At Care 4 Quality., we’ve been looking at how all healthcare providers – particularly those involved in adult social care – will have to evolve and adapt to the new infection control standards that will follow the COVID-19 crisis. We have adapted our own Infection Control Support to reflect these changes, ensuring that we can provide extensive expert support to providers in need.
The government recently announced the Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund, which aims to support adult social care providers in reducing the rate of COVID-19 transmission in and between care homes. This £600 million funding is a significant statement of intent from the government, but how will its impact be felt?
Firstly, this funding will be paid in two tranches, with the first installment already paid to local authorities on 22nd May 2020. The second will arrive in early July, with the expectation that it will be spent on infection control measures within two months. Local authorities must guarantee that 75% of the grant is allocated to support a number of measures in care homes.
These new measures include financially supporting staff who are self-isolating in line with government guidance, ensuring that care home personnel (including part-time and agency staff) only work for one provider, assigning staff to individual groups of residents or specific areas and separating those who are COVID-19 positive from the other residents.
The funding will also be used for recruiting additional personnel to support potential staff shortages across the sector, helping staff limit their use of public transport by providing bike storage and use of local taxi firms as well as providing accommodation to staff who are proactively looking to avoid contact with their households.
At Care 4 Quality., we want to support providers in any way we can. Our compliance experts can offer a variety of services related to infection control – whether it be ensuring that your Policies and Procedures are updated with the latest guidance, providing training to improve standards, or supporting you in implementing these changes.
Please get in touch to find out more about our suite of services and how we can help you.
