Care Provider Covid-19 Newsletter

April 2023

Adult Social Care

Update on implementation of the LPS

As interested stakeholders in B&NES, you will have seen that the Government has set out its plans for adult social care reform in its publication of the Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care.   
  
Regardless of this announcement, it is vitally important that we continue to apply the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) judiciously and look to apply legal frameworks appropriately when people are deprived of their liberty in whatever setting they find themselves in.
 
The full text of the email from the DHSC is below:
 
To enable us to focus on these critical priorities, the Government has taken the difficult decision to delay the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards beyond the life of this Parliament. This was one of a number of decisions taken as part of prioritising work on social care. More detail can be found on plans to reform and improve adult social care here.  
 
We recognise that this delay will be disappointing news for the people and organisations who have worked closely with us on the development of the LPS since the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act was introduced in 2019. We would like to thank everyone who engaged with us on the development of the policy and during the consultation on the LPS. The detailed feedback we received has been invaluable.   
 
During the LPS consultation, we received detailed feedback from stakeholders across the health and social care, voluntary and legal sectors, and the people affected by it. Many of those who responded to the consultation expressed support for the LPS and agreed that there is a need for a more streamlined and person-centred system. Though some responses to the consultation also suggested changes to the proposals in a number of ways which have been considered during the consultation analysis phase. 
   
Although implementation of LPS has been delayed at this time, we plan to publish a summary of responses to the consultation in due course, which will set out further information about the feedback we received at consultation. We will update you via the LPS newsletter when the summary of responses is published. 
 
In the meantime, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards remain an important system for authorising deprivations of liberty, and it is vital that health and social care providers continue to make applications in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure that the rights of those who may lack the relevant capacity are protected.   
 

Changes to the LPS team 

 
In line with the decision not to move forward with the LPS at this time, some members of the LPS team will bh3oving to other areas of the Department in the coming weeks. In the short term, Laura Karan and Martin Teff will remain the key points of contact for the LPS and the DoLS. We will provide further updates on the future of the LPS team as soon as practicable.  
 
Please do get in touch with the team at lps.cop@dhsc.gov.uk with any queries or comments.  
 
The DoLs Team will be attending the next Care Home Forum on 25 May 2023 to discuss this further.

Care Home Research Project

Following a successful pilot study and establishing the trial in a further 35 care homes across England, we are looking for care homes to participate in this important research in the final winter of the study which starts in September 2023. Each care home is involved for one winter period (September – May).

In this study, we want to work with care homes across England to find out whether portable air filters can prevent respiratory infections in care home residents.

Further details of the study can be found here Information for Care Homes – The AFRI-c Study (bristol.ac.uk) which details the suitability requirements.

Adult Social Care Data Enforcement

As you will be aware Adult Social Care Providers should submit their data through the Capacity Tracker each month. Failure to complete this could result in a financial penalty. The guidance on how to comply with the information provisions in the Health and Care Act 2022 and how they will be enforced is available online here. We encourage all providers to read through the guidance to ensure they are aware of what is expected and how to be compliant. If providers have any further questions or need advice, please contact the Team at capacitytracker-guidance@dhsc.gov.uk.
 
The formal notice which details the data that needs to be submitted can be found here.
 
Collection windows open on the eighth of each month and close on the fourteenth of each month unless this falls on a weekend or bank holiday, when the final day for submission moves to the next working day. To be compliant, providers must submit their data during the collection window.
 

Updating Capacity Tracker

A system generated email is sent to all providers registered on Capacity Tracker as notice that the monthly collection window is open. The email contains two links:

1. Directs the user to the Capacity Tracker to review, update, and save their information
2. Enables the user to provide a 'nil' return or to save the previously updated information

1. Where a provider has more than one location, they were unsure if they should update information for each location. Providers should submit an update for all settings and locations, failing to do so will reflect as non-compliance.
2. Providers were unsure if they should provide update for both types of provisions they offer. Where both home and residential care are offered by the same provider, said provider must update data for each care type.
3. CQC is not always notified about changes so the data is not always up to date. For example: a setting is now dormant, changed ownership or closed locations. CQC must be notified as soon as possible to ensure we store the correct data and mitigate against the risk of being issued with a penalty.
4. Capacity Tracker location contacts are not kept up to date. If an individual no longer works for a provider, the Capacity Tracker must be updated to ensure the correct contact information is held.
5. Some providers are updating information in Capacity Tracker but not during the designated windows. The collecting windows are the 8^th day of every month till the 14^th day of every month – or next working day if the 14^th is a weekend or Bank Holiday.

