Innovative dashboard to manage staffing levels during Coronavirus pandemic
During the greatest public health crisis in a century, specialist nursing care provider, Exemplar Health Care, is continuing to innovate by introducing new technology across its care home network, to help manage and maintain staffing levels. The current COVID-19 pandemic has placed a great pressure on the health and social care sector, which has resulted in the need to recruit additional staff. In response to this challenge, Exemplar Health Care has introduced new tools and processes to ensure that every care home has the staff levels required to ensure that service users continue to receive the best quality care. As such, Exemplar Health Care has implemented a new online dashboard that provides real-time information about staffing levels across its 32 homes. When colleagues enter and leave one of the care homes, they are required to sign in and out on an iPad. This information feeds into the dashboard and is updated every 15 minutes; providing the operations team with a real-time view of how many colleagues are in each home at any given time. Selina Wall, Senior Director of Operations at Exemplar Health Care, says: “Our care homes are staffed 24/7, so one of my key priorities each day is guaranteeing that we have the right number of colleagues working in our care homes to support our service users. This is even more pressing when staffing levels are driven by the assessed needs of the people that we support. The implementation of the dashboard has provided me with real time information and reassurance. “This is a much more efficient way of tracking staffing levels as it has reduced the number of emails and phone calls with home managers, meaning that we all have more time to spend supporting our residents and colleagues.” Since the start of the pandemic, Exemplar Health Care has recruited over 200 new support workers, on both temporary and permanent contracts, and has enlisted the support of temporary and agency staff to help cover staff shortages, due to sickness or isolation. For more information about Exemplar Health Care visit https://www.exemplarhc.com/
Borough Care Staff Show Gratitude For Donations
Staff at Borough Care are extremely grateful to residents’ families and members of the wider community for their donations and kind words of support, as they continue to care for residents during the current coronavirus (Covid 19) pandemic. Borough Care is the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport and has eleven homes across the borough. Lindsay Hadfield, Activity Lifestyle Facilitator at Borough Care’s Silverdale home in Bredbury, says: “We have received lots of wonderful donations, including cotton laundry bags, hand creams, safety visors, fruit, cakes and other food items. One young person has sent us beautiful pictures she has drawn and coloured, which we have put in the windows at Silverdale. We couldn’t be prouder to know that people of all ages, and from all walks of life, are thinking of us and sending their thoughts and gratitude. It means the world to all of us.” Staff at Bryn Haven in Brinnington have also received some lovely handmade laundry bags, along with cupcakes decorated with the message: ‘After every storm there is a rainbow of hope’. Dr Mark Ward, CEO at Borough Care, says: “All our staff are continuing to work so hard in these challenging times and it’s heart-warming that people recognise their commitment. It means so much to our staff to feel appreciated and valued for the work they are doing supporting residents. On behalf of all Borough Care staff, I would like to express our thanks to everyone who has taken the time to make and donate things, send messages of support and show their gratitude.”
Work Together to Support End of Life Patients in Virtual Ward
A local charity and home care provider have joined forces to Support End of Life at home, helping to reduce the pressure on the NHS. St Helena Hospice has partnered with Bluebird Care Colchester and Tendring to provide its SinglePoint Virtual Ward service to patients and families in the comfort of their own homes, in the last days of life. The partnership comes as St Helena Hospice has adapted and expanded its SinglePoint service to act as a coordinator for all local services. This gives local people the option to stay out of hospital if they don’t need to go in, and for end of life care to take place in the patient’s own home. The Virtual Ward is an extension of the SinglePoint service, where patients receive similar personal care from healthcare assistants as they would at The Hospice, but in their own homes. This innovative service, frees up valuable bed space at the hospital, and local clinicians’ time, allowing them to focus on treating those who need to be cared for in hospital. Jo Tonkin, Director of Care at St Helena Hospice’s, said: “Our Virtual Ward has expanded significantly since we launched the service last year, and has evolved further because of the pandemic, with the number of beds growing from 8 to 14 in the last few weeks. We’re now delighted to be working alongside Bluebird Care Colchester and Tendring to help us increase the capacity of this service to allow us to support 14 patients at any one time. We reached out to Bluebird Care to work with us as they have an excellent reputation and portfolio for managing complex patients in the community. This has also allowed us to change our model of care, increasing the level of support we can provide. We are now able to visit patients up to three times a day, or more if necessary, depending on an individual’s need. We can now also support people for up to four weeks, whereas before the pandemic, it was up to two weeks.” Melvyn Plum, Managing Director of