The Carer Digital - Issue #10

T H E P U B L I C AT I O N F O R N U R S I N G A N D R E S I D E N T I A L C A R E H O M E S

W W W. T H E C A R E R U K . C O M

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The Carer Digital

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Issue 10

Testing Rolled Out to All Care Homes in England

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The government is extending whole care home testing to all adult care homes after meeting the target of offering a test to every care home for over-65s and those with dementia in England by 6 June.

Since the launch of whole care home testing, the government has provided 1,071,103 test kits to 8,984 care homes, and we are now able to send out over 50,000 test kits a day.

To continue providing support for the sector and to tackle the further spread

of the virus in social care the government has set up a new taskforce, with representatives from across government and the care sector.

The new taskforce will help oversee the implementation of the government’s social care action plan and care home support package to help end transmission in the community and advise on a plan to support the sector through the next year.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

PAGE 2 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT Welcome to the tenth edition of The Carer Digital! “Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have."

MARGARET MEAD It is positive and welcome news that there has been a fall in the care home deaths due to the coronavirus. However, I would wholeheartedly agree with Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group, when he says welcome though they are, the government needs to support the sector even more to ensure that this downward trend continues.

Other good news is our lead story - with the government stating that it is to extend testing to all adult care homes, and also set up a task force which it says will “oversee the implementation of the government’s social care action plan and care home support package to help end transmission in the Editor community and advise on a plan to support the sector through the next year�.

In my opinion, and I suspect in the opinion of everyone connected with the sector, this task force has its work cut out! We would draw your attention to a very hard-hitting article on page 11 “Revolution Required to Solve Social Care Crisis�.

I don’t think it could be more starkly said. Here’s the interesting thing - mainstream “bandwagon journalists and media observers� have been very vocal during this pandemic.

They’ve almost set themselves up as sector spokespeople and standardbearers. However, I have never seen them at any of the numerous care shows, seminars, conferences, meetings launches or initiatives I have attended. I suspect as the pandemic recedes so will their interest.

The problems sector faces, however, will not. Having attended all the above over the last 15 years, and more importantly speaking to owners, operators, managers, and frontline workers, I know too well that only the difficulties the face of the despair in the sector have felt year after year as problems have brushed under the carpet.

We live in a political world of soundbites and promises, but I think anyone with a modicum of common sense would know that care cannot provide it free. As the article says : ““The idea of making social care free to everyone as part of the NHS, possibly funded by a new ‘care tax’, is a non-starter, this would be the largest nationalisation ever. The NHS has 170,000 beds in 1,300 hospitals. Adding another 480,000 beds in around 20,000 nursing and care homes would overwhelm it completely.�

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted how vital the care sector is, it has highlighted how underfunded it is, and how taken for granted it can be. Not only by the government, but I have to say by the general public. Any expectation that care be provided free is simply handing the bill to the next generation. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a possible workable solution in the article whereby people take out a fixed term insurance policy and any time in care afterwards is paid for by the government, thus sharing the burden.

It may not be everybody’s “cup of tea�, but we cannot continually ride the carousel year after year, particularly in the lead up to elections promising green papers and white papers, discussing potential solutions, only to see it all grind to a halt once elections are

Peter Adams

over.

As we, hopefully, begin to move the focus away from the coronavirus crisis and onto the elephant in the room which is how we provide social care for our ageing population in the future, I would be very interested in any questions points wish to raise which we could share and put to some of the industry’s leading lights so please email me at editor@thecareruk.com Again we are delighted to include the heart-warming, uplifting, and inspirational stories so please keep them coming!

Once again I would draw your attention to our Unsung Hero award this issue please see page 15. No frills, no gimmicks, no fancy award ceremony - a straightforward no-nonsense recognition award for somebody in the sector from any department who deserves to be recognised for what they have done.

It isn’t much, I know, given the current circumstances, and how we wish we could award everybody!

So please get nominating! This lockdown is not going to last forever and the hotels will be open for business soon - a luxury two night break for two people in a choice of over 300 hotels awaits! - nominate@thecareruk.com Say hello to some of our previous winners:

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 3

Testing Rolled Out to All Care Homes in England (...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “From today all remaining adult care homes in England will be able to order the whole care home testing service for residents and staff. This service will benefit residents and staff in over 6,000 more care homes.

“It will mean that right across the care home sector everyone will have the certainty and confidence of a high quality coronavirus test, whether symptomatic or not, certainty about whether or not they’re carrying the virus and confidence that they are doing the right thing both to protect themselves and others.”

During the first phase care homes for the over-65s and those caring for people with dementia were prioritised for whole care home testing to target those with the greatest need. The government is now able to offer testing to every adult care home in England, including specialist learning disability and mental health care homes.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “Care homes are on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19 and we are determined that staff have everything they need to keep themselves and their residents safe.

“Opening up whole care home testing to the whole social care sector, regardless of symptoms, means we can prevent and control outbreaks and protect the most vulnerable.”

Former president of ADASS and Director of Adult Social Care of DHSC, David Pearson has been appointed independent Chair of the Social Care Sector Covid-19 Support Taskforce which will oversee deliv-

ery of infection control measures as set out by the care home support package, backed by £600 million from the government, delivery of testing programmes and effective deployment of the workforce.

David Pearson CBE, Chair of the Social Care Sector Covid-19 Support Taskforce said: “The social care sector is on the frontline of our coronavirus response. This taskforce will support the service by overseeing the delivery of the Social Care Action Plan and the Care Homes Intensive Support Package.

“This will play an important part in ensuring we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the sector, both for those who rely on care and support and the social care workforce.”

David Pearson CBE is the former President of ADASS and the social care Covid-19 lead for the NHS. It is made up of representatives from PHE, CQC, Care Providers Alliance LGA, ADASS, Healthwatch England, MHCLG, Cabinet Office and DHSC. Vic Rayner, Executive Director, National Care Forum: “Testing of all those receiving care and the staff delivering it has been recognised as an absolute priority. It is very positive the government is today moving forward with plans to extend the testing across all care homes, and it is vital that we set out a timeline to ensure that everyone who receives care gets access to regular and repeat testing as it is proving to be an absolutely essential tool in the fight against Covid 19.

“I welcome the announcement of a Social Care Taskforce that will bring together the multiple strands of work that have been developed

to address the impact of Covid 19 on those receiving social care. This taskforce will provide a real opportunity for all partners to work together to ensure a coordinated focus on the core essential of managing this virus, and bring energy and attention to the way in which Covid is impacting social care now – and critically in planning and preparation for the future.”

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive, Care England: “Care England welcomes the announcement of whole home testing which will help care provides to identify who is COVID-19 positive and we will be able to support people appropriately.“ Care home providers are now able to access our online portal to order tests for their residents or staff regardless of symptoms. In addition, DHSC is contacting all care homes to highlight this service and encourage tests to be ordered.

