Coronavirus life assurance scheme:
have your care colleagues' families applied? |
[Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash
The NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme provides financial protection to the families of frontline social care and NHS staff who died from COVID-19 infections contracted in the course of their duties. The scheme pays a tax-free £60,000 lump sum where individuals worked in high risk settings where direct care was provided to residents and patients. The scheme closed to new deaths on 31 March 2022, but will remain open until 31 March 2023 to allow claimants time to make outstanding claims. Please make sure the families and dependents of your colleagues, who died in service before the end of March 2022, get the opportunity to make a claim. |
Vaccination in care homes experiencing outbreaks: enabling access |
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When planning vaccinations in care homes with COVID-19 outbreaks, and you have concerns about access, it may be helpful to contact the Director of Public Health or local health protection team who have dealt with the outbreak. Please keep in mind current pressures on these teams.
Current advice is that vaccination teams can now be given access to care homes. The guidance is that restrictions on staff movement and access (as part of an outbreak management plan) will have been requested and coordinated by the health protection team or the Director of Public Health. |
Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care celebrates more great care colleagues |
Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, has been out and about visiting more care colleagues and residents. She was delighted to visit Stow Healthcare’s Brandon Park care home recently. “It was great to meet such fantastic staff making a difference to the lives of all those they care for. Social care is such a great place to work!”
A very worthwhile visit was also paid to Greensleeves Care’s Henley House, where Deborah had the honour of unveiling a plaque to mark the home’s 25th anniversary. She “hugely enjoyed meeting and chatting with the residents, some of whom used to be social care nurses themselves.”
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Monkeypox: the current situation |
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Many of you will be aware of current media interest in monkey pox infections and the small number of cases reported in the UK so far. Whilst there is no immediate concern for staff and residents in care settings, it may be helpful to read the information and advice set out in this UK Health Security Agency blog.
You should also be aware of general guidance published on GOV.UK and be reassured updates will be shared if there is a need for specific care sector guidance in the future.
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National Framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care |
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The Department of Health and Social Care will publish updated guidance on NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC) on 30 May 2022, to come into force on 1 July 2022. There will be no substantive changes to CHC and FNC policy. The national framework will be brought in line with wider legislative changes, resulting from the Health and Care Act 2022. The guidance is for health and social care practitioners and provides advice on both CHC and FNC processes. If you have any questions on the update, please email chc@dhsc.gov.uk. |
Empowering people with learning disabilities to make end of life plans |
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Talking about death and dying is difficult for most of us, but historically it has been a huge barrier for people with learning disabilities. Many are not being involved in conversations about their end of life care, what dying means, or having opportunities to make their own decisions regarding their death.
Beth Britton, a consultant on MacIntyre’s Dying to Talk Project, explains how this initiative is aiming to open up conversations about death and dying for people with learning disabilities. |
Take the Capacity Tracker care market survey: deadline extended |