Care Provider Covid-19 Newsletter
29 April 2022
|
|
|
Attachments for this bulletin are available for download online
|
|
|
World Hand Hygiene Day
Event open to everyone to come along and take the hand wash Ultra Violet Light box Challenge! See If you have washed your germs away. Test your knowledge of hand hygiene and complete the quiz.
May 5th, The Community Space in Keynsham Library, 13.30 – 16.00
|
|
|
This year's theme for World Hand Hygiene Day, 5 May 2022, is focused on recognising that we can add to a facility's climate or culture of safety and quality through cleaning our hands but also that a strong quality and safety culture will encourage people to clean hands at the right times and with the right products.
|
|
|
B&NES scheme for National Hand Hygiene Day is about challenging yourself to have hands that are safe.
Washing hands properly is one of the most important things individuals can do to help prevent and control the spread of many illnesses. Good hand hygiene will reduce the risk of illnesses like flu, stomach upsets and other infections being passed from person to person.
If you would like to promote within your own setting World Health Organisation (WHO) have some great resources to use – click here to access their web site. Poster attached.
|
|
Glove Awareness Week
Event open to everyone to come along and take the hand wash Ultra Violet Light box Challenge! See If you have washed your germs away. Test your knowledge of hand hygiene and complete the quiz.
|
|
Week beginning 2nd May 2022 is “Glove Awareness Week”
Allied Health Professionals are holding a Webinar on Thursday May 5th 12.30 – 13.30
This webinar will be hosted on Microsoft Teams as a live event and can be accessed using the attendee link
|
|
|
IPC Team and Newsletter update…Living with Covid our first steps
Whilst COVID-19 is still very much around us, we are having to move to managing COVID-19 as part of a pandemic response to living safely with COVID-19.
Our first step and in response to living safely with Covid -19 has been to reduce the IP&C team from 5 to 2 ½ and this will remain whilst prevalence is still deemed as high and asymptomatic testing is being carried out. The team will reduce further to 2 when prevalence changes to low. At this stage when it happens the team will then take a more proactive role rather than reactive.
Our second step to living with Covid-19 is to change the frequency of the newsletter from weekly to monthly. It will have a new look and the content will have a range of general IP&C information, updates, promotion of IP&C training. As well as Public Health, Adult Social Care and CCG updates. It will include any relevant COVID-19 updates.
Therefore, the last weekly publication will be 29.04.22
The monthly editions will come to you at the end of the month.
|
|
Guidance Changes
There have been significant changes to the guidance for care providers.
Please refer to the links below for full details. We have attached a separate summary of the changes.
|
|
Admission During an Outbreak
Care homes who wish to take admissions during this time should follow the B&NES Council Discharge Process for admission of patients to care homes during periods of outbreak and complete the BNES Council Care Home Admission risk-assessment, to ensure that it is safe to accept the admission for all concerned. The Local Authority Public Health Team, Commissioner for Adult Social Care and the Infection, Prevention and Control Team are available to provide support and advice to aid this process.
The purpose of the process and risk assessment is to assure confidence for the resident, their family, your staff and current residents of safety, during this period of high community rates of COVID-19 infection.
Please note that as per the guidance the final decision to accept an admission lies with the Registered Care Manager.
If you are unsure about whether the admission/discharge is a known Covid contact we would recommend you isolate them for 10 days, with the option of release early as per the guidance.
Please contact the IP&C team if you want to take an admission if any of the following apply:
• You are currently under outbreak restrictions
• The admission/discharge is Covid positive
The admission/discharge is a known Covid contact.
If you have and questions or queries please email IPC@batnes.gov.uk and one of the team will get back to you.
|
|
Updates to ‘COVID-19 Testing in Adult Social Care’ guidance including symptomatic testing
The ‘COVID-19 Testing in Adult Social Care’ guidance document has been updated to address queries that have been raised since its publication on 31 March. The key update to the guidance includes a change to Section 2.1 ‘Symptomatic Testing for Staff and Residents’ which now directs you to the IPC COVID-19 Supplement to explain when symptomatic testing processes should be followed.
Please see attachments for more details.
|
|
Asymptomatic Testing
Staff should conduct 2 LFD tests per week, taking them before they begin work, spaced 3 to 4 days apart. This also applies to care workers wo live with the individual they provide care and support to.
People receiving care (residents) in care homes, high risk care and supported living – No regular asymptomatic testing is required. (no longer monthly PCR testing)
|
|
Upcoming vaccination clinics
There's still time to grab your first, second or booster doses at the following upcoming clinics:
Bath City Football Club, Twerton
- Wednesday 4 May, 11am-6pm
- Wednesday 18 May, 11am-6pm
All these clinics will offer
- 1st and 2nd doses for people aged 12 years old and over
- boosters for people aged 16 years old and over, plus at-risk children aged 12 to 15 years old
- spring boosters for people aged 75 years old and over, plus people aged 12 years old and over with a weakened immune system
- additional primary doses for people with a severely weakened immune system aged 12 years old and over
If you’ve had a positive Covid-19 test, you need to wait before getting any dose of the vaccine. You need to wait:
- 4 weeks/28 days: aged 18+ and at risk 12-17 year olds
- 12 weeks/84 days: aged 12-17
This starts from the date you had symptoms, or the date of the positive test if you did not have any symptoms.
|
|
COVID-19 Vaccinations
The National Booking System can be used to book in a vaccination appointment online.
If you have any staff that need help accessing their 1st, 2nd, or booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine then please inform your allocated IP&C officer or email IPC@BATHNES.GOV.UK
Care Managers will need to contact relevant GP for any resident.
|
|
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination sites
To find local COVID-19 vaccination sites, to get your 1st, 2nd, or booster dose, please visit the NHS website to search for a walk-in site near you.