Testing asymptomatic workers helps prevent and control outbreaks. It means those who test positive can be isolated, reducing the number of people who can spread the virus and protecting the most vulnerable. It also helps to build up a strategic understanding of the prevalence of the virus in local areas and the sector as a whole.

Test results for residents will be communicated to the care home managers. This is in addition to the new Test and Trace service which has an important role in limiting the spread of the virus, and thousands of those who have tested positive have already been contacted and their close contacts traced.

Social Care Providers Face More Than £6bn In Extra COVID-19 Costs Providers of adult social care services may face more than £6.6 billion in extra costs due to the coronavirus crisis by the end of September this year, stark new analysis commissioned by councils and social care directors reveals.

Maintaining safe staffing levels and providing personal protective equipment (PPE) are the biggest drivers of these extra financial pressures, as well as the need for enhanced cleaning of care homes and other care settings, the figures show.

Councils and social care providers are struggling to meet these escalating costs, while seeing their income levels fall. While extra funding has helped so far, this still falls far short of what is expected to be needed in the coming weeks and months ahead.

The Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), working with the Care Providers Alliance, commissioned LaingBuisson to produce the analysis to help give the Department of Health and Social Care a detailed estimate of the potential future costs facing this vital sector.

It is also in everyone’s interest to know what these pressures are, which affect councils, providers and central government but most importantly the safety and wellbeing of the people who use and work in this essential services.

The joint analysis in summary, for the months April to September 2020, includes:

• Providers (care homes, home care agencies and supported living providers) face potential increased staffing costs of £1.018 billion, due mainly to having to maintain safe staffing levels while staff are ill or selfisolating • PPE costs will total £4.179 billion if detailed guidance is followed on its use and if some current costs of PPE continue • There are a further nearly £700 million of extra costs around enhanced cleaning of care homes and increased overheads In total, these amount to £6.606 billion in potential extra costs.

The costs include those incurred by providers of services to those who fund their own support, as well as to those providing services that are funded by local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs): an initial estimate is that £2.6 billion of the cost pressures relate to self-funders and CCGs and £3.3 billion to local authorities.

There may be a further financial pressure of lost revenue of £714 million.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “These figures highlight the sheer scale of the financial pressures facing councils and their social care provider partners as we look to get through the next few weeks and months of this coronavirus crisis.

“People who use and work in social care are at the heart of our concerns about this. This analysis needs to spark a fundamental debate

about the ability of the care market to respond to the pandemic and what more can be done to support it.

“Providers are doing an incredible job in the most testing of circumstances.

“Councils are working closely with providers to support their financial resilience. Of the £3.2 billion of emergency funding given to councils to deal with the immediate impact of the pandemic across all local services, 40 per cent has been allocated to adult social care.

“We look forward to working with government on finding a solution to the immediate pressures facing the sector, including a significant further injection of funding, as well as agreeing a long-term, sustainable funding settlement for social care once this current crisis is over.”

James Bullion, President of ADASS, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that social care is essential to the fabric of our society. Social care colleagues and providers have played a pivotal role in ensuring that those of us with care and support needs continue to get the care we need to live our lives.

“This analysis underlines the huge financial pressures being faced by social care providers. Without the right levels of funding and support, providers will no longer be sustainable; safety will be compromised; quality of care will suffer; and people with care and support needs left unsupported. The Government’s number one priority must be to protect social care.”

PAGE 4 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Recruiting a New Social Care Workforce – How We Must Adapt to the Challenge of COVID-19

By Kirstie Jones, Group People Director, Salutem

It’s no secret that recruitment has long been a challenge for the social care sector. Whilst our dedicated teams know their jobs are some of the most rewarding out there, their efforts have so far largely gone under the radar. Our people know that they can make a difference and change someone’s life each and every day that they show up to work but until recently it didn’t feel like many outside the sector were paying attention.

But the last few months have changed that forever. The global pandemic of COVID-19 has pressed pause on many aspects of our daily lives and the important contribution made by the social care workforce has finally come to the attention of the nation. At last social care workers have been elevated to “key worker” status and have been afforded the recognition they deserve.

Of course, lockdown and the social distancing measures that are anticipated to be in place for some time, do present challenges to recruitment – we can’t hold open days or conduct face-to-face interviews. However, there has never been a more captive audience for the work we do, so if we capitalise on this, we can attract talented individuals who can provide vital support to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

But we need to be flexible in how we do this – we can’t just follow old recruitment processes and think we can get a better result. The first step, adjusting to ‘digital recruitment’ has been straight forward, and by that I mean online interviews (Zoom, WhatsApp or Facetime calls) and digital inductions and training. These digital tools have enabled us to fast-track the recruitment process and ensured we can get our new recruits started as soon as possible, whilst making sure we have followed our safe recruitment practices

The next step for recruiters is a bigger one, it’s a shift in mind set. We need to think more broadly about the people that we are trying to attract into our workforces. We need to recognise potential and look for it in places that perhaps we traditionally didn’t. As employers we need to think about our own “CV bias” – do we sometimes overlook people with the right attributes or attitude because they don’t always fit our idea of what a social care worker should be?

This is something we are actively working on at Salutem. Our talented but diverse team come from all walks of life – one of our most dedicated managers used to run a pub, and another was a punk who, by chance, volunteered at a day centre and never looked back. As a company, and across the sector, we have a great opportunity to recruit new team members but we must recognise potential rather than look for a specific set of skills or experience.

If we can show that we understand the people who work for us, and what motivates them, then we can share their stories to inspire new applicants. We will be relevant and we will connect on an emotional level.

People will understand that they can do this too, and that they should, because it’s one of the best jobs out there!

Then when our new recruits start, we have to empower them. This could be through bespoke training that takes into consideration the skills that they bring with them from working in other sectors. Or on the job mentoring that makes sure they provide high-quality care but, at the same time, allows them the freedom to be creative and make a difference in their own unique style.

Once empowered, our new workers can then enable others in their team. They will feel valued and trusted and pass that good feeling on to their colleagues – it’s a virtuous circle.

At the heart of all this, are the people that we support, and they will benefit so much more if we can get this new recruitment challenge right. It won’t be easy, but if we’re flexible and willing to think a little bit differently about how we do it, we can recruit an outstanding workforce that will make a difference for years to come.

Celebrity A Cappella Group Sings for Care Workers An a cappella army of celebrities and entertainment professionals have joined forces to perform a lockdown megamix in aid of The Care Workers’ Charity.

The AcaArmy Lockdown Megamix features well-known tracks ‘Staying Alive’, ‘Fever’, ‘Lonely’, ‘Toxic’, to name a few, with celebrities, X factor winner Sam Bailey, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Star Divina de Campo, Jamie Lambert from Collabro and Amanda Cole former En Vogue, as well as many familiar faces from the West End. Developed by Nic Chiappetta, Lara de Belder and George Strickland (AcaArmy) with Howlin Entertainment Ltd, the idea was inspired by the current Coronavirus playlist meme songs and covers trending across the globe.

