INTRODUCTION
Apologies for starting this update on a morbid note but new figures show 217 residents in care homes in England and Wales have died from Covid-19 in the 14 days leading up to April 3rd. However, Care England and the Alzheimer’s Society believe the death toll within care facilities is being under-reported because of a lack of testing. They believe 4000 residents could have already died from coronavirus and this is consistent with care homes deaths in other countries who are currently battling Covid-19. The evidence from Europe shows more than 40 per cent of all deaths relating to coronavirus occur in care homes. Our residents are in a very vulnerable group, they may have underlying conditions and they are in close proximity so unfortunately, it is being spread quicker.
With this in mind, personally, I do not feel the government have been doing enough to support Care Homes, we have been overlooked and I have been championing a change to this. We can all agree that the NHS do a fantastic job, but I believe the government have not given the care sector the same consideration as the NHS and I strongly feel that staff working within care homes should also be applauded for their outstanding work. I am therefore glad to hear that care homes and our staff are finally getting the recognition in the media over the last week.
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Highlights of the new Government plans….and a badge to show you Care!
CONTROLLING THE SPREAD OF INFECTION
Faster distribution of personal protective equipment such as masks, aprons and gloves to all care homes and home care agencies.
All residents who show symptoms of coronavirus will be tested.
Those discharged from hospitals into care homes will be tested even if they have no symptoms.
SUPPORTING THE WORKFORCE
Rolling out of testing of all social care workers, with over 3,000 staff having received invitations so far.
Ambition is to attract another 20,000 people into social care over the next three months, via a new national recruitment campaign targeting those who have been furloughed.
Retired social workers and occupational therapists will be encouraged back to work through a relaxation of the rules.
More nurses and student nurses will be deployed into social care where there are shortages.
Many of the 750,000 who have signed up to be coronavirus volunteers will be directed towards social care.
Changes to the benefit rules to ensure that no low-paid care worker loses out if they take on extra shifts.
A new CARE brand – including a badge – to show social care staff that they are valued, pic below.
A new Facebook video service to allow residents in care homes to speak to their families.
Text messaging support service for staff so they can ask advice on how to deal with coronavirus.
SUPPORTING INDEPENDENCE
Families will be allowed to visit care homes in the final days of their loved ones’ lives to say goodbye.
No blanket application of ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ orders.
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HOW DOES THIS AFFECT BERNASH CARE HOME?
Whilst I welcome the coronavirus swab testing for people working in social care and residents, it looks as though it will be rolled out without any consideration given to who is going to be tested and what we are going to do with the result. I have requested further clarification on how the testing of staff and residents will be implemented and confirmation that all the staff will be tested, should one resident present with Covid-19 symptoms.
The Local Authority promised Bernash full PPE supplies, however only a small number of masks and gloves have been delivered. We are still having to source our PPE from external suppliers at an increased rate, and in some cases, items have increased by 1000%. But rest assured we haven’t had any shortages of the main PPE thus far.
A local company David Glover Furniture based in North Devon and Dr Alisha J Cramer from the School of Physics, Bristol have kindly agreed to donate some face visors to our staff, and we expect to receive delivery by the middle of next week.
The changes to the benefit rules will enable some of our staff to work more shifts and not have their benefits affected. Again, I am waiting on further clarification on how this will work.
We agree visits at the end of life are important both for the resident and their loved ones, however this would require careful planning and far more PPE would be needed than is currently available. We are currently working on a plan to support this, but hopefully this will never need to be implemented at Bernash.
The new ‘CARE’ brand’ for the social care workforce is to instil the same level of pride as in the NHS. Badges with green CARE logos will be sent to staff over the next few weeks enabling them to access free coffees, as well as discounts at stores and cafes once the lockdown is relaxed.
The government have announced a new text messaging support service for staff, however, haven’t provided the contact details. I will continue to chase for this.
We are offering families the ability to speak with their loved ones via Facetime or Skype. Please contact the home directly for more information if you haven’t already made use of this service.
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THE RESULTS SO FAR
We had one scare this week when we thought one of our residents was symptomatic of Covid-19, but after close monitoring and liaising with our NHS Health partners, I am glad to say that all is fine and we remain clear of any coronavirus threatening the welfare of our residents. Therefore, I am delighted to confirm that all the residents remain asymptomatic.
Bernash remains fully staffed and staff absence has been minimal, with only four members of staff needing to self-isolate for 14 days as a precautionary measure.
Bernash currently has two beds available, however we have taken the decision not to fill these beds as the health and wellbeing of our current residents and staff remains paramount.
We have four main food suppliers, WJ Harris Butchers, Moo 2 Me, Tesco & Bookers. WJ Harris Butchers and Moo 2 Me have consistently provided us with regular food and drink supplies. Bookers have also made regular deliveries, however, more often than not items are missing from the order. This then puts staff in the risky position of sourcing food directly from the stores, something we will try to avoid at all costs. Unfortunately, Tesco’s have been less accommodating, limiting the amount of food we can purchase and booking a delivery slot is also challenging. That said, the home remains fully stocked.
Staff are using new PPE for each episode of care intervention and discarding all clinical waste appropriately.
Vital signs ie. temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen levels are recorded daily by staff. Although this is not mandatory, we find it good practice and gives us an indication if a resident is becoming unwell and we can step in and isolate them early.
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I would now like to take this opportunity to say a big THANK-YOU to every single member of staff at Bernash Care Home for caring and supporting residents in these incredibly difficult times. Bernash would be nothing without the incredible people like you – managers, carers, administrators, domestic, cooks, activity co-ordinators and maintenance, that work selflessly and tirelessly, day in and day out, to make sure the residents are looked after. You all care for people when they’re at their most fragile – bringing hope to what, in some cases, may be the worst day of their lives. During this unprecedented period of time marked with angst and anxiety – what a few have referred to as our generations “World War” – thank you for being the helpers and heroes we look to.
Best wishes & stay safe,
Ryan Somauroo
Director