19 vaccine is available for staff in Home Care who are client facing. The current process is to register using the below booking form and sending to [email protected] 

Requests are logged and staff will either be sent a self-booking link OR their details are securely transferred to a clinic who will direct book with them via phone or email. Please check that emails and phone numbers are correct and are accessible both in and out of hours.

More details on the vaccine are on the COVID-19 Vaccine page on the Sutton Care Hub.

COVID-19 vaccine discussions

1. A free COVID-19 vaccine panel discussion is taking place on Saturday 16 January 2021, 11am-12:30pm. Black GPs and senior consultants who have received the vaccine will be discussing it and explaining why they are happy to support it. 

• 

2. A live webinar for staff in South West London, led by a Doctor, on COVID-19 Vaccination with an opportunity for staff to ask questions. This will take place on Tuesday 19 January 2021, 3-4 pm.  Please circulate and encourage your staff to attend.  No need to book, just click on link or dial in details below:

Join on your computer or mobile app: Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only), using the details below:

+44 20 3880 0300,,395877848#   United Kingdom, London

Phone Conference ID: 395 877 848#

Supported Living and Extra Care testing webinars

Supported Living and Extra Care testing webinars

The Department of Health & Social would like to invite Local Authorities and providers to our regular Extra Care and Supported Living testing webinars. The webinars will take place at 11am on Wednesday 20 and 27 January 2021 and will last one hour, giving detailed information about all aspects of testing and will include a live Q&A.

Sign up to attend the new Extra Care and Supported Living testing webinars.

Free PPE provision extended until June 2021

The Government has extended the provision of free personal protective equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 needs to social care providers until the end of June 2021.

In order to protect the health and wellbeing of care workers, as well as their patients and clients, the continued provision will make sure frontline workers can access rigorously tested and high-quality PPE.

Wellbeing phone line to provide mental health support

Sutton Council is proudly supporting Sutton Mental Health Foundation (SMHF) to deliver a free phone service for those in need of support within the borough.

January is traditionally a difficult month for many and with the added complications brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a chance more of us will need support than ever before. 

Those wishing to speak openly, honestly and confidentially about their concerns, can call 0800 0129105, Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm.

Find out more about the service on SMHF’s website.

Training opportunities

Please take the time to explore the latest training opportunities on the Sutton Training website.

There are spaces available for bowel and catheter training on 9 February 2021 (09.30am – 16.30pm) at Sutton Civic Offices.

There are also spaces available to attend RESTORE2 Training, which is considered vital learning in the current climate. This can be booked by contacting Wendy (email [email protected]) or Irene (email [email protected]).

Weekly Information Sharing FAQs

The weekly email sent on behalf of NHS South West London CCG will now be hosted as a regular news item here, in Care Matters Weekly.

Please take the time to watch this video and share it with your staff. It is important we all understand the benefits of getting vaccinated and this video answers a lot of questions staff may have.

• COVID-19 Vaccination Q&A with Dr Agnelo Fernandes and COVID-19 experience shared by Erik Cortez

As you are aware, Care Home staff have been given priority for the COVID-19 Vaccine and we are pleased to have been able to offer this to care home staff

Any member of care home staff who would like to be vaccinated for covid-19 can email use the form attached to this email and send to [email protected]

We would be grateful if all care home managers share this information with their staff as soon as possible so they can take up this opportunity.

In the coming weeks we hope to be able to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to more residents within the care home and we will keep you updated as our plans develop.

Incentive for weekend admissions from hospitals

As you will be aware, the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the winter pressures, is placing high demand on all health and social care services.  The hospitals in South West London are under a severe pressure and it is important that medically stable patients are discharged quickly 7 days a week and outside of office hours.

We recognise that there are challenges for Care Homes to accept residents from a hospital on the weekend and South West London Clinical Commissioning Group are providing a financial support offer to Care Homes when residents are accepted from hospital on the weekend.  Care Homes are able to apply for a £100 per resident support offer for all weekend returning residents and new admissions. This may be used by the home to support with additional staff or resources to support this weekend work.

The process to claim the £100 is to be confirmed please take note of the residents who are returning this weekend.

This process started on 09/01/21 and will run through until 31/03/21.

We will send out further information on how to claim the money in due course.

Opportunity to take part in research study on Coping with infection-control measures in Care Homes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Have you worked at least 8 shifts in a UK care home in the last 4 months? If yes, then we would like to hear from you.

We are a group of researchers from the University of East Anglia (Norfolk, UK) and we are looking for care home staff to take part in a short survey to tell us what it has been like to cope with trying to prevent the spread of infection in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and if you leave your contact details, we will enter your name into a prize draw for the chance to win one of five £10 Amazon gift vouchers.

To complete the survey, please click on this link.

We would also like to interview some care home staff by telephone or online. Online platforms may be Zoom, Microsoft Teams, but others may be available. The choice will depend on what you prefer and whether the researcher has access to the same technology. If you are interested in this part please contact Dr Julii Brainard Dr Diane Bunn ([email protected]) at the University of East Anglia for further information.

This study is funded by the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness at the University of East Anglia.

We hope to see you at the next Infection Prevention and Control Information Sharing Webinar for Care Homes.

Please click link below to access the next Infection Prevention and Control Information Sharing Webinar for Care Homes on Tuesday 19 January 2020 at 11am until 12 noon.

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

+44 20 3880 0300   United Kingdom, London (Toll)

Conference ID: 855 305 74#

Local numbers | Reset PIN | Learn more about Teams | Meeting options