NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency have created a toolkit of resources to raise awareness of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) prevention, symptom recognition and treatment which includes advice on how and when to seek help.
This is for all workers in the social care sector and includes information, advice and tools for employers to support staff. It also includes guidance for individuals to manage their personal mental health and wellbeing.
Mind has created The Mental Health at Work Commitment to support mental health in the workplace with resources, tools, advice, and recommendations.
Mind also has a number of other resources on their website including Wellness Action Plans (WAPs). These are a simple, practical way of helping staff to support their mental health at work, and for managers to support the mental health of team members. A WAP can be completed by any individual, whether or not they have a mental health problem. It provides practical steps to ensure they are supported when they are not feeling at their best.
A support group has been set up for BAME staff working in care homes, nursing homes and domiciliary care– this is being run with support from Brighton and Hove County Council, but open to any care provider in Sussex. Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust are also providing support to this group. A WhatsApp group has been set up for this support group and anyone interested can email azharjuri@mpch.co.uk for the link.
For home care workers, personal assistants and those working in isolated services, the nature of their work may mean that they already feel isolated. Skills for Care has published guidance on how to support staff who regularly work alone. It includes a section on supporting mental health and wellbeing and on communication and support.
This is in addition to Skills for Care’s existing guidance for people who employ their own staff and personal assistants, available on the Information hub, which includes where to find information about local support.
The LGA has produced a comprehensive pack of wellbeing information and resources to help managers support the wellbeing of staff.
PHE has published a review of data on disparities in the risk and outcome of COVID-19 and found a disproportionate effect on people with certain characteristics. These include age (people aged 70+), sex (male), ethnicity (some BAME groups), deprivation and people with certain underlying health conditions.
Employers have a responsibility to undertake risk assessments in relation to the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive has produced a guide to workplace risk assessments which you may find helpful.
We strongly encourage all providers to review the guidance included within the above links and use these to build on your existing risk assessment processes.
The Council has produced this best practice document, which offers guidance for care providers when considering workers who are deemed to be at high risk of infection or adverse outcomes from COVID-19. Please note this document might not be suitable for users with assistive technology. If you need this information in another format, please contact aopcontracts@westsussex.gov.uk
This scheme removes a potential obstacle to those considering – or wanting to continue - lives and careers in the communities and health and care services.
From 1st October, health and care staff can claim immigration health surcharge reimbursement. The IHS allows non-European Economic Area nationals to access the NHS on broadly the same basis as UK residents if they are seeking to work, study, or join family members for more than 6 months. The government’s Tier 2 health and care visa, launched in August, exempted eligible staff from paying the IHS.
The new reimbursement scheme goes further to ensure that staff not covered by the visa, but who have worked in the NHS or care sector since 31 March, are able to claim reimbursement for themselves and their dependents, even if they paid the surcharge before this date.
Sussex Health and Care partnership has an online resource for sharing health and social care training: SPECS (Sussex Platform for Education, Careers and Skills). This includes the Sussex Palliative and End of Life Care Education and Training page, and RESTORE2 Training.
Sussex Health and Care also has a Stop Look Care training resource kit, which is free to access and use.
The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is a free online data collection service that covers the adult social care workforce in England. The service helps care providers run their business and manage their staff training needs. It can also provide access to funding for staff training.
The data collected is vital to the Government, Department of Health and Social Care, local authorities and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as it allows them to plan, fund and monitor the sector effectively.
A recent report from Skills for Care has identified that only 48% of providers in West Sussex have signed up to the ASC-WDS. This means that just over half of the providers in West Sussex are missing out on access to is a valuable free resource that can support providers with key data around the following:
The new Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) is only available to care providers with an ASC-WDS account. Check here for a range of eligible training courses and qualifications. ASC-WDS includes an eligibility checker so you can easily check if you can claim.
WSCC Quality Assurance and Market Support and Contracts actively encourage all workplaces sign up to this fantastic offer from Skills for Care – you can find out more information about the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set and the Benefits of ASC-WDS by clicking on the links – or get in touch with one of the QAMS team for more information by emailing Qualityassuranceandmarketsupport@westsussex.gov.uk
When it comes to fire safety, understanding the theory is essential, but there is no substitute for hands-on, practical learning. That’s why West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s newly updated Fire Safety courses offer every participant the opportunity to hear real-life case studies, discuss potential scenarios, and use some of the most common types of extinguishers on a live, controlled fire.
These courses go beyond the classroom, providing the unique experience of using a fire extinguisher in a safe environment under the guidance of experienced firefighters. This practical approach allows attendees to:
With training delivered by professional firefighters, participants gain the skills and knowledge needed to respond quickly and effectively in an emergency. This hands-on experience ensures that if the worst happens, they will be ready to act—not freeze.