The Care Workers’ Charity will use any funds raised from the video to provide grants to care and support workers requiring financial support during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Kev Orkian, CEO of Howlin Entertainment commented: “The main aim of this fab project is to raise money for the nations incredible care workers who are at the front line of the fight against Coronavirus. Throughout history, in times of trouble, people have always turned to the arts to help them escape, laugh or to simply put a smile on their face. This is the reason Nic, Lara, George and I have called on our friends, colleagues and fellow per-

formers to come together for CWC and help make this a reality.

“Inspired by the Sparkle for Social Care campaign which was set up by a group of care sector professionals, I felt passionate to support and to sparkle for The Care Workers’ Charity and together I feel we have done just that!”

Karolina Gerlich, Executive Director of The Care Workers’ Charity said: “We’re so pleased people are coming together to sing for our care workers, it will make us smile, entertain us, and raise those all-important valuable funds for our target of raising 2 million pounds to enable us to continue to issue grants to care workers facing hardship due to self-isolating, shielding or with the virus themselves.”

To watch the video in full click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uXC0g3Umgo To support the AcaArmy and donate to their fundraising page visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/acaarmymegamix If you would like to say thank you to care workers and raise awareness of the great work care workers do, please retweet and share the video to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and tag The Care Workers’ Charity page, with the hashtag #AcaArmy

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 5

Virtual Friends For Care Home Residents

A Wiltshire-based charity is calling for more volunteers to help provide companionship to the residents of care homes through telephone calls, letters and virtual visits.

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak Care Home Volunteers has seen an increase in demand for its services which are vital to the wellbeing and happiness of older care home residents, some of whom never see or hear from anyone outside the care home.

The charity is also asking the public to donate to fund tablets for residents to use for online face to face chats with family or volunteers. Care

home staff have said that they would like more of these tablets so that they can help their residents to get online and stay more connected.

Care Home Volunteers was established in Salisbury in 2014 and currently has a network of over 70 volunteers across Wiltshire and Swindon who have befriended residents in 35 of the county’s care homes.

Until the start of the Covid 19 crisis, these volunteers would visit on a regular basis to provide conversation and friendship to residents. Last year, the volunteers provided over 2000 hours of companionship. Now they are providing the same service by telephone, letter or online.

“Despite the dedicated care of wonderful care home staff, the average face to face time outside personal care that can be afforded to each resident is very limited” explains charity trustee Alison Radevsky.

“In the current crisis the time available for staff to sit and chat is even more limited, and with infection a constant worry, some residents may be confined to their rooms. Any sort of contact from the outside world is enormously beneficial, and phone calls, letters or video links from our volunteers bring comfort and joy to many. The service is personal, with volunteers being paired with an individual who they can get to know well and share memories with.”

Anyone who would like to help is encouraged to contact the charity through its website carehomevolunteers.org.uk to find out more about what being a volun-

teer involves, or to donate to fund a tablet device via the recently launched ‘Virtual Visits for Care Homes’ JustGiving page.

“We are encouraging people from across the region to get in touch as we hope to expand in the coming months.

There is an urgent need for this service and we plan to build the charity across the South-West and eventually nationwide,” says Alison.

“The current crisis has highlighted the challenge of loneliness in care homes, but this is an issue that was widespread before, and will not go away as the danger from the virus recedes. We hope very much that the current focus will encourage people to become a volunteer and to bring joy to a lonely older person.”

If you would like to help please contact us on 07931 022824 or email info@carehomevolunteers.org.uk www.carehomevolunteers.org.uk www.justgiving.com/campaign/VirtualVisitsForCareHomes

Government May Face Legal Action For Moving COVID-19 Patients Into Care Homes The Government faces the possibility of a judicial review over their care home policy which saw patients with coronavirus removed from hospitals, and placed into care environments.

Lawyers under instruction from Dr Cathy Gardner whose father died in a care home at the beginning of April have written to Matt Hancock and heads of the NHS as they seek to bring a judicial review over the policy.

Dr Gardner alleges that both the Government and the NHS were in breach of four separate articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Her lawyers have given Health Secretary Matt Hancock 14 days to respond to their letter. They say if his response is not satisfactory, they will begin proceedings for judicial review at the High Court.

The letter stated: ‘Our client believes that the policies and measures adopted by the health secretary, NHS England and Public Health England have manifestly failed to protect the health, wellbeing and right to life of those residing and working in care homes.

‘Their failings have led to large numbers of unnecessary deaths and serious illnesses’.

The letter also condemned Matt Hancock’s claim that a “protective ring” had been thrown around care homes.

It highlighted the ‘failings of government have been aggravated by the making of wholly disingenuous, misleading and, it adds in some cases plainly false statements suggesting that everything necessary has been done to protect care homes during the pandemic’.

Dr Gardner, who is fundraising her legal fees for the case, said: “I am

appalled that Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State, can give the impression that the Government has sought to cast a protective ring over elderly residents of care homes – and right from the start.

“The truth is that there has been at best a casual approach to protecting the residents of care homes; at worst the Government have adopted a policy that has caused the death of the most vulnerable in our society.

“It is completely unacceptable that this happened and that responsibility has been avoided. I have therefore instructed my lawyers to threaten legal proceedings against the Government for the harm that has been suffered by my father. “

PAGE 6 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

We Need to Rethink Our Approach to Care Workers and How They’re Managed

By Josh Pines, Co-founder Sirenum At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, the government issued an urgent appeal for 250,000 NHS volunteers and close to 750,000 signed up as a result. Those in the care industry – which already had 120,000 vacancies before the pandemic – questioned why the government had not widened the appeal to include their sector. As a result, many care homes scrambled to cover their staffing needs however possible and often fell short in terms of coverage and engagement of both permanent and temporary staff.

While the use of temporary workers isn’t new, and is in truth crucial to operations, the challenges faced during the pandemic underline why retention of employees and the efficient management of both existing and temporary workers is so fundamental.

So what can care home managers do? Salary is a key issue, as highlighted by The King’s Fund, which suggested care workers often quit because pay is lower than the wage of a supermarket store assistant. As wages are often dictated by government budgets, increasing it can be tricky. Care homes should be encouraged to work collectively with associations to add their voice and experience on the challenges they face and to lobby for better budgets. That’s not to say this isn’t happening, but the time for the care sector to make its voice heard has never been better.

Yet as numerous studies show, pay is just one way to motivate and retain staff. In fact, when it comes to motivation and retention, intrinsic rewards, like engagement, can be far more impactful. For example, Gartner found that ‘business performance of organisations in the highest quartile of employee engagement scores outpace that of competitors’.

This is why it’s so important for companies to take every opportunity to

effectively communicate their goals and values and encourage employees to shape their vision. As a result, their employees will be better engaged, and also go above and beyond the call of duty when necessary.

