*UKHSA Webinar on Wednesday 2^nd September at 2pm

UKHSA have set up an online acute respiratory infection (ARI) outbreak reporting tool for nursing and residential care home settings in the South East

The Outbreak Reporting tool is set to be launched on the 7^th September and UKHSA have set up a webinar that outlines the aim of this tool and how it links with the use of the LFD testing that was trialled in Winter 2025.

This session is designed specifically for care home managers, deputy managers, clinical leads and senior care home staff responsible for outbreak management, and will be used to report a single confirmed case of flu or an outbreak of respiratory infection, including COVID-19, flu and RSV.

The webinar will explain:

• An update on the use and replenishment of combination LFDs
• When a respiratory outbreak should be reported.
• The information you'll need before starting.
• A step-by-step walkthrough of the reporting process.
• What happens after a report is submitted.
• Frequently asked questions.

Meeting on Wednesday 2^nd September at 2pm

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/353385283327058?p=6bQEHhAsbJbGAMwMKP

Meeting ID: 353 385 283 327 058

Passcode: TN7mb2qZ

Thank you

Kind regards

Vanessa

Vanessa Seeboruth

Infection Prevention and Control Team Lead

I wanted to share an invitation to an upcoming Oxfordshire Employability Day that Affinity Trust is hosting on Monday 28 September, from 10.30am to 3.30pm at Didcot Civic Hall. click HERE for poster

The event has been designed for people with learning disabilities, autism and other complex needs, with the aim of helping people build their skills, confidence and experience as they explore employment and volunteering opportunities. The day will be practical and interactive, with opportunities to identify skills and interests, receive support with CVs, practice interviews and explore potential routes into employment. Attendees will also receive an Employment Passport to take away, recording the skills and experience they have developed during the day.

We would really appreciate it if you could share the invitation with any people you are currently working with, outside of Affinity Trust, who you feel may benefit from attending. The event is not intended solely for people who are actively seeking employment; it is equally aimed at those who may simply be interested in finding out more, building their confidence, developing skills, exploring volunteering or understanding what opportunities may be available to them. Places are limited, so anyone wishing to attend is asked to RSVP using the QR code on the attached invitation or by contacting Recruitment@AffinityTrust.org.

We would love to make this a genuinely collaborative Oxfordshire event and create opportunities for people to connect with a range of organisations and services that can support them beyond the day itself.

Please feel free to share the invitation widely with any colleagues or individuals who you think may benefit.

Connor Checksfield

Operations Manager

T: 07833 479 132

E: connorchecksfield@affinitytrust.org

W: affinitytrust.org

Dear Partners

As a valued partner in Oxfordshire’s adult social care system, we wanted to share an important opportunity for you to help shape the future of care nationally and ensure that local voices, experiences, and perspectives are heard.

Last week, Baroness Casey of Blackstock launched The Big Conversation on Care, which has been described as the most ambitious public conversation in a generation. It gives the public a direct role in shaping the future of adult social care in England.

This is an opportunity for you to contribute your unique perspective from Oxfordshire.

Between now and April 2027, you have the opportunity to share your views on what you want and expect from a future National Care Service, including answering challenging questions about who it should support, what families and people who draw upon services should reasonably be expected to do, and how the country should pay for care in a fair and sustainable way.

Baroness Casey has warned that the adult social care system is "broken" and that previous attempts to reform social care have too often failed because they have tried to resolve fundamental questions without first building public understanding and consent.

The Big Conversation aims to engage one million people across England by asking:

"When we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?"

Baroness Casey said:

"For too long, we have been stuck in the same cycle: crisis, promises of reform, another review, and then retreat, while the people who need care, and their families, bear the brunt

“Social care affects every family in this country, whether we need care ourselves, care for someone we love, work in care, or pay for it through our taxes.

“That's why I am launching The Big Conversation on Care today. I want people across England to help us face the hard questions about how we can build a National Care Service.

“It is only by listening to the public that we can build the agreement needed for lasting reform."

The first phase of the conversation, running from July to November, will focus on the values and principles we should all expect from a care system and who should be eligible for support. The second phase will focus on how care should be funded and how reform should be delivered.

The results of The Big Conversation will be presented to the Independent Commission and will inform its recommendations, which are due by summer 2027.

We encourage you to share your views through The Big Conversation on Care.

Best wishes

Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Care

Victoria Baran, Deputy Director Adult Social Care

Ian Bottomley, Deputy Director Commissioning

Oxfordshire County Council

County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND

Please note that the forwarded heat alert has been extended from 9PM on 14/08/2026 until 10AM on 15/08/2026 across the South East

Please note the forwarded heat health alert for your information and action. Please share with key partners/stakeholders. Other useful guidance includes the following:

Heat summary - supporting vulnerable people: social care managers - GOV.UK

Heat-Health Alert action card for health and social care providers - GOV.UK

Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather - GOV.UK

How to keep cool and stay well during hot weather – UK Health Security Agency

Keeping cool in heat waves | Oxfordshire County Council

Heat health alert updated for the South East

The amber heat health alert is in effect from 9AM on 03/08/2026 until 9AM on 05/08/2026 across the South East. The amber alert has a matrix score of 12. This means:

Significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including:

• a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. There may also be impacts on younger age groups
• likely increased demand on all health and social care services
• internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment
• the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services
• indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings
• issues managing medicines
• staffing issues due to external factors (for example, affecting transport)
• increased demand for power exceeding capacity
• other sector starting to observe impacts (for example, travel delays)
• water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning

You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.

