Care Provider Covid-19 Newsletter
November 2022
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Attachments for this bulletin are available for download online
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World Antimicrobial Awareness Week
18th - 24th November 2022
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Antibiotic resistance remains one of the biggest threats facing us today.
Without effective antibiotics many routine treatments will become increasingly dangerous. Setting broken bones, basic operations, even chemotherapy and animal health all rely on access to antibiotics that work. The following video gives a good introduction to this topic - https://bit.ly/AMRVideo
Everyone can play a part!
We’d encourage your staff and your setting to become antibiotic guardians and choose a pledge about how you’ll make better use of antibiotics and help save these vital medicines from becoming obsolete.
- Take the Antibiotic Guardian Quiz
- Take a look at the Treat Yourself Better website
- Attend the UKHSA and NHSE Webinars – Please attached PDF for agenda of webinars being held between 18th -24th November.
- Encourage staff to become Antibiotic Guardians and IP&C champions
- Check B&NES Council and other Social Media channels for helpful posts
- #AntibioticGuardian
- #KeepAntibioticsWorking
- #WAAW2022
Share these posts!
Effective IP&C including vaccination is a powerful tool in reducing the spread of infectious diseases and reducing the need for antibiotics. Please get in touch with the IP&C team is you would like training, resources or more information about AMR and IP&C.
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IP&C Team Update
Thank you to all of you who attended the Care Home Forum on the 9th of November. It was lovely to see so many of you there.
As mentioned, the IP&C Team will be stepping back with its support particularly with managing Covid 19 cases/outbreaks and admissions.
- If you have two or more cases, please contact UKHSA via their email swhpt@ukhsa.gov.uk
- Please note you do not need to contact them for single cases.
- For urgent queries 24/7 please contact UKHSA. Telephone: 0300 303 8162
If you have any general Covid 19 queries, please contact the IPC email IPC@BATHNES.GOV.UK
If you have more complex issues, we can offer to hold an MDT meeting to support and discuss with you.
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Get vaccinated and boost your winter protection
This winter, both COVID-19 and flu may circulate at high levels, potentially at the same time.
Ahead of what could be a difficult season, millions of people are being offered vaccination to help protect them over the coming months.
There is evidence to show that if you get flu and COVID-19 at the same time you are at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell. As this is the first winter since COVID-19 emerged without restrictions in place, the best way to protect yourself from getting unwell from either is to get vaccinated.
To read the full article please click here
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Covid 19 Vaccinations
There's still time to grab your first, second or booster doses. Anyone who is eligible can book their vaccination appointment online (new appointments are added frequently) or find a walk-in clinic on the NHS website. You need to be registered with a GP (or call 119) to book online. You do not need to book or be registered with a GP to use a walk-in clinic.
Check your eligibility here for 1st and 2nd Covid-19 vaccination and here for the Covid 19 booster vaccination.
Upcoming Walk in Covid-19 vaccination clinics:
Bath Citadel Salvation Army,
Green Park Road,
Bath,
BA1 1XE
24th November 11-5pm
Bath City Football Club,
105 High St,
Twerton,
Bath,
BA2 1DB
17th November 11-5.30pm (Flu vaccine also available at this clinic)
8th December 11-5.30pm
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Flu Vaccinations
Flu vaccination is important because:
- while flu is unpleasant for most people, it can be dangerous and even life threatening for some people, particularly those with certain health conditions
- more people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the COVID-19 pandemic
- if you get flu and COVID-19 at the same time, research shows you're more likely to be seriously ill
A short video about why we get flu vaccinations each year, produced by the UKHSA, can be viewed here
Flu Vaccine for Adults
Who can have the flu vaccine?
Check eligibility here
Where to get the flu vaccine
You can have the NHS flu vaccine at:
- your GP surgery
- a pharmacy offering the service – if you're aged 18 or over
- some maternity services if you're pregnant
- Sometimes, you might be offered the flu vaccine at a hospital appointment.
Please see attachments:
- Flu Immunisation Guidance for Social Care Workers
- Information for Health Care Professionals Working with Pregnant Women
- Flu and Flu Vaccination 2022/23 ‘A Tool Kit for Care Homes’ (South West)
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‘Grab-a-Cab’
‘Grab a Cab’ is open to anyone living in Bath and North East Somerset who is having difficulties getting to a COVID-19 vaccination site. The ‘Grab a Cab’ initiative means residents can now hire a free taxi to get to their vaccination appointment.
To use the service, the COVID-19 vaccination must be pre-booked and the service user will need to show evidence of the appointment to the taxi driver. Evidence can include a screenshot on a mobile phone or tablet, or a printout.
To book the taxi, the person will need to call V-Cars on 01225 46 46 46 and say they would like to book a taxi to a vaccination site on account quoting:
- Account number: BA-TTV 01
- Account name: Grab a Cab
- Password: Vaccination site
Once the taxi is booked, the taxi driver will pick the person up and take them to their appointment. Please be aware that the return journey must be within an hour of the appointment time.
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Infection Prevention & Control and Winter Readiness Toolkit
As part of the process of helping you prepare for winter UKHSA has updated their Infection Prevention & Control and Winter Readiness Toolkit, (please find the link below).
Please take the time to visit the website as the tool kit focuses on seasonal respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and does cover the whole remit of infections seen in these settings. It is designed to help managers and staff in care homes and other residential care settings with the planning and preparation for winter infections and outbreaks, and in outbreak recognition and management.
The resources are quick-reference documents, designed to be used as needed for your setting, by staff, residents and visitors.
The toolkit complements the national guidance documents on the following websites:
In addition, there are a wealth of other resources and web links on the web sites of the various professional health and social care organisations.
UKHSA Infection Prevention and Control and Winter Readiness - South West Councils (swcouncils.gov.uk)
As part of being ready for winter you need to ensure you have enough tests, so please ensure you always have the following available:
- C-19 PCR kits at least enough for one complete round of whole home testing
- C-19 LFD kits – at least enough for one complete round of whole home testing (in response to OB) and enough for a few days of serial staff testing (in response to OB and/ or single case) and enough LFD kits for testing any symptomatic residents.
Test kits can be pre-ordered via the online portal.
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UKHSA held a Winter Preparedness Webinar – how to recognise and manage flu outbreaks
Some of you may have manged to attend the above session in October. For those of you who didn’t, we now have the link to the recording.
Please see attachment for the accompanying power point.
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Current guidance
Please refer to the links below for full details.
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Updated guidance
COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care link
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Discharge from hospital to a care home
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Updated to clarify that a period of isolation is continuous (does not restart on discharge or entry to a new place of residence). Also clarified testing guidance for residents leaving hospital to a care home.
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Safeguarding training
Safeguarding Training is also available and details of how to join can be found on the link Bath & North East Somerset Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership website.
Managers will need to create an account as detailed in the attached booking guide which can be found on the safeguarding training section.
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Lost property following discharge
We have listened to the Care Home managers concerns about the discharge’s from the RUH and issues around missing items; We have worked with the RUH and have organised a plan for RUH to support care homes following discharge. To be used for those discharged within the last 48 hours.
The plan will be two numbers, unfortunately it isn’t possible to cover with one number. They are:
In hours - 9-4 Mon-Friday will be the discharge team admin – 01225 825698. The admin team will take the calls and allocate the task to a DLN on duty who will then follow up, action and liaise with the home.
Out of Hours - Clinical Site team 07766 498314. If the issue isn’t immediately urgent and the task can wait until the morning, this will be handed over to the DLN team. If urgent the CSM team will action.
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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.
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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/
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ASC_Commissioning@bathnes.gov.uk
Lewis House, Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1JQ
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