To help our members access the most up-to-date information and guidance, we have now moved to dated updates.

This will hopefully make our coronavirus updates easier and quicker to read. We will update this page as and when new information arises and/or we develop new guidance.

You can continue to find our previous coronavirus webpage here.

For the most up-to-date Government advice, please visit:

www.gov.uk.

Wednesday 29 April 2020

From today, those with symptoms of coronavirus who are over-65s or have to leave home to go to work are now able to self-refer for a Covid-19 test. People in these groups can either apply for a home test or apply for a test at a regional testing site. Please note, however, that testing capacity each day is limited and is booked up extremely quickly. We recommend applying as early in the day as possible for your best chance of receiving a test. Applications can be made at:

https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/test-type

We have updated our list of PPE suppliers, which can be found here. Please note that we have not researched these companies in depth and recommend that your charity undertakes some due diligence before ordering.

As we approach the end of our sixth week in lockdown, some of you may be worried about the mental health of your staff and residents during these challenging times. Several charities have developed resources to help support those who are struggling.

Mind has developed a hub of information to support those suffering from anxiety, loneliness and grief. It contains resources for all ages and has specific advice for those who need to go to work and might be worried about this. You can access the hub at:

www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/

Age UK offer tips and guidance for elderly people on staying safe and well at home, including information on how to stay connected and tips on how to keep busy.

www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/staying-safe-and-well-at-home/

Age UK also offers Call in Time, a telephone befriending service to help combat loneliness. Find out more at:

www.ageuk.org.uk/services/befriending-services/sign-up-for-telephone-befriending/

Don’t forget, we offer a free, online mental health awareness course to our members. To find our more, visit:

www.almshouses.org/seminars-and-events/training-seminars/

Tuesday 28 April 2020

A number of oranisations are hosting free webinars to support charities during the Covid-19 lockdown. A few that are coming up over the next few days are:

NCVO – Governing during a pandemic: what are the key things trustees need to focus on

Stone King LLP – Endowments, charity land disposals and support for charity property owners during COVID-19

National Housing Federation – Coronavirus: finance and regulation for smaller housing associations

You do not need to download any specific software to take part – just follow the instructions in your confirmation email a few minutes before the webinar is due to start. Most last an hour and there’s the opportunity to ask the presenters questions.

Don’t forget, we also offer a number of online training courses, which can be found at:

www.almshouses.org/seminars-and-events/training-seminars.

We’re also looking to host a webinar on trustee recruitment in June. We will get in touch with all members in due course with more details. 

Monday 27 April 2020

Housing LIN has developed some useful guidance on supporting residents, family and friends after a bereavement and includes links to bereavement support services. You can access the briefing note at:

www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/type/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Top-tips-in-Bereavement-Care-in-Specialist-Housing/

The Charity Commission has published guidance on how to manage financial difficulties in your charity caused by coronavirus. This includes tips on how to review your current financial situation and minimise costs if needed. The guidance can be found at:

www.gov.uk/guidance/manage-financial-difficulties-in-your-charity-caused-by-coronavirus.

Tuesday 21 April 2020

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Further to the information we provided yesterday (Monday 20th April 2020), we have been advised that the PHE telephone number given below should not be used to request PPE as this department is no longer dealing with this. We will update members with a new telephone number as soon as one becomes available. 

Richard Macey, Director of Charities at M&G Investments, has given an update on the M&G Fund and the impact of Covid-19 on investments. You can read Richard update at:

www.almshouses.org/news/mg-fund-update/

The Charity Commission has warned of an increased risk of fraud and cybercrime against charities during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have issued some guidance on what to look out for and the main types of scams being used.

www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-covid-19-increased-risk-of-fraud-and-cybercrime-against-charities

The Charity IT Association (CITA) is offering a free, two-hour IT consultation to help charities develop their IT capability. Their Tech Surgery is usually £100 for charities with a turnover of more than £50,000 but will be free of charge to all charities during the Covid-19 outbreak.

www.charityithelp.org

Monday 20 April 2020

The Almshouse Association been in touch with Public Health England/Department of Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock’s office, Jo Churchill and others to make sure that almshouses are not overlooked when it comes to support for the sector with a particular concern over PPE and testing.

We are currently working with the various departments however, in the interim, we have been advised that the best thing to do would be for each individual almshouse to call PHE’s main switchboard on 020 7654 8000. From there, you should select option 9 where the operator can provide you with a number through which you will be able to find out about PPE in your area. You will need to provide a postcode to do so. If there is any reason why you do not qualify, let us know and we will try and break the deadlock. We are sorry that we can’t do more at present but we are working on this as a priority.

