Care homes across the UK have struggled over the last 10 months to safeguard both residents and staff from the effects of COVID-19. With approximately 400,000 residents living in care homes, the pandemic has led to the loss of life, isolation and disruption to the continuation of care.

Whilst care practitioners are highly skilled and trained in looking after the complex needs of their residents, it’s fair to say they were not prepared for what they had to face. Never had we witnessed a virus that took hold so quickly, deeply affecting those who live and work within our care homes. 

Here at Safe For Work, we were interested to understand how care homes are now operating in a COVID safe way. Below we highlight just some of the additional health and safety measures that have been put in place to keep staff and residents safe. 

Isolation

Many care homes have followed a strict isolation policy on those testing positive for COVID. Once a positive test has been confirmed, those residents then need to isolate for 14 days. Many care homes have introduced a zoning system whereby the staff who deliver care to COVID residents then cannot care for those who are well and displaying no symptoms. This zoning of staff therefore assists with the prevention of spreading the virus to other parts of the home.

Laundry management 

Care homes by their very nature have stringent laundry and waste management systems already in place. During times of a pandemic, this becomes even more important to keep staff and residents safe. Many care homes have therefore implemented more frequent washing of bedding and towels for example with some items being disposed of if they cannot be fully cleaned. 

Visitors

Since the first UK lockdown, the front doors to care homes were also closed. Residents had to rely on the care from staff with limited access to friends and family. Care homes have facilitated the safe visits of family wherever possible ensuring PPE and social distancing measures are followed. Visits to loved ones have however been restricted by either the frequency in which one can visit or the number of people wishing to visit a resident. 

Care home staff have also encouraged and supported its residents to embrace the use of technology as a way of keeping connected, facilitating video calls with family and friends.