Bluebird Care Colchester & Tendring said: “Our whole team is immensely proud to provide vital support to St Helena Hospice at such a critical time. By utilising the latest cloud based technology we are able to streamline the referral process which allows an immediate response so we can put the care and support in place straight away. Our care assistants are rigorously trained to provide a unique service of personalised care from check-in visits through to full live-in support, so we are perfectly matched to assist the hospice and help our local community.” The Virtual Ward team has access to the SinglePoint specialists for advice and guidance if needed, such as for help with managing difficult symptoms. They can also help with psychological distress, not only for the patient, but also for the family. It can be a very challenging time for family when they are caring for a loved one at home. Jo Tonkin added: “Families sometimes find themselves in a situation where they can’t manage. Symptoms are challenging, the patient becomes distressed and ambulances may well be called to take the patient to hospital. The Virtual Ward has access to all the SinglePoint rapid response services to make sure we can deliver the right level of support for patients when they need it 24/7. Our aim is to avoid admission to the hospital or The Hospice and to help the patient to remain at home.” For similar articles visit our features section
Why protecting mental health is key to resilience during this crisis
These unprecedented times have seen the health and social care sector experience a huge upheaval. We’re all acutely aware of the immense pressure carers and front line staff are under as they fight an uphill battle day-in, day-out, with the country relying on them to care for the most vulnerable in our society. I think I speak for everyone when I say how incredibly proud we are of their amazing work. While some positives have come from this situation, in terms of the huge wave of recognition and gratitude for workers in this sector, it has also brought a significant amount of stress for individuals and even greater pressure for the sector as a whole. Afterall, the sector is partly responsible for ensuring the nation’s success in fighting this virus. This, combined with staff shortages, years of chronic underfunding within the sector, issues around accessing sufficient PPE, not to mention the fact that health and social care workers are putting themselves and their loved ones at increased risk of infection – it’s no wonder that underlying mental health issues of workers will come to the fore, now and following the conclusion of this crisis. During these unsettling times, protecting mental health and those of our colleagues is of utmost importance. Here are my tips on how to manage difficult conversations and provide a support system for the workforce: 1. Offer a listening earWhile it’s more essential than ever to check-in with colleagues to see how they’re coping, it’s also important to remember that people may find it difficult to come forward and express their worries or ask for help. By offering a listening ear and regularly checking-in shows that you care and makes it clear that you’re willing to talk when the time is right for them. Remember you are not there to judge or diagnose, just make time to talk. 2. Someone to turn toHaving qualified First Aiders for Mental Health in your team is an effective way to support employees’ wellbeing. Not only do these team members have the skills to identify pressure points and manage difficult situations, your employees will have a trusted member of the team that they can turn to. 3. Check ‘fine’ really means itWe all know that if someone says they are ‘fine’, it isn’t always the case. When we are going through challenging times it’s no surprise that people don’t want to burden others, which can lead to feelings of anxiety or stress to build up. It might sound simple, but by checking if someone is really fine, or by saying “no, how are you really feeling?”, can encourage them to open up. If someone does express any feelings of worry or anxiety with you, it can help to relay what they’ve said back to them, to show you’re actively listening and make sure you’ve understood them correctly. 4. Remember we’re all differentWe all react differently to difficult situations and it’s vital to remember that people will be impacted in different ways. While we are all uncertain about the long-term effects this outbreak will have on our lives, some of us will have increased anxiety about the health of loved ones, others will have decreased job security, financial worries, and some of us will have concerns about the effect on our children’s education. I believe it’s essential to open the conversation and support employers and employees in mental health first aid. This is fundamental to both the individual and the organisation. There are a range of First Aid for Mental Health courses available, which provide learners with the knowledge to recognise a range of mental health conditions, enabling them to signpost a person to appropriate help, recognise and manage stress, as well as the opportunity to qualify as a First Aider for Mental Health. Right now, it has never been more important to look after mental health and wellbeing and listen to each other’s concerns. By continuing to support each other, as an industry, we can remain resilient and weather this storm together. Lindsey Appleby-Flynn, Adult Health and Social Care Lead at Connect2Care For additional information, Connect2Care’s has developed a guide on providing wellbeing support. You can view it here. For more information on Connect2Care and its courses on First Aid Training for Mental Health, please visit www.connect2care.net.
