Sent on behalf of the COVID-19 Primary Care Incident Management Team for Coventry and Rugby, South Warwickshire and Warwickshire North CCGs

In today's briefing we include the latest news stories falling into the following categories:

1. Local restriction tiers: Updated advice for people who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable

From Wednesday 2 December, the government will replace the current national restrictions with a regionally differentiated approach, where different tiers of restrictions apply in different parts of the country. The government has provided specific guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable people at each local tier. The government is planning to communicate this updated guidance with all c.2.3m people on the Shielded Patient List (SPL) via letter. We expect this letter to be published on Saturday 28 November on the GOV.UK website. Letters may start arriving with patients from Saturday 28 November, and throughout all of next week (w/c 30 November). People for whom the NHS holds an email address will also receive an email copy of the letter on Monday 30 November.  We know this communication may generate queries to general practices. Thank you for continuing to support those at highest risk from COVID-19 at this time.

2. GP practice staff absent from work due to COVID-19, suspected COVID-19 or shielding

NHS England and Improvement encourage practices to pay full pay to any GP practice staff who are absent from work with COVID-19, suspected COVID-19 (self-isolating) or who are clinically extremely vulnerable and are therefore unable to come into the workplace and see patients face to face (shielding). 

Where it is appropriate, for example if shielding, self-isolating or well enough to do so, GP Practice staff should be encouraged and supported to work remotely where possible, in light of the home working solutions that NHS England & NHS Improvement has facilitated. Where GP practice staff are absent due to COVID-19, suspected COVID-19 (self-isolating) or shielding and are unable to work from home, practices are strongly encouraged to continue to pay staff full pay.

NHS England & NHS Improvement has announced £150m of additional funding to practices via the General Practice Covid Capacity Expansion Fund, available until March 2021, to support additional capacity in general practice and to deliver seven priority areas, as set out in the letter published on 9 November 2020. One of these areas is provision of funding for backfill for staff absences, where it is agreed by the CCG, required to meet demand, and the individual is not able to work remotely and we will share the process for this shortly.

3. December Mobile Testing Unit schedule

Please find attached the December schedule for Warwickshire's Mobile Testing Unit (MTU). We are losing our Atherstone MTU site after 13 December (it is becoming an Local Test Site (LTS) instead), and we have a new location for the Stratford Mobile Test Unit.  

Please see information below from DHSC for MTU/LTS testing service opening hours over the Christmas period.

Over the festive period, we want to ensure anyone who needs a test can still get access to the service. All regional test sites, local test sites and mobile test units will be open over the Bank Holidays. Please note they will be operating on slightly reduced hours. This enables us to balance the need to provide access, with the expectation demand may drop on the actual celebratory days. The program’s external comms team will be working with Local Authority comms teams to explore how we make the public aware that they can still get a test if they need it. Please see below for details.












Anything outside of these days is assumed to be operating on standard opening hours.


4. Warwickshire County Council Covid-19 Response

Please find attached updated slides from last Thursday's Primary Care IMT with further info on Lateral Flow Testing sensitivity & specificity. The slides are focused on Warwickshire but have contact details for Coventry's Public Health team.

5. COVID-19 reporting 

COVID-19 thought to have been contracted via work is reportable under RIDDOR. Please ensure that you are reporting cases where necessary.
 

NO UPDATES FOR South Warwickshire – 1 December 2020

NO UPDATES FOR Warwickshire North – 1 December 2020 

NO UPDATES FOR Coventry and Rugby – 1 December 2020

Please note all sessions are open to all localities.

9. Free On-line Safeguarding Training

• Safeguarding Adults Level 3: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/?s=safeguarding
• Safeguarding Adults level 3: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/myElearning/Index?HierarchyId=0_140&programmeId=140
• Safeguarding Adults Level 4: (for GP Safeguarding Leads): https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/myElearning/Index?HierarchyId=0_140&programmeId=140
• Safeguarding Children Level 3: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/myElearning/Index?HierarchyId=0_41477&programmeId=41477
• Safeguarding Children and Adults Level 3: https://rcgpportal.force.com/s/lt-event?id=a1U1i000001R7s3EAC&site=a0d0Y00000AeOP6QAN
• Mental capacity Act and Adult Safeguarding: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/myElearning/Index?HierarchyId=0_43619&programmeId=43619
• IRIS training: Clinician Refresher (01/12/2020 @ 12:30pm) - This is a refresher of Clinician 1 and 2 and is open to all clinicians that have previously completed Clinician 1 and 2. This session is 2 hours. Contact: Farah Hameed, IRIS Advocate Educator Mobile: 07867193415
• CCG training via TEAMS or in Practice: Contact: Fran Walsh, Named Professional for safeguarding: frances.walsh@southwarwickshireccg.nhs.uk
• PREVENT training: https://www.elearning.prevent.homeoffice.gov.uk/edu/screen1.html
• FGM training - the Home Office: https://fgmelearning.vc-enable.co.uk/Register/
• A Childs story: http://www.seenandheard.org.uk

NB- it is recommended that 50% recommended training hours for Level 3 are face to face- please access IRIS training or CCG training for this purpose.

Please note: we are now issuing the briefing twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) communications via: warnoccg.covid19primarycarecommunications@nhs.net. We would also ask that if you have questions or concerns relating to the current situation around coronavirus and COVID-19 you use the same address: warnoccg.covid19primarycarecommunications@nhs.net. Please keep us updated with any issues that you may be having so we can try to address them.

Please note that the below data does not include care home data.  

Coventry and Warwickshire COVID position up to 01.12.2020

• 20,951 cases now confirmed in Coventry and Warwickshire (+996 / +5.0% from Thursday)
• 126 of these are currently admitted (-21 / -14.3% from Thursday)

Admissions by Trust:

• GEH: 26
• UHCW: 76
• SWFT: 21
• CWPT: 3

• 364 beds still available (+88 / +31.9% from Thursday)
• 21 ITU bed(s) occupied by Covid patients (+1 / +5.0% from Thursday)
• 664 reported deaths in a hospital setting (+38 / +6.1% from Thursday)

View the charts here 

Latest National Picture

As of Monday 30 November 2020 at 4:00pm

• the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the UK is 58,448
• the daily total of people tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK is 12,330 with an overall total of 1,629,657
• there is a total of 13,846 cases in the West Midlands
• For the latest advice click here