COVID-19 HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE INFORMATION AND ADVICE
This page has been set up to help share useful links, practical tips and ideas.
Please note, this page is not for medical advice, for that we advise you use the up to date Government guidance
There are also a series of webinars that have been recorded that you may find useful that can be found here
This is an up to date list of local Coronavirus 19 (COVID 19) Facebook support groups – there have been over 1,500 local COVID-19 support groups set up, there’s bound to be one near you that you can connect with…
Joint statement on personalised approaches to care and treatment
As part of an ongoing programme of work to support colleagues across health and social care to maintain and champion personalised approaches to care and treatment, NHS England and NHS Improvement came together last week with a range of leading thinkers from the disabled rights movement, voluntary sector organisations, and specialist clinical directors. The current pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need for everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, to have the opportunity for their needs, wishes and preferences to be considered.
This meeting was co-chaired by Baroness Jane Campbell and James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care for the NHS, who have issued this summary statement. For further information email england.covid-eolc@nhs.net.
Statement
The outbreak of coronavirus does not change long-established best practice that decisions around care and access to treatment, including end of life care, are made on an individual basis and with clinicians, following the principles of personalised care.
Every individual should be provided with ongoing opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them. In relation to treatment decisions, patients should be supported to make informed decisions by the provision of clear advice on options from their clinicians, with family support or advocacy support if required and possible, and in compliance with the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and related guidance where relevant.
This means people making active and informed judgements about their own care and treatment, at all stages of their life, and recognises people’s autonomy, as well as their preferences, aspirations, needs and abilities. This also means ensuring reasonable adjustments are supported where necessary and reinforces that the blanket application of do not attempt resuscitation orders is totally unacceptable and must not happen.
Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, DBE
James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Advanced Care Planning - DNACPR - Statement from NHS England
NHS England and NHS Improvement, along with its many partners, are committed to ensuring the continued delivery of personalised care. However, they acknowledge there have been recent examples reported of where people’s wishes and preferences have not always been considered.
In response, on 1 April 2020 the British Medical Association (BMA), Care Provider Alliance (CPA), Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) issued a statement emphasising the importance of a personalised care plan. This was reiterated on 7 April 2020, in a letter to local system leaders from NHS England and NHS Improvement in which it was stressed that advance care planning is undertaken on an individual basis.
As part of an ongoing programme of work to support colleagues across health and social care to maintain and champion personalised approaches to care and treatment, NHS England and NHS Improvement came together on 14 May 2020 for a roundtable with a range of leading thinkers from the disabled rights movement, voluntary sector organisations, and specialist clinical directors. Following this event, NHS England and NHS Improvement jointly issued a summary statement on 20 May 2020, which is published both on the NHS England and NHS Improvement website, and on Disability Rights UK website.
NHS England and NHS Improvement also published a Covid-19 Advance Care Planning template and guidance on 13 April 2020.
NHS England and NHS Improvement, alongside In Control and Disability Rights UK, is developing a piece of work to provide clear advice, information and intervention, as well as the recording and tracking of issues. For more information on the ‘Be Human’ campaign, see the Be Human website.
Resources that have been kindly shared:
We have tried to group these together under 7 basic themes
> Resources relating to planning
This is a template of a COVID 19 Contingency Plan for your care that you may use for your own needs. It help you put down the essential things that you need for your care and support with on a daily basis: Contingency plan template
An example of a contingency plan for home if any one of the household gets ill. It sets out: How they can care for each other whilst minimising risk of cross infection and how they can manage illness as far as possible at home and absolutely minimise the need for hospital treatment. Home contingency template example
This is an example of a ‘hospitial passport’ template which you can use and have prepared ready in case you have to be admitted into hospital: Hospital passport template
> Resources relating to testing
Community asymptomatic testing
Community asymptomatic testing has been introduced to help identify and isolate individuals who have COVID-19 but do not have symptoms and may inadvertently be spreading the virus, these tests sit alongside the deployment of tests to NHS front-line staff, social care and other critical settings.
