Care homes

Diabetes management in care homes

New guidance has been published designed to support clinical decision making re. diabetes in care homes. As such, the guidance will take into account the availability of skilled personnel, access to monitoring of blood glucose (sugar) and ketones, fluid administration limits, and overall level of care likely to be available.

PHE and Local Authority Joint Management of Care Homes during COVID-19 Outbreaks

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been developed jointly by the PHE East of England (EoE) Centre and Local Authorities (LA) Directors of Public Health to ensure a co-ordinated response to managing COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes.

It provides a framework for working across PHE EoE, public health structures in LAs, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and other relevant organisations for dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes.

The overarching joint approach to managing care home outbreaks will be as follows, although specific details on local management will differ between LA areas:

• PHE will undertake risk assessment, advise the care home on infection control measures and hand over the follow up of the outbreak to the LA cell;
• The local system will arrange swabbing of all symptomatic residents at the time of notification of the outbreak (and other asymptomatic residents/staff), in accordance with the EoE Regional Protocol;
• LAs will follow-up and support the care home to continue to operate whilst managing the outbreak, including support with infection prevention and control;
• PHE will continue to provide advice on complex situations on request from local systems, including advice on closing and opening care homes to admissions.

Information for families, friends and carers

UCL Partners have developed a leaflet for families, friends and carers of those in care homes.

The short guide aims to answer some of the common questions relatives have about family members in a care home during the COVID-19 pandemic.