Helen and Gloria save the day in Swansea
We were recently contacted by a member of the public to tell about the heroics two members of the Abacare team in Swansea, Gloria and Helen. After he was involved in a traffic accident with a lady who had blacked out, Mr Goodwin wanted to express his appreciation for Gloria and Helen’s clear thinking in a crisis.
Mr Goodwin told us, “Gloria and Helen were traveling behind the lady’s car and were quick to respond to the incident. They both took control of the situation making sure I was fine, but then moved straight onto the lady trapped in hers. Once we managed to get the door open they turned into two heroes. They comforted the lady and kept her calm, all whilst this was going on dealing with the passing public.
“Once the situation was in hand Gloria left the incident advising that she had a client to attend to, and Helen would stay on until the ambulance arrived.
“These two ladies Not only took charge of a serious incident but also had the professionalism to think about their appointments and patients, no doubt needing just as much care. I’m not sure what sort of recognition your company have but these two ladies made a difference today and they very much need recognising for it.”
We couldn’t agree more, such an inspiring response by two amazing members of the Abacare team. Their manager, Helen Tennant, let us know that Mr Goodwin even dropped by the branch later with bottles of Champaign for his two heroes.
Government publishes plan for COVID response this autumn and winter
The Government has published its COVID Response – Autumn and Winter Plan for 2021 (here), a five-point plan to address a rise in COVID-19 and flu cases in England this winter.
The plan sets out a programme of booster COVID-19 jabs for those who were in the first phase for vaccination and whose second jab was more than six months ago. This starts on 20th September and includes all adults aged 50 years or over, as well as frontline health and social care workers – including our care teams.
The recommended booster is a single dose of the Pfizer jab or half-dose of the Moderna one. People can even get the booster at the same time as their flu jab, which will be especially important this winter.
The Winter Plan confirms PCR and LFD testing will remain free and that legal requirements to self-isolate will continue. The Plan also advises that compulsory face masks for the public and vaccine passports also remain a possibility.
Fifteen years of support from brilliant Bela
The Quality team have asked us to extend their thanks to Bela Thakrar who, this week, marks her fantastic fifteenth anniversary as part of the City & County family. 
After joining London Care way back on the 18th September 2006 as a care support worker, Bela’s skills and passion immediately shone-out as she supported the community around the Northwood, Eastcote and Ruislip area.
Upon moving to the Willow House Extra Care scheme in 2015, Bela also started helping with risk assessments and care planning. Bela’s skills meant that she was soon offered the role of team leader at the scheme, before taking the opportunity to start a new service – Newcroft House – in 2017. This gave Bela further in-depth knowledge and experience of running and establishing the extra care services, which Bela was able to expand on at the nearby Willow House scheme too.
It was whilst at Willow house that Bela’s commitment and keen eye for detail were recognised with the offer of a new role, that of Clinical and Support Manager, which Bela now enjoys with the Quality team.
A huge thank you from all of us at City & County for your commitment over the years Bela. We all look forward to working alongside you for a long time to come.
Consultation on mandatory vaccination of the home care workforce in England
The Government is seeking views on plans for staff in all health and care settings in England – including home care – to be required to have COVID-19 vaccines. This is to protect vulnerable people and follows the recent decision to make vaccinations mandatory for staff in care homes.
It would mean only those who are fully vaccinated, unless medically exempt, could deliver health and care services. The consultation will also seek views on whether flu vaccines should be a requirement for health and care workers.
As you will know from our regular communications, City & County strongly supports the vaccination of health and care staff, and we are pleased that the majority of our staff have obtained their vaccinations. However, we are concerned that making vaccinations mandatory could seriously impact staff capacity and the continuity of the vital care services we provide.
We will be making these points in a corporate response to the consultation. However, you are also welcome to make your own personal responses here.
New guidance materials for flu vaccination
As our teams across the UK continue to manage the impact of COVID-19, let’s not to forget how important a simple flu jab is to ensuring the safety of our staff and those we care for. 
Flu vaccination for social care staff directly working with people clinically vulnerable to flu is free and strongly encouraged. Public Health England (PHE) have developed guidance to support staff to understand the importance of getting the flu vaccine this season.
There are materials for staff in different care settings, covering who is eligible, how to get a vaccination and where you can get one from. The guidance also answers some common questions about the vaccine – for example, did you know that you cannot catch flu from the flu jab because there are no live viruses in the vaccine?
You can find out more and download the materials here.
Encouraging words in Tameside
Finally, one of our Careline Homecare branch managers, Vicki Kinder, shared some inspiring feedback she’d received from the Tameside commissioning team. Victoria Heyes, Commissioning and Contracts Officer for Tameside Metropolitan Borough, contacted Vicki to say:
“I feel things seem to have got harder all round all of a sudden. I know this might seem an empty gesture, but I want you to know I couldn’t be more proud to work with you. Hold your head up high, because you are amazing and doing a fantastic job.”
Such amazing feedback Vicki and thank you for sharing. It’s so rewarding to see just how much commissioners appreciate the hard work that our teams are doing every day.
