What's New Bulletin 88 - 7 April 2022
This is the eighty eighth weekly provider bulletin, containing information on guidance, procedures and new initiatives. Very urgent or high priority communications may still be issued on an ad hoc basis, but we will try to keep these to a minimum.
COVID RELATED INFORMATION
- REMINDER COVID-19 vaccination: spring booster guide and resources for those aged 75 and older and older residents in care homes (information for all providers)
- Living With COVID Birmingham Provider Meetings (information for all Birmingham providers)
- REMINDER Secretary of State for Health and Social Care statement 29 March 2022 covering future testing arrangements (information for all providers)
- REMINDER NEW GUIDANCE: Changes to infection prevention and control in adult social care (information for all providers)
- REMINDER UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services (information for all providers)
- REMINDER NEW GUIDANCE DHSC: excess personal protective equipment for sale (information for all providers)
- Infection Control and Testing Fund round 3 – Final spend reporting (information for all Birmingham providers)
- Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 – Final spend reporting (information for all Birmingham providers)
- Important Changes to Capacity Tracker from 4 April 2022 (information for all providers)
IN OTHER NEWS
- NHS Mail Webinar Slides - 23 March 2022 (information for all providers)
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Out of Sight - Who Cares? progress report on restraint, segregation and seclusion (information for all providers)
COVID RELATED INFORMATION
1. REMINDER COVID-19 vaccination: spring booster guide and resources for those aged 75 and older and older residents in care homes (information for all providers)
People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, and those with weakened immune systems will be offered a spring booster of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. Appointments are available from the National Booking Service. A field has been added to the Capacity Tracker for care homes to be able to report the number of residents receiving a second booster where relevant.
The full guidance can be found below:
Resources can be found below:
COVID-19 vaccination: spring booster resources
2. Living With COVID Birmingham Provider Meetings (information for all Birmingham providers)
Birmingham Health Protection Response Team and Birmingham Adults’ Commissioning Team have arranged a couple of provider meetings to go over the recent changes to government guidance as we Learn to Live with COVID.
The sessions will cover the following;
- Latest Public Health Guidance Around Outbreaks & How To Manage Them In Care Settings
- Update on IPC Guidance & Practice, Reminder of The Relevant Websites
- BCC Expectations Regarding Covid Positive Hospital Discharges As We Learn To Live With COVID
- Questions/AOB
The following dates are available;
- 13 April 2022 10am to midday Care homes (invite already sent to providers)
- 14 April 2022 2pm to 4pm Care homes (invite already sent to providers)
- 20 April 2022 9:30am to 10:30am – Home support / supported living (invite already sent to providers)
3. REMINDER Secretary of State for Health and Social Care statement 29 March 2022 covering future testing arrangements (information for all providers)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has made a statement setting out the future approach in England to testing beyond April. The government has started to reduce its testing infrastructure to target government testing to protect the most vulnerable settings.
New and amended guidance has been published to bring it up to date with this statement.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are hosting a webinar for care home, non-care home, and all setting service managers on 29 April 2022. This will be chaired by Chief Nurse Deborah Sturdy OBE and offer answers to questions and concerns about the policy changes. Sign up to the webinar below:
4. REMINDER NEW GUIDANCE: Changes to infection prevention and control in adult social care (information for all providers)
This guidance sets out how to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in adult social care settings in England. This guidance applies from 4 April 2022. A summary document has also been produced with tables that are designed to highlight where guidance about COVID-19 for adult social care providers has been changed. The following guidance should be consulted for full information on these changes, and on measures that remain unchanged:
Infection prevention and control in adult social care: COVID-19 supplement
The summary table of the changes can be found;below:
Summary of changes to COVID-19 guidance for adult social care providers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The following guidance has been withdrawn:
COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings
5. REMINDER UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services (information for all providers)
This guidance outlines the COVID-19 testing available for staff, residents and visitors for all adult social care services. COVID-19 testing in adult social care guidance has been added.