A great example of this is the story of carer Kia Tobin who worked at Thistleton Lodge Care Home. She was looking after a resident who had lost his wife and slept with a photo of his late partner and decided to give him a pillow featuring an image of his late wife. The care home shared this on their Facebook page where the heartwarming story

attracted positive press attention. By actively encouraging your staff to play a role in suggesting new initiatives – you can reap great rewards.

Other ways of empowering staff include giving them better visibility over their upcoming shifts and the ability to swap with colleagues if they want to take annual leave. It also doesn’t need to become an administrative burden, as technology can facilitate a more autonomous process.

Speaking of leave, managers should actively ensure employees take scheduled breaks and holidays. Although workers might be happy to increase their hours beyond HSE guidelines, fatigue is a major contributor to mistakes being made. In our Covid-19 environment this could include tiredness impacting on their ability to ensure the correct handling of PPE. Fatigue is also linked to burnout and mental health issues, which is why training staff to become mental health first aiders can be a valuable investment and earn loyalty from employees by demonstrating your commitment to their wellbeing. Further research from Gallup also highlights that improved engagement can lead to 70% fewer safety incidents and 41% less absenteeism.

There are positives to come out from Covid-19. The crisis has shone a light on the incredible work going on behind the scenes of care homes and employees have earnt public respect, which in the past might have been lacking. Moreover, Jeremy Hunt also told BBC Radio 4 during an interview that he will be asking for a payment boost for the sector. But pay alone won’t be enough, which is why we all collectively need to improve the image of the care home sector, empower and reward staff and celebrate the difference care home workers make at every opportunity.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 7

NHS Volunteers Extend Support To Frontline Health and Social Care Frontline health and care staff will be able to access support from the hundreds of thousands of NHS Volunteer Responders, Minister for Care Helen Whately has announced.

NHS Volunteer Responders will be carrying out socially-distanced tasks including helping with delivering food shopping and dropping off personal medication to frontline staff at their homes.

While the country is moving into a new phase in the national effort against this pandemic, health and social care staff on the frontline continue to provide vital care and support to our loved ones, many of whom will still be shielding.

From Monday, the NHS Volunteer Responders will extend their support to health and social care workers across the country, helping them to protect those they care for by making fewer journeys and coming into contact with fewer people so they can focus on and continue their vital work.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “The NHS Volunteer Responders have played a vital role in our response to coronavirus, and I am hugely thankful for their support. Their selfless efforts to protect those who need to shield or self-isolate has helped stop the spread of the virus and alleviated pressure on health and care services during this unprecedented pandemic.

“Following the success of the volunteers scheme, support is now

being extended to all our wonderful health and care staff who continue to go above and beyond.

“We want to support them in whatever way we can to make their lives easier while they continue to support others most in need.”

Since the beginning of April, NHS Volunteer Responders have completed hundreds of thousands of acts of support and kindness, helping vulnerable individuals, the shielded population, and supporting those who are self-isolating or caring for others.

Yesterday, as part of Volunteers Week, Care Minister Helen Whately conducted a ‘check in and chat’ session with an individual self-isolating in Oxfordshire. Check in and chats are a friendly chat between volunteers and individuals who are shielding or self-isolating and provide short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation.

Neil Churchill, Director of Patient Experience, Participation and Equalities at NHS England said: “Thanks to the kindness of the British public, our army of volunteers have helped thousands of people across the country in their greatest time of need.

“These helpers continue to be on hand to support the most vulnerable people in our society and it is fantastic that this invaluable offer is now being extended to help our dedicated NHS staff who continue to work day and night to care for thousands of people during the

pandemic.”

Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service said: “NHS Volunteer Responders stepped forward to support during the coronavirus pandemic and as we enter the next phase of our fight against the disease, I’m delighted that their help can now also be called upon by staff working in health and social care.

“The opportunity for frontline staff to access help with their shopping and prescription deliveries will free up more of their time to care.”

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England said: “Care England welcomes this new scheme for volunteers to support social care staff. Our staff are our biggest resource and we know that the scheme will make a difference in reducing the potential for staff to come into contact with COVID-19”.

The NHS Volunteer Responders programme was developed by NHS England in partnership with the Royal Voluntary Service and facilitated by the Good Sam app.

Volunteers carry out simple, one-off non-medical tasks to support people in England who need help with accessing essentials or who would benefit from a friendly chat to help prevent loneliness.

The programme is also providing support to NHS and local authorities with transport tasks such as delivering blood pressure monitors to patients or transporting small quantities of PPE to care homes.

Welcome Drop in Covid-19 Care Deaths Care providers are warning there is no excuse for complacency, after another fall in the number of people who have died from coronavirus in social care settings was announced.

The Independent Care Group (ICG) says it is vital that the country keeps up the pressure on the virus.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: "These figures are again welcome in that the total is falling. But overall, the number of people who have died from Covid-19 in care and nursing homes in England is approaching 13,000. We must not become complacent - this thing isn't beaten yet.

"We have all worked so extremely hard to get Covid-19 under control, it would be a tragedy if we took our foot off the gas now and let a second spike happen."

The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 705 people in England and Wales died in care and nursing homes from Covid-19 in the week up to 29th May. That is down from 1,090 the previous week. The weeks before that recorded 1,660, 1,666, 2,423 and 2,800 deaths respectively.

The ONS says the number of deaths involving Covid19 in care and nursing homes registered up to 29th May was 12,828 in England and 626 in Wales.

"We have to remember that each death is a tragedy - someone's mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or friend and for that reason we cannot let up," Mr Padgham added.

The Independent Care Group (ICG) welcomed the announcement of a social care task force to help the sector protect older and vulnerable people through

coronavirus.

It said it hoped the task force would go beyond coronavirus and help shape the future of the sector.

Mr Padgham added: "An expert-led task force is something we have called for for many years, as a way to take social care forward.

"We are delighted to see this new task force announced and hope it works swiftly to not only help everyone who is looked after by social care through coronavirus, but also to look at the whole future of social care and guide it into a more sustainable future, with better funding and parity with the NHS." ICG priorities for the future are: • The total integration of NHS healthcare and social care • Social care free at the point of need, funded through

taxation or National Insurance • Direct financial support for care providers during the current pandemic paid through CQC • A commissioner for older people and those with Learning Disabilities in England • A national career pathway and salary framework for care staff • Professional registration for care staff • A properly-costed national rate for care fees • Needs-based continuing healthcare (CHC) payments • A Covid-19 bonus for all frontline care staff.

"David Pearson is an excellent choice to lead the task force. We hope he is joined quickly by other experts from the social care sector and wish him God's speed," Mr Padgham added.