The Department of Health and Social Care report Coronavirus (COVID-19): adult social care action plan was published last week and provides some useful information on distribution of PPE. This includes details of seven wholesalers that are providing supplies to care providers registered with the CQC (and hopefully broader stakeholders such as almshouses): Careshop, Blueleaf, Delivernet, Countrywide Healthcare, Nexon Group, Wightman and Parrish and Gompels. The Association has contacted these suppliers; details of their supply capability and purchase criteria are recorded here

Thursday 16 April 2020

The Almshouse Association has made a representation to the government on personal protective equipment (PPE) and Covid-19 testing in almshouses. You can read the update from our Chief Executive here

The government and Public Health England have previously published guidance on PPE at:

• Department of Health and Social Care: Covid-19: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Plan (10 April 2020)
• Public Health England: COVID-19: guidance for supported living provision – Personal Protective Equipment

On Wednesday 15 April, the government also published its adult social care action plan, which includes information on supporting those who require health and care services. This can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-adult-social-care-action-plan

Tuesday 14 April 2020

Last week the UK government announced a £750m package to help charities during the Covid-19 outbreak. Few details have been given so far but The Almshouse Association is looking at whether almshouse charities will be able to access any of this funding and, if so, how. We will keep you updated.

The National Emergencies Trust has launched a coronavirus appeal and small charities that support vulnerable people can apply for grants from their local community foundation. To find your nearest local community foundation, please visit:

www.nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk/coronavirus

If you provide homes to over-75s and are worried that you residents might be suffering from loneliness during the Cobid-19 outbreak, you can refer them to Re-engage (formerly Contact the Elderly). The charity provides call companions and you can refer an elderly person via their website.

www.reengage.org.uk/refer/

For more information on reducing loneliness and social isolation, check out the Housing LIN’s new resources at:

www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/browse/loneliness-and-isolation/

Thursday 9 April 2020

Press reports are suggesting that the current lock down is likely to continue beyond next week with the possibility of more stringent lock down measures being put in place. We recommend keeping an eye on the government website over the coming days for any formal announcements.

The Almshouse Association office will be closed for the Easter weekend. We will, however, be back at 9:00 on Tuesday 14 April. You can still contact us by phone or email but we will not be able to respond until next week.

Charity Bank have developed an online Covid-19 hub with useful resources for charities. You can also sign up to their newsletter for regular updates.

https://charitybank.org/news/covid-19-resource-hub

Wednesday 8 April 2020

The Charity Commission has updated its guidance for charities during the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes new guidance on SORP and safeguarding. This can be found at:

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector

Don’t forget: We offer free online safeguarding training here

The Almshouse Association has published guidance on what to do if one of your residents passes away. This is based on the guidance already given in Standards of Almshouse Management and Support and Care, but also contains some information on what to do if one of your residents dies after contracting coronavirus. You can view the guidance at:

www.almshouses.org/news/in-the-event-of-the-death-of-a-resident/

A number of our member charities have shared what they’re doing to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak in their almshouses. A summary of what they’re doing can be found at:

www.almshouses.org/news/looking-after-your-residents-during-the-covid-19-lockdown/

The National Council of Volunteers (NCVO) has made a number of its member-only resources available to all during the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes information on including volunteers. Take a look at their guidance at:

https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/coronavirus/involving-volunteers#

First Posted 8 April 2020 12:56; last updated 29 April 2020 – see more recent updates for latest news on Covid-19

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The Charity Commission has published guidance for the charity sector on how to run your charity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Information includes:

• Charity objects: understand if you can help with coronavirus efforts
• Government financial support for charities
• Using reserves and restricted funds
• AGMs and other meetings: postponing or cancelling meetings
• Holding meetings online or by telephone
• Reporting serious incidents to the Charity Commission
• Keeping people safe
• Working with a company or business to help with coronavirus
• Charity SORP guidance
• Information from other organisations

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Posted 16 April 20

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Feeling overwhelmed with all of the advice you are reading and hearing and wondering how to put it into practice ?

The Association went out to some of our members to see what processes they’ve put in place to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak.

We received over 20 responses and have summarised some of the feedback below. At the end of this article, you can also access a pdf of full responses from some of our contributors. We hope you find it useful.

How are you supporting your vulnerable residents at this time? 

Our members are making regular calls to residents either by telephone or through their call system. Those residents who prefer not to be called are contacted by text or email. The frequency of calls depends on needs of the resident – most respondents said they were calling more vulnerable residents on a more regular basis. Some of our members are also keeping in touch with friends and next of kin of their residents.

Through calls with residents and next of kin, members are prioritising their most vulnerable residents and providing additional services to them, including shopping and collecting prescriptions.

Some members are managing external services, such as newspapers and milk deliveries, to prevent the need for residents to leave their homes too often and to limit the number of delivery people accessing the site.

Some members are putting together packs of wordsearches, crosswords and quizzes to help those in isolation. Others have launched newsletters and are regularly updating their websites to keep their residents up-to-date on what’s going on.

