Published on 29th January 2021

Following the Issuing of National Government guidance on COVID vaccinations Warwickshire County Council has been developing the local response to enable Personal Assistants who are classed in the category of health and social care workers to have access to vaccinations.

We can now confirm the process for your Personal Assistants to access a Covid-19 vaccination in Warwickshire.

If your Personal Assistant receives Payroll from The Rowan Organisation, they will shortly be receiving a letter outlining how they can book their vaccination appointment. If your PA does not receive support from the Rowan service, please can you ask your Personal Assistant to contact the Independent Living Team (ILT), Warwickshire to find out how to book.

• Email: ilt@warwickshire.gov.uk
• Tel: 01926 413908

When your PA goes to their vaccination appointment, they are required to bring their key worker letter, this will need to be signed by an authorised person or you as their employer. If required, it can be accessed via the following link :- https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/social-care-health/direct-payments/13?documentId=581&categoryId=20077 or you can download the attached document by clicking HERE.

Published on 4th January 2021

Published on 1st December 2020

Annwyl gydweithiwr

Bydd rhaglen cymorth gweithwyr (EAP) a ariennir gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar waith o 4ydd Rhagfyr, gan gynnig ystod o gefnogaeth llesiant i'r rheini a gyflogir yn y gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol yn y sectorau preifat a gwirfoddol yng Nghymru gan gynnwys cynorthwywyr personol. (Byddem yn annog i holl weithwyr gofal cymdeithasol cyflogedig hynny sydd eisoes â mynediad at EAPs presennol i barhau i'w defnyddio).

Bydd yr EAP yn cael ei gynnig gan Care First sy'n cyflogi cwnselwyr sydd â chymwysterau proffesiynol ac arbenigwyr gwybodaeth. Mae ganddyn nhw brofiad o helpu pobl i ddelio â phob math o faterion ymarferol ac emosiynol sy'n gysylltiedig â lles, materion teuluol, perthnasoedd, rheoli dyledion, y gweithle, a llawer mwy.

Er mwyn helpu pobl i ddeall y gwasanaethau a gynigir yn well, bydd gweminar ar 2 Rhagfyr 2020 am 3.30pm (am awr gan gynnwys cyfle i ofyn cwestiynau). Mae'r weminar hon yn agored i bawb sy'n cael eu cyflogi ym maes gofal cymdeithasol, yn y sectorau preifat a gwirfoddol yng Nghymru. Y ddolen i'r weminar yw https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2484630607866568462 felly cliciwch yma i archebu lle.

Byddem yn ddiolchgar pe gallech rannu'r wybodaeth hon gyda sefydliadau perthnasol.

Os oes gennych unrhyw ymholiadau, e-bostiwch EAPqueries@socialcare.wales

Dear Colleague

A Welsh Government-funded employee assistance programme (EAP) will be in place from 4 December, offering a range of well-being support to those employed in the social care workforce in the private and voluntary sectors in Wales, including personal assistants. (We would encourage all those employed social care workers who already have access to existing EAPs to continue using them).

The EAP will be offered by Care First who employ professionally qualified counsellors and information specialists. They are experienced in helping people deal with all kinds of practical and emotional issues related to well-being, family matters, relationships, debt management, the workplace, and much more.

To help people better understand the services on offer, there will be a webinar on the 2 December 2020 at 3.30pm (for an hour including an opportunity to ask questions). This webinar is open to all those employed in social care in the private and voluntary sectors in Wales. The link to the webinar is https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2484630607866568462 so please click here to book a place.

We would be grateful if you could share this information with all relevant organisations.

If you have any queries please email EAPqueries@socialcare.wales

Asha Hassan

Cydlynydd Gwella a Datblygu /Improvement and Development Co-ordinator

Gwefan/Website: gofalcymdeithasol.cymru/socialcare.wales

Published on 18th November 2020

Published on 18th November 2020

Cold Weather & Heat-Health Alert Service Administration Message

Message Issued on Thursday, 01 October 2020 at 10:57

YOUR ACTION IS REQUIRED: New registration required for the PHE Heat Health and Cold Weather Alert Service

You are receiving this notice as you have previously signed up to receive the PHE Heat Health and Cold Weather Alerts and Planning Advice emails from the Met Office.

The alerts will be provided by the GovDelivery (Granicus) platform from 01 October 2020

The GovDelivery platform is already used to deliver the National Severe Weather Warnings and has a number of advantages over the current system:

• Increased capacity to allow more users to access the alerts
• Improved information protection and management
• User controlled subscription service
• Easier access to information on mobile devices (no attachments)

Unfortunately, for GDPR reasons, it is not possible for the Met Office to manually transfer our existing distribution list straight to GovDelivery, so we will require your action if you wish to continue receiving this service.

