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Extension to care home visiting announced

Care home residents will be able to start receiving more visitors, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Care home residents will be able to have more than one outdoor visitor and will also be able to have one designated person allowed to visit them indoors provided their home meets strict criteria and the visiting extension has been signed off by local Public Health officials, with infection control measures remaining in place.

Since 3 July care homes which have met this criteria have been able to allow residents to meet with one designated visitor outdoors.

A care home will only be able to permit visiting if they have been COVID-free throughout the pandemic or if all affected residents have fully recovered and no residents have had symptoms for 28 days.

Visitors will need to wear face coverings throughout their visit and physical distancing and hand and cough hygiene will need to be adhered to at all times.

Essential visits, including those involving end of life care, have been permitted throughout the pandemic and should continue to be supported by care homes.

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care said: 

“The last few months have been exceptionally hard for folks in our care homes and for their families, being separated with only limited, often virtual, contact. At the beginning of July we opened up care homes to outdoor visiting and I am very pleased that in our slow journey back to normal life we can shortly allow the careful start of a degree of indoor visiting subject to local sign off by Public Health Officials. As well as this, it is positive that an increase in the numbers able to visit residents outdoors is now possible.

“Throughout the restoration of family visiting, we have tried to strike the hard balance between getting people back to seeing and being with their families and keeping residents, staff and others safe from the virus. We are very aware of how pernicious this virus is so guidance and measures will remain in place to protect everyone.”

 

Background

LINK TO GUIDANCE

 

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The impact of COVID-19 on social care profile

Final theme: Profile - how has COVID-19 impacted the profile of social care services?

 

Thank you to those who have participated in or circulated the Care Futures surveys so far. If you haven't done so yet, you can still access the surveys here: https://scottishcare.org/care-future-surveys/

The final survey is focused on the theme of ‘Profile’.

In this theme we are interested to explore perceptions of the independent social care sector during the pandemic, relationships with the media, opportunities for enhancing understanding, awareness and profile and the future potential of the sector in relation to its profile.

The survey has 4 sections: Perception, understanding & awareness; Value & recognition; Media, publicity & scrutiny; and Future profile.

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences.

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

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Share wellbeing impacts & supports through COVID-19

Fifth theme: wellbeing- how has wellbeing been impacted and what supports have been useful during COVID-19?

This week the survey is focused on the theme of ‘Wellbeing’.

In this theme we are interested to explore the impacts of COVID-19 on wellbeing for staff, residents, families and people supported as well as the forms, use and value of wellbeing supports.

The survey has 3 sections: Wellbeing impacts, Forms of support, and Future wellbeing.

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences.

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

Thank you to those who have participated in or circulated the Care Futures surveys so far. If you haven't done so yet, you can still access the surveys here: https://scottishcare.org/care-future-surveys/

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Collective Care Future: share your COVID-19 workforce experiences

Fourth theme: workforce - what has your experience of working in social care during COVID-19 been?

This week the survey is focused on the theme of ‘Workforce’.

In this theme we are interested to explore the impacts of COVID-19 on many different aspects of work in social care. 

The survey has 4 sections: workforce impacts; staffing levels, recruitment & induction; skills, training & confidence; and future workforce.

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences.

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

Thank you to those who have participated in or circulated the Care Futures surveys so far. If you haven't done so yet, you can still access the surveys here: https://scottishcare.org/care-future-surveys/

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Collective Care Future: tell us about partnership

Third theme: share your experiences of partnership working during COVID-19

This week the survey is focused on the theme of ‘Partnership’.

We are using the word 'partnership' to describe different organisations or people working together to support care delivery.  We are interested to hear your experiences of working with others in partnership or your experience of care and support as a result of different organisations and people working together.

In this theme we are interested to explore new or different ways of working with wider health, social care, community and other partners that have developed during COVID-19, what the impact of these partnerships has been on care delivery and what forms of support and/or collaboration have been most valuable.

The survey has 3 sections: Experience of Partnership, Impact of Partnership and Future Partnership.

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences.

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

This week the survey is focused on the theme of ‘Partnership’.

We are using the word 'partnership' to describe different organisations or people working together to support care delivery.  We are interested to hear your experiences of working with others in partnership or your experience of care and support as a result of different organisations and people working together.

In this theme we are interested to explore new or different ways of working with wider health, social care, community and other partners that have developed during COVID-19, what the impact of these partnerships has been on care delivery and what forms of support and/or collaboration have been most valuable.

The survey has 3 sections: Experience of Partnership, Impact of Partnership and Future Partnership.

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences.

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

Thank you to those who have participated in or circulated the Care Futures surveys so far. If you haven't done so yet, you can still access the surveys here: https://scottishcare.org/care-future-surveys/

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Collective Care Future: survey on care practice

Second theme: care practice - share your views and experiences

The first phase of the Collective Care Future programme is now underway, focused on understanding the pandemic experience across many different areas of practice both in care homes and care at home.

If you have experience of working or connecting with care homes or care at home services during COVID-19, we invite you to take part in this survey series to share your experience. We’d love to hear from care providers, front line staff, relatives and loved ones of people supported, individuals in care settings and those working in roles in other sectors or parts of the sector who work alongside care services. You can choose to take part in as many or as few of the surveys as you wish.

This week the survey is focused on the theme of ‘Care Practice’. In this theme we are interested to explore the ways in which the delivery of care and support has changed, across areas such as dementia, palliative and end of life care, assessment and care planning.  It includes ways of delivering care which you may have adopted or been aware of previously and those which you have experienced for the first time during the pandemic.

