Latest news

Somerset’s Public Health leaders are advising people to retest if they are still displaying Covid-19 symptoms after receiving a negative PCR test result. The advice follows the national announcement regarding the suspension of a laboratory processing Covid-19 PCR tests. In…

Public Health England have issued a press release regarding the booster vaccination program taking place this Autumn/Winter. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have advised that all those who were in priority groups 1-9 and were vaccinated during…

Throughout October and November, Skills for Care is putting the spotlight on retaining staff. Over the next two months they’ll be sharing information and ideas through blogs, articles, and social media posts to help care provdiers #RetainToGain.   Investing in staff…

After what has been a challenging 18 months for everyone, for International Infection Prevention Control Week this year we have set out a programme of IPC sessions over the week, some educational and some reflective. This programme is for everyone,…

As you know, we’ve been investing in paid advertising to support you with recruitment, and we’ve seen some really encouraging results this week, with 4.1k visits to the jobs page of the website, and just under 2k people clicking on…

On 13 October 2021, the Department of Health & Social Care’s COVID-19 Vaccines Consultation/Legislation Department issued a letter to all care home providers and managers clarifying guidance for implementing vaccination as a condition of employment for CQC regulated Care Homes. …

The latest report from Skills for Care reveals the significant impact the pandemic has had on both the short and long-term challenges faced by the workforce. The annual ‘The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’…

Responding to a joint report by the Commons Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee examining the initial UK response to the coronavirus pandemic, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board and Leader…

Skills for Care have developed a suite of online workshops to help you implement and embed a values-based approach to recruitment and retention processes: Values-based approaches to recruitment and retention: online workshops (skillsforcare.org.uk) The workshops follow a five-stage model and…

Remember to participate in The Department of Health and Social Care public consultation on extending free PPE to the health and care sector beyond 31 March 2022. The consultation will close on Sunday 31 October 2021. The consultation is available…

The National Fire Chiefs Council has created guidance for providers on fire safety in care homes and nursing homes to support with current health and safety practices: Making sure your Care Home/Nursing Home is safe from fire (nationalfirechiefs.org.uk) The guidance emphasises…

Somerset County Council has launched an urgent appeal calling on residents and job seekers to fill social care vacancies in the midst of a national staffing crisis. The campaign, which launched on Monday 4th October 2021 has been supported by…

On Thursday 30 September 2021, Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, announced an additional £388.3 million to prevent the spread of infection in social care settings, including £25 million to support care workers to access COVID-19 and flu vaccines…

The COVID-19 vaccination national booking service is now open for frontline health and social care staff to book a booster vaccine appointment through self-referral. As of 24th September, HSCW staff will be able to book their appointment online here or…

We have been advised and previously circulated that test laboratories are seeing significant numbers of out of date test kits. These are not processed and are void at the point they reach the labs.  It is therefore important that test…

Please can all Somerset care providers ensure they have read this important bulletin issued via our local CHC team to ensure SALT Eating and Drinking care plans are not being transcribed into your own care plan formats unless you have…

The Care Settings Winter Readiness Toolkit, from the South West Public Health England Centre, have now been published. The tool kit is designed to help managers and staff in care homes and other residential care settings with planning and preparation…