Coronavirus (COVID-19) Special Brief – 7 June 2020

Letter from Director General for Adult Social Care updating that all remaining adult care homes will be able to access testing for all residents and asymptomatic staff.

Document outlines the testing provision for residents and staff in care homes.

All staff in hospitals in England will be provided with surgical masks which they will be expected to wear from 15 June.

ONS findings around death registrations not mentioning COVID-19 to understand increase in deaths compared to previous five-year average for deaths in same weeks.

LGA reports additional costs to care providers as a result of COVID-19 are higher than anticipated.

Grant will support the development of the social care volunteering platform.

Age UK says it does not see how government’s pledge “can possibly be met”.

App will "be running as soon as we think it is robust", according to minister.

Government admits almost 30,000 people had to be retested for coronavirus after their swabs were voided.

MHA says 42% of staff who recently tested positive were not displaying symptoms.

The following communications has been received from the Department of Health and Social Care.

"We remain committed to supporting those who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus and communicating with them appropriately and sensitively.  As mentioned in my last email, we recognise that in some cases patients recently received a text message regarding support from the National Shielding Service before a conversation with their clinician (either GP or specialist clinician) had taken place. We apologise for any confusion or concern this has caused and are seeking to improve our processes. Our understanding of the issue and subsequent actions are outlined below.

Overview The Shielded Patient List (SLP) is dynamic – GPs and specialist clinicians continue to make clinical judgements that may result in those who had initially been advised to shield from coronavirus no longer being advised to do so, for example because their condition has changed and they are no longer clinically extremely vulnerable.  Where this is the case, the person should be informed by their GP or specialist clinician that they are being removed from the SPL and are no longer advised to shield.

Some people have been receiving direct support from Government while shielding. People who are advised they do not need to shield will no longer be provided with this support, though they will continue to be eligible for supermarket priority slots. To ensure people were aware of this, we have followed up via text message after someone is removed from the SPL, to make it clear that they can still access other forms of support including the NHS Volunteers network, and will retain their supermarket priority delivery slots. We recognise that this process has not been managed in the way we expected for everyone, and that there is concern some people have been removed from the Shielded Patient List and the Government Support Service in error.  We have received 17 specific complaints about this.

NHS Digital (NHSD) and the Government Digital Service (GDS) manage the Shielded Patient List data. They have investigated the issues and examined the data in the cases made available to them.  In each case, where an individual had been sent the text message from the Government, this was because a change had been made to their records by a GP practice or hospital trust indicating they were no longer advised to shield.  We therefore do not believe that people had been removed from the Government support service due to an error in the data.

However, it appears that in some cases a text was received before the individual had heard from their clinician, and potentially before that decision had been finalised between a GP and specialist.

If any individual has any questions or concerns about why they received the text message, they should speak to their GP or hospital clinician to clarify whether there is any change in the advice on whether they need to shield.

Actioning improvement We are now taking the following actions to improve our processes. 1. Communication to the NHS on removing a patient from the SPL

A letter has been sent from NHSE to NHS Trust Medical Directors, GPs and CCGs to reinforce the guidance for clinicians on removing people from the Shielded Patient List.  This reinforces the need to discuss any changes in their advice before making any changes to their medical records, because this will trigger a change in the individual’s access to the Government support service.

The letter also emphasises the importance of communication between clinicians, and the need for specialists to communicate their decision to the their patient’s GP when removing anyone from the SPL. The letter can be found here. We would like to emphasise that issuing this further guidance is just one aspect of our efforts to improve this process across the shielding programme as a whole. The government is hugely appreciative of the work clinicians have devoted to identifying and advising patients who are clinically extremely vulnerable. Their dedication to their patients under unprecedented circumstances has been and continues to be invaluable.

2. Communication to patients removed from the Shielded Patient List in receipt of support We will be sending out letters next week to a small number of patients who have recently been removed from the Shielded Patient List and were receiving food boxes from the National Shielding Service. We are doing this to ensure that these patients receive the information that they do not need to shield and to signpost other avenues for support.  We are sending a letter this time rather than a text message, to avoid the risk that people believe the communication is a scam.

The details of these individuals will also be sent to GP practices so they are aware the letters have been sent. Please find this letter template attached.

3. Communication to patients shielding As per Sunday’s announcement, the government will review the shielding policy the week commencing 15 June, after which we will write to all individuals on the Shielded Patient List with information about next steps on shielding advice and the support that will be available to them after this review point. Decisions taken on the shielding policy will be based on clinical advice from medical experts and the best data available about the prevalence of Covid-19 in the community.

Patients identified as clinically extremely vulnerable between now and the review will receive a letter advising them to shield and encouraging them to register their support needs. The letter has been updated to reflect the current Government guidance and clarifies that they should shield until 30 June, awaiting the outcome of the review."

Information intended to help answer some of the most frequent questions about the Infection Control Fund.

Review into how different factors have affected COVID-19 risk and outcomes.

For trustees on what matters may need to be reported as a serious incident during the pandemic.

For people operating in communities and may not be trained to recognise the signs of abuse or neglect.

VODG calls for full parity in the government’s social care COVID-19 testing programme after it announced the roll out of  ‘whole care home testing’.

Learning Disability Week 2020 will take place online from 15 to 21 June. The theme is the importance of friendships during lockdown.

Statement  on resuming funding for workforce development training through a revised WDF.

Providers share examples of how they have innovated and adapted working practices.

Latest edition includes links to a supplement published to support the practice of safe and fair recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CQC analysis to better understand the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on people with a learning disability.

Updated on furlough scheme following announcements made by the Chancellor.

“Stay Inside: Be Inspired” resources to help families, carers and support staff understand and use Active Support. From United Response.

Attendees will discuss the positive lessons we can all benefit from as a result of the pandemic.

An opportunity for VODG member chief executives to discuss next steps and future actions for VODG Futures programme.