Coronavirus (COVID-19) Special Brief – 6 April 2020

Thank you again for your support of and contributions to the various VODG member activities that have taken place.

Looking ahead, we know that the Local Government Association is expected to issue guidance in the coming days outlining how the £1.6billion given to local authorities will be distributed to social care providers. VODG will issue a statement in response and we welcome your support in sharing our statement and its key messages. Please also share any views or further ideas related to the contents of the guidance in the COVID-19 Response Hubs.

Our colleagues at Agenda Consulting have launched a short pulse survey for employees in not-for-profit organisations to gather their feedback on the impact of recent changes on their working lives and how well they feel their organisations are supporting them and responding to the crisis. The purpose of the survey is to provide valuable insight on how people are feeling at this time and to provide broader insight for the sector on how organisations might better support their employees during this crisis. The survey can be accessed here.

• An open letter has been sent to the Secretary of State for Health and Social care on the issue of disabled people's access to treatment.
• NHS England and NHS Improvement have clarified the use of the clinical frailty scalke.
• The Minister for Care, SCIE and NHS England have answered a series of questions on the impact of COVID-19 on care services.
• The following information about the job retention scheme has been received following DHSC's consultation with Her Majesty's Treasury: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme "In general, refer questions to guidance for employers here and employees here.  Are care providers that receive public funding eligible for the job retention scheme? Yes, the scheme is open to any UK organisation with employees. However, we expect care providers are continuing to provide services necessary to respond to COVID-19, so wouldn’t expect them to be furloughing staff.   Can furloughed staff work in social care? Yes, subject to the terms of their employment contracts. The guidance is clear that furloughed people can volunteer elsewhere, and we will be providing updated guidance to further clarify matters for furloughed people being employed elsewhere. Can staff be furloughed to do shielding? It is up to employers to decide which staff to furlough. An employer can decide to do this for ‘shielding’ staff, but must take care to consider and ensure their decisions are consistent with existing discrimination and equality law. Can furloughed staff still work for their employer, even if just for a few hours or volunteering? No, you cannot work or volunteer for the employer who has furloughed you."
• Please note: VODG can continue to put your questions into various DHSC groups. Please highlight these as questions for DHSC, and please ensure questions are clear and concise.
• All feedback, please email [email protected]

The Department of Health and Social Care has been running weekly forums for the adult social care sector, to address emerging concerns and questions.

The third forum will be held on Wednesday 8 April from 13.00-14.00. The discussion topic will be ‘Care Act easements’, focusing on the recently issued guidance for local authorities. The conversation will be led by Fran Leddra, Chief Social Worker for Adults, and Rhia Roy, Policy Lead for the Care Act Easements Guidance. Richard Cienciala, Deputy Director in Adult Social Care, will chair the meeting and provide expert input on the Coronavirus Act 2020. Please submit any questions in advance to [email protected] and [email protected] by 12pm on Tuesday 7 April.