RCPA Member Covid-19 briefing 04.05.20

Please find below latest Covid-19 briefing;

  1. PPE;
    1. Updated Care Home guidance; HERE
    2. Updated Dom Care guidance; HERE
    3. Public Health England South West are holding daily webinars at 3pm; JOIN SKYPE MEETING HERE
    4. Free visors and ear protectors; funded by donations; for further details contact Kyle Millet; kylemillett@yahoo.co.uk  tel; 07568302334
    5. Other visors; ppe@numatic.co.uk tel 01460 269455
    6. From tomorrow (1 May 2020), PPE purchased by care homes, businesses, charities and individuals to protect against Covid-19 will be free from VAT for a three-month period; more HERE
  2. CQC; From 04/05/20, the CQC is launching its emergency support framework for care providers. They will be implementing calls to care service managers and will gather information from you. They will not publish this information but it could lead to requests for you to provide information or an inspection where they feel it is necessary. They emphasise their supportive role during the crisis. More information HERE
  3. FNC; Not related to Covid-19 (or is it?!) HERE is the new backdated FNC rate; WHAT A SURPRISE!
  4. Coordinating support to providers; Somerset system cells restructured to include Operational Care Provider Cell attended by four provider reps and Strategic Care Provider Cell attended by RCPA; regular calls each week to ensure care provider needs are identified and escalated.
  5. SCC receives a further £10m funding from Government totalling £26m. RCPA to seek information about how this is to be spent.
  6. MCA/DoLS and Covid-19; New guidance; HERE
  7. HR/Employment;
    1. pregnancy advice and guidance; HERE
    2. individuals who are shielding can now be furloughed, but not if someone is on sick leave.
    3. staff on furlough and take annual leave, but the employer must uplift salary to 100%
    4. For advice on specific cases contact James Sage at Royds Withy King solicitors; james.sage@roydswithyking.com
  8. Psychological support; The British Psychological Society are hosting a free webinar on Psychological Needs of people recovering from severe covid next Wednesday (6th May)  at 4-5pm.Registration details are HERE.
  9. FREE SEMINAR 7th May; Laing Buisson on Home Care and Supported Living and their potential for growth as a result of Covid-19; HERE.
  10. NOT Covid-19 training! The LARCH Collaborative working across Somerset is providing ongoing support to care homes. As part of this they are offering RESTORE2 training via Microsoft Teams; for further details contact Judith Glide; Judith.Glide@YDH.NHS.UK

RCPA Member Covid-19 briefing 26.04.20

Dear member, please find below our latest Covid-199 briefing;

  • Somerset CC Covid-19 website for updated information relating to national local policy, procedure, information; HERE
  • PPE;
    1. Local guidance from SCC/NHS on use of PPE has now been circulated. This offers some consistency during the current shortage of PPE. PHE now recommends that organisations conduct a dynamic risk assessed approach to organisational use of PPE using Table 4 as its point of reference.  THIS remains the key document and is the standard that we should all be looking to achieve.
    2. PPE platform; HERE  Free to join and free to use, PPE Exchange has been established with the sole aim of bringing together users and suppliers of personal protection equipment (PPE) to allow as much as possible of this urgently needed equipment to get to the front line to safeguard carers and service users.
    3. Gov advice and resources; HERE
  • SCC financial support package; now been approved and circulated with payments underway, (SCC Provider Premium Decision Paper 220420). Note that this does not include day services, DP’s or private funders. The council is open to consider these cases on a bespoke case-by-case basis.
  • Job Retention Scheme; latest essential update from RWK; HERE
  • Learning disabilities and autism;
    1. National guidance for people with autism and LD’s; HERE
    2. SCIE guidance HERE
  • Verification of death outside of hospital; national guidance HERE
  • Palliative and EoL;
    1. Question and Answer Session for Care Homes and District Nurses run by St Margaret’s Hospice every Weds 12.30-14.00pm via Zoom; click this link: https://zoom.us/j/814802089
    2. RCGP etc guidance on Community Palliative, End of Life and Bereavement Care in the COVID-19 pandemic; HERE
    3. Six Steps EoL resources; HERE
    4. Somerset Training Hub and Somerset Covid19 End of Life Group/Cell have made available a series of online educational resources to help health and care workers with providing end of life care in the community during Covid-19. There will 10 in all and are all being placed on the Somerset General Practice Education Trust SGPET website. SGPET has removed the need for any log in or registration and the online courses can now be viewed by all. The eight up so far can be seen at: HERE
  • ​Skills for Health; Free Covid-19 Awareness Course; HERE
  • CQC updates;
    1. Using sedation to enforce social distancing; HERE
    2. Controlled Drugs; HERE
    3. Medicines; Handwritten administration; HERE
    4. Covid-19 medicines; HERE
    5. Info for adult care providers; HERE
  • SCIE; latest resources; HERE
  • Health Education England; Covid-19 learning resources; HERE
  • NHS England and NHS Improvement; Covid-19 resources; HERE