Archives for October 2020

Public Health Measures
Ireland moved to Level 5 at midnight on Wednesday night (21^st October). See the measures that will come into place here.

 Disability Day Services during Level 5
In line with current NPHET advice in respect of Level 5, disability day services will continue to remain open and are deemed essential. You can find more information here.

 New COVID-19 Campaign
Bubbles – a new social media creative and content-sharing campaign for young people went live today. The first phase of the campaign will see TV, social and digital formats. The idea of the Bubble is to create a visual reminder for the protection we share when we follow public health actions, and how easily it can be lost. The bubble idea makes the invisible, visible. 

 Flu Vaccine for Children aged 2-12 years
This autumn, children aged 2-12 years are offered the flu vaccine free of charge. The vaccine is administered by the GP or pharmacist using a nasal spray. Children carry the flu virus in their system longer than adults do and they can spread the flu easily to others. If enough children are vaccinated against flu, fewer children and adults will need to see their doctor or n​eed treatment in hospital because of flu. This is very important for our health services especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, you can find more information on the flu vaccine for children here and you can watch the new TV ad here.

 COVID-19 Guidance for Older People and Others at Risk of Severe Disease on Reducing Risk of COVID-19 Infection
The guide, developed in consultation with Alone, SAGE and the National Care Alliance, is for people who live in the community and for those who help them if and when they need help. You can download the guide here.

 COVID-19 Guidance on Visitations to Long Term Residential Care Facilities
This guidance is for visiting people who live in residential care facilities such as nursing homes, HSE long term facilities etc. You can download the guide here.

 COVID-19 Guidance on Visitations to Inpatient Areas of Acute Hospitals including Children’s Hospitals, Rehabilitation Services and Other Healthcare Settings Providing a Similar Intensity of Care
This guidance is for visiting inpatients in acute services. You can download the guide here.

 Public Health Information
As always, for the most up to date information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on www.hpsc.ie where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

 You can view the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of COVID-19 here.

LCRL are organising free water management training in County Longford to start in October (dates to be confirmed). This training is suitable for anyone interested in water protection and conservation. For further information please see poster or visit http://longford.waters-project.com/

 

 

Public Health Measures
All counties in Ireland have moved to Level 3 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19. Extra measures and supports are in place in Donegal and Dublin. You can download a graphic of all of the levels here of the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19.

COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Webinar: Guidance for Staff in Mental Healthcare Services
This webinar will take place on Friday, 9th October from 12-1pm. You can pre-register for the webinar on this link.
Irish dial in number: 01 5260058                 Access code: 163 954 7886

If you would like to raise a question on infection prevention and control for your service, please email your question to mary.mckenna@hse.ie by Wednesday, 7^th October.

Dementia and COVID-19
Recent months have been especially difficult for people living with dementia and their families. With many staying at home due to COVID-19 and services changing to help protect people from the virus, many people with dementia are missing out on social connections and activities so vital for wellbeing.

 To get Ireland talking about dementia and to better understand how we can offer support we’ll be taking the conversation to 10 local radio stations over the next three weeks. You can find more information on dementia and actions we can all take to support people living with dementia here.

Guidance for Drug and Alcohol Support Groups and Treatment Programmes: COVID-19
New guidance for drug and alcohol support groups and treatment programmes and other addiction treatment services has been published today in line with Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19. This new guidance has been developed to ensure that these groups can operate safely, including at levels 3 and 4 of the government framework. The guidance is available here.

As always, for the most up to date information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on www.hpsc.ie where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

Public Health Measures

The following counties are at Level 3:
Donegal
Dublin

The rest of Ireland is currently at Level 2.
You can download a graphic of all of the levels here of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19.

 

COVID-19 Contact Management Programme Overview
You can view the updated information for the COVID-19 Contact Management Programme here.

 

HSE Webinar: COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Guidance in Disability
This webinar will take place on Friday, 2nd October from 12-1pm. You can pre-register for the webinar on this link.
Irish dial in number: 01 5260058                                  Access code: 163 086 2572

 

HSE Webinar: The Role of Advocacy in Supporting Decision-Making, Particularly During COVID-19
This webinar will take place on Thursday, 8^th October from 11am-1pm. You can pre-register for the webinar on this link.
Irish dial in number: 01 526 0058                               Access code: 137 631 4962

 

Publication of New Visitation Guidance for Nursing Homes
The new COVID-19 Guidance on visitations to Long Term Residential Care Facilities is available here on the HPSC website.

 

Quitting Smoking and COVID-19
Research shows that those who smoke are more susceptible to all types of respiratory infections. This coming winter season it is more important than ever that we protect ourselves from flu and coronavirus. Just like flu, a coronavirus infection may be more severe in people who smoke. The good news is that quitting smoking helps build up your natural resistance to all types of infections including coronavirus.

That’s why, this October, which is Quit Month, we have launched a campaign to encourage people who smoke to quit by taking 28-day stop smoking challenge. You will see and hear Quit ads on TV, social media and on the radio for the month of October. We would we grateful if you could share information about the campaign with your networks and share our messages on your social media channels if appropriate. The HSE’s Quit Service is on-hand to give lots of practical support. ​

Get in touch with the Quit Service today

Twitter: @HSEQuitTeam                   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HSEquit/

Instagram: hse_quit

Hashtag: #QuitandWin #TheLastStop

 

HSE and Irish Hospice Foundation Bereavement Support Line 1800 80 70 77
COVID-19 restrictions have changed the traditional ways we mark our grief. This means many people are facing bereavement in isolation. Many people have experienced and will experience the death of someone they love during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the face of such loss, the Irish Hospice Foundation Bereavement Support Line, in partnership with the HSE, has been launched to provide connection, comfort and support in these exceptional times.

 

National Breastfeeding Week (1st to 7th October) – COVID-19 and Breastfeeding
It’s National Breastfeeding Week 2020. This year the theme is supports for breastfeeding during a pandemic. The ‘Ask Our Breastfeeding Expert’ service on the HSE’s mychild.ie has seen an increase of 57% in queries over recent months. The team of lactation consultants provides advice to parents by message and live chat. You can find out more here. 

Webinars on different breastfeeding topics are taking place over the coming week for healthcare professionals, breastfeeding supporters and families. You can access the details here. 

Breastmilk has anti-infective and anti-inflammatory factors which helps babies to fight infections. There is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is transmitted through breastmilk. Breastfeeding is encouraged as normal. Advice on breastfeeding if you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 is available here.

 

Launch of Healthy Eating Guidelines and Vit D for 1-4 year olds
The new National Healthy Eating Guidelines for one to four year olds aim to help parents establish good eating habits in their children. As we face into winter and the daily challenges that COVID-19 poses, feeding our children and indeed ourselves healthily will help our overall physical and mental health.

Developed by nutrition experts in Ireland and based on international evidence, the guidelines include a newly designed children’s food pyramid which will help people understand what their child should be eating, what portion sizes look like and how seldom treats should be given. They also include new advice for parents on Vitamin D for children aged one to four.

There is a suite of resources including the food pyramid for children, meal plans, etc available online to download here. Parents can also find information at www.mychild.ie/nutrition.

 

Public Health Information
As always, for the most up to date information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on www.hpsc.ie where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

 Please also check here for the most up to date partner resources for COVID-19.

You can view the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of COVID-19 here.