Department of Health and Social Care have announced the roll out of weekly PCR COVID-19 testing for Personal assistants working in Adult Social Care in England from 17th February 2021. For testing purposes, a PA is someone who is directly employed by an individual (or self employed) to provide care and support to enable them to live as independently as possible – this care could include support in the home or to go out into the community.
Regular asymptomatic testing for Personal Assistants: communications – includes how to place and order, webinar links and additional support guidance for PAs. 17th February 2021
COVID-19 testing for Personal Assistants: Flyer 17th February 2021
Invitation to register for Coronavirus testing- personal care assistants (PAs)
Letter template for PA’s who have asked to be tested, the letter includes the online link to book a test, the list of test centres, what to do when they get to the test centre and how they get their results: Covid 19- invitation for testing. More information about the current Corovirus testing eligibility can be found at Government Guidance – Coronavirus COVID-19
A user guide for essential workers, including personal care assistants to book a test for Coronavirus at a regional testing site or via home delivery: Self-referral portal user guide
> Resources relating to personal budgets, personal health budgets, direct payment, adult social care
Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) have recorded a webinar about good practice in supporting direct payment recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic, it talks about what councils and direct support services have been doing: https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Latest/Good-practice-in-supporting-direct-payment-recipients-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic/
COVID-19: Q&A FOR INDIVIDUALS IN RECEIPT OF A PERSONAL BUDGET OR PERSONAL HEALTH BUDGET DURING AN OUTBREAK OR WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION OF COVID-19
Personal Budget, Personal Health Budget and Direct payments Questions & Answers
Department of Health’s COVID-19 Action Plan for Adult Social Care: covid-19-adult-social-care-action-plan
Advice and Guidance for people using Direct Payments during the Coronavirus crisis from Knowsley Disability Concern (KDC) https://www.kdc.org.uk/news-events/advice-and-guidance-for-people-using-direct-payments-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/
Penderel’s Trust have prepared a ‘be prepared’ factsheet for people who have Direct Payments developed from the information shared from the webinar above: https://www.penderelstrust.org.uk/pdf/BePrepared.pdf
> Resources relating to employing/using PA's / keyworkers and carers
COVID-19 Vaccination webinar slides for JCVI Cohort 2 – Frontline Social Care Workers.
The Department of Health and Social Care held a webinar about Frontline Social Care Workers getting the vaccine under Cohort 2, the slides can be viewed by clicking the link below.
Vaccine delivery plan
The Government has released its plan of how they will build up a supply of vaccines and how it will deploy them.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-covid-19-vaccines-delivery-plan
The publication below gives information about the vaccine being brought to care home residents and care staff and in particular point 5.22 is about social care staff who work in settings beyond care homes, for example directly employed Personal Assistants
Operational Guidance – Vaccination of Frontline Health & Social Care Workers – establishment of Hospital Hubs with responsibility for COVID- 19 vaccine delivery for all healthcare and social care workers
C1008-Operational-Guidance-Vaccination-of-Frontline-Health-Social-Care-Workers-7-January-2021
PA’s entitled to Flu vaccinations – letter template for employers to use for their PA’s – PA- letter of entitlement
Risk Assessment Tool for Personal Assistants (PAs) Returning to Work. This guide has been developed to support employers to think about how they might support their PAs to return to work and feel they are in a safe environment. It has been created by people using their experience of being a PA or an employer os PA’s. Co-created by Sheffield City Council, Disability Sheffield and the Individual Employer and PA Development Group.
If you are a front line worker or manager giving care and support in social care tell us how you are feeling in this Audit of Well-being.
This audit is looking to get a baseline understanding of the ‘current’ well-being of staff who work in disability services and other social care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland and across the UK. To take part in this audit you should be:
- Aged 18 or over;
- Work with adults (aged 18 or over) with a disability;
- Or in another social care setting (with adults aged 18 or over) in Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales or the Islands
A template letter you may use if you employ Personal Assistants (confirmed as key workers in the Health and Social Care sector) to support you: anonymous PA letter March 2020
NHS England – A template that could be adapted for your keyworkers to show that they support you in your life.
