Personal Assistants can now access a free flu jab.
You can download a letter of entitlement for PAs to receive a free flu vaccine by downloading the following link:Â PA flu vaccination letter
Here is the government’s guidance:
All adult social care workers who are in direct contact with patients and service users should get the vaccine, including:
Getting the vaccine will help to protect you, your family, and the people you care for from getting the flu.
For people in at-risk groups, such as those aged 65 or over or with an underlying health condition, flu can be a serious disease and can cause death.
As an adult social care worker, you will be caring for many people in these at-risk groups. Getting the vaccine will mean you are much less likely to spread the flu to them and will help to protect them this winter.
Vaccination reduces the spread of flu among staff and service users, keeping social care services running and reducing the burden on the NHS during the winter. This is true every year, but it is particularly important this year, as coronavirus (COVID-19) is still in circulation.
As the symptoms for flu and COVID are very similar, widespread vaccination against flu will make it easier for us to target COVID-19 testing and avoid disruption to care services.
Your employer is responsible for ensuring that you receive a flu vaccination. They may do this by arranging for you to be vaccinated at your place of work or by arranging for you to be vaccinated off-site. Your employer should let you know which scheme they are running. If not, please ask them.
In the specific instances where an employer does not provide a flu vaccination scheme, you can still receive the flu vaccination free of charge from a GP or pharmacy through the complementary NHS scheme if youâre an adult social care worker employed by a:
Or if you provide social care through direct payments or personal health budgets.
There is specific flu vaccination guidance for personal care assistants.
You do not need to present your ID at your local GP or pharmacy. However, we will be advising employers to issue staff with a letter saying you are an adult social care worker to make the process as easy as possible for you.
Personal assistants will be provided with a letter signed by their employer confirming their eligibility for vaccination. See the Personal care assistants guidance for further information.
You can get the flu vaccine throughout October, November and December. This year the demand for the flu vaccine has been higher than usual. This has meant that while a lot of people have been able to get vaccinated, some people have not been able to get vaccinated straight away as some GP practices and pharmacies have used their early supplies of flu vaccine, due to the level of demand. Overall there is enough flu vaccine for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. If you are eligible and are asked to wait, there is still time before flu season starts, which is normally in December.
The flu vaccines used in the national NHS programme have a good safety record. The vaccines are thoroughly tested before they are made available in England.
You may have a mild fever and aching muscles a few days after having the vaccine and your arm may be sore at the injection site. Further information is available on possible side effects.
Most adults can have the injected flu vaccine, but you should avoid it if you have had a serious allergic reaction to a flu vaccine in the past. If you are uncertain whether you should avoid it due to a medical condition, you should speak to your GP.
You may be at risk of an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine injection if you have an egg allergy. This is because some flu vaccines are made using eggs. Ask a GP or pharmacist for a low-egg or egg-free vaccine.
If youâre ill with a high temperature, itâs best to wait until youâre better before having the flu vaccine.
The flu vaccine is the best protection we have against flu, which can cause serious illness and death in at-risk groups.
Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you from getting flu.
Flu is caused by a number of different strains of the flu virus and the vaccine only protects against those that are most likely to cause flu during this yearâs flu season. As a result, thereâs not a 100% guarantee that you wonât get flu if youâve been vaccinated.
However, even if you do get flu after being vaccinated, studies have shown that youâre likely to have a much milder and shorter illness.
You cannot catch flu from the flu vaccine because there are no live viruses in the vaccine.
The strains of flu in circulation change every year, so the protection from the vaccine you had last year will decrease over time.
New flu vaccines are produced every year to protect against the strains most likely to be in circulation, which is why people are advised to be vaccinated every year.
Itâs important that as many health and social care workers as possible get the vaccine â it protects you, your family, and the people you care for from the flu â but if you donât want to have the vaccine for whatever reason, you donât have to have it.’
Thursday 29th October 2020
A disabled campaigner is on hunger strike in response to the failure of his local authority and the NHS to provide him with the support package he needs to âjust live as a human beingâ.
Jimmy Telesford said his experience in Lambeth, south London, had convinced him of the need for major reform of the âabusiveâ and âoutrageousâ social care system.
He called for a new system that gives disabled people âcomplete controlâ over their support.
