Care homes and other care settings

We are in regular contact with care settings across the county and are issuing frequent updates and guidance on topics such as infection control, training and staff wellbeing, and the support being offered by the County Council's Adults' Health and Care department. If you are a care provider and have not been receiving our updates, please email ProviderC19Q@hants.gov.uk.

All the latest information and updates are available on our dedicated webpage for providers.

Care homes

To help stop COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes, all local authorities have been asked by the Government to review or put in place a local care home support plan, drawing on local resilience and business continuity plans.

Outbreak flowchart for care homes - what to do in the event of a staff, resident or visitor COVID-19 case/s

As part of this work, Hampshire County Council has submitted the following documents to the Department of Health and Social Care.

• Letter of response to Minister of State for Care
• Support to care homes template
• Summary of COVID-19 financial support for care providers paid, as at end of July 2020
• Care home support plan for Hampshire
• Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund Assurance Statement
• Infection Control Fund for Hampshire
• West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group has put together guidance to help minimise outbreaks in care homes

Government guidance for support for care homes - available on the Government web pages.

Visiting care homes

• Government guidance on care home visiting
• Summary of guidance for visitors
• The Director of Public health position statement and guidance – to ensure safe care home visiting in Hampshire
• Frequently asked questions about visiting care homes – for visitors   
• Frequently asked questions about visiting care homes – for managers
• Reopening care homes to visitors – guidance video for staff
• Visiting a care home resident – guidance video for visitors

Care home managers can find further information on visiting on our dedicated webpage for providers.

Other care settings

A summary of the COVID-19 financial support provided to Hampshire care providers is listed in the section above.

Government adult social care guidance is available on the Government web pages.

Action Cards providing specific COVID-19 Early Outbreak Management Information for care settings are available:

• Home care – outbreak planning flowchart
• Homeless hostels – outbreak planning flowchart
• Supported accommodation – outbreak planning flowchart
• Shared Lives – outbreak planning flowchart
• Direct Payment recipients – outbreak planning flowchart
• Day Services - outbreak planning flowchart

Communications advice for care providers

Please read this in conjunction with the flowchart above relevant to your setting. You will want to manage communications if you have a confirmed case or outbreak linked to your service provision, whether this is to staff, customers, suppliers, the media or the public. You may have communications support from within your own organisation who will be able to advise you. However, for smaller providers you may find the communication advice below helpful.

Preparing your communications

You may wish to think about how you will handle communications with staff, customers and visitors before you experience any COVID-19 related cases.

Single confirmed case reported to your service

You will be following the processes set out in the flowchart above relevant to your setting. These processes outline who you should be communicating with and when. You should not need to proactively share information via social media and we would not recommend this.

Two or more cases reported to your service

Once again you should be following the processes set out in the flowchart above relevant to your setting. These process outline who you should be communicating with and when. You should not need to proactively share information via social media and we would not recommend this.

Responding to an enquiry from the media and/or social media

In considering your response first and foremost client/staff confidentiality is paramount. You may wish to consider the following form of words in response to an enquiry.

A spokesperson for X organisation said: We have been advised of a positive COVID-19 case linked to our service.

We are working with NHS Test and Trace and would reassure everyone that all precautions are being taken to protect our clients, staff and the wider community at this time. Where appropriate you could also add:

We are still open and providing care and support for our residents/those attending our service (delete where applicable) as usual.

For two or more cases the same form of words should be considered in conjunction with further advice from Public Health England’s South East Health Protection team, who will have contacted you in relation to the outbreak. They will also be able to advise on additional communications to;

• Staff
• Customers and visitors