How to take action if you have a duty to respond

Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather.

We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, voluntary and community sector, and national government. Summary action cards are also available below:

· commissioners

· voluntary and community sector

· care homes and other residential settings

· services delivering care to people in their homes

· hospitals and other healthcare settings

For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard.

The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, extreme heat) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place.

You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website.

How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable

While exposure to hot weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during hot weather.

Planning for adverse weather

All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a heat health alert is in place.

To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums.

About heat health alerts

Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive heat health alerts:

· health trust providers of NHS commissioned care

· local authorities

· social care organisations

The Heat-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 June to 30 September each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when high temperatures are likely to occur.

If we observe high temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary heat health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions.

You can share this email with your organisation or sign up to receive alerts using our registration form. We have a separate form if you would like to update your registration details.

Please let us know if you have a question or have a problem with your subscription. You can also unsubscribe from this service.

UKHSA and the Met Office use the Risk Matrix to assign a risk score for each alert. Users can refer the alert’s risk score to the matrix to understand the severity of the alert and likelihood of its impact.

Updates to heat health alerts

UKHSA and the Met Office make daily risk assessments. We will issue a new alert should the alert level change.

Further Advice and guidance

Flood Alerts and Warnings

UKHSA Privacy Notice

*******************************************************************************************

The information contained in the Email and any attachments is confidential and intended solely and for the attention and use of the named addressee(s). It may not be disclosed to any other person without the express authority of the UKHSA, or the intended recipient or both. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose, copy, distribute or retain this message or any part of it. This footnote also confirms that this Email has been swept for computer viruses by Exchange Online Protection, but please re-sweep any attachments before opening or saving. UK Health Security Agency -(https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency)

Dear provider,

An Amber Heat-Health Alert is now in place for the South East from 9am on Tuesday 11 August until 9pm on Friday 14 August 2026.

Significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures. This may include increased risk to people who are older, have health conditions, live in care settings, or receive support in the community.

Please ensure your hot weather arrangements are active and that teams are taking appropriate steps to keep people safe. This should include:

• Checking people who may be more vulnerable to heat, including those living alone or in warmer rooms or properties.
• Encouraging and supporting regular fluid intake.
• Keeping indoor spaces as cool as possible, including managing curtains, blinds, ventilation and fans where appropriate.
• Monitoring room temperatures and escalating concerns where environments are becoming unsafe.
• Reviewing medicines storage and any heat-related risks linked to medicines or health conditions.
• Supporting staff wellbeing and considering any impact on staffing, travel or business continuity.
• Ensuring staff know how to escalate concerns, including signs of dehydration, heat exhaustion or deterioration.

Please also share the relevant advice with staff, people using services and families where appropriate:

UKHSA Heat-Health Alerts dashboard: https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/heat

Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beat-the-heat-hot-weather-advice/beat-the-heat-staying-safe-in-hot-weather

Oxfordshire County Council: keeping cool in heat waves: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/social-and-health-care/public-health-and-wellbeing/keeping-cool-heat-waves

Thank you for your continued support in keeping people safe during this period of hot weather.

Kind regards,

Oxfordshire County Council

Our traffic filter trial is due to begin on Monday 28 September, replacing the temporary congestion charge as part of efforts to reduce traffic and congestion in Oxford. The start date follows Network Rail’s revised programme to reopen Botley Road on 20 September.

The trial will operate in a similar way to the current congestion charge scheme, with traffic filters remaining at the same six locations and a permit scheme available. The trial will run under an experimental traffic regulation order and could remain in place for up to 18 months.

What's changing?

The main change is that drivers will no longer be able to pay the £5 congestion charge to travel through a traffic filter.

With Botley Road expected to reopen, all parts of Oxford will still be accessible by car at all times, although some journeys may require an alternative route that avoids a traffic filter.

What permit holders need to know

Most people who already have a congestion charge permit do not need to take any action. Existing permits will automatically transfer to traffic filter permits, with the start date updated to match the beginning of the trial.

Day pass allowances will also be reset automatically:

• Oxford residents: 100 day passes per year
• Oxfordshire residents: 25 day passes per year

We will contact all current permit holders before the trial starts with further information.

People who do not yet have a permit can apply online before the trial begins.

Please note: the start date of the traffic filter trial remains subject to Network Rail reopening Botley Road on 20 September.

More information about the traffic filter scheme is available on our website.

