Adult Social Care Update
Vaccination as a condition of deployment is now in force in care homes. If you are medically exempt, click here for information on what to do next.
A message from Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Throughout the pandemic, our amazing social care workforce has not only kept people safe by providing the highest standards of care, but the overwhelming majority have also chosen to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Now that boosters and flu doses are well underway, I’m so grateful to everyone who has made this positive choice to protect patients, colleagues and themselves. But we have much further to go. As we enter the winter months, the virus is still circulating widely. Although vaccination numbers are really encouraging - over 84 percent of domiciliary care workers have had their first dose and more than 75 percent have had both doses - around 102,500 of that group have not yet been fully vaccinated.
This week, I announced the carefully considered decision to make vaccination a condition of deployment in other health and social care settings, not just care homes. We have made sure there is a grace period until 1 April next year, giving care providers and colleagues time to prepare and book their vaccinations.
I recognise vaccination can be an emotive issue. We’ve had to take these steps because a job in social care is a job like no other. It comes with a special kind of responsibility; you’re in close contact with people most at risk of serious health consequences if they get COVID-19.
I’m sure you agree, the first duty of anyone working in health and care is to avoid preventable harm to the people they care for. The second duty must be to keep one another safe, so you can continue to do your vital work.
For me, this has always been about helping social care colleagues make positive choices – and we’ll keep doing that. We’ve made free vaccination doses easily available, through our National Vaccination Programme. And if you or your colleagues need further information and reassurance about COVID-19 or flu jabs, there is a wealth of expert advice online. Resources are also available to help you share these messages with colleagues.
Even before the first vaccines arrived, our social care workforce were nothing short of phenomenal in their efforts to keep people safe. You’ve been there for our friends, families and loved ones in our most difficult days.
Thank you for continuing to work in that spirit and for doing the right thing with all the compassion that led you to choose a job in care in the first place.
Infection Prevention and Control Champions Network launched A new network of adult social care infection prevention and control champions has launched to help maintain and continuously improve standards across the care sector.
Run by the Queen’s Nursing Institute, the scheme is supported by Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Deborah Sturdy OBE and backed by a £35,000 grant from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Lessons learned from the pandemic will be rolled out to help minimise the future spread of infections, including COVID-19 and flu, to protect people living in care homes and receiving home care.
The network will be made up of frontline social care staff from settings around England, responsible for lPC in their specific areas or homes.
'Made with Care' recruitment campaign: tell us your stories to inspire others As part of our Made with Care recruitment campaign, the Department for Health and Social Care is looking for care staff to share their positive experiences and inspire others to consider adult social care careers.
We’d love to feature your stories in upcoming campaign activity, including media coverage and on Facebook.
Please share this request with your professional networks. We want to involve the widest range of colleagues to help us represent the diverse nature of the care sector.
If you or your colleagues are interested in telling your stories, please drop an email to adultsocialcarecampaign@dhsc.gov.uk and we’ll let you know what to do next!
Social care reform: positive engagement continues [Gillian Keegan (bottom left) and Chloe Smith (top centre) pictured with some of the participants in a recent engagement session] Minister for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan and Minister for Disabled People, Chloe Smith recently met with a range of charities supporting under 65s who draw on care and support, to hear their priorities for social care reform.
The Government continues to work closely with stakeholders from every region of England, including those who draw on care services, providers, local authorities, unpaid carers groups and charities, to help shape reform plans.
Guidance round-up: home care, staff movement and other updates [Image supplied by freepik.com] Provision of home care guidance has been updated in line with the latest clinical advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This update brings together guidance for social care staff, registered providers, local authorities and commissioners who support and deliver care to people in their own homes in England.
Meanwhile, recent updates have been made to protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and restricting workforce movement between care homes and other care settings. See also revisions to the code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel.
Blog watch: Why winter vaccines protect us all [Image supplied by freepik.com] Selina Morris's colleagues at the Close Care Home asked her many times if she had taken the flu jab. Her answer had always been no, until she read up on flu and COVID-19 vaccines and why having both was vital to keeping colleagues, residents and visitors safe.
Click the banner below to read her story and download more information to help you and your colleagues make an informed and confident decision about vaccination this winter.
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