It has been a long and difficult road out of lockdown and as we now enter into stage 4 of the roadmap, where many Covid regulations are no longer mandatory and PPE has become optional for some sectors, we wanted to outline our policy going forward so you know exactly where you stand with your care.
Public Health England PPE guidance remains in place for those working in adult social care and as a company we will support the continued use of PPE and infection prevention and control practises amongst our staff. With infection rates in the community still high, as a company, we feel it is more important than ever for us to continue these practises to ensure the safety of our staff and clients.
PHE guidance states that adult social care workers need to wear PPE for personal care of all individuals whether the person has COVID-19 or not, regardless of the age of the person they care for, and no matter what their role is.
PHE states: “Due to the nature of the settings and vulnerability of the population, use of PPE and infection prevention and control (IPC) measures should continue to be practised in domiciliary care.”
We will continue to mirror the PHE guidance on full PPE for all interactions between colleagues or clients and will update our processes and procedures in line with this guidance. We will continue to provide information and updates to both our staff and clients as the situation evolves.
When it comes to live in care, the PHE advises that care workers living with the supported individual for a long period of time and considered part of that persons household do not need to wear PPE when doing domestic duties unless the person they support or a member of the household tests positive for COVID-19 or shows symptoms. However, they are required to wear PPE for up close personal care and when handling or coming into contact with any bodily fluids.
Our staff are kept up to date in relation to the PPE they should be wearing during each care episode, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
As well as wearing PPE, our carers are also reminded of other safety measures such as frequent hand washing for at least 20 seconds, practicing good respiratory hygiene and avoiding touching their face, following standard infection prevention and control precautions, correctly putting on and taking off PPE and safe disposal of PPE.
Other ways we are ensuring the safety of both our staff and clients is by encouraging take up of the COVID-19 vaccination amongst our carers and we are pleased to say that so far 95% of our live-in care staff have had both doses of the vaccine and we hope that this high take up will help give you peace of mind about receiving care from our staff.
Research shows that the COVID-19 vaccines reduces the risk of getting seriously ill or dying from the virus, reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 and protection against the COVID-19 variants.
However, even if both parties are fully vaccinated, we are following PHE advice and continuing to use PPE until advised otherwise to protect both parties and anyone who may not be vaccinated or clinically extremely vulnerable.
Our staff are also tested weekly regardless of if they have symptoms or not, so any asymptomatic cases will be picked up at the earliest opportunity to protect you and they will be advised to self-isolate.
If you would like to find out any more about our COVID-19 policies and protocols, you can browse our website or call us on 01245 890336 to discuss any questions, queries or concerns you have about our safety and PPE practises going forward. We are always happy to keep you informed and up to date of how we are keeping you safe during the pandemic and beyond.
Enter your details below and a member of our team will be in touch to confirm your consultation