Liverpool City Region COVID-19 Updates

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Shielding

CARE England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has written to the Chancellor seeking clarity and additional financial support for adult social care staff who are required to shield. Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, says:- "The latest guidance leaves many loopholes and does not give enough certainty as to how staff in the social care sector who are clinically extremely vulnerable should be looked after."

From an employment perspective Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from Covid19 if applied, will be problematic for health and social care staff in high risk areas. The guidance does nothing to indicate the approach care providers should take to their staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable beyond the existing suggestion that it is for employers to put in place appropriate measures to keep their staff safe and the DHSC letter suggesting the issues should be subject to a risk assessment.

Care England is calling for a greater degree of level of guidance to be issued for health and care providers which aids providers to make these employment related decisions; with increasing transmission levels of Covid19 the number of very high alert levels will continue to increase, and this issue will only become more pertinent. Professor Green continues:- "Our staff are our biggest resource and we need to look after them as best we can. With limited guidance and dedicated financial assistance this is very tricky thus we hope that the Chancellor will be able to shed some much needed light on the situation."

Wirral School staff threaten to walk out over cut to hours and pay

WIRRAL UNISON has, Wednesday, 21 October 2020 begun a ballot which asks 20 School Support Staff, at Woodchurch Road Primary Schoolm whether they want to take strike action. The Union's strike ballot has emerged in response to a proposed cut to Woodchurch Road Primary School staff's hours of up to 20%. This cut to hours could see teaching assistants and play workers lose out as much as ₤3885 in pay every year. The School; which is run by the Local Authority is currently looking to cut over ₤100,000 from their financial deficit.

A Woodchurch Road Primary School teaching assistant said:- "I'm passionate about my job as a TA in Woodchurch Road Primary School and I am fully committed to the children, who I believe will suffer hugely both academically and pastorally, due to a greatly reduced level of TA support in and around the classroom. Since the School's financial discrepancies first came to light a few years ago, we are already running on reduced staff and this will be ongoing for the foreseeable future until the debt is significantly reduced. As a result, both myself and the remaining TAs are under increased pressure on a financial and an emotional level due to no fault of our own. In an attempt to reduce the debt, it has been proposed that TAs are to undertake a 20% pay cut; this equates to working 1 day per week unpaid! Not only will this affect the day to day running of the School, it will negatively impact on my personal finances thus causing great worry and distress."

Wirral UNISON Schools Officer Steve Bennett said:- "Teaching assistants and play workers are absolutely essential to the education Woodchurch Road provides to local children. Cutting School Support Staff's hours affects not only their families' livelihoods, but also the futures of the children who attend."

Wirral UNISON Deputy Branch Secretary Lois Founds said:- "We have heard during this pandemic about how essential education is; we agree. So why is the Council putting the future of this local School at risk? The blame for this School's financial woes does not lay with its dedicated teaching assistants or play workers. And the solution to these financial issues must not result in cutting standards of education for our children or driving key workers into poverty. We vow to launch a campaign uniting the local community and the School's Support Staff to 'Save Woodchurch Road School,' This is what our members, the community, and crucially, the children who attend the School deserve."

Mick Whitley, MP for Birkenhead said:- "I am very concerned at the proposal to cut staff hours at Woodchurch Road Primary School. I would ask the Council to reconsider the proposed cuts and open constructive negotiations with the trade Union, UNISON, on alternatives that can save the future of this School and the jobs of its staff."

Tomorrow's World

CARE England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, is looking to the future with its online conference, on Thursday, 12 November 2020, entitled Tomorrow's World.

Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, says:- "The health and social care sector has been thrown into the spotlight over the last few months and Tomorrow's World will give us a chance to take stock of what has been achieved and what needs to be done further down the line in order to build an even better tomorrow for the care sector."

Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from three of the main influencers and shapers of care in tomorrow's world:-

► Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee - The Future of Health and Social Care.

► Kate Terroni, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, CQC - The Future of Care Home Regulation.

► Matthew Gould, CEO, NHSX - How We Can Use Tech to Transform Care.

Professor Green continues:- "We are delighted to have such a good line up of speakers both on 12 November 2020, and also throughout the month of November with a series of free webinars under the 'Tomorrow's World' banner."

The webinars will be live streamed and Chaired by Professor Martin Green OBE, CEO of Care England. Each session will last 60 minutes and include a question and answer session. You can register for free at Care England Conference 2020 and for further information please contact:- Conference@CareEngland.Org.UK.