Researchers highlight the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with cancer
New collaborative research from Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Split, Croatia and King’s College London has shown that the response to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is significantly affecting the treatment and care of patients with cancer. The research, recently published in the European Journal of Cancer, highlights how the repurposing of health systems and implementation of social distancing measures, including national lockdowns, have had negative effects on patients with cancer. These effects included delays in urgent referrals and patients having their cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy postponed, or surgery being delayed. Cancer is a common disease, with over 3.7 million new diagnoses in Europe each year and over 1.9 million deaths. The researchers highlight how this 1.9 million figure may increase significantly, directly as a result of the current crisis. Recent data from Wuhan in China, the original epicentre of the pandemic, shows that there has been a greater than 20% drop in the use of cancer drugs in the first quarter of 2020. The British Society of Gastroenterology also recommends that no endoscopic procedures, which are used to screen for bowel/colorectal cancer, can be performed for at least the next 3 months. Professor Mark Lawler, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Digital Health, Queen’s University Belfast, and Scientific Lead, DATA-CAN, the UK Health Data Research Hub for Cancer and Senior Author on the paper said: “We are already seeing the indirect effects of the COVID-19 crisis on cancer care. Urgent referral numbers are dropping, endoscopies and other surgical procedures are being postponed and many cancer specialists are being redirected to COVID-19 specific care. If we don’t act, we risk the unintended consequence of the current COVID019 pandemic precipitating a future cancer epidemic.” The research also highlights that as more people are worrying about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, less people are seeking advice on new symptoms of a possible cancer, including abnormal bleeding or new lumps on the body. Professor Eduard Vrdoljak, Department of Oncology, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, and the University of Split, Croatia and Lead Author on the paper said: “I am extremely worried. We are experiencing significant challenges. People’s fear of attending any health facility, coupled with their minds being more focused towards COVID-19 symptoms, mean that they may down-play rectal or bladder bleeding, a lump in the breast or other signs of cancer that otherwise would lead them immediately to consult their doctor. We are starting to see people who may be at risk of developing cancer fearing a COVID-19 diagnosis more than a cancer diagnosis.” Professor Richard Sullivan, Director of the Institute of Cancer Policy, King’s College London and author on the paper said: “The focus on COVID-19 through 24-hour news cycle and social media, has dramatically changed our emotional and social infrastructure. At the scientific level, the modelling on which public health measures are being taken is entirely focused on COVID-19 mortality and morbidity, with little or no consideration for the impact of control measures on increasing morbidity and mortality in cancer, or indeed any other health condition.” Margaret Grayson, Chair of the Northern Ireland Cancer Research Consumer Forum, said: “Patients, especially cancer patients, are extremely worried at this difficult time. Governments and health systems need to reassure patients and citizens, but they also need to act, to ensure that the care of cancer patients is not compromised.” Professor Vrdoljak added: “In transitioning nations in Central and Eastern Europe, and more widely in low- and middle-income countries globally, we are already significantly challenged in our fight against cancer. Let’s not make the situation worse by ignoring cancer in the current crisis.” Professor Lawler concludes: “We must encourage cancer patients, or citizens who are worried that they may have cancer symptoms, to continue to access health systems and we must ensure that those health systems are fit for purpose to support them. Cancer must be firmly in our cross wires, so that we avoid adding the lost lives of cancer patients to the COVID-19 death toll.”
