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Care Matters: Friday 9 December 2022
Cold Weather Plan, Care England's action to establish the largest gas and electricity tender for care providers, Have your say - Winter Activities, Free SEND e-learning for professionals, and more. Please share.
Cold Weather Plan, Care England’s action to establish the largest gas and electricity tender for care providers, Have your say – Winter Activities, Free SEND e-learning for professionals, and more. Please share.
- Cold Weather Plan
- Care England’s action to establish the largest Gas and Electricity Tender for Care Providers
- Have your Say – Winter Edition
- Free SEND e-learning for professionals
- Support for Nurses working in Care Homes from QNI
- Capacity Tracker
- Winter Pressures & Out of hours and Weekend Admissions Survey
- Priority flu and Covid vaccinations for frontline social and health care workers
- Free trauma-informed training for those supporting young people in the education sector
- Covid-19 Update
- DHSC Adult Social Care submission
- A Carers Guide to Home Fire Safety
- Latest Guidance
- Training and Development
- Training and development: Free training for care staff – Autism awareness / Women’s wellbeing and the menopause
- Guidance changes – Help from London Borough of Sutton Public Health team
- Webinars and Training
- Sutton Care Hub Job Portal
Cold Weather Plan
Please click here for the Cold weather plan for England guidance. This plan helps to prevent the major avoidable effects of cold weather on health.
In the below link, you will find action cards summarising advice on how different organisations need to respond to cold weather alert levels 0 through 4.
Care England’s action to establish the largest Gas and Electricity Tender for Care Providers
Care England is offering care providers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales the opportunity to combine energy volumes, to maximise significant economies of scale, to secure the lowest possible price for energy in the UK to help overcome rising energy costs devastating the sector, and is issuing an exclusive bulk tender for 2023-24 Gas and Electricity 2023 renewals, tendered through not-for-profit consultancy Box Power, to all energy suppliers in January 2023. We would ask if you could share and complete the EXPRESSION OF INTEREST LINK by the 16th of December 2023. Providers will be contacted by Box Power directly to ascertain how they can participate.
Further information can be found here: Sector Wide Gas and Electricity Tender Opportunity. Data collected will help to inform the DHSC and BEIS as to the impact energy inflation is having on the sector to help inform future energy relief for our sector.
Have your Say – Winter Edition
This month we want to know what you will be doing in the run up to Christmas. Please share your winter holiday care home activities and plans via [email protected]
Lavender Oaks and Crossways have already shared some of the great things they have been up to, and what they have planned for the remainder of the year. Please do take a look by clicking here
Free SEND e-learning for professionals
The SEND Partnership runs an e-learning course for anyone who requires SEND training. The course is designed to help equip staff and volunteers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver effective SEND services, and therefore improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Sutton.
The course has three three engaging and interactive modules to help you develop your knowledge and understanding of SEND, and has been designed for anyone who works with, or encounters, children, and young people aged 0 to 25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
- Module 1: Introduction to different types of SEND and Co-production; summary of key legislation and statutory processes, including the Children and Families Act
- Module 2: Understand SEND support and the benefits to a child or young person; learn about the Graduated Response and how each part of the cycle contributes to the aim of making progress and securing good outcomes. Also covers the use of person-centred planning
- Module 3: An introduction to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and recognising when they are required; gain an understanding of how to support children and young people to ensure a positive outcome for them and their families
To access any of these opportunities, please visit the Sutton Safeguarding training portal – you will need to create an account if you don’t have one already.
Image shows a young girl with special educational needs smiling into the camera with her showing both thumbs up. It says SEND e learning course, are you in contact with children and young people aged 0 to 25 years who have special educational needs and disabilities? Register to access the free send e learning course
Support for Nurses working in Care Homes from QNI
The Queens Nursing Institute has a forum and facebook site to support registered nurses working in the community. I have sent to all the managers of the homes but wondered if this can be advertised elsewhere and raised at the care home meeting. The link is below;
http://qni.org.uk/nursing-in-the-community/transition-community-nursing/care-home-nursing/
There has also been new guidelines in relation to management of skin tears ISTAP and also classification of moisture lesions. Please see the below attachments for more information and how to book onto courses for carers and registered nurses.
Capacity Tracker reminder and updates
This is a reminder for ASC Providers to please ensure the capacity tracker is updated, including vaccination status of residents and staff irrespective of where they received their Flu or Covid-19 booster vaccinations. Completion of Capacity Tracker is a mandatory requirement, It is good practice to aim to complete this on a weekly basis.
Report Changes | Vaccination data
On 1st September, 2022 changes were made to the vaccination data collected. The current vaccination report allows you to select data from that date onwards. You can still access vaccination data as at 31st August, 2022 by downloading the legacy file on the page.
FAQs
Please use this link to see a new section in the Resource Centre, which shows the questions you have been asking about updating Capacity Tracker along with a response – this also covers the new workforce and packages of care sections.
Winter Pressures & Out of hours and Weekend Admissions Survey
This short survey will help South West London ICB understand how we can best support Care Homes over the winter period and beyond.
Please click here
Reminder: Priority flu and Covid vaccinations for frontline social and health care workers
Winter is approaching, which is typically when flu, colds and other infectious viruses like Covid start to spread. It’s time to plan ahead.
Flu vaccinations and Covid booster vaccinations are now freely available for priority groups including frontline social care and health workers.
Flu vaccinations
If you work in a frontline social or health care role you can find a local pharmacy offering flu vaccinations on this NHS webpage. Flu vaccinations can be booked directly with the pharmacy or, in some cases, by walking-in without an appointment – although it might be a good idea to call ahead to check first.
The pharmacist may ask you to prove where you work so take an ID badge to show if requested. Please let your manager know when you’ve had your vaccination and claim the cost back through iTrent in the usual way.