Open courses are held at fire stations across West Sussex throughout the year, with dates available on the West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service website. Alternatively, the team can deliver training at your premises.
For more information or to book a session, call 0330 222 4658, email frsct@westsussex.gov.uk, or visit Be Trained by the Professionals - West Sussex County Council.
Skills for Care operate an advice line that is open to all frontline social care managers including registered managers, service managers, deputy managers and nominated individuals. Managers can use this advice line to find resources and advice on how to recruit and retain your workforce, develop your team, strengthen leadership, and meet CQC expectations around quality of care.
If your enquiry is about what qualification is needed to become a registered manager, please read this advice first.
A local WhatsApp group for managers has also been set up by Karen Stevens (Skills for Care Locality Manager - London and South East) to enable managers to share information, ideas and resources with each other. Email karen.stevens@skillsforcare.org.uk for details.
Effective Supervision – these resources can help you to continue to deliver virtual supervisions and detail how to delegate the supervisor role to other staff.
Sussex Mental Healthline (0300 5000 101) offers crisis care for people in urgent need of help who are experiencing mental health problems including stress, anxiety and depression. It is also available to carers and healthcare professionals.
The Healthline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and no appointment is needed.
The Queens Nursing Institute has launched a new listening service for registered nurses.
The service is available to all nurses working in the community and social care.
Hospice UK has launched an Adult Social Care Bereavement and Trauma line, which can be accessed by phone on 0300 303 4434.
Specialist counsellors are available between 8am and 8pm to support people who have experienced a bereavement, witnessed traumatic deaths as part of their work, or to discuss any other anxiety or emotional issues experienced as a result of COVID-19.
Cruse Bereavement Care has developed resources on how bereavement and grief may be affected by COVID-19. It also provides advice and support on bereavement at work.
AtaLoss.org has developed information and advice to support people who are bereaved during COVID-19. This includes ideas to help people feel less alone, how to help someone who has been bereaved, advice on funerals and memorials, supporting children, and useful contacts.
There are a number of useful bereavement resources for social care workers available on the gov.uk website.
Top Tips for Tricky Times, a resource from the National Institute for Health Research has published advice on how to support staff following multiple deaths in care home environments.
The Department of Health and Social Care has issued guidance for local authorities and social care providers on steps to take following the death of a person who worked in adult social care in England. The guidance covers employees and volunteers
For the latest information on schools, visit the West Sussex County Council website
The West Sussex County Council website has information on local services that support people who are being abused.
The Department of Health and Social Care has an online platform for registered care providers seeking new candidates looking to work in social care.
Government information, including factsheets, updated guidelines and news stories related to DBS is available online.
Safe staffing is about having enough staff, who have the right values and skills to deliver high quality care and support. Without it, services may struggle to provide people with the safe and effective care they need and deserve.
Skills for Care's safe staffing guide will help you identify the right quantity and quality of staff to meet the needs of your service. It includes tips about deciding how many staff you need to provide a safe service, contingency planning for short-term staff shortages, carrying out the correct and necessary recruitment checks, and how to effectively use bank and agency staff.
If you are struggling to deliver the service safely as a result of diminished or unsafe staffing levels please consider using your business continuity plan to prioritise service delivery and contact the County Council's contracts team, as follows.
email: aopcontracts@westsussex.gov.uk
phone: 0330 22 25553 (during normal office hours.)
During evenings, weekends and bank holidays please contact the County Council's out of hours service by phone on 0330 2227007
Remember providers are responsible for notifying the CQC.
The visa offers a fast-track visa route for eligible health and care professionals and includes an exemption to the surcharge, making it cheaper, quicker and easier for people with the right skills from around the world to come to the UK.
On 18 March, the Department for Health and Social Care and Skills for Care published a toolkit to help adult social care providers with international recruitment.
A best practice guide to support providers to ethically recruit care workers from overseas, the toolkit can be used by providers who are new to international recruitment to help support them through the process, or by providers who are undertaking international recruitment and are looking to refine their current processes.
Skills for Care have tips to help you to decide safe staffing levels for your service. This web article also includes a link to their "Guide to safe staffing" which explores what the CQC looks for in terms of safe staffing levels and gives you advice about how to meet these regulations.
The Care Quality Commission also has Regulation 18: Staffing and associated guidance on their website.
The West Sussex Community Hub helps to connect people to local volunteers and support that they need. Four support options are currently available depending on the individual’s medical circumstances, location and needs.
Although there is no specific guidance for using volunteers in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) guide on volunteering may be of interest.
There are further volunteering resources on the NCVO website.
