You can get a vaccine if you are a personal assistant
If you are paid to provide care to individuals living in Lambeth as a Personal Assistant (PA) then you qualify for vaccination as you are a frontline health and social care worker.
You can book a vaccine on the National Booking System, this will allow you to book your appointment as a convenient location.
When booking, confirm that you are a health and social care worker. You must take identification or an eligibility letter with you when you attend your vaccination appointment. If you need an eligibility letter or you are not able to use the National Booking System please contact our adult social care team by emailing Anne-Marie Jones: amjones@lambeth.gov.uk
You can get a regular Covid-19 test
NHS Test and Trace has made testing available to personal assistants working in adult social care in England.
A personal assistant is eligible if:
- they are directly employed by an individual (or self-employed) to provide care and support to enable them to live as independently as possible
- the care provided requires them to come within 2 metres of an adult over the age of 18 that they support
Either their employer or the personal assistant can order test kits every 28 days.
Four tests are delivered and every 7 days a personal assistant should take a test, register it online, and return it by post.
Personal assistants will receive their results in 48 hours by email and text message (SMS)
Testing is important because it:
- identifies personal assistants who currently have COVID-19 so they are able to self-isolate if positive
- protects those receiving care from infection passed to them by personal assistants who are confirmed positive
- prevents and controls the spread of the virus by identifying asymptomatic cases
Find out more information and order test kits or call 119 for any assistance.
Supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for use by personal assistants
If possible, employers should source PPE themselves and reclaim the money from their Direct Payment budgets. If their funds are held by a payroll company, they should send in receipts for reimbursement. If their funds are held in a bank account, they should use the funds to pay for PPE but keep receipts for monitoring purposes.
If employers are unable to source PPE themselves, or can’t afford to pay upfront for the amount of PPE they need, they can request a delivery by contacting the council on 020 7926 5555.
Support for employers of personal assistants
The team at DASL can provide information, advice and support with Direct Payment issues, and can be contacted on 020 7501 8960 or by email at direct.payments@disabilitylambeth.org.uk.
Please note that DASL cannot agree changes to support plans or requests for more hours, so these should be directed to Adult Social Care on 020 7926 5555.