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Free entertainment for Care Homes

‘Lock Down TV’ was developed by a professional entertainer who specialises in performances in care homes and sheltered housing. He aims to provide free entertainment to care homes during Covid-19. 

Thus far, he has put on 3 shows, playing the guitar and singing. Each show lasts under an hour and includes Scottish songs and a 50-60-70 sing along.

These shows can be viewed for free with no advertising, however you may choose to donate if you want to. 

You can access these shows here: http://www.hechwifie.com/open/

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UK Government’s Covid-19 Self Employed Support Package

The UK Government has created a Covid-19 Self Employed Support Package to help anybody who is self-employed or a member of a partnership in the UK and have lost income due to coronavirus (Covid-19). Here are some information on this package:

·         The government will provide a taxable grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their trading profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month.

·         The grant will be calculated from your last 3 tax returns, up to 2018-19 (or 1 or 2 years of tax returns if you have been self employed for less than 3 years). It will be available for 3 months (March – May 2020) but may be extended.

·         The grant will be administered via HMRC who will send you a form to complete if you are eligible – you do not need to contact them now.

For further information on this scheme, visit:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme

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Covid-19 resources on supporting people with dementia

The following resources have been developed by the Edinburgh Behavioural Team in Edinburgh and contains information that may be helpful to Scottish Care members.

These resources include:

1. How to talk to people with dementia about Covid-19
2. Covid-19 information for residents with easy read pictures
3. Covid-19 pictures to aid communication
4. Supporting people who walk with purpose during the Covid-19 pandemic
5. Tips to encourage hand washing for people with dementia during Covid-19
6. Communication & keeping in touch with family & friends without face to face visits
7. Resource list for virtual entertainment in care homes
8. Impact of PPE on individuals with dementia
9. Helping residents cope with isolation
10. Maintaining activities for older adults during Covid-19
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UWS: Mindfulness sessions during lockdown

Life during lockdown: understanding mental health & wellbeing

Life has changed considerably for everyone in recent weeks. Whether you have recently started to work from home, are unable to spend time with loved ones or are shielding completely, life in the UK is evolving rapidly.

UWS experts will be delivering short, simple weekly webinar sessions on topics that may help to make life easier and support our mental health and wellbeing over this period of change and uncertainty. During April and May, join the UWS community on Tuesdays at 11am for sessions on topics including:

• What is mental health?
• Are there signs we can look out for?
• Are there ways to manage anxiety, depression or isolation?
• How can we support our loved ones as well as ourselves?
• What is mindfulness and how can it help us?

UWS experts will support with simple techniques which may help you to make the most of your time this spring. Our first two trainers are:

Dr Robin Ion is a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at UWS and has extensive experience in the design, delivery and review of mental health nurse education.

Professor Ross Deuchar is an expert social scientist, with research in youth crime, policing and social justice. He is particularly interested in mindfulness and the application of techniques to manage emotion.

Sessions are free – please sign up here.

The first session will take place on Tuesday, 21st April at 11am and will last approximately 15 minutes. All sessions are free to join and links to connect will be sent to all participants following registration.

For any questions please contact [email protected]

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Revised PPE Guidance – 10 April

This revised guidance concerns use of PPE by health and social care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is applicable across the UK and supersedes previous PPE guidance.

Note update: Ultimately, where staff consider there is a risk to themselves or the individuals they are caring for they should wear a fluid repellent surgical mask with or without eye protection, as determined by the individual staff member for the episode of care or single session.

View guidance here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe 

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Care Inspectorate staffing notification system – 10 April

The Care Inspectorate have introduced a new notification which enables services to tell them about changes to staffing levels and what additional staffing they require.

This red, amber and green system will enable them to direct you to available help and support you may urgently need in order to cope with the impact of COVID-19 on your service.

It is essential that you use the notification to let the Care Inspectorate know about any changes in the staffing situation in your care service.

Full information, including when and how to notify, is available here – https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/coronavirus-professionals 

 

 

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Advice for the Easter Weekend

The Easter bank holiday weekend is an important time for many. This year we need to be doing things differently.

Restrictions on visits to care homes and to individuals in their own homes (unless providing care) MUST remain in place and only essential travel can take place.

Gifts, cards and presents are fine to receive but please follow strict infection control procedures, including isolation of items for a period of time.  Please follow the advice on NHS Inform.

We recognise that this weekend, more than ever, many people will be feeling the strain of being apart from loved ones .  It is essential that we are supporting people as much as possible to remain socially connected to activities and loved ones in order to support their wellbeing.