iHASCO Offers Free Training to all Key Workers Across the UK
Bracknell based eLearning provider, iHASCO, have announced that all key workers across the UK can obtain free access to their Mental Health Awareness and Infection Prevention & Control training programmes. The announcement was made shortly after they were listed on the Crown Commercial Service’s COVID-19 Catalogue of supplier offers. Mental health and wellbeing has long been high up on the agenda for employers, but now, it’s more important than ever before. The coronavirus pandemic could have a “profound” effect on people’s mental health – now and in the future, say psychiatrists and psychologists who are calling for urgent research. It’s the same with Infection Prevention and Control training; incredibly important in day-to-day life but with the recent Coronavirus pandemic affecting tens of thousands in the UK alone, it’s crucial that key workers are given high-quality training to stop the spread of the virus and save lives. iHASCO’s Mental Health Awareness Course is IOSH approved and recently won the THS Health & Safety Awards. Their Infection Prevention & Control training has been recently updated and is currently in the IOSH approval process. They also offer 2 variations of the courses listed above that have been specifically designed for the care sector. “We can’t thank our key workers enough for the sacrifices they are making everyday, but if our training can help those who are struggling with mental ill-health or even contributes to stopping the spread of COVID-19, then we’ve made a genuine difference” says Alex Morris, Director at iHASCO. If you’re a key worker or you’re an employer of key workers, get in touch with iHASCO today and they can get your account set up, free of charge.
Mediquip turns training into action at COVID-19 units
Across the country, it’s a growing challenge for companies to make vital deliveries and install equipment to help reduce the load on hospitals and critical care facilities. When Gallions View Care home in Greenwich was being set up as a specialist centre for COVID-19 patients to ease the burden on the local hospital and other care facilities, the local Medequip team based at Woolwich turned training into action and was tasked with installing beds and associated items to equip 30 care rooms. Medequip Centre of Excellence trainer Paul Cockburn proposed a novel solution. “With 10 trainees on my cohort at our training centre in Woolwich, it seemed like an excellent idea to put their studies and knowledge to good use in support of our team on the ground,” said Paul. “Following discussions and planning with our local operational team, it was decided to mobilise our newest technicians to complete the work.” The equipment was delivered in to the care home, some of it directly from suppliers and some from Medequip’s Woolwich depot. At 9 o’clock on 7 April, the team of trainees began work; no special PPE was needed as the facility was empty, awaiting its first patients. By lunchtime they had successfully installed a total of 30 Accora floor beds (low level profiling beds) and mattresses, commodes, overbed tables and high back chairs as well as two mobile hoists and two floor standing hoists, and the rooms were ready to admit their first patients. Following the success of this initiative, the team of trainees has been in action again, this time at Time Court in Charlton, a care unit with COVID-19 patients already on the wards. Here, Medequip took extra care with government-approved PPE, maintaining strict distancing from patients and staff. Within one and a half hours four beds had been installed complete with siderails, mattresses and two hoists, all ready for use with minimal disruption to the work on the unit. A spokesperson from the unit commented: “Medequip arrived in force to deliver the beds. Very professional, like a military operation; they were briefed outside and came in two by two, directed to the individual rooms, all went like clockwork.” “At Medequip, we’re very proud of our teams around the country who are handling an increased workload to ensure vulnerable people continue to get the support they need and to help with hospital discharges,” stated Medequip’s MD David Griffiths. “This is a great example of the Medequip team at its very best, working together for the good of our service users, using ingenuity and expertise to make sure we can match the new challenges we are currently facing on a daily basis.” For similar articles visit our features section
Keep Calm and Carry on Caring
With the Coronavirus pandemic now sweeping the globe, we all need to heed the Government’s warning to stay at home and observe strict social distancing rules to safeguard our NHS and look after our families. But even in these exceptional times, there are some simple ways that you can help yourself feel more in control and make a real difference to the most vulnerable in your community. Rachel Hardy, Chief Executive of Foresters Friendly Society discusses five things you can do to keep calm and carry on caring at this time of crisis. Call or video chat with elderly or vulnerable people: Research by the Campaign to End Loneliness found half a million older people already experience protracted periods of isolation. This will only increase as the elderly now have to self-isolate for 12 weeks to stay safe. Just checking in by phone or video call and asking them how their day has been can be enough to change someone’s whole outlook. Looking after our members has been part of Foresters’ ethos for many years, and in 2019 our members made nearly 13,000 care contacts to keep in touch with each other. Donate to your local food bank: Food banks are currently experiencing increased demand plus a fall in donations. To help them support as many people as possible, consider donating even a couple of tins of food next time you visit the supermarket. Many food shops have a collection at the front of the store where