Telesford ate nothing between 2 October and Monday (12 October) this week and was drinking only diet 7-UP to keep himself hydrated.
He was admitted to St Thomasâs on Monday on the advice of his doctor, and agreed to take on food and fluids.
But he was discharged from hospital later the same day and restarted his hunger strike when he returned home.
He had earlier spoken to Disability News Service (DNS) from his bed at home and said that he had ânothing to loseâ and was âprepared to dieâ unless Labour-run Lambeth council or the local NHS clinical commissioning group (through NHS continuing healthcare) provided him with the support he needed.
Telesford, who was working as an advocacy worker with a disability organisation until June, said: âI donât want to die but I will if I cannot get the independent living support I need to live as a disabled powered wheelchair-user.
âMy key concern is that I am not getting enough support. It doesnât meet my needs and it never has. I donât really want to carry on the way I am.
âThe fact that I have to [go on hunger strike] just shows how difficult things are. I have to be prepared for the idea that I am going to die.â
He currently receives between 24 and 28 hours a week of support from Lambeth council, but believes he needs support throughout the day to ensure he can have a normal life.
He is also angry about the quality of the support he receives, and has lodged complaints about the care agency that currently provides that support.
He said: âThe quality of life that youâre expected to have as a disabled person from a social services point of view is disgusting. You wouldnât treat a dog like that.
âEven if I have another assessment, itâs not based on my needs, itâs based on what they are willing to give. Itâs just care needs, and thatâs it.
âLife is about a lot more than having a shower.â
He added: âWe are the fifth richest country in the world. Nobody really understands what it is like to live as a disabled person in the trenches. It does your head in.
âWhy canât disabled people have complete control?â
He was given another assessment by the council after returning from hospital this week.
But he said: âThey just want to fill out a form, tick a box and move on. Itâs not acceptable.
âI honestly donât think they care. I donât think [social services] see disabled people as people.â
He had earlier warned the council not to be âunder any illusionâ.
He told the council: âI will go through this process 1,000 times if I have to as long as I have breath in my body I will fight Lambeth social services and their partners. Until I get what I need. Or die trying.â
He said he hoped that if he did die, it would show that ânot everybody is willing to live under the oppression of the status quoâ.
Inclusion London, the pan-London disabled peopleâs organisation, said: âWe stand in solidarity with Jimmy and salute his determination to fight for the rights of disabled people. We hope he recovers soon.
âAlthough local authorities are in a difficult position, they still make political choices about how to prioritise their resources.
âWe urge Lambeth Council to see the devastating consequences of its decisions and actions and ensure its disabled residents, including Jimmy, get appropriate social care support to live a normal life.
âMany disabled people all over the country will relate to Jimmyâs situation. The current social care system is not helping us live a good quality life.
âIt is oppressive and often humiliating with many disabled peopleâs lives reduced to just being clean and fed.
âWith a decade of budget cuts and increased demand combined with the laws that place all power in the local authoritiesâ hands without real and effective means to challenge, it is shocking, but not surprising, that people have to use such extreme actions to fight for their basic human rights.
âThis is why we are calling for a reform of social care support; it must be based on our right to independent living and it must give disabled people true power, control and resources to live a normal life.â
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: âLambeth Council has worked to support Mr Telesford over an extended period of time, and we are both alarmed and concerned at the current situation.
âWe are listening, and given the breadth of his concerns have offered Mr Telesford an opportunity to discuss and urgently review his services.
âLambeth Council is determined to provide excellent quality adult services to all that need them in the borough, and remain fully committed to that pledge.â
A spokesperson for NHS South East London Clinical Commissioning Group said: âThe CCG is very sorry to hear of Mr Telesfordâs situation.
âHis appeal against the outcome of his NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) assessment, which was made earlier in the year, unfortunately was delayed in line with national guidance issued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when health and care resources were refocussed on combatting the threat to peopleâs health posed by the virus.
âAcross the country, work is now getting underway to address those waiting for CHC assessments, including where appeals have been lodged against previous decisions.
âLocally here in south-east London, that work is now starting and Mr Telesfordâs appeal will be reviewed as soon as is possible.