Regulating video sharing platforms - a guide to the new requirements

OFCOM has published a guide to the new regulatory requirements for UK based video sharing platforms (VSPs). From 1 November 2020, UK established VSPs will be required to comply with new rules around protecting users from harmful content. The main purpose of the new regulatory regime is to protect consumers who engage with VSPs from the risk of viewing harmful content. Providers must have appropriate measures in place to protect minors from content which might impair their physical, mental or moral development; and to protect the general public from criminal content and material likely to incite violence or hatred. Ofcom has published a short guide outlining the new statutory requirements on providers that can be read here. Ofcom said:- "VSPs are a type of online video service where users can upload and share videos. They allow users to engage with a wide range of content and social features. Under the new regulations, VSPs must have appropriate measures in place to protect children from potentially harmful content and all users from criminal content, and incitement to hatred and violence. VSPs will also need to ensure standards around advertising are met. Today's guide is designed to help UK based VSPs understand their new obligations and sets out Ofcom's approach to carrying out our new duties. We will engage with potential VSPs to assist them in understanding the steps they should take to ensure compliance. We will also be developing and consulting on further guidance on the risks of harm to users and the measures services should take to mitigate them. We understand the Government's intention is that VSP regulation will be in place until such time as the new Online Harms regime comes into force."

LGA responds to Skills for Care workforce report

RESPONDING to Skills for Care's annual State of the Adult Social Care Workforce report, which showed there are still around 112,000 job vacancies in social care, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, said:- "Social care makes an incredibly valuable contribution in supporting people to live the lives they want to lead, as well to wider society and the economy, which this report shows. This has been highlighted even further by the immense efforts of the care workforce during the pandemic. Despite the extraordinary endeavours of all those who work in this skilled profession, we still face a huge recruitment and retention crisis in social care, with more than 100,000 vacancies available on any given day and extremely high turnover rates. Urgent action is needed for the care workforce including on pay, professionalization, skills and training. We look forward to working with Skills for Care to help address this. The upcoming Spending Review must provide Councils with the extra funding they need to help shore up social care ahead of winter and get through the second wave of Covid19, while also using this as the basis for future reform of social care to place it on a long term, sustainable footing."

Total UK cases COVID19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region

THE total number of UK Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, has risen by 26,688 cases and the total number now stand at 789,229, that includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not included in the 4 National totals.

The total number of COVID-19 associated UK fatalities added to the total, was sadly reported to be:- 191, within 28 days of positive test, according to the Department of Health. The total number of deaths of people who have had a positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS laboratory is:- 44,158, within 28 days of positive test. Deaths with Covid19 on the death certificate:- 58,164.

The number of COVID-19 patients currently in UK Hospitals:- 6,479. The current number of COVID-19 patients currently in mechanical ventilation beds in UK Hospitals:- 629. Daily number of COVID-19 patients admitted to UK Hospitals:- 996.

In England, there are a total of 669,973 confirmed cases. North West - total of 167,698 confirmed cases.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-

Area and number of confirmed cases:- Risen by:-

ENHANCED RESTRICTIONS

Tier 3

LIVERPOOL City Region

► Liverpool, 16,014 confirmed cases.
507

► Halton, 2,906 confirmed cases.
57

► Knowsley, 5,256 confirmed cases. 161

► Sefton, 6,647 confirmed cases.
190

► St. Helens, 4,616 confirmed cases
146

► Wirral, 6,697 confirmed cases.

117

Colour Key:- 0 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 41 to 50 51 to100 100 over

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within Local Authorities around the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-

► Blackburn with Darwen, 4,618 confirmed cases.

► Blackpool, 2,741 confirmed cases.

► Bolton, 8,083 confirmed cases.

► Bury, 4,942 confirmed cases.

► Cheshire East, 4,949 confirmed cases.

► Cheshire West and Chester, 4,640 confirmed cases.

► Lancashire, 25,567 confirmed cases.

► Manchester, 16,421 confirmed cases.

► Oldham, 7,226 confirmed cases.

► Preston, 3,953 confirmed cases.

► Rochdale, 6,433 confirmed cases.

► Salford, 6,491 confirmed cases.

► Stockport, 5,342 confirmed cases.

► Tameside, 5,382 confirmed cases.

► Trafford, 4,791 confirmed cases.

► Warrington, 4,624 confirmed cases

► Wigan, 7,591 confirmed cases.

Daily reported Covid19 deaths are now measured across the UK as deaths that occurred within 28 days of the 1st laboratory confirmed positive Covid19 test. Daily and cumulative numbers of COVID19 patients admitted to Hospital. Data are not updated every day by all 4 nations and the figures are not comparable as Wales include suspected COVID19 patients while the other nations include only confirmed cases.

Liverpool City Region COVID19 Updates ... and Important Emergency Notices ...

Total UK cases COVID19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region

Liverpool City Region COVID19 Updates
... and Important Emergency Notices ...