Additional support is being offered to the social care sector as
part of a package of new measures to protect people from the
spread of the Omicron variant.
Vaccines remain our best line of defence and the NHS will
redouble efforts to reach those care home residents who haven’t
yet had their boosters.
Specialist vaccination teams are being expanded and deployed to
guarantee all care home residents and staff, as well as people
who are housebound and their caregivers, are offered the booster
– with those most at risk prioritised for the jab.
Care homes will be able to request follow up booster visits
from vaccination teams for staff and residents and home visit
payments for GPs will be increased to further ramp up the home
care programme.
More than 70 per cent of older adult care home residents have
already received a booster jab and 97 per cent of older adult
care homes have been visited by vaccination teams. Those who
haven’t been visited, normally due to an outbreak, will receive
visits shortly.
Care workers will benefit from a £300 million extension, in
addition to the £162.5 million announced in October, to
support recruitment and retention. It can be used to pay for
bonuses and bring forward planned pay rises for care staff, fund
overtime and staff banks increasing workforce numbers up until
the end of March.
This will in turn help reduce pressure on the NHS this winter by
alleviating delays to discharge - freeing up beds and ensuring
people are being cared for in the right place.
Recognising the importance of companionship for the health and
wellbeing of residents, visits to care homes will continue under
updated guidance that permits three visitors and an essential
care giver per resident, in order to balance the current COVID-19
risk and the need to keep people safe in line with clinical
advice.
Staff testing will be increased from two lateral flow tests per
week to three as well as a weekly PCR test. Fully vaccinated
residents visiting out will be asked to take a lateral flow test
on alternate days for two weeks after a visit. Those not fully
vaccinated will be expected to isolate following a visit out.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
“Throughout the pandemic we have done everything
we can to protect the adult social care sector, and the emergence
of the Omicron variant means this is more important than ever.
“This new funding will support our incredible workforce by
recruiting new staff and rewarding those who have done so much
during this pandemic.
“Boosting the booster rollout in social care and updating the
visiting guidance will help keep the most vulnerable people in
our society safe from the virus this winter.”
The Omicron variant has led to infections doubling every two to
three days and estimates by UKHSA of 10,000 cases with increased
transmissibility.
Care settings will be given extra guidance for infection
prevention and control measures and PPE. The government has
already committed to providing free PPE in care and announced an
additional £388 million to support testing and infection control
in September.
Minister for Care said:
“Vaccination remains our best line of defence and we are going
further and faster to ensure social care staff and those
receiving care, whether in a care home or their own home, are
prioritised for boosters.
“Our priority throughout the pandemic has been the safety of
those who are the most vulnerable however we need to balance this
with the tremendous benefits that visiting provides.
“These changes are in line with the latest clinical advice and
are designed to support our fantastic social care staff in the
months ahead.”
These measures support the government’s wider plan to
improve social care. The ‘People at the Heart of Care’ white
paper announced earlier this month, backed by £5.4 billion,
provides a limit to the cost of care for everyone in the adult
social care system for the first time, and significantly
increases state support.
The transformed social care system will apply to people in both
residential and at-home care and will set daily living costs at a
lower rate than originally proposed, helping people save more
money. It will mean nobody is forced to sell their homes in their
lifetime.
Further measures will be kept under review in line with the
latest scientific advice.
