East lancs CCG logo

| | |  

Regulated Care Sector

Regulated Care 8 point briefing Icon

This week: 18th January 2021

1. News & updates

NHS and Social Care staff notice on close contacts, isolation and testing

Updates to guidance in relation to care homes (latest)

Care Homes vaccination mobilisation guidance

Vaccination Update for Care homes

Post vaccine guidance for health care workers:  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/951749/PHE_COVID-19_vaccination_guide_for_healthcare_workers_English_v2.pdf

Kickstart Government Scheme (work experience scheme)

Top 10 Tips from Care Homes who have had outbreaks

Coffee and engagement – the results - You said we did

  pdf AZ intro Pfizer updates + Care Home Presentation 12.01.2021 (2.52 MB)

Covid19 Resource Pack for Care Homes - please do have a look at the Covid19 Resource Pack for Care Homes developed by Lancashire County Council (East Lancs area) and Blackburn with Darwen Council?  If not - here it is: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/920139/covid-19-resource-pack-v3-oct-2020.pdf

2. Policies and procedures 

COVID19 Care Home Resource Pack V3 October 2020 (latest version) : https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/920139/covid-19-resource-pack-v3-oct-2020.pdf

COVID vaccinations care home consent forms

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/guidance-for-covid-19-vaccination-in-care-homes-that-have-cases-and-outbreaks/

Version 1.0 Final 2021-01-11 Care Home Visiting Policy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus/update-on-policies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes

3. Training opportunities

GPN & HWCS Conference

Coffee and engagement sessions - the next one is on the 10th February 2021 and you can join from 2-3 pm or 6- 7 pm. The 2pm slot is on MS teams here:  Click here to join the meeting and the 6pm slot here: Click here to join the meeting – you can also register here for the events and choose which option as part of the registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-coffee-engagement-2-online-sessions-to-support-the-care-sector-tickets-137296701129

4. IPC/PPE 

Please follow the link to an updated (as of 4th November 2020) list of local contacts for care providers who are not on the PPE portal. Providers can get PPE through their local authority or local resilience forum.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/personal-protective-equipment-ppe-local-contacts-for-care-providers?utm_source=7b0599ce-5951-49ad-aa64-8d33f4581bd8&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=daily

Please also find the latest Government guidance on PPE as an illustrated guide for community and social care settings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-protective-equipment-ppe-illustrated-guide-for-community-and-social-care-settings

Please also find the CQC guidance to ensure that care settings are compliant with IPC:  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/residential-adult-social-care/infection-prevention-control-care-homes

5. Domiciliary Care 

  pdf Dom Care Weekly homecare worker testing guidance for homecare agencies (2.17 MB)

Join us for our coffee and engagement sessions - the next one is on the 10th February 2021 and you can join from 2-3 pm or 6- 7 pm. The 2pm slot is on MS teams here:  Click here to join the meeting and the 6pm slot here: Click here to join the meeting – you can also register here for the events and choose which option as part of the registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-coffee-engagement-2-online-sessions-to-support-the-care-sector-tickets-137296701129

Useful links for the domiciliary care sector (LCC) :

General/contractual queries re dom care services and Covid 19 can be sent through to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

6. Primary Care 

The latest primary care bulletin for primary care/GP practices in Pennine Lancashire

For information, please check out the National guidance for post acute covid19 assessment clinics https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/guidance-for-everyone/your-covid-recovery/ 

7. Digital, IT and data

Pennine Lancashire NHS Mail Activations - From the NHSmail Regional call 16/12/2020 - PL Providers are currently at 83% activation rate across both East Lancs and BwD. This is very good and represents Pennine Lancashire being 16 points ahead of the national average which is around 67%.

NHS Digital will be de-activating all care providers’ inactive individual email accounts that have not been accessed within the last 180 days. These are due to be deleted in December 2020 for North West providers What do you need to do avoid this?

During the fast track application process March – Aug 2020 all providers were set up with 1 Owner and 1 Member account

The ‘Owner’ is the person that has been set up to manage the shared mailbox. Normally the care home manager/ care home owner.  The ‘Member’ is the staff that will have been deemed responsible by the care home manager to have NHSmail – this  tends to be senior care staff, admin, RGNs etc.

The mailbox Owner will have received a ‘welcome email’ and text message password on the mobile number registered on the fast track application. Please check junk email boxes for the welcome email and the text message password will look like this xxxx-xxxx-xxxx – consists of 3 sets of characters split by a dash

Once you have located the welcome email and text message password contact Mazz Akhtar on 01282 644 723/ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who can help you with next steps to activate your account

  • NHSmail FAQs: NHS Mail FAQs
  • Data Security Protection Toolkit (DSPT): DSPT Communications
  • NHS MAIL WEBINARS -

The webinars are designed to advise how to register, set up and how to use your new NHSmail account. Any Care Providers using NHSmail are encouraged to join the training webinars, these are live sessions, so you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions throughout.  Webinar format:

  • Registering for NHSmail
  • Welcome email
  • Logging in for the first time
  • Resetting your password
  • NHSmail hints and tips
  • Opening a shared mailbox
  • Microsoft Teams overview

Webinars run every Tuesday, 2.00pm – 3.00pm. To join the webinar – please use the link:

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

8. Key dates and information 

Join us for our coffee and engagement sessions - the next one is on the 10th February 2021 and you can join from 2-3 pm or 6- 7 pm. The 2pm slot is on MS teams here:  Click here to join the meeting and the 6pm slot here: Click here to join the meeting – you can also register here for the events and choose which option as part of the registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-coffee-engagement-2-online-sessions-to-support-the-care-sector-tickets-137296701129

HealthWatch Covid-19 Fatigue Survey - please have a go and share the link with colleagues, residents, families, and friends: https://healthwatchlancashire.co.uk/news/covid-survey/

Frailty Support and information:

Here’s a link to a page with different resources about living with frailty - What is frailty? | Age UK

But what might be more useful for carers is the practical guide to healthy ageing - Age UK and NHS A Guide To Healthy Ageing.pdf (www.nhs.uk)

Here's a nice guide that the University of Manchester created: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/coronavirus-response/coronavirus-home-learning/keeping-well-at-home-guide/

The National Learning Disability Important Easy Read Documents

The CCG Regulated Care Sector Team has been holding virtual coffee chats with colleagues from care homes. We understand that it is hard for everyone to make these (more to be announced!), so we have created a survey that we would like you to complete. It is a way of helping you tell us what is important for you and your care home or service, adn what sort of issues you have that we may be able to help deal with or respond to: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/COVID_VCC

And finally: 

Queries? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Questions? Go to: https://eastlancsccg.nhs.uk/

Facebook us: @PennineLancashireRegulatedCareProviders Community group 

Previous editions : 

Issue No 7, 11th January 2021

Issue No 6, 14th December 2020

Issue No 5, 7th December2020

Issue No 4, 30th November 2020

Issue No 3, 20th November 2020

Issue No 2, 13th November 2020

Issue No 1, 6th November 2020