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ASC Provider briefing - 01 April 2022
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Dear Care Provider Colleagues,
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Welcome to this week's briefing.
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Thank you again for your continued hard work in the face of these ongoing challenges. This week's briefing includes the latest updates on guidance, IPC, Testing, and Vaccination Grants, information about the Make a Difference awards, ReactMH training opportunities, and more.
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Please find the latest news and updates from Adult Social Care below:
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Latest Covid-19 Outbreak update
(Friday 01 April 2022)
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We have seen a reduction in our 7 day rate per 100k this week, today being reported at 1158.3 (for the period 22nd to 28th March).
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Updated Guidance
We are aware that a huge number of announcements have been made this week around the various guidance documents and we wanted to draw your attention in particular to the following changes. We continue to monitor the latest guidance and will ensure that you have access to the latest information as it becomes available.
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- The requirement for PPE and in particular appropriate face masks remains in place.
- There is a change to the use of FFP3 masks, they are now only required for Aerosol Generating Procedures when the client/resident is either positive for covid or symptomatic and suggestive of covid. Otherwise type IIR water repellent masks are sufficient.
- Discharge from hospital into a care home – patients with Covid-19 can now be admitted to a care home, but only if the home is satisfied they can be cared for safely. They would need to isolate for 10 days on arrival (reduced if negative LFD on days 5 and 6, 24 hours apart). We remain very happy to support homes in making this decision as we appreciate the risk that exists in this, please email ASCCovid19@somerset.gov.uk if you need assistance
- Care home residents who are close contacts of Covid-19 cases are no longer advised to isolate or test
- Covid positive residents need to isolate for 10 days (reduced if 2 consecutive negative LFDs 24 hours apart).
- Covid positive residents do daily LFDs from day 5
- During isolation residents case receive one visitor and can go into outdoor spaces within care home grounds if not in contact with other care home residents
- Covid-19 residents should be monitored using pulse oximetry, GP informed, HPT informed, symptom monitoring, who will consider if eligible for Covid-19 treatments (antivirals or monoclonal antibodies)
- RESTORE 2 and NEWS2 scoring systems to be used to monitor residents with symptoms
- This document will be kept under review as prevalence changes
- Includes eligibility for free testing across social care via normal routes
- Symptomatic testing for staff and residents - LFD immediately and another LFD 48 hours after first test
- Symptomatic staff should stay at home and can come into work if both LFD's are negative and medically fit
- Symptomatic residents should be isolated immediately - LFD immediately and another LFD 48 hours after first test
- Asymptomatic staff testing - 2 LFD tests per week before work 3-4 days apart
- Rapid response testing - if staff or resident tests positive - all staff daily LFDs (days they are working) for 5 days
- Suspected outbreak ( 2 or more linked positive Covid-19 results in same setting with 14 days period)- contact HPT
- After Risk Assessment, HPT might advise whole home outbreak testing
- Whole Home Outbreak testing - staff and residents LFD and PCR on day 1 and days 4-7
- After first week of outbreak testing - staff resume twice weekly LFD
- Outbreak recovery testing - 10 days after no new cases or newly symptomatic individuals
- If cluster is suspected, outbreak measures can be stood down after 2 rounds of whole home testing and regular staff testing reveal no positive results (around day 7).
- If positive results from outbreak recovery testing, HPT may advise outbreak restrictions should continue until no further positives are found
- Symptomatic individuals who test negative for Covid may have another infectious illness like flu
- Symptomatic individuals should keep away from others until 48 hours after symptoms have resolved.
We do appreciate that there are some anomalies in the documents and contradictions where we are waiting for all guidance documents to be updated. As always please do get in touch if we can help in any way at ASCCovid19@somerset.gov.uk
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IPC, Testing and Vaccination Grants
Please could we remind providers of the need to complete the final return for the IPC, Testing and Vaccination grants which will cover the whole period from October 2021 – March 2022. All providers who have received grant monies will need to respond by no later than 17th April 2022 to enable the Council to compile the statutory return together by the deadline set by the Department of Health and Social Care. The return will be very similar to those completed previously, but with the inclusion of February and March. We will issue a link to an electronic form shortly to providers to complete so please look out for this. If you have any queries please email Stephen Miles who can assist as we prepare for deadlines (smiles2@somerset.gov.uk).
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Whole Home Recovery Testing
After a Covid outbreak, it is really important that providers inform us once whole home recovery testing has taken place and confirm that all results were negative. We use this information to keep track of the number of settings currently dealing with outbreaks, and we cannot close an outbreak until we have confirmed recovery testing has taken place.
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Day of Reflection and Request For Feedback
The past couple of years has been a difficult time for the entire adult social care workforce. The Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection, held on 17 March this year, is dedicated to those working across the adult social care sector.