Penderel’s Trust have produced a ‘key worker’ proof letter template for individual employers, as an employer you may use this as guide: KeyWorkerLetterTemplate
Penderel’s Trust have shared a list of frequently asked questions for individual employers: https://www.penderelstrust.org.uk/pdf/EmployerFAQ.pdf
Esther’s briefing document for her PA’s: Briefing document for PAs
ACAS – Advice for Employers and Employees during the coronavirus crisis: https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus/self-isolation-and-sick-pay
HR questions and answers for employers: Coronavirus and employees FAQ’s March 2020
Mark Bates Ltd, Insurance company have shared useful information for Employers and Self Employed during COVID-19: https://markbatesltd.com/coronavirus-covid-19
Carers UK – Guidance for carers
> Resources
relating to end of life care
Turning point and Learning Disability England (LDE) have produced this information tool about DNACPR decision making (Do Not Resuscitate, Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation): https://rise.articulate.com/share/oM2i7QLE1R8eibGxvS8bYx_zvz7oEt3E#/lessons/0GGVpC87uXZBsDUPbLYHd8fNPHPWbXX7
Information about Advanced Care Planning: http://advancecareplan.org.uk/
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership have shared their Advanced Care Planning template: https://www.wyhpartnership.co.uk/application/files/2415/8885/4485/My_future_wishes_Advance_Care_Plan_May2020.pdf
With the end in mind, a book about to live and die well https://withtheendinmind.co.uk/
> Easy Read
Easy read information from the Department of Health about Direct Payments during Coronavirus – easy read direct payments
Beyond Words – A short wordless story, that will help people to understand what to do if you have Coronavirus and how to keep yourself and those who you care about safe – https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/coping-with-coronavirus
Learning Disability England (LDE) – Easy to read information on the Coronavirus
Mencap – Easy Read guide to Coronavirus:
Inclusion North – Plain English audio version ‘About Coronavirus’ from Bradford Talking media Audio link
Learning Disability England (LDE) – Tips and ideas how to keep in touch
> General resources
Covid Mutual Aid groups across the UK: https://covidmutualaid.org/
And related community resources https://covidmutualaid.org/community-resources/ (include for migrants, people with disabilities, domestic abuse…)
GriefChat is a safe space for grieving or bereaved people to be able to share their story, explore their feelings and be supported by a qualified bereavement counsellor. https://www.griefchat.co.uk/
Free Community Care Advice Line launched by LAWSTOP: https://be-human.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Free-Community-Care-Advice-Line-Launched-LAWSTOP.png
This is a list of resources relevant for disabled people during the Covid-19 outbreak, with a UK focus. The list includes resources and template letters relevant to people on low incomes, workers, renters and anyone else requiring mutual aid. http://tinyurl.com/DPsCovidList
NICE published Rapid Guidelines COVID-19 for: Critical Care, delivery of systemic anticancer treatments and dialysis service delivery.
https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/nice-publishes-first-rapid-covid-19-guidelines
Template letters to include complaints to supermarkets, designed to provide priority access for disabled people. They can be downloaded for free at: http://www.frylaw.co.uk/
The North West Training & Development Team (NWTDT) and Pathways Association have produced a ‘one day at a time’ video series. They share an update every day (Monday to Friday) to make sure that people have accessible, accurate and up to date information about COVID 19: Daily accessible updates from NWTDT and Pathways
Council for Disabled Children – COVID-19 Support and Guidance https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/help-resources/resources/covid-19-support-and-guidance
National Autistic Society – guidance and helpline for parents’, young people and staff
Sikh Council Covid 19 support line and related useful resources in Punjabi and English: https://sikhcouncil.co.uk/
British Sign Language (BSL) information – including information about help for people shielding and getting prescriptions – NHS Inform: https://www.nhsinform.scot/translations/languages/british-sign-language-bsl/illnesses-and-conditions/coronavirus-covid-19