December Covid Update

Entering December we continue to maintain additional COVID secure measures in services including:

• Any staff testing positive for COVID and having any of the main symptoms do not attend work and follow government guidance on self isolation.
• Face coverings to be worn for close contact personal care or support tasks.
• Additional Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) have been sourced with plans in place for managers to meet on motorways to distribute as required
• LFTs to be completed every 48 hours for all staff or daily if in contact with someone who has COVID and doubled vaccinated
• Current outreach clients RAG rated in relation to essential support in preparation for any business continuity measures (e.g. Red – medication and personal care)
• Minimum safe staffing levels assessed at all services
• Plans in place for shared support if staff absences increase e.g. if support needed 1-1 for cooking this to be done in the communal area for 3
• Communication plans in place for escalation of any Business Continuity measures internally and to Local Authorities/NHS partners
• Plans in place for staff to work across different services to support with any pressure points in particular locations
• Supporting clients to access PCR tests as required
• We continue to  remain prepared to respond as required to any changes to the government guidance that have been set out as the risk of COVID variants is monitored.
• The vaccine and booster roll out continues and we continue to support people to access vaccinations at local centres.

In addition:

• We maintain COVID secure practices within our services and support individuals to manage personal challenges and keep safe and well and work closely with families and professionals in this regard
• We have maintained supply chains to ensure PPE continues to be widely available for all staff appropriate to role and task, in line with government advice
• Staff not involved in direct service delivery are working from home & utilising remote meeting applications wherever possible
• Business Continuity Plans and Risk Assessments continue to be reviewed regularly and are updated as advice changes, including relevant recommendations from the policy paper: Adult Social Care: our COVID 19 winter plan 2020-21. The Board continue review these weekly via conference call
• We continue to maintain social distancing practices within services, ensuring that everyone is receiving the right support
• Staffing levels required to support clients have been maintained throughout the pandemic
• Contingencies remain in place for all eventualities to ensure service delivery
• Clients are supported with required information & guidance, including easy read /individually formatted information where this is needed
• We are continuing close liaison with local authorities, regulators and landlords

Thank you  again to all of our teams  and partners for your continued commitment in delivering excellent support.