Three Rivers Partnerships COVID-19 Update Bulletin Ed.3 03/04/2020

We are working closely with Watford and Three Rivers Trust to identify and speak to local covid support groups in order to work in cohesion, and signpost excess volunteers and to refer appropriate requests for help into local groups.

A significant number of volunteers that have signed up are offering to do welfare calls. We are exploring other charities some could be signposted to.

We are reaching out to local businesses who are offering support.

2) Trading Standards

Corona virus and scams awareness

DF Postcard2.pdf

3) Funding https://www.neighbourly.com/NeighbourlyCommunityFund?extid=em_s_200403_NC1&ep_mid=85 56049&ep_rid=455859166&cvosrc=email.200403.8556049&cvo_campaign=s

LIFE Environment Call Opens with New Features Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic

LIFE Launches 2020 Call for Climate Action Projects with New Features Related to the

COVID-19 Pandemic

Arts Council England COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Arts and Cultural Organisations

4) Sexual Health update

Sexual Health update Final.docx

5) Domestic Abuse – SAWHR

Referrals and Advice: The Gateway remains open for referrals to our service

Admissions: All potential admissions to refuge will continue as long as we have space, it meets referral criteria, and the potential client is not displaying symptoms, has not returned from an affected area, and as long as the accommodation remains virus free. Referrals go through the Gateway as usual.

Community: All our existing clients are receiving on-going support by phone. Existing clients have the contact number for their worker New referrals will receive support and advice and can be referred through the Gateway.

Programmes: All Triple R programmes have been suspended until further notice. New referrals are being taken and these clients will receive telephone support and advice until the programmes resume.

Contacts:

 Managers Sara Jackson: 07501 492063 [email protected] Liz Perry 07501 150068 [email protected] Gateway 0330 102 5811

Please use the normal e mail addresses to Managers. They will be available during their normal working hours.

We appreciate that this is an evolving situation and therefore will continue to communicate any further changes to partners and colleagues as they arise.

6) Watford MENCAP

Request to spread the word 7) Herts Valley CCG

Firstly, let me reassure you that the county, district and borough councils, key partners and all the emergency services have spent a number of weeks preparing for this and are ready to respond 24/7 – as always.

Key partners are continuing to meet three times a week to oversee our strategy, with a number of specialist groups or ‘cells’ tackling specific challenges in a coordinated and mutually supportive way.

Supporting care providers The county council is working closely with hospitals to ensure that people who are well enough can be quickly and safely discharged and supported at home or in their care home.

To support this, Hertfordshire County Council and the Hertfordshire Care Providers’ Association have set up a ‘hub’ to support all care providers, whether they work in the care home sector or support people in their own homes. The hub provides seven-day telephone and email support, with regularly updated online information to help with the most common queries.

Staffed by employees from both organisations it is able to provide advice on business continuity planning, staffing issues, and the sourcing of food and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They have access to infection control support and can quickly mobilise volunteers. Through the hub, information is collated on the Hertfordshire care sector’s capacity and challenges it is facing. Public Health Hertfordshire is using this information to track and monitor outbreaks of COVID-19 in care homes, so that support can be swiftly offered to care homes, their staff and residents.

Financially, Hertfordshire County Council has offered significant support to care providers so that they can continue to pay staff who are sick, self-isolating or shielded, and try to backfill vacancies through recruitment or redeployment.

Supporting vulnerable people in our communities HCC’s adult care services team is using the HertsHelp website and telephone number to support people identified as needing to be ‘shielded’ from exposure to COVID-19. People are being helped to get the care, shopping, medication and advice they need if they don’t have family or friends to call on. Over 6,100 volunteers from Hertfordshire have already stepped forward to help and more than 1,500 have already been deployed.

Mental Health Crisis Services Our mental health provider, Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust (HPFT), is working closely with the voluntary sector to ensure all crisis support services across Hertfordshire complement each other at this time of increased anxiety for many people. The wide range of support for people who have mental health concerns includes: · Herts Help – a signposting and advice service which can help direct people to the right support - 0300 123 4044 or email [email protected] · Hertfordshire Mind Network crisis helpline – 01923 256 391 · NHS HPFT’s Single Point of Access - for people in a mental health crisis who live in Hertfordshire - 0300 777 0707 from 8am – 7pm, 01438 843322 out of hours or email: [email protected] · Samaritans - 116 123, 24 hours a day, every day · The national NHS ‘Every Mind Matters’ website has expert advice and practical tips for people experiencing anxiety, low mood and sleep problems - https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/

In order to help provide a safe space for people of any age who attend our area’s two Accident and Emergency departments with a mental health problem, HPFT has created two new mental health triage hubs which are open 24/7, one in the HPFT day treatment unit at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage and one at The Orchards in Hemel Hempstead. Hub staff are providing all the mental health services usually carried out by mental health liaison teams in the A&E departments at The Lister Hospital in Stevenage and Watford General Hospital.

Service users will be initially triaged in A&E by a mental health nurse. If the individual does not need to be admitted to hospital, the mental health triage will make the relevant decisions about their care. This could include immediate discharge home, with support if necessary, or transfer to one of the new hubs. Staff working in the diversion hubs will provide the additional assessment, crisis care planning, signposting, immediate help or signposting to community- based support that each person needs.

Help in hospitals Our acute trusts are responding well to the challenge of COVID-19. At West Herts NHS Trust an increasing number of wards and clinical areas have been turned into spaces where patients with COVID-19 symptoms can be treated. More than 350 staff have now been trained (or retrained) on the use of ventilators and other equipment to support patients with respiratory symptoms.