The full guidance can be found below;
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services
The following related guidance has also been updated;
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for homecare workers
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing in extra care and supported living settings
Coronavirus (COVID-19): testing in adult care homes
6. REMINDER NEW GUIDANCE DHSC: excess personal protective equipment for sale (information for all providers)
As we move into the next phase of managing COVID-19 in England, following the vaccine roll-out, we are now looking at ways to reduce the levels of stock of;PPE;where we have an excess quantity in order to;
- reduce the costs to the taxpayer in storing excess stock
- reduce expired excess stock through the waste management hierarchy
Alongside international and domestic donations, and recycling PPE,the Department of Health and Social Care is now piloting opening the sale of excess PPE stock to the market.
Access the site and view the live auctions
The full guidance can be found here;
DHSC: excess personal protective equipment (PPE) for sale
7. Infection Control and Testing Fund round 3 – Final spend reporting (information for all Birmingham providers)
Further to the distribution of the Infection Control and Testing Fund round 3 grant funding, all recipient locations are now required to provide final spend reporting declarations for all months from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Allocation lists set out the amount and breakdowns of the funds distributed. Please complete and submit the relevant online form using the links below for each CQC registered location which has received the grant from Birmingham City Council. Deadline for submission is 15 April 2022.
Care Homes final spending report
Community Care final spending report
Please ensure that you input the correct CQC location name and ID number when completing the forms. Incorrect details will render the form invalid and it will be classified as a non-return.
8. Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 – Final spend reporting (information for all Birmingham providers)
Further to the distribution of the Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 grant funding, all recipient locations are now required to provide final spend reporting declarations up to 31 March 2022.Allocation lists set out the amount of the funds distributed. Please complete and submit the relevant online form using the link below for each CQC registered location which has received the grant from Birmingham City Council. Deadline for submission is 15 April 2022.
Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 final spending report
There is a single form covering both care homes and community care locations – please ensure that you input the correct CQC location name and ID number when completing the forms. Incorrect details will render the form invalid and it will be classified as a non-return.
9. Important Changes to Capacity Tracker from 4 April 2022 (information for all providers)
The Department of Health and Social Care are aiming to only ask providers for information that is both contemporary and useful. Consequently, from the evening of Monday 4 April 2022, the following questions have been removed therefore reducing the information Providers are asked to supply;
Daily
- Current Status Rag Rating
- Flu Vaccination
Weekly
- Infection Prevention and Control Measures
- Staff Testing
- Visitor Testing
- Resources and Training
Monthly
- Support to Providers
The following question has been added to the Capacity Tracker
Daily
- Number known to have had the second BOOSTER in the UK
More detailed guidance on the above changes are available within the What's New Section of Capacity Tracker Resource Centre. Additional help can be sought from our Capacity Tracker Support Team by calling 0191 691 3729 or emailing necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net.
IN OTHER NEWS …………………….
10. NHS Mail Webinar Slides - 23 March 2022 (information for all providers)
For those of you that were unable to attend the NHS Mail Webinar on 23 March 2022, the slides from the event have been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk The aim of the event was to cover the Top 5 tips on how you can improve your use of NHSmail, the benefits that NHSmail brings, along with what you need before getting NHSmail and the support routes available. NHS Digital will be arranging further NHS Mail webinars for social care providers. We will include dates in a future bulletin as soon as we receive them.
11. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Out of Sight - Who Cares? progress report on restraint, segregation and seclusion (information for all providers)
The CQC have published their new Out of Sight report on the progress made on their recommendations and continued areas of concern, since their first report in October 2020.
They are concerned about the use of restraint in mental health and social care settings. At the end of 2018, the Secretary of State commissioned the CQC to review the use of restrictive measures and since then they have published a series of reports.
In their latest report, they found that more progress must be made to improve people’s lives. The CQC outline the need to continue reviewing the use of restraint, segregation and seclusion in care settings.
You can listen to the CQC Out of Sight progress report podcast and hear from people with lived experiences who speak about this topic and explore the report’s key themes.
The CQC’s Out of Sight leads, Debbie Ivanova and Jemima Burnage, have also written a blog.