ACTION: All current users of the service will need to register their email address with GovDelivery before 01 November 2020, by which time the Cold Weather Alert service will start and old email dissemination platform will be turned off.

How to sign up:

Please follow the link below to our GovDelivery subscription page, enter the email you normally receive the service on, then subscribe to the "Heat Health and Cold Weather Alert Service" topic under "Public Health England". You will also be asked to specify the health region that you are working in.

GovDelivery: Registration page for the PHE Heat Health and Cold Weather Alerts https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKMETOFFICE/subscriber/topics?qsp=PHE

Please share this notice with colleagues who you think should be registered to receive Heat Health and Cold Weather Alerts. It will be particularly important this winter to be aware of forecast severe weather due to concurrent risk of COVID-19. For more information on cold weather and health please go to https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cold-weather-plan-for-england

If you encounter difficulties viewing the updated emails, have any questions or technical problems related to the subscription service please contact subscriberhelp@govdelivery.com

For any other enquires relating to this service, please contact enquiries@metoffice.gov.uk.

Best Regards PHE and the Met Office.

Published on 8th October 2020

The Department of Health and Social Care, in advance of full bespoke guidance for PAs and direct payment holders about the invitation to get a flu vaccination, has asked us to share the following information with our networks. This is so that PAs can begin to access the flu vaccination now.

All frontline health and social care workers should get the winter flu vaccination - including all Personal Assistants (PAs). For the first time, this year, PAs will be able to access the vaccine free of charge from GPs and community pharmacies, via the NHS Complementary Scheme. This vaccination is available now. (Local availability may vary).

To access the scheme, PAs will simply need to attend a GP surgery or community pharmacy and identify themselves as a PA. However, we are aware that individuals have been asked to provide proof in the past and we have therefore provided a letter that can be used for identification, as attached.

The process for PAs to access the flu vaccination, is as follows:

• Print a copy of the letter found HERE.
• The direct payment holder, as employer, will fill out this letter, to prove they employ the PA. Once the PA has this, this will act as their ‘letter of entitlement’ to the vaccination.
• They will then need to visit their local GP or community pharmacist, who will be able to give them the flu vaccination. If they need to prove their entitlement, they can use the letter of entitlement
• The vaccination will then be given to them, free of charge.

Published on 24th April 2020 - (source - Skills for Care)

The Coronavirus National Testing Programme has now expanded capacity to test other frontline workers who are having to self-isolate due to having coronavirus-like symptoms or because a member of their household has symptoms.

This expansion includes all personal care assistants (PAs), across both health and social care, who meet the criteria set out above.

The full list of eligible employers now includes:

• All NHS and social care staff, including hospital, community and primary care, and relevant staff providing ancillary support to frontline NHS services (e.g. accommodation, catering) and voluntary workers.
• All PAs, across both health and social care
• Police, fire and rescue services.
• Local authority staff, to include core and essential workers such as those working with vulnerable children and adults, with victims of domestic violence, and with the homeless and rough sleepers, and those staff essential to the continuity of business.
• Defence, prisons and probation, and judiciary staff.
• Front-line benefits workers

See Government information on the types of workers who may now be eligible for testing.

What do PAs and their employers need to do?

• Any PAs who think they are eligible and need to be tested are being instructed to speak to their employer first.
• Employers will need to complete the ‘Confirmation of employment and eligibility for testing- letter of ID’ and send it to their PAs with the presentation slides. These presentation slides includes a list of ‘drive-through’ regional test site locations.
• PAs will then able to register themselves for a test at the link provided within the invitation – using the link for ‘Other Government Departments’.
• Any PAs to be tested will need to attend a specified regional test location and must drive/be driven using their own car or a car that belongs to a member of their household.

Published on 2nd April 2020

If you receive your Direct Payments funding through Gwynedd County Council please click HERE for the latest advice from the council.

Published on 30th March 2020

If you receive your Direct Payments funding through Denbighshire County Council please click HERE for the latest Frequently Asked Questions from the council.

Published on 30th March 2020

If you receive your Direct Payments funding through Warwickshire County Council please click HERE for the latest advice from the council.

Published on 13th March 2020

The government has published guidance for employers on what to do if you employ staff and they are diagnosed with the virus or are advised to self-isolate. It also advises on how to prevent the spread of the virus.

To view this guidance please click HERE.

Published on 1st March 2020

We are now working in Partnership with Mark Bates to provide high quality support and insurance to the people we support. We have been working with Mark Bates Insurance for many years supporting people in receipt of Direct Payments and Personal Health Budgets.

They can offer insurance solutions that cover...

• Direct Payments – Home Employment
• Personal Health Budget – Home Employment with Healthcare
• Self-Employed Personal Assistants
• Adapted Home Building and Contents
• Mobility Equipment

For further information on the Insurance cover they offer please click HERE.