COVID-19 What's New Bulletin 41 - 13 May 2021
This is the forty first 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
- Government announcement: More restrictions eased for care homes from 17 May 2021 (information for all care homes)
- Public Health England webinar: How to work safely in care homes 18 May 2021 (information for all care homes)
- Government response to update from the JCVI on the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (information for all providers)
- Shaping the Market – Supporting material for COVID-19 vaccination programme web page (information for all providers)
- REMINDER Making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes (information for all older adult care home providers)
- Department of Health and Social Care COVID-19 Cost Pressure Survey (information for all providers) – closes 18 May 2021
- UPDATED Government Guidance: COVID-19: supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults (information for all care providers supporting these citizens)
- Listen to the Care Quality Commissions latest podcast on DNACPR (Information for all care providers)
IN OTHER NEWS
- Updated Guidance on Calculating the Minimum Wage- Sleep-In’s (information for Birmingham contracted supported living providers)
- REMINDER 30 June 2021 deadline approaching for the EU Settlement Scheme (Information for all providers
COVID RELATED INFORMATION
1. Government announcement: More restrictions eased for care homes from 17 May 2021 (information for all care homes)
From Monday 17 May care home residents will be able to have more named visitors and more opportunities to make visits out with no need to self-isolate when they return. View the full press release below:
More restrictions eased for care homes
The Council is reviewing its Position Statement in light of the new guidance.
2. Public Health England webinar: How to work safely in care homes 18 May 2021 (information for all 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.
3. Government response to update from the JCVI on the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (information for all providers)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI) has issued new advice on the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine.
New advice from JVCI on the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine
They advise that in addition to those aged under 30, unvaccinated adults aged 30 to 39 years who are not in a clinical priority group at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease, should be preferentially offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, where possible and only where no substantial delay or barrier in access to vaccination would arise. Please visit the Birmingham City Council COVID-19 vaccination pages for information on booking appointments.
Birmingham City Council COVID-19 Vaccination Information
The government has issued a statement following the JCVI update.
Government statement following JCVI update
Press notices from Public Health England (PHE) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have also been published as follows:
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
A Q&A on the updated JCVI advice to help answer any questions is available here:
JVCI COVID-19 vaccination question and answers (including under 40s) May 2021
4. Shaping the Market – Supporting material for COVID-19 vaccination programme web page (information for all providers)
Please review Birmingham City Council’s Shaping the Market Supporting material for COVID-19 vaccination programme web page for useful resources to support conversations with staff who have reservations about having the vaccination. It contains useful material to assist with providing accurate information to your staff about the Covid vaccine and is regularly updated.
New information added this week;
Links to the Department of Health and Social Care - COVID-19 vaccines toolkit which has been updated with new resources on vaccines and fertility, breastfeeding, and the importance of second doses.
or directly via their
Slides from the a live session on Covid Testing led by Dr. Justin Varney, Director of Public Health, Birmingham City Council. The session covered a wide range of Covid related areas, including rapid testing, vaccination and blood clot risks, as well as taking answering some of our staffs questions. Please find the presentation below
COVID-19 vaccination event slides - 6 May 2021
5. REMINDER Making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes (information for all older adult care home providers)
The Department for Health and Social Care are seeking your views on a proposal to make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes. There’s still time to feedback. The consultation closes at 11.45pm on 21 May 2021
You can read more information on the GOV.UK website
Making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes consultation
6. Department of Health and Social Care COVID-19 Cost Pressure Survey (information for all providers) - closes 18 May 2021
Funding Team at the Department of Health and Social Care has circulated a COVID-19 cost pressure survey for providers to understand ongoing infection prevention and control costs. This is an optional exercise for providers and is intended to supplement (rather than duplicate) the information local authorities and providers are already providing through the Infection Control and Testing Fund reporting process.
COVID-19 cost pressure survey for providers
DHSC is interested in collecting provider-level costs and is also talking to a handful of willing providers to dig deeper into what are driving those costs – which is not always clear in the ICF reporting. This will help policymaking on what may be needed after the current fund expires. The survey closes on 18 May.
DHSC is grateful for all of the information provided by the sector on current costs (including, as we speak, the current reporting for ICF2/Rapid Testing Fund/Workforce Capacity Fund/ICF3), which helps it to understand the pressures and make the case for further support where needed.
7. UPDATED Government Guidance: COVID-19: supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults (information for all care providers supporting these citizens)
Guidance for care staff who are supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been updated to reflect the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions from 12 April.
Read the full guidance below:
COVID-19: supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults
8. Listen to the Care Quality Commissions latest podcast on DNACPR (Information for all care providers)
In the latest CQC Connect podcast episode Rosie Benneyworth, Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care and Usha Grieve, Director of Partnerships and Services at Compassion in Dying explores the CQC’s latest report called “Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19”. This is CQC’s review of ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Podcast - CQC’s review of DNACPR decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic
You can find all CQC podcast episodes on Soundcloud and most other major podcast providers.
CQC on other podcast providers
IN OTHER NEWS…
9. Updated Guidance on Calculating the Minimum Wage- Sleep-In’s (information for Birmingham contracted supported living providers)
The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have updated their guidance on calculating the minimum wage. This guidance includes an updated section on sleep-in shifts under the “special situations” header:
Birmingham City Council currently pay a fixed hourly rate for assessed needs of £15.58 (or £19.58 for specialised sensory loss) from 5 April 2021 regardless of whether hours of care and support are required during the day or at night. The Council has no current plans to change this approach.
10. REMINDER 30 June 2021 deadline approaching for the EU Settlement Scheme (Information for all providers)
Do you care for, or employ, any EU, EEA or Swiss citizens? Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the Home Office is urging EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who were living in the UK by 31 December 2020, and their family members (including non-EEA citizens), to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) so they can continue living in the UK. You can also apply if you’re the family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland
Applying for settled status if you're the family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland
Settled status for EU citizens will guarantee access to:
- Public services, such as healthcare and schools.
- Public funds and pensions.
- British citizenship, if you meet the requirements and want to apply
The application deadline for those who were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 is 30 June 2021. Applications can be made, for free, online on the GOV.UK website
An appropriate third party can assist a vulnerable person with their application or apply on their behalf, and you can find details of support available on the GOV.UK website
Get help applying to the EU Settlement Scheme
A leaflet with information about FREE SUPPORT available for EUSS applications in Birmingham has been circulated to all care providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Visit our City of Sanctuary webpages to get a full list of organisations that can provide free advice, and support with applications. We can also scan and verify ID documents that are needed for the application.