Adult social care update
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, applauds the progress of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme and asks for your help with a very important consultation.
More than a year ago, as we entered the first national lockdown, optimism was a commodity in short supply. Thirteen months, three approved vaccines and more than 34 million adults vaccinated with their first dose later, we can honestly say its stock is rising.
Of that 34 million, well over 1.1 million front line social care staff have now received their first dose. My sincere thanks go to each and every care colleague who has accepted the free vaccination offer so far – as well as to the many thousands of health, care staff and volunteers who have helped the vaccination programme run so smoothly. Together with the highest standards of infection prevention control, having the jab is the best way to protect yourself, your colleagues and those you care for. And protection is what it’s all about, so we’re re-doubling our efforts to vaccinate as many frontline health and care workers as possible.
While the majority of care home staff have received their first vaccine dose - and I’m confident many more will choose to do so voluntarily - I know some care colleagues may remain hesitant about vaccination.
If that’s still the case, I urge them to think again. Protecting the health of staff and people most at risk must be our first priority – and we know 90 percent of those who sadly died from COVID-19 were people over 70. Many of them were in care homes.
We must continue to be extremely careful when it comes to those at highest risk, so we’re looking at everything we can do to keep people safe – including consulting on making vaccination a condition of deployment in care homes with older residents.
This condition would mean providers could only use staff who have received a COVID-19 vaccination (or those with a legitimate medical exemption) in line with government guidance.
I recognise this is a sensitive issue and understand concerns about making vaccination a condition of deployment. I’m determined any possible changes are made by working closely with you. Not only do your views matter – they’re essential. That’s why we launched a five-week consultation to gather as many opinions as possible from across the care home sector.
The closing date for contributions is Friday 21 May 2021. I’m pleased to say the response rate has been impressive, but we need many more contributions to help us make sure any possible changes can be applied with the utmost care, respect and sensitivity.
And those three words also lie at the heart of our Mental Health Recovery Action Plan. Coronavirus has, without question, taken a mental as well as physical toll. We want everyone to get the support they need, including frontline care staff, so we’ve allocated £500 million to speed up the expansion of our mental health services.
But looking after our mental health starts with every one of us. We need to look out for each other. If you’re struggling, inside or outside of work, don’t hesitate to tell someone. There’s always someone to talk to and there are resources to help you get the support you need - including Mental Health at Work’s Our Frontline campaign. Just as you’ve supported so many people, I’m determined you have the support you need too.
Free COVID-19 PPE for unpaid carers Image created by www.freepik.com Unpaid carers, not living with the person they care for, are eligible to receive free COVID-19 PPE until end of March 2022 through their local authority (LA) or local resilience forum (LRF).
LAs and LRFs are invited to use CarePlace to triage requests for unpaid carers and can apply to use this free platform by completing the online application form. Once this has been submitted, LA/LRFs will be sent a test application.
Care home residents to have more out-of-home visits Image created by www.freepik.com All care home residents will be able to enjoy more out-of-home visits without having to isolate on their return, the Government has recently announced.
Residents can leave their care homes to visit a friend or family member’s garden, or go on walks, in places including parks, public gardens and beaches. They will not have to self-isolate when they return.
Residents can be accompanied by either a care worker, or nominated visitor, and should follow the Government guidelines of washing hands regularly, observing social distancing, and remaining outside, in line with step 2 of the roadmap out of lockdown.
COVID-19 vaccines toolkit updated Our COVID-19 vaccines toolkit for adult social care has been updated, with new resources on vaccines and fertility, breastfeeding, and the importance of second doses.
You can now access the toolkit through Public Health England’s Campaign Resource Centre, the Capacity Tracker, or directly via our Google Drive.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises, as a precaution, that it is preferable for people under the age of 40 to receive either Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. Care staff under the age of 40 should contact their GP about booking first doses to make sure they are directed to vaccination clinics offering either of these vaccines. Read the government response to this latest update.
PHE webinar: How to work safely in care homes PHE will be hosting a webinar, on Tuesday 18 May 10.30am, supporting care home managers and other staff to implement soon to be updated COVID-19 guidance on ‘How to work safely in care homes’.
This will include a presentation on applying the forthcoming guidance, updated following extensive user feedback, and a Q&A session chaired by Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care.
Blogwatch: care home staff vaccinations Last month, the Department of Health and Social Care launched a consultation seeking your views on making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes.
Deborah Sturdy, our Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, encourages care home staff to contribute and help the Government make the best informed judgment possible for care home staff and residents.
Honourable mentions: TLAP's Clenton Farquharson returns with some positive thoughts on social care reform, including the need to focus on people, not process.
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