PAGE 8 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Offering Emotional Support and Understanding In Dementia Care During Stressful Situations Making sense of human behaviours often proves difficult. In people with dementia, who may struggle to find the words to describe their feelings, this can be even harder. Dr Esther Ramsay-Jones, a palliative psychotherapist and academic, and author of ‘Holding Time: Human Need and Relationships in Dementia Care (Free Association Books) talks through some of the ways that professionals can begin to offer emotional support and understanding in stressful situations.

What we know, from years of experience and improvements in the field of dementia care, is that people with dementia are as emotionally alive as any of us. From the days of Tom Kitwood, whose notion of malignant social psychology, highlighted how dehumanising practice at an institutional level can erode a person’s sense of self, it has become increasingly clear that people with dementia are able to thrive, in terms of well-being, when understood; when powerful feeling states are contained by thoughtful, attuned care professionals.

This is nothing new.

At this time, when the care home sector has been under inordinate pressure and duress, following the outbreak of Covid19, and when some people with dementia are unlikely to understand the need for continual self-isolation, stressful situations are bound to arise. So how can we understand some of the behaviours we see in people with dementia?

When someone calls out for Mum or Dad, what do we imagine? When a person with dementia stands at the front door looking out endlessly; or wakes at night thinking it is day? What might be going on when a bereaved man continues to see his wife in the shape of a chair or a lamp, and clings on to it? Or someone lashes out during personal care or at another older person?

As professionals, we tend to believe that the better we know someone - life story, likes and dislikes - the better able we are to interpret a behaviour that presents a challenge. This of course is vitally important, but the real-

ity with any other human being is that we can never know. To assume knowledge in a finite way shuts down our capacity for curiosity. We may think we know that someone wants to see Mum because he or she is once again a school child and the home itself is school, but surely we can find out a little more. Curiosity allows us to ask, ‘Tell me what Mum was like?’. Open-ended questions like this offer up space for free association, the person with dementia can explore with us how they are feeling and what qualities might be missing in the home on that morning or that afternoon that he or she may be hankering after. It could be that Mum represents peace and quiet, or touch, or play. This is what we might need to look for: the quality of Mum rather than Mum herself.

Is it possible that the person who looks out of the front door wants to get out, or are they waiting for someone? In these Covid times, perhaps a missed person – if they are still alive – could be contacted virtually (a tangible, practical response). However, by simply stopping, being open to the experience there is a chance that something new might be discovered. This will always come with a risk because someone might express anger or anxiety, all the difficult feeling states that we tend to run away from. Instead of jollying someone up, listening is key here and reflecting back. It can be important simply to be heard. If someone with dementia – like the rest of us – experiences in you as a professional a kind, human response able to bear witness to his or her pain, this is likely to give someone the sense of not having been judged and of developing a relationship based on trust. Rather than give the factual details about why someone can’t visit, acknowledge the sadness, ‘I know this is so hard for you, and you miss her…’. Let someone be heard without rushing to fix it in the immediate moment. All behaviour, the angriest often covering up hurt or the need to say ‘no’ - is invariably a communication of some sort, and communications need to be met (however hard it is) with understanding.

As teams of professionals, the emotional labour of the work can be taxing, too, and so some space to share learning and experience with one another is vital for managing our own stress, too!

Helping Care Home Residents to Stay Connected from a Distance Adherence to social distancing, getting used to a new routine, and other disruptions associated with lockdown present a unique set of challenges for those living in care homes. Maintaining strong social relationships with friends and family has never been more important. Seeing a loved one’s face as well as hearing their voice can help an older person to feel connected from a distance.

As part of their commitment to helping the wider community, AYMES International (a market-leading manufacturer of delicious and cost-effective oral nutrition supplements) are delighted to announce they have a number of Facebook Portals to give to Care Homes in the UK. A Facebook Portal is a simple video-calling device that sits on a desk or table with a camera that follows as you walk around. It allows people to talk to others completely hands-free while doing other things. It’s an ideal way for older people to stay in touch with others and feel loved, supported and connected.

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For more information on AYMES International, please visit: https://aymes.com/ Terms and Conditions There are 30 Facebook Portals to be claimed. 2. All applications must be received by the closing date 30.06.20. 3. No Purchase Necessary 4. Facebook Portals can be claimed by any member of staff working in a UK Carehome. 5. A maximum of one Facebook Portal will be available to be claimed per care home. 6.

Facebook Portals will only be made available to Care Home staff requesting them for resident use. 7. A full list of Care Homes who have received the Facebook Portals will be available by emailing AYMES after (one week the closing date) 8. Promoter - AYMES International Office Ff10, Brooklands House 58 Marlborough Road, Lancing Business Park, Lancing, West Sussex, England, BN15 8AF

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 9

MP Virendra Sharma Hosts Second Social Care Seminar

Virendra Sharma, Member of Parliament for Ealing, Southall recently hosted his second Social Care Seminar.

Following deep concerns regarding care workers’ working conditions and pay, he wants to provide an ongoing online platform for key care workers who are working on the front line looking after the vulnerable in his constituency of Ealing, Southall.

The Secretary of State for Heath Matt Hancock claimed that the Government had “thrown a protective ring around care homes” since the start of the coronavirus crisis. Yet the care sector has seen more than 20,000 deaths within their care homes. Virendra feels it is imperative that consistent dialogue is maintained with care workers during this ongoing crisis to ensure this tragedy is not to occur ever again in the future.

Speaking on the call Virendra said: “A lot of key issues were identified since our first seminar. There is a lack of morale among care workers due to being labelled as ‘low skilled’ when they are on the front line of this crisis. The lack of appreciation by the Government to their service and sacrifice needs to be addressed. The government should increase hourly pay for care workers and provide more funding to care providers and the Councils many of whom are desperate to help but are forced to take on financial burdens.”

There has been a dramatic shift in the public’s perception of care workers as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Virendra states that the government did not prioritise the care sector at the start of this crisis when they really were on the frontline. He was supported by Iman Sheel, of Sahan Cares CIC. She identified that the lack of coordination at the onset has resulted in the fragmentation between social care and NHS sectors in dealing with this crisis.

Iman Sheel on the call said:

“It seems like there is fragmentation and lack of coordination between the NHS and social care particularly when it comes to sharing vital information about those vulnerable members of the community who are required to be shielded. Why is this information not being passed onto social care team and Home care agencies?"

Julian Bell, the Leader of Ealing Council, who was on the call, mentioned that the Council will want to integrate shielding into the testing and tracing system to ensure coordination between health teams. Ealing Council has been very receptive to concerns raised by care workers on the front line and has been leading in procuring PPE for key workers.

Virendra believes that this crisis offers us a remarkable opportunity to reform our fragmented social care system, with the British public overwhelmingly supportive of a pay rise and improved working conditions for those in social care. Social care staff have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long. According to analysis by the TUC, one in four earn less than £10 an hour, and the average employee earns just £16,400 per annum. Virendra is writing to the Health Secretary urging him to recognise their sacrifice and provide greater stability and sustainability to the Social Care system, by increasing their pay to at least the living wage. He is also calling to provide additional death in service and sick pay benefits, in light of their heightened vulnerability to this awful disease.

