A joint message of support and recognition to all those working in frontline care across Scotland, from Peter Macleod chief executive of the Care Inspectorate and Dr Linda De Caestecker director of public health NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
These are challenging times for those in the caring professions and also for families worried about relatives in care homes or requiring care at home.
There is great recognition of frontline staff in the NHS and it is important we remember that staff in care homes and caring for people at home are also showing the same commitment and dedication as they carry on with their jobs day by day. We have seen wonderful examples of this in our joint work, and we urge society and the media to recognise the incredible job being done by everyone delivering care services across Scotland.
Right now, caring for our most vulnerable citizens has never been harder, yet all across Scotland, people working in care continue with professionalism and compassion that is truly humbling.
Let us all thank these workers and ensure they get the appreciation and support they deserve.
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Contingency notification arrangements during Covid-19
The Care Inspectorate understands that as a result of the current situation regarding Covid-19 that a number of registered care services will not be operational during this period. In normal circumstances, the Care Inspectorate requests that services submit a notification indicating where the service is ‘inactive’ for any length of time in certain circumstances and we note this formally on our systems.
In order to reduce further pressure on services and to give maximum flexibility to re-establish registered services as easily as possible the position is that any registered service not operating directly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is not required to submit an application to become inactive during this period.
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Deferment of continuation of Registration Fees
The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government recognise the financial and other pressures that providers of care services are currently under. To support service providers and assist with alleviating cash flow problems service providers are encountering at this difficult time the Care Inspectorate will delay the collection of continuation of registration fees due by care services until July 2020. We will review this position again in June 2020 before any fee collections are made.
This will mean care service providers need not pay any balance of the fees due for the 2019/20 financial year until July 2020.
Service providers normally due to receive fee invoices in April 2020 will not receive an invoice for the 2020/21 financial year until July 2020 (position subject to review in June 2020).
We are happy to make arrangements with service providers that would prefer not to defer the balance of 2019/20 fees. We are issuing more detailed guidance directly to care service providers.
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Recall of Emerade 300microgram auto-injector pens
Pharmaswiss Česka republika s.r.o. (an affiliate of Bausch & Lomb UK Limited) is recalling all unexpired batches of Emerade 300 microgram auto-injectors (also referred to as pens) from patients due to an error in one component of the auto-injector believed to cause some pens to fail to activate and deliver adrenaline. This is a recall for Emerade 300 microgram pens only. This is a different alert to that issued on 04 March 2020 for Emerade 150 microgram auto-injectors.
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Tell Us Once service
Care services may find, in cases where there is no next of kin, that the responsibility for registering a death of someone in their care falls to them. Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. The service is available in all councils across England, Scotland and Wales.
Tell Us Once can notify organisations including:
- DWP State Pension, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance Carers and so on
- HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
- HM Passport Office
- Council services such as adult social services, libraries, Blue Badge, concessionary travel, electoral services
- Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)
- Public sector pensions: NHS, teachers, armed forces and so on.
If you are registering a death with a registrar in your capacity as a care home manager, official informant, next of kin or relative:
1. the registrar will issue you with a unique Tell Us Once service reference number
2. you can use this reference number to access Tell Us Once online or through a dedicated telephony team
3. a list of what you will need to complete the service to notify central and local government departments to stop services, notify Pensions and Benefits, cancel passports and so on is held here
4. the system is easy to use and once completed, departments are notified instantly, with no need for you to contact them separately by telephone or in writing.
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