Nick Ireland’s Foreword: Sutton Care Bulletin #6, February 2022

Hello, and welcome to the sixth edition of the Sutton Care Bulletin, the bi-monthly round up of all the good news and latest successes from our borough’s social care sector.

There have been many changes in the past few weeks, and I am sure news that the government has decided to look at removing Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) as a legal requirement to employment came as a welcome relief for many.

Whilst we await formal confirmation from the government, we are firm that no staff member should be given notice to leave their job, under VCOD. We will, of course, keep you informed as soon as the government confirms the legal change. 

The pandemic, and VCOD, means we have sadly lost some staff over the past few months, however, we will shortly be starting our adult social care recruitment campaign to help us, and you, recruit more people into the care sector. Keep an eye out for news and briefings about the recruitment campaign, which we anticipate will start in March.

In other news, the relaxation of visiting arrangements in care homes, as well as self-isolation, means we are making progress in life getting back to normal, as much as it can be currently, and hopefully means you and your staff, and visitors will be able to feel comfortable visiting our care homes, knowing we are doing all we can to keep their loved ones protected and safe.

International Women’s Day takes place on 8 March, with the theme of ‘break the bias’ – a day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against gender bias and take action for equality. There are lots of events taking place around Sutton to mark the day – find out more in our news items. 

Don’t forget – the weekly newsletter has now switched to fortnightly – the next edition is on 18 February, but please don’t forget to check the Hub for all the latest updates on visiting guidelines, funding opportunities and more.

With the upcoming half-term break next week, I know you will be busy managing visits – please keep up your amazing work to keep our residents, and yourselves safe.

Warm regards,

Nick Ireland

Strategic Director of People – London Borough of Sutton