The survey has 4 sections: Impact on Care Practice, Regulation & Guidance, Outcomes & Priorities, and Future Care Practice.

Access survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/carefutures-carepractice

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences. 

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

Thank you to those who have participated in the first survey on Technology.  If you haven't done so yet, you can still access the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/carefutures-technology

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Collective Care Future: take part in Technology survey

We're pleased to announce that the first phase of the Collective Care Future programme is now underway, focused on understanding the pandemic experience across many different areas of practice both in care homes and care at home.

If you have experience of working or connecting with care homes or care at home services during COVID-19, we invite you to take part in this survey series to share your experience. We’d love to hear from care providers, front line staff, relatives and loved ones of people supported, individuals in care settings and those working in roles in other sectors or parts of the sector who work alongside care services. You can choose to take part in as many or as few of the surveys as you wish.

This week the survey is focused on the theme of ‘Technology’. In this theme we are interested to explore experiences of technology - including digital applications and platforms e.g. Near Me, online information and resources, devices e.g. ipads, laptops etc, and software – which include things you may have used before and those which you have used for the first time during the pandemic.

If you would like to see the questions in advance to help you complete the survey fully, you can download a PDF of the survey here - download survey questions.

You can also download Word copies of the survey to complete by hand or to distribute to others - download Word survey questions.

We would appreciate your support in circulating the survey as widely as possible across your networks, including to any individuals who access care and support and their families who may like to share their experiences. 

If you don’t feel that you have had direct working experience with the independent care sector during the pandemic but you would like to be involved in the second phase of the programme, please let us know at [email protected] and we will be in contact in due course.

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Scottish Parliament Clarification – 20 May 2020

In the debate on Stage 3 Proceedings for the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Neil Findlay MSP spoke to a proposed amendment regarding social care. In describing examples whereby staff are paid below the Living Wage, he described adverts on the Scottish Care website for care posts advertised at below this rate.

This is completely untrue. Scottish Care has never advertised posts for care workers on our website. As a membership body and not a care provider, it is not our position to do so.

In relation to Mr Findlay’s wider point regarding who receives the Living Wage in a care setting, Scottish Care has campaigned for many years for the extension of the Living Wage to all who work in care homes and other parts of the sector. Scottish Care and our members recognise that all workers in a care setting – regardless of whether they provide direct care or not – are critical to quality care provision whether they are supporting direct care, cleanliness, nutrition or any other role and should be valued and remunerated to Living Wage level as an absolute minimum. This has been resisted repeatedly by both national and local government. We would welcome moves to change this.

The Living Wage is one part of a wider Fair Work agenda which aims to improve pay, terms and conditions for social care staff. As a member of the Fair Work in Social Care Group, Scottish Care will continue to progress these matters with Scottish Government and other stakeholders.

Fair Work in Scotland’s Social Care Sector 2019 report: https://www.fairworkconvention.scot/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Fair-Work-in-Scotland’s-Social-Care-Sector-2019.pdf

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Scottish Care statement on face protection in care services

Last week, in light of national statistics and international clinical evidence Scottish Care called for an extension of Covid-19 testing and the use of face protection in care services. We welcomed the decision of the Scottish Government to implement testing extensions for all care home residents and staff where a case of COVID-19 is identified as well as wider and more regular precautionary testing for monitoring purposes. We continue to call for the testing of all care home residents and staff as the optimum measure to enhance prevention and safety.

As we so sadly continue to see, care homes are being hit extremely hard by this virus and we need to constantly review and revise our national approach to best support residents, relatives and staff. Distressingly, we may still not have reached the peak of the virus in care homes and anything that can be done to protect individuals and services and reduce risk of infection spread and deaths must be implemented with urgency.

As knowledge and advice in relation to the virus develops, we are seeing particular spread risks associated with pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.

That is why we are again calling for a change to national guidance so that all staff in care homes and providing care at home – regardless of role, Covid status or proximity to others – wear face protection in order to reduce the transmission of the virus.

If it is appropriate for face protection to be worn when citizens go shopping then it seems even more important that face protection is worn when providing support of any nature to individuals who are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. This includes the use of face masks when within a two-metre distance and when providing direct care and support, regardless of Covid status.

This approach can help to minimise asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic spread of the virus and provide some additional assurances to understandably worried residents, relatives and staff. We acknowledge that some Health & Social Care Partnerships have implemented this approach but it is crucial that we see a consistent, unambiguous national directive in this regard.

We recognise that for services which do not normally require masks for this level of use, this will be a massive increase in demand for PPE. It will be necessary for supply challenges and increased, unsustainable costs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

We also recognise the challenges posed by supporting people with dementia, hearing impairment and other conditions which can mean that the constant wearing of face coverings can cause additional distress. Scottish Care remains committed to working with providers and partner organisations to ensure a ‘new care normal’ can be developed which recognises both the urgent need to protect life as well as to promote and sustain quality of life.

5 May 2020

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Guidance for stepdown of infection control precautions & discharging COVID-19 patients from hospital

Health Protection Scotland has published Version 1.1 of ‘COVID-19 – guidance for stepdown of infection control precautions and discharging COVID-19 patients from hospital to residential settings‘.

This guidance provides advice on appropriate discontinuation of infection prevention and control (IPC) precautions for patients recovering or recovered from COVID-19 and either remaining in hospital, being discharged to their own home or to residential care.

https://hpspubsrepo.blob.core.windows.net/hps-website/nss/3012/documents/1_covid-19-step-down-guidance.pdf

Download guidance