 
The full list of frequently asked questions, including contact information to obtain guidance and support, can be found here.

KPI Data Submission Dates

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are targets that help you measure progress against your most strategic objectives. We collate these on a quarterly basis and as a requirement of the contract the performance of the Services shall be monitored by the Council in accordance with the Contract, Risk Management and Quality Monitoring of Care Homes Policy, the terms of this Individual Service Agreement, the Services Specification, the Key Performance Indicators, and the respective ISA Forms for Service Users placed at the Home.
 
Please find below the dates for submissions for 2023-2024:

Care Home Forums

The next Care Home Forum is taking place on Thursday 25 May 2023 from 9.30am until 12pm. There is an expectation that the Manager or their delegated representative will attend the Care Home Forums as a requirement within your contract. The forums are held in February, May, August and November, if you have not received the link to join the meeting, please contact ruth.jones16@nhs.net

New Care Home in Keynsham

We would like to welcome the manager and staff at Meryton Place Care Home which is now open and is situated on the Bath Road. The home is owned by Hamberley and run by manager Natalie James whom I am sure we will get to meet at the Care Home Forum.

Activity/Wellbeing Co-Ordinator Meetings

The next Activity Co-ordinator meeting will be held on Friday 5 May at 10.30am in the Day Centre Room which is located on the ground floor at Cleeve Court Residential Home, Twerton, Bath. Please encourage your Wellbeing/Activities Co-ordinators to attend this meeting. 
 
It’s an informal coming together of care home activity/wellbeing practitioners to share experiences and ideas. This session will include a discussion on the different types of memory and how residents are affected by dementia. This is an opportunity to meet other staff in other homes and look to improve the quality of activity in care homes. It’s also a chance to problem solve certain cases and gain hints and tips from each other and try and bring activity into every day care practices.

Guidance

Please find below a summary of changes to COVID-19 testing in care homes. The guidance changes take place from 3 April 2023.
 
Vaccination

• Updated to outline revised details of targeted vaccination offer and latest JCVI interim advice

• Symptomatic testing is now advised only for those eligible for COVID-19 treatments and during suspected outbreaks in care homes.

• People who test positive for COVID-19 can return to their usual activities after 5 days if they feel well and no longer have a high temperature.
• Testing no longer required for individuals to return to normal before 10 days following a positive test.

• Only the first 5 residents with symptoms of a respiratory infection will be asked to take an LFD test to identify if there is an outbreak of COVID-19. This is in addition to ongoing testing for symptomatic individuals eligible for COVID-19 treatments. Removal of PCR and whole home testing.
• Outbreak measures can be lifted 5 days after the last suspected or confirmed case.
• No difference between advice for small care homes and other care homes.
• Health protections teams (HPTs) can advise wider testing where there are specific concerns.

• Updated to be explicit that there should not be any restrictions on visits out for individuals who are not symptomatic or who have not tested positive in any circumstance.

• Those being admitted from hospital will take an LFD test within 48 hours before discharge. No requirement for PCR tests.
• Admissions from the community are no longer advised to test.

• Removal of ‘COVID-19 testing in adult social care’ guidance, with remaining elements added into COVID-19 supplement.
• Removal of PCR testing and references to this.
• No requirement for rapid response testing for care homes and high-risk extra care and supported living.
• Closure of dedicated test ordering routes for adult day care centres, home care, social care workers, personal assistants, and shared lives carers. Individuals working in these services can order tests via GOV.UK if they are eligible for COVID-19 treatments.
• Signposting to NHS guidance for testing and access to COVID-19 treatments.

• greater severity than expected
• more deaths or hospitalisations than expected
• rapidly increasing cases despite control measures
• a suspected outbreak of another illness alongside COVID-19
• a high proportion of residents have been offered or accessed COVID-19 treatments during the outbreak

Please find the full guidance change online.

Please feel free to contact jordan_brunton@bathnes.gov.uk should you require any further advice or support with IP&C.

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.

Staff Health and Wellbeing

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/

Wellbeing Resources

• BSW Wellbeing Matters Service

• Live Well B&NES

• Samaritans

• Hospice UK bereavement and trauma line

• Our Frontline

• Bath and North East Somerset Community Wellbeing Hub