Banburyshire care homes and GP teams to get coronavirus testing appointments for staff

Since April 10, 24,590 locations have been contacted and 12,422 appointments have been booked for staff. The initiative is being undertaken on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC),

Working with Public Health England (PHE) alongside local decision makers, including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), CQC’s national infrastructure is being used to book appointments at a national testing centre for any staff who are self-isolating with symptoms of coronavirus.

This will give care staff more peace of mind about their own safety and that of their families and the people they care for and means those who test negative can return to work and help relieve the pressures services are facing. As some adult social care staff cannot visit a drive-through testing centre as they do not have access to a car, a scheme is being piloted this week for staff to order home testing kits.

CQC will also be coordinating testing appointments for staff from other sectors who are not already covered by an existing NHS or local authority scheme, including GPs and practice teams. This does not replace existing local systems but will offer an extra option to help make sure that if anyone is struggling to get a test quickly, they have another route. CQC will contact individual practices from this week with details of how to book testing for their staff and more information on eligibility.

Other measures CQC has taken to support adult social care include:

Designing and launching a regular data collection on COVID-19 related pressures - such as shortages of PPE - from services who provide care for people in their own homes. This information will be combined with information already gathered from residential and nursing homes to give a much more complete picture of how coronavirus is affecting people who use adult social care services and those who care for them. This information will be shared across organisation who can help mobilise support as well as CQC's own inspection teams.

In response to concerns raised by providers about the possibility that advance care plans, with or without Do Not Attempt to Resuscitate (DNAR) form completion, could be applied broadly to groups of people during the COVID-19 pandemic, CQC has issued a joint statement with the British Medical Association (BMA), Care Provider Alliance (CPA) and Royal College of General Practice (RCGP) to make it clear that this practice is unacceptable and that these decisions must continue to be made on an individual basis according to need.

Ian Trenholm, Chief Executive of CQC, said: “We’ve taken some really practical steps to support adult social care during a time of unimaginable pressure and we’ll continue to develop the package of support we’re offering across all sectors to help providers prioritise the safety of people using services and of staff delivering care.

“It is especially important at a time when staff may be looking after more patients than usual, working outside their normal competencies or in new environments, to highlight the value of safety culture. Ensuring an open and transparent culture where people can speak up when they have concerns about safety is crucial.

‘Staff must feel confident that they will be listened to - without any fear of blame or reprisal – when raising concerns and reporting incidents. In these exceptionally challenging times, identifying and reporting risk so that action can be taken to ensure that safe care is maintained will be more important than ever. CQC will be listening and we want to help you to keep people safe.”

CQC will be listening to what people are saying about services during this time to help detect any changes in care. Routine inspections have been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and there is recognition that care is being delivered differently and staff are working under pressure. If evidence suggests that people are at risk of harm, inspectors will take action to ensure that people are being kept safe.

Hearing from people in care and their loved ones about what they are experiencing has also never been more important - people can get in touch with CQC directly through the Give Feedback on Care form on its website or by calling the CQC contact centre on 03000 616161.