Covid 19
These are unprecedented times, and we are making our best endeavours to ensure risk management measures that we put in place follow the latest advice from the Government, Public Health England, and the United Kingdom Health Care Association (UKHCA).
With the unsettling times that we find ourselves in. We want to be completely transparent with you, so that you are safe in the knowledge that you are being looked after appropriately and safely.
Find out more below.
National Guidelines
GOV.uk
The Government have provided National guidance for domiciliary care workers within the social care field. Adina Home Care Services work within these national guidelines, thus ensuring we are compliant and make all best endeavours to manage the risk posed by COVID-19.
Please see links below for resources under COVID-19: how to work safely in domiciliary care in England.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-how-to-work-safely-in-domiciliary-care
Information for those providing personal care to people living in their own home during the coronavirus outbreak. Updated
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-providing-home-care
A framework to support the planning and organisation of adult social care during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-ethical-framework-for-adult-social-care
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
CQC have made changes to support providers to keep its service users and staff safe. They have shared guidance that are in operation while the Coronavirus Act 2020 has been developed and remain in force to support social care services in response to the demands faced when working with vulnerable people during the Coronavirus pandemic.
- COVID-19: interim guidance on DBS and other recruitment checks
Local Council Guidelines
Local commissioning teams are regularly sharing information to all their care providers based on current government and health guidelines. The information provides clarity on how to best manage the challenges everybody is facing in terms of the new wave and variant of COVID-19.
These are:
Treat all people you support as having Covid:
The new identified variants are highly transmittable and many people are affected asymptomatically (so are not showing any type of symptoms or distress) you and your staff need to assume that any and all users of your service may have the virus but not showing any outward symptoms due to the nature of the virus. This means that all measures such as good hand hygiene (use of hand washing and gels) and the use of full PPE when supporting people is undertaken by all staff, all the time.
Contacts:
It is key to remember that due to the role staff play and their usage of PPE (as detailed above), they are NOTconsidered as a contact for any user of your service that has a positive covid test. This means that staff acting in their professional capacity are NOT required to self-isolate if a user of the service they have supported is tested as positive. As good practice if a user is tested positive, any staff supporting that user should be advised by the agency to take a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) ASAP from one of the Brent sites detailed below for their own piece of mind and reassurance.
Hospital Discharge or users who test positive for Covid:
As discussed at a forum in January, the amount of people in hospital has increased greatly and many people who are clinically fit for discharge but may have tested positive prior to discharge (even if asymptomatic) will require home care packages or the restarting of existing home care packages. Some users may feel unwell and wish to have a test from the walk-in or request a home testing kit (such as the 9 detailed below) to eliminate the diagnosis of covid-19 positive for peace of mind.
Testing:
Due to the high transmissibility and how many people are affected asymptomatically (so are not showing any type of symptoms or distress) testing is a key weapon of identifying and supporting any staff who may contract Covid-19. Testing identifies homecare workers who currently have COVID-19 so they are able to self-isolate if positive, protects those receiving care from infection passed on to them by homecare workers who are confirmed positive and prevents and controls the spread of the virus by identifying asymptomatic cases. All homecare agencies should be following the national guidance on ensuring their staff are tested weekly, by providing staff with the PCR tests kits and they should be collating all results for all staff (evidencing compliance with the guidance) and recording and reporting any positive case to their PRO. Guidance around this is available via the link outlined in this literature.
PPE:
The wearing of full PPE is an important barrier between staff and infection.
Vaccinations:
People most at risk from the complications of COVID-19 are being offered the vaccine first.
In the UK, there are presently 2 approved COVID-19 vaccines. They both require 2 doses to provide longer-lasting protection. Both have been shown to be effective in clinical trials and have a good safety record.
Adina Home Care Services
Adina Home Care Services work closely with our local authorities, commissioners, and CCGs, facilitating a multi-agency approach to reduce the risks of contracting or transmitting the virus whilst supporting our vulnerable service users.
- Identifying which of the service users are with the clinically extremely vulnerable group and taking necessary measures to support them with effective shielding and social distancing
- Identifying priority needs and working with the service user, their relatives and partnering agencies
- We reduce the number of carers seeing service users to minimise the impact of COVID-19, thus protecting the health and safety of or service users and staff.
- Exercising regular hand hygiene and appropriate personal protective measures to reduce the risk of transmission and contraction between service user, carer, and others.
- In house COVID-19 test kits for the care staff team, which are then analysed at a credible government laboratory.
- Carers demonstrating effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including safely donning and doffing PPE.
- PPE stock readily sourced through an NHS PPE portal.
- Carers treating all those they come in contact with as if they have COVID-19 to ensure they are maintaining high hygiene and safety standards at all times.
- Working in compliance with Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Adina Home Care Services have developed and implemented robust Coronavirus Workplace and Workforce risk management plans.
Please check our resources page for updates on how Adina Home Care Services will continue to provide high quality service amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. We ask that you follow all advice from NHS and Gov.uk