Useful resources:

Please also consider how staff wellbeing can be supported, as they too will may be struggling with being separated from friends and relatives and of working extremely hard in challenging circumstances.

Useful resources:

 

Have a safe and happy Easter in these strange and difficult times.

 

 

 

 

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Care Inspectorate update on registration fees during Covid-19

Deferment of continuation of Registration Fees

The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government recognise the financial and other pressures that providers of care services are currently under.  To support service providers and assist with alleviating cash flow problems service providers are encountering at this difficult time the Care Inspectorate will delay the collection of continuation of registration fees due by care services until July 2020. We will review this position again in June 2020 before any fee collections are made.

This will mean care service providers need not pay any balance of the fees due for the 2019/20 financial year until July 2020.

Service providers normally due to receive fee invoices in April 2020 will not receive an invoice for the 2020/21 financial year until July 2020 (position subject to review in June 2020).

We are happy to make arrangements with service providers that would prefer not to defer the balance of 2019/20 fees.  We are issuing more detailed guidance directly to care service providers.

Fee for Applying to Register a Care Service

We have an emergency truncated registration process in place to ensure a care service set up on a temporary basis as a response to the coronavirus crisis can operate legally.  We are not charging an application to register or any other fees to these temporary services.

Individuals or organisations applying to register a permanent care service will follow our normal registration process and be liable to pay an application to register fee.

Tell Us Once service

Care services may find, in cases where there is no next of kin, that the responsibility for registering a death of someone in their care falls to them. Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. The service is available in all councils across England, Scotland and Wales.

Tell Us Once can notify organisations including:

  • DWP State Pension, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance Carers and so on
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • HM Passport Office
  • Council services such as adult social services, libraries, Blue Badge, concessionary travel, electoral services
  • Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)
  • Public sector pensions: NHS, teachers, armed forces and so on.

If you are registering a death with a registrar in your capacity as a care home manager, official informant, next of kin or relative:

  1. the registrar will issue you with a unique Tell Us Once service reference number
  2. you can use this reference number to access Tell Us Once online at  www.gov.uk/tell-us-once or through a dedicated telephony team
  3. a list of what you will need to complete the service to notify central and local government departments to stop services, notify Pensions and Benefits, cancel passports and so on is held on www.gov.uk/tell-us-once
  4. the system is easy to use and once completed, departments are notified instantly, with no need for you to contact them separately by telephone or in writing.
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NHS NSS triage PPE update – 10 April

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is now available through the triage centre for ALL of the following criteria:

  • suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19
  • shielding
  • where usual supplies are not available
  •  eye protection.

Please contact the triage centre with any requests via the phone number 0300 303 3020.

Please do not contact local hubs for new supply requests – you should contact the triage centre in the first instance who will then advise of local arrangements.

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Scottish Care & RCGP Scotland issues joint statement on care homes

The leaders of Scottish Care and RCGP Scotland have today issued a joint statement on behalf of their members in response to significant challenges being experienced by those being cared for and working within the care home sector during the coronavirus pandemic.

Providing reassurances that despite general practice having to adapt the way it provides medical care to patients during this exceptional time, with more care being provided over the telephone or via video consulting, care home residents who are clinically required to be seen in person, will still be visited by their GP in care homes.

Dr Carey Lunan, Chair of RCGP Scotland and Dr Donald Macaskill CEO of Scottish Care said:

“There have always been good relationships between GPs and the care homes that they look after. We recognise that the Covid19 pandemic is an incredibly worrying time for care home residents and their families, and also for care home staff who continue to provide exceptional care during this time.

GPs will continue to deliver the same high level of care and support that they have always provided to their patients in care homes. GPs have had to rapidly adapt the way that they deliver clinical care in the last few weeks, with much more advice and assessment being done over the telephone or by video consulting, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The safety of care home residents is very important to GPs, and for that reason, they would only visit in person where there is a clinical need to do so, to reduce the potential risk of bringing any infection into the home.

If a face to face visit is needed, they will wear the appropriate PPE to protect staff and residents. We wrote jointly on this issue last week, together with the Royal College of Nurses, to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the urgent need for appropriate levels of PPE for all community health and social care staff. We are pleased to say that this situation has since greatly improved.

We are committed to continuing to work closely and collaboratively to ensure that those working on the frontline of health and social care delivery in our community feel safe during this uncertain time and that patients continue to receive the care that they need.”