People with a weakened immune system or who are pregnant can also get a free flu vaccination now. They will become freely available for everyone aged 50 years old and over from October.
Covid autumn booster
All frontline social and health care workers and anyone with a weakened immune system can now book online for a Covid autumn booster appointment using the NHS national booking website.
You can also book first and second doses of the Covid vaccine for all adults and children aged five years old and over, if you haven’t already done so.
We strongly recommend that everyone who is eligible, and is able to, take up the flu and Covid-19 booster vaccination offers as soon as possible. Both viruses can easily spread from person to person, even between those not showing symptoms, and can be very dangerous for people who are vulnerable to infection.
Covid-19 Update
What has changed
Routine asymptomatic testing will be paused across Adult social care settings from 31 August as COVID-19 cases continue to fall. This means staff who have no symptoms of a respiratory infection are no longer required to test for COVID-19 on a regular basis.
As asymptomatic testing has been paused it is important that staff are aware of symptoms of Covid -19 and follow the guidance on Symptomatic testing.
Symptoms of COVID-19, flu and common respiratory infections include:
- continuous cough
- high temperature, fever or chills
- loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
- shortness of breath
- unexplained tiredness, lack of energy
- muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
- not wanting to eat or not feeling hungry
- headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
- sore throat, stuffy or runny nose
- diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick
Staff members with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19
Anyone who has symptoms of a respiratory infection and has a high temperature or does not feel well enough to go to work, is advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.
They should follow the guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19.
Patient-facing healthcare staff who have symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to attend work, should take an LFD test as soon as they feel unwell.
If the result of this LFD test is positive, staff should follow the advice in the section for staff members who receive a positive LFD test result for COVID-19.
If the LFD test result is negative, they can attend work if they are clinically well enough to do so and they do not have a high temperature.
If the staff member works with patients whose immune system means that they are at higher risk of serious illness despite vaccination, they should discuss this with their line manager who should undertake a risk assessment.
If they are still displaying respiratory symptoms when they return to work, they should also speak to their line manager who should undertake a risk assessment.
On returning to work, the staff member must continue to comply rigorously with all relevant infection control precautions and personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn properly throughout the day.
Staff members who receive a positive LFD test result for COVID-19
All healthcare staff who have received a positive COVID-19 test result, regardless of whether they have symptoms, are advised not to attend work for 5 days. They should follow guidance for people with a positive COVID-19 test result.
Patient-facing healthcare staff can return to work when they have had 2 consecutive negative LFD test results (taken at least 24 hours apart).
The first LFD test should only be taken 5 days after the day their symptoms started (or the day their first positive test was taken if they did not have symptoms); this is described as day 0.
Reminder
If you have 2 or more residents or staff who have tested positive, please report to the LCRC and capacity tracker. Please refer the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Care homes should also report on the LBS google form.
Outbreak testing has not changed.
Key contact details
- UKHSA LCRC Tel: 0300 303 0450 Email: [email protected]
- LBS Public Health Team: [email protected]
- Care Home Support Team: [email protected]
DHSC Adult Social Care submission
The information below will help care homes and homecare providers by explaining the timeline for the mandatory submission in more detail.
Submission period for mandatory DHSC Adult Social Care data
Care homes and homecare providers will be required to update their data by 11pm on the 14th day of each month – or the next working day when the 14th is on a weekend or public holiday. Data must be no more than a week out of date i.e. it must be correct to no further back than the 8th of each month.
When the 14th is on a weekend or public holiday, the submission period will be determined by the next working day.
A Carers Guide to Home Fire Safety
Learn how to keep people that receive care safe from fire.
A formal video is now available for carers on the LFB website. Those who wish to view this video will have to input some basic information in order to gain access to it.
What you will learn:
- How to recognise people who are at risk of having a fire
- Identify key high risk factors
- Show what actions can reduce these risks
- Describe what to do in the event of a fire
Please assist and share this link with your teams to complete.
Please click here
COVID-19
Please see the new changes at the top of this page.
Please take a look at the new updates that have been made to the following on the GOV.UK website (updates given on 27/05/2022).
Information and advice for health and care professionals:
PPE use for aerosol generating procedures:
Latest Guidance
The latest guidance has been published about COVID-19 testing for ASC services. Please click the link below to go to the GOV.UK webpage.
For all the latest guidance on the Carehub regarding COVID-19, please click here to view the updated pages regarding;
- Visiting
- Testing
- Outbreak Management
- Admissions
- Infection Prevention and Control
Training and Development
Free training for care staff – Autism awareness / Women’s wellbeing and the menopause
Successful Mums Career Academy has won funding to offer free training to care staff:
- The funding will pay for 7 hours of accredited training (2 half-day workshops) in Autism awareness OR Women’s wellbeing and the menopause
- The training can be delivered either face-to-face or online
- There will be an option to complete a full qualification at a later date (for those that would benefit from more detailed learning)
- The funding will also pay for employees’ time to attend the workshops
- Workshops will start in August / September
To be eligible, employees must be a parent and have a child aged under 12. They must also be earning less than £11.05 per hour and live in Croydon, Sutton, Merton, Richmond or Kingston. However, if there’s a member of your staff who’s interested but doesn’t fit the criteria please still get in touch with Successful Mums as they may still be able to attend.
For further information and/or to express an interest please contact Jane Knight – [email protected]
Guidance changes? Help from London Borough of Sutton Public Health team
There have been a number of changes in guidance over the recent weeks. If you need any help or advice on the changes please contact the London Borough of Sutton Public health team. Drop them an email [email protected]
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.
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An archive of previous editions can be found on the Sutton Care Hub.
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