Health Protection Scotland have updated their guidance for social or community care and residential settings to include information about personal protective equipment (PPE). We have gathered all the key points and create a factsheet for you to download with the link below.
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Alternatively, you can read the updates below:
A) NHS NSS triage centre for social care
NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) has set up a helpline to deal with social care supplies during COVID-19. At the moment, the helpline is to be used only in cases where there is an urgent supply shortage and a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19. This will be reviewed regularly in the coming days and weeks. Care service providers can reach the NHS NSS triage centre by calling 0300 303 3020. When contacting the helpline, providers will be required to:
- answer a series of short screening questions
- confirm they have fully explored business as usual procurement routes
- confirm they have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 and therefore have a need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- provide their Care Inspectorate registration number.
The helpline will be open 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week.
B) Near Me
A new initiative which enables people to have appointments within their own place of residence. The Care Inspectorate officers are calling providers to help them use the system, it is obviously an excellent resource in this lock down period however going forward it will save travelling time, money and be more convenient. It will reduce time away from home. It also enables the person to have someone with them for support at their appointment (either with them or joining the consultation by video from another location, even from abroad). Better for the environment and reduces spread of infectious diseases
C) Supporting people to keep in touch when care homes are not accepting visitors
Where care homes are not accepting visitors, it is important that systems are put in place to enable people to keep in touch. This is a time of concern and worry for people about their loved ones and it is important that they can keep in touch. It is also important for the health and wellbeing of people who live in services to not feel abandoned by family and friends. Download supporting people to keep in touch when care homes are not accepting visitors guide.
D) Notifications to the Care Inspectorate have changed to include:
- Outbreak of infectious diseases: for any outbreak of an infectious disease, including COVID-19.
- Death of a service user– for any death of a service user, including from confirmed or suspected covid19.
- Change of circumstances related to covid19 – this is a new notification that services can use to tell us about any changes to how they operate that is specifically related to covid19. This is only available through eForms.
- Covid19: staff shortages– this is the newest notification and enables services to tell us about changes to staffing levels and what additional staffing is required.
E) Deferment of continuation of Registration Fees
The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government recognise the financial and other pressures that providers of care services are currently under. To support service providers and assist with alleviating cash flow problems, the Care Inspectorate will delay the collection of continuation of registration fees due by care services until July 2020. This will be reviewed again in June 2020 before any fee collections are made. This will mean care service providers need not pay any balance of the fees due for the 2019/20 financial year until July 2020.
F) Fee for Applying to Register a Care Service
The Care Inspectorate have an emergency truncated registration process in place to ensure a care service set up on a temporary basis as a response to the coronavirus crisis can operate legally. They are not charging an application to register or any other fees to these temporary services. Individuals or organisations applying to register a permanent care service will follow their normal registration process and be liable to pay an application to register fee.
G) Disclosure Scotland fee suspension
Disclosure Scotland are suspending all fees for key workers and volunteers who are being drafted to help Scotland fight against COVID-19. This is a temporary measure which will be in place for an initial period of six weeks, before being reviewed and extended further, if needed. They have put temporary measures in place to ensure the country can be properly resourced to tackle COVID-19, including only processing applications for workers deemed critical. Please refer to mygov.scot/coronavirus-disclosure and ensure you only submit applications for those vital to the fight against COVID-19. If submitting more than 50 applications simultaneously, please give them advance notice by emailing [email protected]. You can view the list of workers deemed critical and further information on their website here.
H) Scottish Social Services Council
There have been many changes within the SSSC. Social care roles now have 12 months to register
Fees, renewing registration and qualification conditions
Paying your fees
They will continue to accept payments for fees and won’t remove you from the Register if you are unable to pay your annual fee on time. If you’re struggling to pay your fee because of the current situation please let them know by emailing [email protected] .
Note: There is no fee for joining the temporary social worker register.
Renewing your registration
Most social service workers must renew their registration after five years. They will continue to accept renewal applications, but if you don’t apply to renew your registration on time, you won’t be removed from the Register. You will be contacted later to renew.
Do you have a registration condition to gain a qualification?
The pandemic may mean you won’t be able to meet a condition to gain a qualification. You will be given an extra 12 months to gain your qualification. You can carry on working as normal.
People who have been removed from our Register for not completing a qualification
Anyone who has been removed from the Register for not completing their qualification can apply and they will look at putting them back on. If someone previously left work (and the Register) because they were approaching the end of the period, they were required to gain qualifications, you can re-employ these workers. They will have the normal period in which to apply for registration, which is now 12 months.
Workforce support and wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak. This webpage gives advice and guidance to help look after wellbeing for yourself and your staff.