Virendra hopes to continue working with care workers, Ealing Council and unions in the upcoming seminar next week to ensure the care workers receive the attention and protection that they deserve.

If you live in West London and you work in the care sector, be sure to email in your interest to sharmav@parliament.uk to join the online social care seminar next week with union representatives and Age UK.

£500 Fundraising Target Smashed!

A fundraising target of £500 for a local hospice has been smashed!

Male staff have been doing sponsored no shave for Barnsley Hospice who have been severely impacted and struggling during the COVID period.

Staff set a target of £500, however total fundraising was a staggering six times the target with a total of £3070.

It’s not over yet, cheques can still be sent to the care home made payable to Barnsley hospice To round up the fundraising events, the male staff finished performed a “bearded drag show “ for the residents

PAGE 10 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Care Homes at a Turning Point

By Rohit Talwar, Global Futurist, Strategist and CEO of Fast Future As a Futurist, I advise governments around the world, NGOs and global businesses on the forces shaping the future and the resulting scenarios that could play out. I have a particular focus on the interaction between key influencing factors such as health and care, mental and physical wellbeing, societal attitudes and behaviours, education, economics, technology, and government policy. Naturally, I am therefore interested and concerned about the future of care homes.

The pandemic has shown the perilous situation facing UK care homes. Many are run on a relatively low-cost model, with staff often paid the minimum wage, and relatively low levels of provision of health facilities and protective equipment. Whether funded by the state or private individuals, there isn't a lot of slack in the budget, as evidenced by number that have been driven to the brink of financial collapse by the crisis.

In the face of public pressure over the apparent lack of initial support for care homes during the crisis, the next five years are likely to see a radical shift in the UK government's care home policy. In the short term, the focus will be on addressing the risks of care homes being major sources of infection and death during any possible second or third peaks or in future pandemics. This might mean that care home patients that test positively for COVID-19, or future viruses, could be moved for immediate specialist treatment and care at dedicated quarantine facilities such as the Nightingale Hospitals. Other options might include repurposed military hospitals, previously retired NHS facilities, and converted hotels that have chosen to take this route in the face of uncertainty around future occupancy levels.

Under pressure from the general public, and this important older voter segment in particular, the whole care home model and the provision of healthcare support to the care sector will go through a major rethink.

For example, the level of government funding for upgrading care home facilities and resourcing is likely to be increased via local authority grants. This will almost certainly include provision for more rigorous inspection of care home standards and medical provision arrangements. It is also likely to include much stronger protocols for seamless working between care homes and local medical facilities. A much higher emphasis will also be placed on the training and rewards for care home staff - and of course the level of personal protective equipment they are provided with. The key will be to ensure that residents and the wider public believe that those in care homes are as well catered for and protected as those being treated in the wider NHS. Of course, some families might choose to steer clear of care facilities in future and keep their elderly relatives with them. Rising care home charges to cover the increased cost of dealing with this pandemic and preparing for future ones will also have an influence. Hence, we could see a growth in the number of people who may no longer want to use care facilities. This would be driven by a combination of factors including concerns over care home infection risks and hygiene standards, the risk of not being able to see infected loves ones, and pressure on family finances as a result of the economic downturn and redundancies.

We are also likely to see a trend of older people moving in with family members to avoid being isolated in future lockdowns. The money raised from selling properties, or saved on care home fees, could then be used to hire in specialist care support as required. These savings could also fund the necessary equipment purchases and home adaptations required to ensure elderly relatives are safe, comfortable, and well cared for in family homes.

A growing trend away from care home usage might also drive the growth of a range of 'care at home' businesses. From the straightforward provision of trained carers, to the performance of home adaptations to accommodate elderly relatives, we can expect a boom for these providers. In addition, a range of newer services might emerge - such as regular home disinfection, home based medical testing, temporary home-based quarantine adaptations, and highly safe and medically secure private transport options for transfers between home and medical facilities.

Hospice Encourages Lincolnshire To ‘Go Yellow’ For Its 38th Birthday On Thursday 11th June, St Barnabas Hospice will celebrate its 38th birthday in style by encouraging the people of Lincolnshire to ‘Go Yellow’.

Now that summer has arrived, birthday plans for St Barnabas Hospice are in full flow. The Hospice will celebrate its 38th birthday on Thursday 11th June and is asking supporters to get involved in true ‘yellowbelly’ style.

St Barnabas has made a list of yellow activities for all ages to get involved in. These include dressing up, baking, making a window display or taking part in a yellow-themed Wine and Wisdom Quiz with Lincs FM presenter and Hospice supporter, John Marshall. The quiz will take place on Facebook LIVE on Friday 12th June.

On the evening of 11th June, Lincolnshire landmarks, businesses and organisations will be lighting their buildings yellow in support of the hospice movement and to help bring a little sunshine into these uncertain times. Businesses getting involved include Doddington Hall and Lincoln Castle. The Hospice is asking more businesses to join in too.

Email caroline.swindin@stbarnabashospice.co.uk if you have lights that you are able to turn yellow.

Lincoln Cathedral will also host a blessing to honour Saint Barnabas, the Hospice’s namesake, and all the staff, patients and families who

have received care from the Hospice.

John Marshall, Lincs FM Presenter and St Barnabas supporter said, “Having experienced for myself the wonderful work the Hospice does in supporting patients and their families, I’m keen to support them in any way I can. I’m really excited to be part of Go Yellow and who doesn’t love a good quiz?”

Caroline Swindin, Fundraising Development Manager at St Barnabas Hospice added, “We are so grateful to everyone who has already decided to get involved with our Go Yellow campaign. It will be wonderful to see Lincolnshire being turned yellow as the colour is so symbolic both for hospice care and for Lincolnshire residents.

“We want to see people of all ages getting involved, so please share your pictures and videos with us on social media and use #GoYellow.

“A personal favourite idea of mine is a yellow Treasure Hunt. Take your children out around your city, town or village and set them on a trail to list as many yellow items or items beginning with the letter ‘y’ as they can find!”

St Barnabas has shared some fantastic resources on their website including a Barnabas Bear colouring sheet, make your own sunglasses, a cardboard collection box template and Go Yellow rosette.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 11

Revolution Required to Solve Social Care Crisis

A new paper from the neoliberal think tank the Adam Smith Institute argues that the social care system is broken, unfit for purpose and cannot be fixed by new taxes.

The UK social care system is broken, unfit for purpose and cannot be fixed by new taxes and spending or making more people eligible for free care, says a new report by the Adam Smith Institute.