âWe are aware that Lambeth Councilâs adult social care team remains in contact with Mr Telesford and is offering him ongoing support.â
News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ 15 October 2020
Disabled people who have been shielding at home say they are having to rely on peer support and their own judgement to protect themselves from the pandemic, after despairing at the lack of clear government guidance.
Many of those who have shielded from the virus, often without pause since March, said this week that they had no confidence in Boris Johnson and his government.
Among their concerns are the lack of access to testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) for their personal assistants (PAs), and the difficulty of securing food deliveries, as the number of COVID-19 cases across the country continues to rise.
The grassroots disabled peopleâs organisation Bristol Reclaiming Independent Living (BRIL) said it was âvery concernedâ about the impact of a potential second national lockdown on disabled people who are still shielding, and their families.
One member said: âFrom the beginning of the pandemic, the governmentâs guidance and advice has been unclear, confusing and inaccessible, which has only added to the anxiety many of us feel.â
BRIL founder Mark Williams said the governmentâs mixed messagesâ were âputting people at harmâ.
Another BRIL member said: âDisabled people have told us they do not trust the government, and are shielding regardless of the constantly changing regulations.â
A BRIL spokesperson added: âThe experience of disabled people and people with chronic illness during the first lockdown, both those who were included on shielding lists and those who were missed off, has been ignored.
âAs one member said: âIf we are going to be shielded â they need to get it right. There are three of us who shielded, but we didnât get the letter. It seemed that it was very ad hoc.â
âThis cannot happen again. The government has a duty to directly consult with us and our organisations. A failure to do this will have deadly consequences.â
Disabled campaigner Fleur Perry, who has not left her home for more than six months, said: âI feel like thereâs less information available than before.
âI still haven’t been out since March, and I doubt Iâll be going out for the rest of the year unless thereâs a dramatic improvement somehow.
âEven though case numbers are rising, thereâs been no update on precautions for shielders.
âThe guidance makes it very clear that itâs now peopleâs choice how safe they want to feel, rather than a team effort.
âWeâre going to have to continue to support one another in finding information and resources and new ways of doing things. Until the government steps up, itâs up to us.â
Baroness [Jane] Campbell, a disabled crossbench peer, who spent months shielding, said: âI think we all need to make our own decisions about our safety and continue to be very careful when mixing with those that we do not have to.
âWhat government still doesnât appear to understand, is that disabled people who require care/support of another person, whether that be a PA, agency care, informal carer etc, cannot self-isolate.
âTherefore, we should be able to have priority access to testing both for ourselves and their essential support people. Plus, easy access to PPE.
âWe are on the frontline and donât want to become metaphorical cannon fodder again if the virus returns with a vengeance in the winter.â
She said that one of her PAs had had a cold recently and wanted to check that she was safe to work but was denied a test.
Baroness Campbell said she had tried for six weeks during the height of the pandemic to obtain basic gloves, masks and aprons, and by June had received just one box of gloves.
She added: âI have now sourced my own, at a cost, but I can afford it â many canât.â
Fazilet Hadi, head of policy for Disability Rights UK, said: âShielders have been left adrift since the protections granted to them at the start of lockdown were removed in late summer.
âWith increases in the rate of infection and hospital admissions, and with great swathes of the population in local lockdowns, the government is failing to support and protect those who are clinically vulnerable to the virus.
âDR UK has asked the government to produce guidance on shielding for local authorities, health bodies and employers, and to give financial, practical and emotional support to those individuals who want to shield on the basis of their individual medical needs.
âWe are particularly concerned for those who canât work from home and are required to return to work.
âMany people have already had to choose between their life and their livelihood. As infection rates rise and the furlough period ends on 31 October, more people will face this dilemma.â
The current government advice to the millions of disabled people in England who have previously been told they are âclinically extremely vulnerableâ (CEV) is that they should continue to âtake precautionsâ but âdo not need to shield at the momentâ.
Areas where there is a local lockdown have âspecific guidanceâ for shielders, but the advice for shielders yesterday (Wednesday) in Bolton, Greater Manchester, the north-east of England, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, was matching that for the rest of the country, other than a warning that âit is important that you continue to take precautionsâ.
In Leicester and some parts of the north-west of England, those who are CEV have been advised to shield until 5 October, when âformal shieldingâ will be paused and they will be given guidance locally, while being advised to continue to âtake precautionsâ.
