COVID-19 What's New Bulletin 45 - 10 June 2021
This is the forty fifth 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
- UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19): admission and care of people in care homes (information for all care homes)
- UPDATED GUIDANCE Personal Protective Equipment (information for all providers)
- Capacity Tracker review of current questions and new question for care homes (information for all providers)
- REMINDER Daily update required of the Capacity Tracker by domiciliary care providers (information for all Home Support, Supported Living, Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers)
IN OTHER NEWS
No other news this week
COVID RELATED INFORMATION
1.UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19): admission and care of people in care homes (information for all care homes)
This guidance covers how to protect care home residents and staff during the coronavirus outbreak. It has been updated to reflect the change in procedure of reporting COVID-19 cases and outbreak management in care homes.
The full guidance can be found below:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): admission and care of people in care homes
2.UPDATED GUIDANCE Personal Protective Equipment (information for all providers)
The following guidance has been updated in relation to PPE use;
- This resource outlines personal protective equipment (PPE) advice for health and social care workers working in the community. The PPE guide has been updated.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) illustrated guide for community and social care settings
- Updated infographics for putting on and taking off PPE (community settings)
COVID-19: how to work safely in domiciliary care in England - Updated infographics for putting on and taking off PPE (care homes)
COVID-19: how to work safely in care homes
3.Capacity Tracker review of current questions and new question for care homes (information for all providers)
Following on from feedback from Provider Representative groups and wider Capacity Tracker users, there is currently a review of all questions and data items in Capacity Tracker. The intention of the review is to rationalise the questions where possible, remove items no longer in use and improve clarity of other areas.
So far this has led to:
- Removal of the flu vaccination questions
- Removal of the “offered / letter received” questions in the COVID vaccination section
There will also be a new testing question for Care Home and Residential drug and alcohol settings from 7 June to help gain a better understanding of the proportion of visiting that is taking place directly on-site. We’re aware from our regular engagement with stakeholders that visitor testing takes a lot of staff time. The purpose of this question is therefore to turn that information into solid data, which we can then utilise to make clear to colleagues within government in discussions support for care settings post June.
This data will be invaluable for understanding the burden faced by the sector supporting the IPC measures for visitors and we really appreciate your support in getting this question into the Capacity Tracker.
The agreed question is:
- Of named visitors and essential care givers, roughly what proportion of tests do you estimate are taken on-site? (as opposed to presenting proof of a test taken via other means such as self-test at home, or via an asymptomatic testing site (ATS)?
Guidance will be available on the ‘what’s new’ section of the help menu.
4.REMINDER Daily update required of the Capacity Tracker by domiciliary care providers (information for all Home Support, Supported Living, Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers)
This is a reminder that all Home Support, Supported Living, Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers should be updating the Capacity Tracker daily. The attached poster summarises the sections of the tracker that need updating.
The following support is available to providers having difficulty completing the Capacity Tracker;
- Dedicated help line telephone number; 0191 691 3729
- Weekly live Q and A sessions organised on Teams on Tuesdays 1pm to 2pm
Join the Q&A sessions on Teams - User guides and YouTube videos within the Help section of the system
Capacity Tracker