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21 partners representing the adult social care sector have worked together to create this adult social care workforce day of remembrance and reflection, including web based Memorial and Thank You Walls giving people a safe space to remember the people we have sadly lost during pandemic.
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We saw some great activities taking place across the country on the day. In Somerset, we lit up County Hall green in honour of our adult social care workers!
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At the event we had a Thank You Tree for people to write messages of thanks, appreciation, and support to their colleagues. We would like to extend this and welcome messages from other providers.
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We also ran a poll on the day asking providers how we can improve adult social care in Somerset. We had gold, silver, and bronze coins you could drop into voting tubes to register your vote out of the following options. Again we would welcome additional feedback.
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Tube 1 – Training and personal development.
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Tube 2 – Career progression.
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Tube 3 – Social care reform.
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Tube 4 – Support with recruitment.
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Tube 5 – Investing in staff retention.
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Tube 6 – Creative innovation and technology.
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Tube 7 – Pay and working conditions.
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Tube 8 – Home life balance and hybrid working.
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Finally we asked two questions:
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- What one thing would make the biggest difference to social care in Somerset?
- What’s the thing you love most about working in adult social care in Somerset?
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Important Changes to Capacity Tracker
4 April 2022
Dear Capacity Tracker User,
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Your views and feedback are an essential part of the Capacity Tracker system's continuous improvement and development. Our aim, along with DHSC and NHSEI colleagues is to only ask you to provide information that is both contemporary and useful. Consequently, from the evening of Monday 4 April 2022, elements of the following sections will be removed therefore reducing the information Providers and Local Authorities will be asked to supply.
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Removal of Capacity Tracker Questions
- Current Status Rag Rating
- Flu Vaccination
- Infection Prevention and Control Measures
- Staff Testing
- Visitor Testing
- Resources and Training
Added Capacity Tracker Question
- Number known to have had the second BOOSTER in the UK
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Nominate Someone Amazing! BBC Radio Make A Difference Awards
This year BBC Radio Somerset wants to celebrate and say thank you to people living in our villages, towns and cities who make where we live a better place.
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Every day we hear stories of people doing incredible things for each other and their communities. Now it’s time to recognise them for all their hard work.
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This is a chance to highlight someone who has really made a difference working or volunteering in the social care sector.
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Whether it’s caring for someone in need, being a brilliant neighbour, or inspiring children in the classroom, if you know someone who is really making a difference to our lives then you can nominate them for an Award.
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- Volunteer
- Community Group
- Fundraiser
- Carer
- Great Neighbour
- Key Worker
- Environment
- Together award
You can nominate someone you know at bbc.co.uk/makeadifference, where you can also see full Terms and our Privacy Notice. Nominations are now open and will close on the 29th of April 2022 at 11:00pm.
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The winners will be announced at our Make a Difference awards ceremony in September at the home of Somerset Cricket at the County Ground on the evening of Friday 16th September.
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And follow #BBCMakeADifference on Twitter and Facebook for more details.
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ReactMH Training: New Dates Added
REACTMH® Active Listening Skills conversation training enables Managers/Supervisors to identify and engage in meaningful wellbeing conversations, using “active listening” techniques, to identify and support colleagues struggling with pressures that are impacting their daily mental health.
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We have training dates for both REACT90 MH training and REACT MH Train the Trainer for April and May 2022.
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Going forward we will be looking to ensure REACTMH Active Listening Skills training becomes embedded within Somerset, and we would love to hear from any of you who have done the training and now would like to become a trainer within your organisation!
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For other information about training, please see the Training Guidance page on the Provider Engagement Network.
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New and Upcoming Events
Reminiscence Learning Chrysalis Butterfly Events
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Reminiscence Learning is a Registered Charity that specialises in Dementia Care, Activity and Reminiscence Training & Community Projects. As part of their Chrysalis Butterfly event series, they are hosting two events this weekend.
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Sunday 3rd April 2022 - 11:00AM to 4:00PM at The Alan Rogers Centre - Wellington School, TA21 8NT
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This event is free for all ages and includes the Majorettes, Circus skills, Face painting, and more!
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Musical Extravaganza with Cream Tea
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Monday 4th April 2022 - 2:00PM to 5:00PM at The Alan Rogers Centre - Wellington School, TA21 8NT
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Featuring musical performances by Wellington School Students.
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Upcoming Event Reminders
- Weekly meeting: Every Friday at 3pm the Health Protection Team host a meeting to answer any questions care providers have about updated Covid guidance. Teams meeting link.
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Updated Guidance
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Please continue to share or promote these briefings and our webpage to others in your organisations.
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Our incident room mailbox and contact details (see below) remains operational during core working hours so please get in touch if you have any urgent concerns or queries we can look to assist you with.
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Somerset’s Provider Engagement Team
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Adult Social Care (ASC) COVID19 Response Team
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