Some members have reported that residents are also supporting each other, particularly in schemes where there is a mixture of ages where younger residents have offered to help the more vulnerable with tasks such as shopping.  

What action have you taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19?

The majority of members who responded have closed their communal lounges/kitchens and are undertaking daily cleaning of other communal areas with a particular focus on door handles and rails. Where contracted cleaning staff are no longer able to attend, other charity staff have taken on this responsibility.

The majority of almshouse staff are now working from home where possible. Phones have been diverted to mobile phones so that residents can still contact staff. Where staff numbers have reduced due to illness, emergency calls are being diverted to Careline (or similar facilities).

Some of our members have chosen to lock down their almshouses and are not allowing visitors in and, in some cases, are asking residents not to go out. If your charity is looking to take a similar approach, we would suggest consulting with your residents first and addressing any concerns they might have. You should also consider whether your lockdown can be enforced bearing in mind the government restriction announced in March and the law. You should also communicate with residents regularly on the status of the lockdown. We have written about this in more detail here.

Are you residents respecting the social distancing measures? If not, how are you dealing with these?

Initially quite a few of our members found that their residents were unwilling to abide by the social distancing rules. Since the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 March, however, the situation seems to have improved.

Many are experiencing instances where individuals are not following the government guidelines. They are reminding their residents of the importance of following the measures, though it is difficult to enforce the rules when the majority of staff are working from home.

In some extreme instances, some of our members have contacted the police to speak to individuals who are not following the measures.

How are you handling property maintenance and essential safety checks? 

None of the members we received responses from are carrying out anything but emergency repairs and have communicated this to their residents. Where emergency repairs are needed, residents have been asked to stay in another room whilst they take place. Contractors are being reminded to follow social distancing rules and wear gloves/facemasks where possible. One of our members is providing their contractors with PPE packages when they’re onsite, including face masks, foot coverings, aprons and gloves. 

Routine safety checks are still taking place where possible and many of our members are following the guidance published by the Regulator for Social Housing and the National Housing Federation.

www.gov.uk/government/news/rsh-statement-on-coronavirus

www.housing.org.uk/news-and-blogs/news/safety-checks-and-coronavirus/

Please note: These guidance provided by the Regulator for Social Housing and National Housing Federation were up-to-date at the point of publication (6 April 2020). Members should continue to check both websites for regular updates.

How are you maintaining contact with your residents?

Our members are making regular contact with residents by telephone, newsletters, and alerts on their websites. Where wardens are still working, some are also knocking on their residents’ windows to check that they’re ok.  One of our members has said that they’re looking into the possibility of using videoconferencing tools such as Zoom and Houseparty, for their more tech-savvy residents.

How are you/or your residents interacting with community groups?

Some of our members’ residents are interacting with community groups and other support services. The most common ones mentioned were the local church, Age UK, Covid Mutal Aid and community hubs being run by the local authority. These groups are being used to help with shopping where needed and for befriending phone calls where offered.

Many of our members are handling shopping and regular contact with their residents themselves or in conjunction with their residents’ next of kin and so have not needed to use these services so far. Some are considering using them as a back-up if an individual resident’s support network is unable to provide help for whatever reason.

How are your residents managing to maintain fitness?

Residents are being encouraged to walk around the almshouse charity grounds where they exist but at different times of the day and keeping to the social distancing measures. Some charities have provided their residents with some simple chair-based exercises. The majority of member charities that responded, however, are not involved in their residents’ fitness routines during the pandemic.

How are your residents getting shopping?

Where residents are able to, they are getting their own shopping either by going out or having it delivered. Those who are not leaving their homes are having shopping delivered by friends, family, almshouse staff or local volunteers. Those who are dropping off shopping are being asked to either leave it at the resident’s doorstep or at the gates of the almshouses if they would need to access communal areas to reach the resident’s property.

One almshouse charity has set up a shop, which is being run by residents, so that they don’t need to go out for their shopping. Other charities have organised deliveries of some basic essentials to reduce the need for their residents to go out.

What are you doing to ensure you can maintain your charity and services during an extended period of lockdown?

Many of our members are continuing as usual with members of staff working from home where possible. Some already had or have put contingency plans in place to ensure the continued running of the charity in the case of staff or trustee absence due to sickness or self-isolation.

The main concern expressed by our members was around cash flow and the long term loss of income from investments and vacant properties. They are looking at what effect this is going to have on their services and what action they may need to take to mitigate this (e.g postponing cyclical maintenance work in 2020)

Some of our members are holding regular meetings with staff and trustees by phone or videoconference. This allows them to discuss potential issues and take action where possible.

A Big Thank You to everyone who has participated in this project . If you would like to share your experiences or any tips with our members, please contact Rosie Sweeney at rosiesweeney@almshouses.org.

To read the responses of those members who are happy to share their feedback publicly, please click here

Posted 6 Apr 2020 16:12; last updated 14 April 2020 13:45

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