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Care Matters Weekly: Friday 4 February 2022
Vaccination as a condition of deployment stood down and consultation, Care Matters going fortnightly, end to social care restrictions, visiting guideline downloads, medication webinar for carers of people with learning disabilities, Domiciliary Care IPC Forum, and more. Please share.
Vaccination as a condition of deployment stood down and consultation, Care Matters going fortnightly, end to social care restrictions, visiting guideline downloads, medication webinar for carers of people with learning disabilities, Domiciliary Care IPC Forum, and more. Please share.
- Care Matters going fortnightly
- COVID-19
- Updated guidance
- Webinars and Training
- Infection, Prevention and Control
- Sutton Care Hub
Care Matters Weekly going fortnightly
The Care Matters weekly newsletter will be changing to fortnightly from this week.
As you know, the Care Hub was set up at the beginning of the pandemic, to ensure that we could share government guidelines for managing COVID-19 in care homes. With the withdrawal of COVID-19 restrictions now, and the pandemic moving to a more ‘business/life as usual’ phase, it is no longer necessary to have the weekly newsletter.
The Hub will still be updated throughout the week with any news and guidance updates, so please do make sure you log in and check regularly, and, as we move nearer to our new adult social care recruitment campaign in the spring, we will be using the Hub to share information and opportunities.
The next edition will be on Friday 18 February.
COVID-19
Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) in all health care settings
On 31 January, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the government’s intention to consult on the removal of the regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment (VCOD) in all health and social care settings (care homes and wider social care).
Whilst the formal change is awaited from Government, for now, employers are told not to issue any notices of termination to employees in connection with the VCOD regulations.
Read the full government announcement
Page summary:
- Consultation to remove vaccination as a condition of deployment as Omicron replaces Delta as dominant COVID-19 variant
We thank you all, for your commitment to getting you and your teams vaccinated.
Testing guidance awaited
Latest guidance on testing is due on 16 February. The Care Hub will be updated as soon as new guidance is received – please make sure that you check the hub between 16 – 18 February.
Government ends social care restrictions after booster success
Restrictions in place to prevent the spread of Omicron in adult social care have now ended following the success of the booster roll out and the end of Plan B restrictions.
The main changes to note, are:
- Unlimited visiting for care home residents to return
- Reduced isolation following a COVID-19 infection for those receiving care
- Changes will ensure those providing and receiving care are kept safe while increasing freedoms for residents
- Restrictions in place to help prevent the spread of Omicron in adult social care will now be eased as Plan B measures are removed following the success of the booster programme
From Monday 31 January, there is now no limit on the number of visitors allowed into care homes and self-isolation periods will be cut. Now care homes only have to follow outbreak management rules for 14 rather than 28 days.
By Wednesday 16 February, care workers will be asked to use LFD tests before their shifts replacing the current system which included the use of weekly asymptomatic PCR tests.
Read the full guidance now in effect
Updated guidance
Updated guidance: Visiting arrangements in care homes (downloads)
Updated guidance has been published about visiting arrangements in care homes on Wednesday 2 February 2022, and replaces previous guidance on care home visiting and applies to all residential care homes.
Read the full guidance for residential care homes
Download our handy guides to visiting in and out of care homes
Webinars and training
Medication webinar for carers looking after people with learning disabilities: 2 March
Join this free online webinar, hosted by the Sutton LD Care Home Support team, where you can find out more about;
- Medication reviews for people with learning disabilities and importance of annual health checks
- What is STOMP* and how to recognise that medication may be causing side effects and needs to be reviewed
- Uses and side effects of psychotropic medicines in people with LD and an update on some other commonly prescribed medicines, such as i.e. laxatives, anti-reflux medications, iron tablets, topical creams
Date: Wednesday 2 March 2022
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Who it’s for: Care staff of LD residential homes/supported living homes/extra care housing
Why: To help care providers/staff contribute to medication optimisation so that LD residents’ symptoms are well controlled and they do not suffer unnecessary side effects.
Hosted by: Aiste Navickaite (Advanced Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist – Learning Disabilities & Autism)
*STOMP stands for stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both with psychotropic medicines. It is a national project involving many different organisations which are helping to stop the over use of these medicines.
To register your interest, please contact Choonwha Jung (LD nurse) on 07899 661522 or [email protected] and an invite will be sent to you.
Infection Prevention and Control
Domiciliary Infection Prevention and Control Forum: 10 February
The Domiciliary Infection Prevention and Control Forum is held every 2 weeks. The next forum is on Thursday, 10 February from 2pm to 3.30pm.
Those working in Day centres/Extra Care are welcomed.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
IPC Information Sharing webinar: 8 February
The next IPC Information Sharing webinar is on Tuesday 8 February, at 11am.
Download the agenda
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Queens Nursing Institute for the new IPC Champions Network updates
Sign up to receive updates from the Queens Nursing Institute for the new IPC Champions Network – you can also sign up via Newsletters.
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Webinars and training
Join senior IPC nurses to learn more about general infection prevention and control training including: MRSA, Tuberculosis, diarrhoea, rashes, wound care, specimen taking, head lice, scabies, respiratory infections, including COVID-19, staff health and more.
Sessions run online every Thursday between 2pm to 4.30pm. Register at Eventbrite to attend.
Weekly Information Sharing FAQs webinar
The COVID-19 pandemic remains an extremely challenging situation globally and we recognise that this is the case for staff working in Care Homes of all types. We are continuing the weekly Infection Prevention and Control and Information Sharing webinar Tuesday mornings at 11:00am.
+44 20 3880 0300 United Kingdom, London (Toll)
Conference ID: 855 305 74#
Local numbers | Reset PIN | Learn more about Teams | Meeting options.
Weekly Capacity Tracker webinar
Capacity Tracker Webinars for Care Homes are taking place at 2:00pm every Friday.
Click here to join the meeting on your computer or mobile app Or call in (audio only) on +44 20 3794 0272 Phone Conference ID: 311 948 485#
Sutton Care Hub Job Portal
To support Sutton’s care providers to recruit the best staff for all positions from management, to clinical staff, carers and administrative support, we have created the Sutton Care Hub Job Portal.
Subscribe to the Sutton Care Bulletin!
The Sutton Care Bulletin features a round up of good news stories and successes from across Sutton’s care sector, as well as useful information, guidance and resources. Please make sure you have subscribed to receive future editions.
An archive of previous editions can be found on the Sutton Care Hub.
Keep up to date
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