Many of us have questions and concerns about the coronavirus and employing personal assistants, amongst other things. We’ll share links to any relevant guidance and information below.
Useful Resources
Please contact your local CCG and/or Employer’s Insurance company for individual advice
Covid-19 Testing and Vaccination
How Personal Assistants working in adult social care in England can access twice weekly COVID-19 testing.
Includes people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people with other conditions that put them at higher risk, frontline health and social care workers (including PAs) and carers.
Personal Health Budgets and Employing Personal Assistants
Includes full guidance for using direct payments during the coronavirus outbreak, an easy read guide, a template contingency plan and example documentation.
These guides address some of the most common questions they have been asked and some important information to know when employing personal assistants through the pandemic.
ILG Support/Mark Bates Ltd guidance on whether individual employers can insist on their PAs having the Covid-19 vaccination.
Employment advice and information from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.
This course is approximately 2 hours in duration and includes information such as infection prevention, PPE, hand and respiratory hygiene, management and assessment, sampling and testing, patient transfers/managing patients and much more, to support health workers in their role.
2 e-learning courses available – a “Covid-19 Clinical Care Programme for Healthcare Workers”, and a “Covid-19 and Infection Prevention & Control” course.
This Covid Essentials online course has been designed specifically for Care and Support Workers working in a social care setting and should take around 30 minutes to complete.
Health
Information for protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from coronavirus (COVID-19).
Information for those providing personal care to people living in their own home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Guidance for people who are providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Guidance for careworkers and personal assistants who are supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Information about who can get help from, and how to access, the NHS Volunteer Responders if you are self-isolating and in need of support. For people who are eligible, they offer help collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies or a telephone ‘check in and chat’ to help prevent loneliness.
Guidance notes and template for completing ‘My Covid-19 Advance Care Plan’. A useful place to write down quickly and in one place, the thoughts and wishes you have on the care and support you would like if you were to develop severe COVID-19 symptoms.
A Personalised Well-being Plan template from the National Academy for Social Prescribing, which can be used by anyone who is self-isolating, family, friends, healthcare professionals and carers to summarise a person’s personal circumstances, and the things that matter most to them at this time.
Official statement from Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, DBE, and James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
Letter from Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer, and Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England and NHS Improvement
January 2022 (updated regularly)