Many staff – clinical and non-clinical – have now been redeployed to new roles to support the trust’s response. All but the most essential meetings are now being held online and meetings with large numbers have moved to Watford Football Club which is giving its conference facilities to the trust. Service changes made by West Herts NHS Trust are considered by a panel of senior clinical staff, who ensure that decisions are made on the best clinical advice. The trust has also established an ethics panel, whose role is to support and advise when patients are no longer responding to treatment.

Changes to services at St Albans City Hospital: the minor injuries unit at St Albans City Hospital will close temporarily from 8pm on Friday 3 April to enable staff to be freed up to support seriously unwell patients. The unit had seen a very low attendance level recently and so this decision is not expected to put undue strain on the local health system.

Changes to services at the Lister Hospital: The Lister Hospital in Stevenage is no longer treating patients with minor injuries or illnesses. If you have a minor injury, use NHS 111 online if possible to find out if you need hospital treatment. The Urgent Care Centre at Welwyn Garden City’s New QEII Hospital has increased staffing to treat people who would have visited the Lister.

Community services Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) is modifying its services to respond to the COVID- 19 pandemic. It is following the national directive for community trusts to focus on the prevention of avoidable hospital admission and keeping patients safe and cared for in their normal place of residence. The changes at HCT help ensure that patients with the highest level of need can continue to receive the care and support they need.

The trust is contacting all patients whose appointments have been affected and is rolling out a video consultation system called ‘Attend Anywhere’. This national system allows clinicians and professionals to consult with and advise their patients without the need for them to travel.

8) Advice for Adult Care Providers

DHSC update on plans to support access to PPE The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has written to health and care sector providers to update on plans to support access to personal protective equipment (PPE) during the current response to COVID-19. This includes the development of a Parallel Supply Chain to support the normal supply chain with a focus on delivering core PPE products for COVID-19. DHSC has also mobilised the National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR), which can be contacted in the event that providers have an urgent requirement for PPE, which they are unable to secure through their business as usual channels. Visit our website to read the letter in full.

Coronavirus Act 2020 The Coronavirus Bill has passed through Parliament and has now received Royal Assent to become law as the Coronavirus Act 2020. The Act's purpose is to ease the burden on NHS and adult social care staff, be time-limited for two years, used when strictly necessary and to be switched off once no longer necessary. The Act has five key areas:  increasing the available health and social care workforce  easing the burden on frontline staff  containing and slowing the virus  managing the deceased with respect and dignity  supporting people During this period, CQC's role is to support providers and to be a sounding board for the difficult decisions you will be making daily. We will support on an individual service level, as well as working to capture the impact of COVID-19 on health and social care providers. The Department of Health and Social Care has issued guidance setting out how Local Authorities can use the new Care Act easements. Please look out for more from CQC as we continue to develop our regulatory response.

Letter from the Secretary of State to the social care workforce The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, has written to the social care workforce to say thank you for their continued commitment, hard work and help on coronavirus so far. Read the letter in full.

Joint statement on advance care planning Having a personalised care plan in place, especially for older people, people who are frail or have other serious conditions, has never been more important than it is now during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have set out considerations for providers when undertaking advance care planning, in a joint statement with the BMA, the Care Provider Alliance and the Royal College of General Practitioners. Read the statement in full.

Delegating medicines administration As providers respond to COVID-19, there is likely to be an increase in delegated tasks. We have updated our information on delegating medicines administration, setting out the key principles and responsibilities to consider. Visit our website for more medicines information for adult social care services.

Give feedback on care It is really important that we continue to hear from you and people who use services to support our understanding of their experiences and our interim inspection approach. We would encourage you to promote CQC’s Give Feedback on Care online service through your communication channels.

Free parking and Santander Cycle rides for London adult social care workers From this week, those working in home care and adult social care are ably to park for free at any Transport for London (TfL) car park. Critical workers are encouraged to display supporting evidence in their windscreen, such as photocopies of their work pass with sensitive information removed, or a letter of evidence from their employer. TfL is also offering home care and adult social care workers free access to the Santander Cycles scheme in London. They will cover the cost of a 24-hour access period every day, with each access period including all journeys under 30 minutes for free - no matter how many journeys are taken. For more information, and instructions on how to redeem this offer, email [email protected].

Useful guidance

 NEW: Guidance from Skills for Care on training staff during the COVID-19 pandemic  UPDATED: Investigation and initial clinical management of possible cases  NEW: NICE has updated its rapid COVID-19 guideline on critical care following concerns raised by patient groups  Ethical framework for adult social care  Guidance for residential care, supported living and home care  Guidance on the supply and use of personal protective equipment  Guidance for health professionals  Guidance for health professionals who have diagnosed a case within their facility  Infection prevention and control  Rapid tests for use in community pharmacies or at home  Guidance for sampling and for diagnostic laboratories  Department of Health and Social Care's coronavirus action plan  NHS England has published measures for people who might be at greatest risk from coronavirus. Guidance (including an easy read version) is available on its website. People who are classed as extremely vulnerable are being asked to register for support.

Accessibility resources to help you communicate about COVID-19  NEW: Signhealth is providing a videos of summaries of key coronavirus guidance in BSL  Public Health England stay at home guidance, translated and in easy read  Public Health England guidance on social distancing, translated.  NHS guidelines translated into 32 languages by Doctors of the World  Easy read information on COVID-19 from Mencap  Public Health England resources in accessible formats  COVID-19 guidance for providers of services for people experiencing rough sleeping  The handwashing rap, produced to help people who have a learning disability