Advice for social care providers during coronavirus
Care home advice from the government
Please read guidance on how to protect care home residents and staff during the coronavirus outbreak on GOV.UK.
Vaccine
Please read the vaccination guide for social care staff on GOV.UK.
Care homes
Care homes have been contacted directly by the NHS about how to get their staff vaccinated. The emails were directed to the managers of each Care Quality Commission service.
Other social care providers
All other social care providers should have received an email from us with information about how to get their staff vaccinated.
Contact us about the vaccine
If you have not been contacted about the vaccine, or are having issues booking vaccinations for your staff, please email vaccinations@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Vaccine capacity tracker
It is important that we know how many of your staff have been vaccinated. If you are a care home, domiciliary care or supported living provider, you need to update the tracker regularly with this information.
We can use this information to see if any provider needs help accessing vaccinations.
Financial support
The aim of the financial support introduced during this pandemic is to support social care providers with:
- extra money to meet any reasonable costs incurred such as additional management, staffing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), extended operating hours and transport
- cashflow for the period of the pandemic
- the supply of PPE where the providers normal supply route fails
All providers have been sent the details of our financial support. You can read the details in the documents below.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 COVID-19 payment guidance for providers | 162.93 KB |
| Adult social care infection control fund report - August 2020 | 210.28 KB |
| Adult social care infection control fund report - October 2020 | 31.9 KB |
If you need support, please contact us at contracts.team@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The government has committed to provide free PPE to all adult social care services for all their COVID-19 PPE needs. You can read the government's COVID-19 winter plan on GOV.UK.
Read the current PPE guide for community and social care settings including care homes.
Read the current guidance on PPE for care workers delivering domiciliary care during COVID-19 to determine what PPE to use.
What you can order
All adult social care homes and domiciliary care providers can order:
- aprons
- gloves
- type IIR masks
- hand hygiene
- visors
How much you can order
Full details including order limits are outlined on GOV.UK.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered providers
CQC registered providers should order COVID-19 PPE through the PPE portal.
All social care providers should have already received an invitation to the PPE portal.
If you have problems accessing or registering on the portal, contact customer services on 0800 876 6802.
Non CQC registered providers
Non CQC registered providers should order COVID-19 PPE through the council.
These must be used in line with Public Health England guidelines.
We will distribute items in line with the order limits in place for CQC registered providers that are using the portal.
Unpaid carers providing essential care for someone living in another household
If you are an carer for someone you do not live with, you can get free COVID-19 related PPE from the council.
PPE for COVID-19 needs
Please remember that free PPE is for COVID-19 needs, not business as usual PPE which you should get using your normal supply routes.
PPE emergency
In an emergency, CQC providers should use the National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR) channel.
If you are a non CQC registered provider located within Bracknell Forest and have 72 hours (or less) supply of PPE, please contact us with details of your stock levels by email: ppe.emergency@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
We will do our best to help you but be aware we have limited stocks. Please also be aware that our team work during normal office hours and are not available in the evenings or at weekends.
Testing
Rapid testing for COVID-19 for people without coronavirus symptoms is available in Bracknell Forest.
Care homes
If a care home has a suspected coronavirus outbreak for the first time, they must contact their local health protection team immediately.
You can find your local health protection team on GOV.UK.
In any other circumstances, you can apply for coronavirus tests for a care home, also on GOV.UK.
If you need more help, email us at testing.covid@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Employer referral
From Friday 26 February essential workers will no longer use the employer referral portal to get a coronavirus test.
From this date, if you are an essential worker and you are self-isolating either because you or a member of your household has coronavirus symptoms, you should book a test through the self-referral portal.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding remains our top priority.
You can find out more on our Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board website.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Visit the CQC website to see what changes they are making to the way they work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mental capacity and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
You may find this information helpful:
- coronavirus: looking after people who lack mental capacity on GOV.UK
- check if a COVID-19 patient has an attorney or deputy on GOV.UK
Data protection
You can find more guidance about information governance and information sharing guidance on the Digital Social Care website.
Business continuity
You should have a business continuity plan. You can use this to help you cope with the challenges of providing your service during this outbreak.
Continue to emphasise routine messages around health and hygiene and focus on the procedures that would normally be deployed for seasonal flu or norovirus outbreaks.
Make sure that the information you hold about your service users is up to date and accurate.
Staffing
Staff ratios are in place to make sure people are safe. You should continue to use your usual risk assessment processes.
Where service users need to be moved because of staff shortages, please consider whether they can be moved to another placement within the same organisation.
Please follow government guidance for business and employers which includes information about staff attendance and sick pay.
You can apply for volunteers from GoodSAM, the NHS volunteer scheme