While Covid-19 has focused attention on elderly people in care homes, half of social care spending actually goes on younger people with physical, mental health or learning problems, plus help delivered to people’s own homes. The whole system is in crisis, argues the Adam Smith Institute, distorted by perverse incentives, unfair and woefully out of date. While there has been much talk about raising public care spending and providing more free care, it argues, only widespread and disruptive change will solve the deeper problems and prevent future cases of neglect.

The think-tank calls for “disruption” to the system and for “new partnerships in new markets that embrace fundamental change.”

“People aren’t looking beyond how to get more money into social care,” argues the report’s co-author Eamonn Butler. “And more funding is seen as a magic bullet that would solve all the problems. But an arbitrary boost to care budgets will do little good. We can only solve the crisis in social care by looking at and radically reforming the whole system, not just one part of it.”

From 2017 onwards the Government promised a Green Paper, aiming to “ensure that the care and support system is sustainable in the long term” and to improve integration with health and other services and between different care providers. During the 2017 General Election campaign, former Prime Minister Theresa May said the proposals would include a lifetime “absolute limit” on what people pay for social care— though there was less agreement on how this would work, how much it would cost, and how it would be funded. After the 2019 election there was talk of a White Paper, before the Covid-19 outbreak cut discussions short.

Most care homes with residents funded by local authorities are over 20 years old and no longer up to modern standards, the free market think tank argues. Many are converted old hotels and houses, with narrow corridors, small rooms and no en-suite bathrooms. Equally, self-pay residents get a raw deal from providers and insufficient protection from regulators.

Meanwhile, live-in carers hired by families typically have no qualifications and many are paid less than the national living wage. And care delivered free to vulnerable people in their own homes by local authorities is usually selected on price, not quality, and there is very little use of modern information and artificial intelligence technology that could

spectacularly raise its quality and efficiency.

“The idea of making social care free to everyone as part of the NHS, possibly funded by a new ‘care tax’, is a non-starter,” says Eamonn Butler, warning that “this would be the largest nationalisation ever. The NHS has 170,000 beds in 1,300 hospitals. Adding another 480,000 beds in around 20,000 nursing and care homes would overwhelm it completely.”

The Institute also thinks it unlikely that the government would stump up the hundreds of millions of pounds needed to upgrade residential homes, or that taxpayers would accept the extra burden. Instead it advocates a partnership with private pension and insurance investors to develop large numbers of new and upgraded facilities, and lease them to local authorities, giving local authorities a long term, whole-service package without having to find the capital to build new homes themselves.

And it says that there are other options, such as individual savings accounts or the Australian system, a mixture of voucher subsidies and refundable bonds, should be explored first before any hasty decisions are made.

On funding, the report’s authors say that insurance is not presently a viable way of people providing for the care they might need later on, because the insurance industry cannot cope with the ‘long tail’ risk—the risk that a few individuals might need a great many years in a residential nursing or care home. In order to create a viable insurance system and induce more families to contribute to their own care needs, the Institute

proposes risk-sharing between individuals and government. If people insure themselves for six years’ of residential care, they suggest, the government would pick up anything beyond. This helps ‘pool’ risk and makes insurance affordable.

In return, public funding and long term care budgets should give much higher priority to younger adults with physical disabilities, mental health or learning problems, whose needs have long been underresourced.

A more rational and affordable care system will involve disrupting the market, but will deliver better supply, sustainability and fairness in a more functional system. Without a radical overhaul of provision, increases in public funding will not avoid future crises.

Andrew Lansley, former Secretary of State for Health (under the Coalition) stated, I welcome this further contribution to the debate on how we can sustain social care in the future. I do sincerely hope that this will encourage action now”.

David Davis MP, Member of Parliament and former Chairman of the Conservative Party said, “Nationalisation or pseudo nationalisation of the care sector would only compound the mistakes that have led to too many deaths. We need creative solutions to deliver large-scale private sector investment into the system that would improve patient outcomes. If more state control is the answer than than someone is asking a pretty dumb question.”

Peter Carter, former Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing commented, “This interesting paper provides a way forward on one of the most pressing issues facing society across the UK at this time. Social care is under huge pressure and the existing model of funding is not sustainable. I would recommend this paper as a way forward.”

Stephen Collier, Chair of NHS Professionals, Chair of Eden Futures and former Group Chief Executive of BMI Healthcare, says, “This is an interesting and challenging read. Its proposals on funding of new care home capacity are both imaginative and deliverable, and if implemented would help the sector, and the broader economy at a difficult time.

The proposals would help raise standards of accommodation for the care sector and the flow-through effect on service quality would be strongly positive.”

Andrew Lewer MP, Member of Parliament added, “I welcome this Report by the Adam Smith Institute into the future of Social Care. There has been agreement across the political spectrum that wholesale reform of care is necessary for the whole of this century and yet it has not happened. The issue must move from the “too difficult” column to the “too difficult to ignore” column and it must do so urgently. The ideas in this Report provide some well thought through ways forward.”

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 13

Due Recognition for Social Care Workers Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has submitted evidence to the Low Pay Commission’s consultation concerning the National Minimum and National Living Wage rates.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “Care England is wholly supportive of the National Living Wage and care staff being duly rewarded.

Good and fair wages remain a lynchpin in the future sustainability of the adult social care sector. It is however incumbent upon Government to ensure that such increases are reflected in the fees paid to care providers”.

The Low Pay Commission advises the Government on the level of the minimum wage.

From 1 April 2020 the NLW increased to £8.72 with a view to more increases in 2021.

In its submission Care England presents both qualitative and quantitative feedback relating to the cost implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the adult social care sector. Given that wage costs are a large part of the adult social care sector’s overall cost base we implore the Low Pay Commission to consider the implications of COVID-19 on the sector

and its potential to interact the existing structural realities of the sector.

For too long, the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations in relation to wages have not been matched by adequate government funding to allow the adult social care sector to implement such recommendations in a sustainable manner. Given the sector’s contribution both in this pandemic and more broadly, it is surely incumbent upon the Government to implement a funding system which allows the National Living Wage to be implemented in a sustainable fashion and at the same time ensures the financial sustainability of adult social care providers. Therefore, we would implore the Government to listen to the Low Pay Commission’s own guidance and recognise its own role and responsibility “in the sectors which Government itself funds – social care and childcare – sufficient funding is necessary to meet the cost of the rising NLW.”[1] Martin Green continues: “It has become clear that during the pandemic we need further direction from Central Government. There is a huge disconnect between policy announcements from the centre and delivery on the ground”.

Novellini launch BeSafe walls to help the UK return to work safely

Are You Using the Correct PPE? Answering your questions on the type of mask to wear to reduce the risk of those you provide care for contracting Covid-19

THE CURRENT PROBLEM COVID 19 has led to a surge in demand for personal protective equipment throughout the UK, and in response, a multitude of UK businesses have established supply lines to try and fill this demand.

Unfortunately, although millions of masks are now being brought in, many provide little or no protection against COVID 19. The confusing amount of variations of masks combined with the lack of information in the market and masks being sold with invalid certification has led to many users, including even the NHS, ending up with inadequate masks at disproportionate prices.

