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Covid-19

Updated UK government guidance

The UK government Department of Health and Social Care has recently updated guidance regarding unpaid care to autistic adults and adults with learning difficulties along with guidance for care staff who are supporting adults with learning difficulties and autistic adults during the coronavirus outbreak.

The new guidance for care workers and personal assistants is designed to help: keep people with learning disabilities and autistic people safe; support them to understand the changes they need to make during the COVID-19 outbreak; and protect their own wellbeing. 
Our care staff will do their upmost to follow all the new and relevant guidance.

See the following links for the full details of the updated guidance:

• COVID-19: providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults
• COVID-19: supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults

6th October 2020

Reducing the risk of COIVD-19 in care homes – considerations for admissions from community settings where an individual’s COIVD status is unknown

 The decision to take an admission rests with the Care Home and this provides areas for consideration

 A precautionary approach is strongly recommended whereby for any new or returning resident should be ‘isolated’ in the home for 14-days. Homes will want to consider whether they have sufficient resource to manage residents in isolation

If a Care Home wishes to test a new resident on arrival then this can currently be requested via elft.carehometests-bl@nhs.net The government has stated that they are instituting a policy of testing all residents prior to admission to care homes so in future this may be available via the national portal. However, irrespective of the testing route, patients should still be isolated regardless of the result.

Care Homes should continue to follow the guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-how-to-work-safely-in-care-homes

to minimise risk of transmission for new and existing residents

Although the guidance on admissions to care homes (2 April 2020) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-admission-and-care-of-people-in-care-homes is currently being reviewed at present it states that negative tests are not required prior to transfers / admissions into the care home. 

The good practice guide from the British Geriatric Society (update 2 June 2020) https://www.bgs.org.uk/resources/covid-19-managing-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-care-homes recommends that

• For new residents who do not have suspected or confirmed COVID-19, the most sensible approach to take in accepting new admissions which are, or could be, COVID-19 positive from hospital or the community, care homes must establish that they have sufficient resource to safely isolate them. They must obtain written confirmation of when the diagnosis was made and when isolation is anticipated to end. 

• New admissions who do not have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be undergo swab testing to confirm status. They should be isolated for 14 days regardless of the result.

• New or returning residents should not be accepted by a care home if there is insufficient resource to manage them in isolation.

Bedfordshire Care Home Operational Group

16^th June 2020