Vicky Foxcroft, Labourâs shadow minister for disabled people, who shielded for several months during the summer, has written to health and social care secretary Matt Hancock with her concerns about the âambiguityâ that remains about support for CEV people, including in the areas where there has been a local lockdown.
She also raised concerns about those disabled employees unable to return to work, including the inadequate level of statutory sick pay, the failure of the chancellorâs new less-generous furlough scheme to mention CEV people, and continuing concerns over the rates of benefits.
She told Hancock that he had failed to answer when asked in the House of Commons for his advice to shielders, and called on him to âclarify this advice urgently, so that CEV people are not once again made to feel like an afterthoughtâ.
Kathy Bole, co-chair of Disability Labour, said she was worried about the support that cash-strapped local authorities would be able to provide during local lockdowns, and the prospect of further cuts to social care.
She said: âI am shielding because my husband is extremely vulnerable. I have gone out twice in the last six weeks.
âI am not comfortable at all with the mask arrangements and how many are just not wearing them. I donât know how I will cope if he gets ill.
âMy own mental health is not doing well and that is because I have no faith in anything the government says.
âI know so many disabled people who will not go out and if there is no one to help them with shopping and the like, we will see many more people die.â
Fran Springfield, her co-chair, said she shared Bolesâs concerns on shielding.
She added: âI have continued to shield, like many of my friends. Iâm only leaving home for urgent medical appointments.
âIâm appalled by people not wearing masks and not social distancing, putting people like me at risk.
âWe should be following medical science and the respected experts. The government must not be allowed to put lives before profit.
âI have no faith that decisions will be made in the best interests of disabled people.â
She added: âIn Lambeth, the mutual aid groups that were so busy and supportive at the beginning of the pandemic are now suffering from volunteer fatigue, donations have dried up and itâs difficult to find people willing to help out.
âIâm noticing too that greedy shoppers are now causing supermarkets to limit purchases of essentials.
âI still have limited choices when Iâm trying to shop online and eight-hour delivery slots. Totally useless for anyone who needs a PA or carer to put away frozen foods.â
She said she agreed with Londonâs mayor, Sadiq Khan, that the capital should be placed under a local lockdown.
Vici Richardson, community care and personalisation advisor for the disabled peopleâs organisation Disability North, said there were âso many mixed messages and no real guidanceâ, while the local lockdowns had caused âfurther confusionâ.
Richardson, who has a disabled teenage son who remains on the CEV list, said: âThere has been nothing mentioned on any of our local authority communications about shielding, and we are in a high-risk area.â
Her sonâs clinicians have received no guidance to pass to the family that they should reshield so they have been âleft to make our own judgementsâ.
She said: âSome of the disabled people I work with stopped PAs coming in from March to August, then they began to bring them back in.
âSome of these are already making the difficult decisions to stop them, but with furlough ending and many people back in work, the network they may have depended on in March is not there.â
She said some disabled people with PAs were still struggling to access the correct PPE.
Her family has been told to source its own PPE, and use direct payments funding to do so, but that they can go back to the council for help if they struggle, although she said other local authorities were supplying PPE to disabled people directly.
She said there were also concerns over shopping deliveries.
She said: âAlready disabled people who managed to get back delivery slots are now struggling again and because they arenât on the clinically vulnerable list, they canât have priority.â
Disabled campaigner and retired Paralympian Chris Channon, another on the CEV list, said he was continuing to shield, despite the governmentâs advice.
He said the prime minister, Boris Johnson, had âso muddled the waters itâs difficult for anyone to have any real confidence in anything that he and his ministers are saying.
âJust days after telling office workers it was ok to return to the workplace he suddenly instructs them to work from home while, at the same time, telling those of us who are shielding that it was OK to go out.â
Although he managed to book a delivery from Sainsburyâs last week for the first time since March, he said he found the isolation âdifficult to deal with at timesâ although âin many respects Iâm lucky as I still feel in controlâ.
He said be believed the government should reinstate the delivery of food parcels for CEV people and enable a âclear line of communicationâ between health experts and those in the CEV group so they could hear from someone who âdoesnât act on behalf of the governmentâ.
*For sources of information and support during the coronavirus crisis, visit the DNS advice and information page
News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ 1 October 2020