Covid-19: Key responsibilities for Agency managers

In this blog, we will cover COVID testing, vaccine guidance & care providers' responsibilities in a domiciliary setting.

Testing:

National Health Service Test and Trace is making weekly COVID-19 testing available to all domiciliary care workers in England. All registered agencies will be contacted with details of how to apply for test kits for their registered domiciliary care workers. Registered domiciliary care agencies are responsible for ordering and distributing test kits to all their workers for them to conduct at home on a weekly basis.

Domiciliary worker testing should be conducted only on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (if the care worker is able to access a priority post box that accepts Sunday collections).

Your involvement:

If you manage a domiciliary care agency, are responsible for a team of care workers or have been delegated responsibility for testing by your organisation, your key responsibilities are to:

Attend a webinar to learn the process.
Order test kits for each care worker every 28-day testing cycle.
Communicate your agency’s Unique Organisation Number (UON) to domiciliary workers
Test kits should be distributed to care workers
Encourage and support your care workers to complete weekly testing between Thursdays and Sundays.

Vaccine rollout and registration:

Providers may deliver flu & potential coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations. Providers should consider how they will be arranging vaccination services. For example:

Are you planning to work alone or with other providers? (for example, as part of a Primary Care Network)?
Where will you deliver the vaccinations? (the vaccination site)?
What are your current registration conditions?
If you're working with other providers for this service, who is responsible for the quality and safety of the service?

If you are a registered manager for your provider applying to make an application to help meet DHSC's response to COVID-19, include the word COVID-19 in your email. If you have any questions about DHSC's response or an application related to it, please contact CQC before you apply.

Email all applications to enquiries@cqc.org.uk

At Care Agency Media we help you set up care agency. You must have the right preparation, business and industry knowledge, resources and guides. We provide a comprehensive workshop for Registered Managers for regulated services including Domiciliary care business plan, supported living and Care Home. For more information, visit our website now.