Please note the forwarded heat health alert for your information and action. Please share with key partners/stakeholders. Other useful guidance includes the following:

Heat summary - supporting vulnerable people: social care managers - GOV.UK

Heat-Health Alert action card for health and social care providers - GOV.UK

Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather - GOV.UK

How to keep cool and stay well during hot weather – UK Health Security Agency

Keeping cool in heat waves | Oxfordshire County Council

Heat health alert issued for the South East

The yellow heat health alert is in effect from 9AM on 08/08/2026 until 9PM on 11/08/2026 across the South East. The yellow alert has a matrix score of 10. This means:

Significant impacts are possible across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including:

• a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. There may also be impacts on younger age groups
• a likely increase in demand for health services
• internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment
• the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services
• indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings
• water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning

You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.

How to take action if you have a duty to respond

Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather.

We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, voluntary and community sector, and national government. Summary action cards are also available below:

· commissioners

· voluntary and community sector

· care homes and other residential settings

· services delivering care to people in their homes

· hospitals and other healthcare settings

For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard.

The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, extreme heat) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place.

You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website.

How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable

While exposure to hot weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during hot weather.

Planning for adverse weather

All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a heat health alert is in place.

To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums.

About heat health alerts

Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive heat health alerts:

· health trust providers of NHS commissioned care

· local authorities

· social care organisations

The Heat-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 June to 30 September each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when high temperatures are likely to occur.

If we observe high temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary heat health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions.

You can share this email with your organisation or sign up to receive alerts using our registration form. We have a separate form if you would like to update your registration details.

Please let us know if you have a question or have a problem with your subscription. You can also unsubscribe from this service.

UKHSA and the Met Office use the Risk Matrix to assign a risk score for each alert. Users can refer the alert’s risk score to the matrix to understand the severity of the alert and likelihood of its impact.

Updates to heat health alerts

UKHSA and the Met Office make daily risk assessments. We will issue a new alert should the alert level change.

Further Advice and guidance

Flood Alerts and Warnings

UKHSA Privacy Notice

*******************************************************************************************

The information contained in the Email and any attachments is confidential and intended solely and for the attention and use of the named addressee(s). It may not be disclosed to any other person without the express authority of the UKHSA, or the intended recipient or both. If you

Dear Partners,

As a valued partner in Oxfordshire’s adult social care system, we wanted to share an important opportunity for you to help shape the future of care nationally and ensure that local voices, experiences and perspectives are heard.

Last week, Baroness Casey of Blackstock launched The Big Conversation on Care, which has been described as the most ambitious public conversation in a generation. It gives the public a direct role in shaping the future of adult social care in England.

This is an opportunity for you to contribute your unique perspective from Oxfordshire.

Between now and April 2027, you have the opportunity to share your views on what you want and expect from a future National Care Service, including answering challenging questions about who it should support, what families and service users should reasonably be expected to do, and how the country should pay for care in a fair and sustainable way.

Baroness Casey has warned that the adult social care system is "broken" and that previous attempts to reform social care have too often failed because they have tried to resolve fundamental questions without first building public understanding and consent.

The Big Conversation aims to engage one million people across England by asking:

"When we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?"

Baroness Casey said:

"For too long, we have been stuck in the same cycle: crisis, promises of reform, another review, and then retreat, while the people who need care, and their families, bear the brunt

“Social care affects every family in this country, whether we need care ourselves, care for someone we love, work in care, or pay for through our taxes.

“That's why I am launching The Big Conversation on Care today. I want people across England to help us face the hard questions about how we can build a National Care Service.

“It is only by listening to the public that we can build the agreement needed for lasting reform."

The first phase of the conversation, running from July to November, will focus on the values and principles we should all expect from a care system and who should be eligible for support. The second phase will focus on how care should be funded and how reform should be delivered.

The results of The Big Conversation will be presented to the Independent Commission and will inform its recommendations, which are due by summer 2027.

I encourage you to share your views through The Big Conversation on Care.

Best Wishes

Karen Fuller

Victoria Baran

Ian Bottomley

Dear Providers,

We have recently been made aware of two incidents in Oxfordshire where vulnerable adults were targeted by scam phone calls, with attempts made to obtain money from their bank accounts.

In one case, a care worker was present and intervened, preventing any loss. In the second, the individual's bank identified the suspicious transaction, stopped the payment, and issued a replacement bank card.

Please remind staff to remain vigilant and, where appropriate, encourage people receiving support to:

• Avoid making payments over the phone unless they are certain of the caller's identity.
• Be cautious of unexpected calls requesting money or personal banking information.
• Contact a trusted family member, representative, or organisation directly if they are unsure.
• Consider using call screening or call-blocking technology where appropriate.
• Report any concerns regarding potential financial abuse in line with safeguarding procedures.

Please share this message with relevant staff and continue supporting people to stay safe from financial scams.

Quality Improvement Team

Oxfordshire County Council”

Thank you,

Krisztina Britton

Quality Improvement Officer (Age Well)