Coronavirus (COVID-19) Special Brief – 29 March 2020

The Coronavirus Act is now in place. The Act enables the government to 'activate' a range measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. A number of the clauses relating to social care, if activated, have the potential to put disabled people's rights at risk. The government is expected to produce guidance on the Act in the coming weeks. VODG stands ready to work with policymakers to ensure the government responds to this crisis while maintaining a social care system that protects and safeguards its most vulnerable.

As the number of cases increase across the UK, regular meetings between government departments and stakeholders from the adult social care sector continue to take place to discuss sector-wide concerns such as PPE, commissioning and funding, service provision - to list just a few. We have included a few key messages from these meetings below and will provide further updates as and when we can. In the meantime, to allow us to represent the most pressing issues, please do keep us informed, via the [email protected] email address or the COVID-19 Response Hubs, on how the pandemic is affecting your organisation and what you need.

Further to our note on Wednesday about a virtual meeting with Marr Procurement and a further guest speaker from a large distributor about supplies and provisions, please note that this meeting will take place from 11.30am to 12:30pm on Wednesday 1 April. Registration will open on Monday and we will include a link in Monday's Special Brief.

• Government guidance on hospital discharge is being worked on and will published soon.
• Government guidance relating to the Coronavirus Act is imminent and will include a focus on the changes to requirements on assessment.
• We have included below further guidance, updates and a FAQ document relating to learning disability and autism services.
• Keeping checking our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response webpage for updated guidance and resources.
• All feedback, please email [email protected]