Information sharing
As winter takes hold, it is tempting to try and keep residents warm and fuel costs lower by hunkering down until the weather gets warmer. But keeping all the windows and doors shut may not be the best idea: homes need ventilation and care homes are no different. Professor Cath Noakes and fellow experts give the reasons a good airing...
"The coronavirus pandemic has brought infection prevention and control (IPC) into sharp focus" says Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy, in her latest blog, marking the recent publication of updated IPC guidance and resources.
The desire to reform, rebuild and strengthen social care has been a longstanding ambition of successive governments and, while these objectives may be simply put, achieving them has often been anything but. This week, we took another big step forward with the publication of People at the Heart of Care, our adult social care system reform white paper.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for many colleagues working in the social care sector, making retention and recruitment more important than ever. Vida Healthcare's Bernadette Mossman explains how she and her colleagues have been encouraging vaccination among their staff.
Kent County Council colleagues are really excited to be part of the workplace race equality standard (WRES). They believe it can lead to greater representation of people from different ethnic backgrounds in leadership positions, and, more broadly, enhance career development opportunities at all levels.
COVID-19 vaccination has to be comprehensive to be truly effective as protection – particularly for those most vulnerable to infection. While the SAGE recommended levels of at least 80% of care home staff and 90% of residents have been reached and exceeded in many parts of England, regional variation persists.
Deborah Sturdy, our Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, explains why the Government, following wide consultation with the care sector, has taken the difficult decision to make vaccination a mandatory condition of deployment in care homes.
Matthew Gould, CEO of NHSX and Michelle Dyson, Director General for Adult Social Care at DHSC set out what the Government's Health and Social Care Data Strategy means for the adult social care sector.
Developed by the NHS and then adapted for use in social care, a new infection prevention control toolkit has been launched to help all social care colleagues protect themselves and those they care for. It can be used to start a conversation and help you find the answer to the question: ‘What can I do better?’
Making sure the voices of staff from all ethnic backgrounds are heard are central to the objectives of the Workplace Race Equality Standard (WRES). In our first in a dedicated series of blogs, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Principal Social Workers Richard Cattell and Tom Stibbs reflect on challenges within their organisation, how the WRES supports their aims, and their commitment to transforming workplace culture.
Just over a year ago, ‘infection control’ was probably something many people assumed happened mainly in hospitals to prevent illnesses spreading on the wards. Yet guidance on its application has been provided in care settings for quite some time. Much of it follows the same principles now used in the struggle against COVID-19.