COVID-19 booster
You'll be able to book a booster dose when it's been 2 months (61 days) since your 2nd dose. The appointment dates you'll be offered will start from 3 months (91 days) after your 2nd dose. You can access the National Booking System to book your booster appointment, You can book or manage your appointment via the NHS website, or by calling the 119 number (lines open every day 7am to 11pm).
All unpaid carers, care home and home care workers are urged to get boosted now to protect the most vulnerable this winter. Vaccination sites are offering priority access for frontline staff, including unpaid carers and social care staff, which includes access to queue management and priority lines. This makes it as easy as possible for anyone who is receiving or giving care, whether paid or unpaid, to get their booster this winter. Staff may be asked to show a valid ID for priority access.
If you’re 18+ or under 18 and at higher risk from COVID-19 and have tested positive for Covid-19, you need to wait 4 weeks (28 days) before getting any Covid-19 vaccination.
If you’re under 18, not at higher risk from COVID-19 and have tested positive for Covid-19, you need to wait 12 weeks before getting a 1st or 2nd dose.
The 4 or 12 week period starts from the date you had symptoms, or the date of the positive test if you did not have any symptoms. Please cancel and rebook your appointment for a later date if needed.
|
|
Spring COVID-19 vaccine for the most vulnerable
The government has published a press release regarding a spring COVID-19 dose in order to maintain levels of immunity for the most vulnerable populations.
Immunity derived from vaccination declines over time and many of the oldest adults received their most recent vaccine dose in September or October 2021.
These individuals are at much higher risk of severe coronavirus (COVID-19). Therefore, as a precautionary strategy to maintain high levels of immunity, an extra spring dose is advised around 6 months after the last vaccine dose for:
- adults aged 75 years and over, residents in a care home for older adults
- individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in in the COVID 19 healthcare guidance Green Book
It remains too early to set out precise details of what that programme may look like, but more definitive advice will be provided in due course.
Please read the press release here.
|
|
Flu
Frontline Health and Social Care workers are eligible for a free flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine. It's offered every year on the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu. Flu vaccinations can be booked at your local GP surgery or at a pharmacy that offers it on the NHS. More information on flu vaccinations and where to get them can be found here.
For any further support in vaccination encouragement or education, please contact your allocated IP&C officer or email ASC_commissioning@bathnes.gov.uk or Public_Health@bathnes.gov.uk.
Please take a look at this toolkit to find printable resources that you can display to help encourage your care colleagues to get their vaccine. Digital versions of these assets can also be found here.
REMINDER: Please ensure to fill out the capacity tracker with COVID-19 booster, and flu vaccination information.
|
|
Norovirus
Norovirus, sometimes known as the ‘winter vomiting bug’, is the most common stomach bug in the UK, affecting people of all ages. It is highly contagious and is transmitted by contact with contaminated surfaces, an infected person, or consumption of contaminated food or water. The symptoms of norovirus are very distinctive – people often report a sudden onset of nausea followed by projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea
Good hand hygiene is important to stop the spread of the virus.
You are advised to:
- Wash hands thoroughly using soap and water and drying them after using the toilet, before preparing food and eating
- Do not rely on alcohol gels as these do not kill the virus
An infection with norovirus is self-limiting and most people will make a full recovery in 1-2 days. It is important to keep hydrated – especially children and the elderly. Do not visit either A&E or GPs with symptoms as this may spread the virus. Further information and advice is available from NHS 111, including an online symptom checker at nhs.uk.
Please see the two documents attached to this newsletter for further information on how to deal with Norovirus in your care setting.
|
|
SWHPT CARE SETTINGS Q&A SESSIONS EVERY FRIDAY, 3PM
SWHPT are still holding weekly question and answer sessions for all care providers. This is a great chance for you to ask any questions directly to the Public Health team, as well as listen in to other care providers queries and speak to like-minded colleagues. If you would like to be invited to this weekly Q&A session, please email IPC@BATHNES.GOV.UK and we will forward the invitation to you. If you cannot make the session and would like us to ask a question on your behalf, please send your query to us via email and we can do that for you.
|
|
Mental Health Campaign – Lift someone out of loneliness
Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point and it can have a huge impact on our wellbeing. It’s important to remember that these feelings can pass and that there are lots of ways we can help each other too.
Fancy a cuppa? Fancy a walk? Sometimes reaching out to each other with as little as three words can make a big difference.
As part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are encouraging people to ‘Lift Someone Out of Loneliness’ by taking a simple action to help someone who may be feeling lonely. If we do this regularly, we can all help to lift each other up.
Find out how you can help to lift someone out of loneliness.
|
|
Looking after your wellbeing
With the ongoing pressures we are facing to deliver critical services, we would like to remind you that help and support is available for health and social care staff in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW).
The BSW Wellbeing Matters team can provide direct access to psychologists and registered mental health clinicians who will use their expertise to help you access support. The BSW Wellbeing Matters Team provides consultation, advice and support to individuals and teams and can help services think about the wellbeing of their staff and offer advice and support as appropriate.
To contact the team to request support, please call 0800 953 9003 and leave a message on the answer phone or alternatively by email - awp.bswwellbeinghub@nhs.net
To find out more about the BSW Wellbeing Matters service visit: http://www.awp.nhs.uk/advice-support/bsw-wellbeing-matters/
|
|
|
ASC_Commissioning@bathnes.gov.uk
Lewis House, Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1JQ
|
|
|
|
|