you can leave any donations and staff will make sure they get to those in need. Alternatively, you can find out where your local food bank is and then you can deliver to them direct. If someone vulnerable needs extra help with food shopping, it may be worth offering to pick up their food alongside your own. Becky Wass, from Falmouth, Cornwall, designed a postcard to let neighbours who can’t leave the house get the support they need. The postcard has now gone viral and everyone can print to share with their neighbours too, and it can be found here. Take time out to practice mindfulness: Everything is changing quickly at the moment and constant news updates can make it hard to switch off. Going for a quick walk everyday is encouraged even under the Government’s latest lockdown measures. Stepping out of the house to go for a short walk can help you to put everything into perspective and help you to feel calmer. As April marks Stress Awareness Month, it’s also worth talking to those around you about how you are feeling as they may be able to help you work through your feelings and relieve any anxieties you may have. Additionally, apps like Headspace are a great way to help you to relax, meditate, improve your mental health and feel better over time. Organise virtual activities: While we must adapt to this “new normal” it doesn’t mean all fun has to stop. With Easter around the corner, this is a great excuse to get everyone involved in a fun indoor activity. Why not host a virtual egg painting contest, bake Easter biscuits for yourselves or even host an Easter party for those in your household. Video calling apps such as Zoom and HouseParty have become popular ways that people are staying in touch with their friends and family and socialising together. Having to stay in isolation can cause a strain on family life and can be especially difficult to explain to young children who are used to socialising with friends or playing outside, encouraging them to talk to their friends over the phone or via video call can help to offer a sense of normality to their day. What to do if you are struggling with financial hardship: The outbreak of Coronavirus is also having a large impact on many people’s finances with job uncertainty and lost earnings an issue for many. Foresters Friendly Society is able to provide financial support in some cases for its members in the form of discretionary grants. The Foresters Support Fund can help adult members in times of hardship, paying up to £2,000 to get members through difficult times. Additionally, as part of Foresters Child Support Fund, Foresters is able to provide financial assistance to children such as those who are bereft of one or both parents; children who have parents that are incapacitated; children who themselves are incapacitated or have special needs and children who are carers. For more information visit our members’ pages to find out about the benefits we offer. At Foresters Friendly Society we value friendship and kindness and encourage all of our members to do anything they can, however small it may seem, to help each other and the wider community at this time. Supporting our members emotionally, as well as financially through the grants we offer, remains at the top of our agenda. Our members should rest assured that as your mutual society, we will do our utmost to ensure we put you, and our staff who provide you with the service you have come to expect, first at all times. Should you require additional support please get in touch with your local Court or call our main office on 0800 783 4162 and we will be pleased to help.
Sanders Senior Living provide meals for vulnerable people
Chefs of private residential care group, Sanders Senior Living, have begun to produce an extra 200 hot meals every week in an effort to help the vulnerable during the coronavirus crisis. The recently established and expanding care home group, derived from the successful Runwood Homes organisation, consists of two services; Claridge Place in Solihull and Graysford Hall in Leicester, and both have committed to an initiative to help feed the vulnerable. The SSL teams, who care for older people, including those living with dementia, wanted to do their bit during the lockdown period, when so many people have been affected by changes in regular services and accessibility to basic requirements. To set up their voluntary food support initiative, each home has reached out to local charities, volunteer organisations and their local council to work together and form a recipient list for their meals on wheels service, which began, on Tuesday 14 April. The chefs and their catering teams each aim to provide a healthy, freshly prepared meal to 20 different people each day throughout these restrictive times, to help ease the pressure of having access to nutritious food as well as having to go out, encouraging people to stay at home, as guided by the government. Delivered from door to door by volunteers from the homes’ local areas, those receiving meals can look forward to meals including shepherd’s pie, chicken in mushroom sauce and beef stew, served with a range of suitable sides including vegetables. Recipients so far include those in sheltered housing, isolated elderly people and deprived families. Commenting on the initiative, Pradeep Patel, Graysford Hall’s Home Manager, said, “A huge part of our role as a care home in Leicester is to engage with the local community. In light of the current lockdown situation, we felt strongly motivated to get involved and to do our part, with help from by our talented Head Chef, Robert Barker. We’re delighted that The Lord Mayor of Leicester assisted in identifying and delivering the first round of meals and we feel privileged to be able to care for our community as well as our residents.” For more information, and to make contact with a Sanders Senior Living care home for ways to be involved, please visit www.sandersseniorliving.co.uk
