Download our weekly update on social care here. It includes information for both care home and domiciliary care on shielding and guidence to staying at home and in supporting living.
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Alternatively, you can read the update here:
COVID-19: Stay at Home Guidance – Updated 4 August
The stay at home guidance for those having to isolate with a possible COVID-19 infection has been updated following the extension of the self-isolation period from 7 to 10 days. Click here for more information.
COVID-19: Guidance for Supported Living – Released 6 August
A resource to support those working primarily in supported living settings, but also for those that provide extra care housing for older people. Click here for more information.
Shielding was paused in England from 1st August
The guidance for the clinically extremely vulnerable has now changed, meaning that from Saturday 1st August shielding in England was paused. This means that those who were shielding:
- Do not need to follow previous shielding advice
- Can go to work as long as the workplace is COVID-19 secure and should carry on working from home wherever possible
- Clinically extremely vulnerable children should attend education settings in line with the wider guidance
- Can go outside as much as they like but they should still try to keep overall social interactions low
- Can visit businesses, such as supermarkets, pubs and shops, while keeping 2 metres away from others wherever possible or 1 metre, plus other precautions
- Should continue to wash their hands carefully and more frequently than usual and maintain thorough cleaning of frequently touched areas in their home and/or workspace
It must be noted that where an increase in the transmission of COVID-19 occurs, those that were shielding may be asked to again, as part of a local or national lockdown. You will receive written confirmation of the requirement to undertake further shielding.
QCS has updated all policies, procedures and additional resource documents to reflect these changes.
Policy Updates
- The QCS Swabbing Policy and Procedure has been updated to include testing in local lockdown areas and more information has been added in relation to the Govevrnment’s antibody test. Although not widely available, this is now being offered to NHS and care staff, as well as some hospital patients and care home residents
- A new PPE illustrated guide for community health and social care settings has been issued by Public Health England to support what PPE to wear and when. This has been added to our policies and can also be found