Many of us have questions and concerns about the coronavirus and employing personal assistants, amongst other things. We will be sharing on here any relevant information and guidance that we hear about.
*NEWEST INFORMATION*
- COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme: unpaid carers (8th March 2021)
Unpaid carers are now included in vaccination priority cohort 6. Unpaid carers can be family members or friends, adults or children,who provide crucial care to a person who,due to a lifelong condition, be it to their physical and/or mental health, disability, or serious injury, simply cannot cope without their support.
- Letter from the Health and Social Care Secretary on Covid-19 Vaccination in people with learning disabilities (23rd February 2021)
Letter from Matt Hancock confirming that everyone on the Learning Disability Register will be invited for vaccination as part of cohort 6, in line with recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
- Guidance: Coronavirus testing for Personal Assistants (16th February 2021)
How PAs working in adult social care in England can now access weekly COVID-19 testing.
Useful Resources
Please contact your local CCG and/or Employer’s Insurance company for individual advice
Covid-19 Testing and Vaccination
How PAs working in adult social care in England can now access weekly COVID-19 testing.
Includes people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people with other conditions that put them at higher risk, frontline health and social care workers (including PAs) and carers.
Advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the groups that should be prioritised for vaccination.
Unpaid carers are now included in vaccination priority cohort 6. Unpaid carers can be family members or friends, adults or children,who provide crucial care to a person who,due to a lifelong condition, be it to their physical and/or mental health, disability, or serious injury, simply cannot cope without their support.
Letter from Matt Hancock confirming that everyone on the Learning Disability Register will be invited for vaccination as part of cohort 6, in line with recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
This guidance confirms eligibility of personal assistants for vaccination as frontline workers – “frontline social care workers directly working with vulnerable people who need care and support irrespective of where they work (for example in hospital, people’s own homes, day centres, or supported housing); or who they are employed by (for example local government, NHS, independent sector or third sector).”
Para 5.22 confirms eligibility of personal assistants for vaccination as frontline health and social care workers: “…it is vital that we identify and reach directly employed Personal Assistants, who support people within any of the JCVI priority groups (the clinically vulnerable and adults) as part of our efforts to ensure full coverage of the priority 2 cohort.”
Personal Health Budgets and Employing Personal Assistants
Includes full guidance for using direct payments during the coronavirus outbreak, an easy read guide, a template contingency plan and example documentation.
This guide contains the most common questions they have been asked and some important information to know when employing personal assistants through the pandemic.
Employment advice and information from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.
Information about how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) can be used by direct payment holders who employ people for their care.
This course is approximately 2 hours in duration and includes information such as infection prevention, PPE, hand and respiratory hygiene, management and assessment, sampling and testing, patient transfers/managing patients and much more, to support health workers in their role.
2 e-learning courses available for £2.95 each – a “Covid-19 Clinical Care Programme for Healthcare Workers”, and a “Covid-19 and Infection Prevention & Control” course.
This Covid Essentials online course has been designed specifically for Care and Support Workers working in a social care setting and should take around 30 minutes to complete.
Health
Includes easy read, british sign language and audio versions.
Information for those providing personal care to people living in their own home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Guidance for people who are providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Guidance for careworkers and personal assistants who are supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Information about who can get help from, and how to access, the NHS Volunteer Responders if you are self-isolating and in need of support. For people who are eligible, they offer help collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies or a telephone ‘check in and chat’ to help prevent loneliness.
Guidance notes and template for completing ‘My Covid-19 Advance Care Plan’. A useful place to write down quickly and in one place, the thoughts and wishes you have on the care and support you would like if you were to develop severe COVID-19 symptoms.
A Personalised Well-being Plan template from the National Academy for Social Prescribing, which can be used by anyone who is self-isolating, family, friends, healthcare professionals and carers to summarise a person’s personal circumstances, and the things that matter most to them at this time.
Official statement from Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, DBE, and James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
Letter from Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer, and Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England and NHS Improvement
March 2020 (updated regularly)