WHO ARE WE? Our company is called HealthHealth (www.healthhealth.co.uk), due to the ongoing pandemic many businesses have had to purchase PPE for the first time, we have transformed our distribution model from wholesale to supply the end-user directly to prevent price gouging via intermediaries and ensure the user receives the correct masks for their intended use.

WHAT MASKS SHOULD I BE USING? The 2 main types of masks that provide protection against COVID 19 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) are N95/KN95 masks and 3 Ply Surgical masks.

KN95 masks are 4/5 ply (layers) masks that come in two grades; FFP2 and FFP3. The WHO recommends these masks be used by those who are symptomatic and otherwise should be reserved for and used by those in the healthcare sector, particularly those in and around patients who are most susceptible to Covid-19. These masks should be tested to EN:149 standards by a PPE compliant non-voluntary body.

There are four types of medical-grade 3 Ply surgical masks; Type I, Type IR, Type II and Type IIR. Type I and Type II masks are not fluid-resistant and hence are not ideal for use during the ongoing pandemic.

Fluid resistance is the ability of a mask to catch the respiratory droplets discharged when a user coughs or sneezes. The WHO recommends fluid-resistant medical masks be worn by over 60s and those who have underlying health problems, as well as those who are in contact with these groups. Both masks have high fluid resistance and high breathability. The difference between the two is type IR has a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of >95% and type IIR has a BFE of >98%. Type IIR is therefore preferable to type IR, although both provide protection against COVID

19. These masks should be tested to EN:14683 standard by a PPE compliant non-voluntary body.

WHICH MASKS SHOULD I BE WARY OF? A surgical 3 Ply mask that does not fit into the above two categories cannot be classified as medical. Although they may provide some protection, they are not tested by the relevant standards to qualify them as either type IR or Type IIR, and are hence not appropriate for care workers.

Valve masks provide no protection for anyone but the user of the mask, they do not prevent respiratory droplets being emitted by the user, and are hence not appropriate for care workers.

Reusable cloth masks lose their integrity with every wash, a study by the WHO shows them as significantly less effective than medical masks, and are hence not appropriate for care workers.

HOW DO I AUTHENTICATE A MASK I’M BEING SOLD? 1. Ask for a test report and a CE certificate/conformity and make sure the mask is tested to the aforementioned standards (EN:14683 for surgical masks and EN:149 for KN95 masks) 2.Verify the test report and the CE certificate on the website of the testing body on the certificate, most testing bodies will allow you to do this online automatically.

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The primary benefit? Hygiene. Employees will feel protected with the BeSafe wall as it provides a barrier. Constructed from 6mm tempered glass, it’s easy to clean with any alcoholic disinfectant. In smaller spaces where it’s difficult to sit two meters away, the wall is a particularly helpful solution.

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PAGE 14 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Safeguarding Your Services During the COVID-19 Crisis

By Lionel Stride, barrister in the clinical negligence team at Temple Garden Chambers (with assistance from Philip Matthews, paralegal)

Care homes are still very much under the spotlight where the Coronavirus pandemic is concerned. Just this week, 24 people have died in a Durham care home in one of the worst known outbreaks of the pandemic so far. There have been almost 15,000 deaths reported in UK care homes from Covid-19, with a third of all deaths occurring in care settings, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. With such pressure on the care industry, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made, which in turn potentially exposes care homes to negligence claims.

It is clear from some of the specific provisions that have been included in the Coronavirus Act 2020 that the Government anticipated such exposure. In Section 11, the health secretary granted permission to provide indemnity for any clinical negligence liabilities that emerge from NHS activities as a result of attempts to tackle the virus. This indemnity provision is in place to provide a safety net to the NHS where negligence arising from the provision of such services is not already covered under a pre-existing indemnity arrangement. An example is provided in Section 11; this stipulates that, should a resident of a care home need to be admitted to a hospital already at capacity, the care home may be asked to provide nursing care to the resident. The care home might find that its insurance does not cover this type of situation but that they are likely still to be indemnified by the government because they would be providing care and treatment that would usually be covered by an NHS hospital, as a direct result of the pandemic.

Care home staff and management need to be aware of the unique clinical challenges that the Coronavirus pandemic presents in order to

safeguard their service from users and staff as effectively as possible.

This will mean that thorough risk assessments will need to be undertaken and regularly updated, with effective measures implemented to minimise the risk posed from the virus. In this respect, one of the obvious difficulties has been diagnosis: for a long time, testing for the virus was restricted to patients in hospital with clear flu-like symptoms. This has no doubt led to greater rates of injection because individuals can present with different clinical signs of the virus and the level of severity can vary drastically. This leads to increased risk of missing a diagnosis where a patient has developed severe complications, having initially presented with mild symptoms.

It was not until testing was eventually expanded to all care home residents and staff in England – including those with and without symptoms – that care home management was better able to track and contain the spread of Coronavirus. This expansion of testing was far from a panacea, however; questions remain as to the efficiency of the current testing.

Nevertheless, failure to ensure that there is effective screening of staff and patients, leading to a cluster of cases in certain care homes, may not only give rise to civil but also criminal liability if the care home is in breach of its health and safety obligation (analysis of which is beyond the scope of this article but here is a link to the TGC Health & Safety Podcast addressing these issues: https://anchor.fm/tgc3/episodes/AVOIDINGCRIMINAL-ENFORCEMENT-ACTION--CIVIL-CLAIMS-IN-THE-SHADOWOF-COVID-19-eeggih).

Care homes could face civil liability if there is evidence that Covid-19 entered a care as a result of processes not properly being followed. Such circumstances will require investigation into the systems that the management of the care home established to contain the virus and minimise the spread of infection; this will include review of the risk assessment and whether mitigation measures were effectively implemented – i.e., looking into whether staff had access to PPE, whether sanitiser was available to use, whether social distancing measures were implemented, and whether staff were able to self-isolate once they suspected they may have the virus.

It is important to note that the standard of care required, even in these exceptional times, remains unaltered (whether in claims for standard or medical negligence): see the case of Pope v NHS Commissioning Board (2015), which concerned the negligence of a nurse in the context of the swine flu outbreak. In this case, the patient fell unwell and believed she had contracted swine flu. She went to a health centre and, upon being

examined by an experienced nurse, was advised to go home and rest.

The patient was admitted to A&E two days later and suffered a cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated but had sustained brain damage that left her profoundly disabled. It was later revealed that the patient had swine flu, and that this had been complicated by pneumonia. The patient subsequently pursued the NHS for medical negligence. At trial, the Court ruled that there had been a breach of duty and that this was causative of the claimant’s brain damage. National guidance stated that any flu-like illness was, at the time, to be managed as swine flu. Following this guidance meant that the nurse would have measured the patient’s blood saturation levels, found them to be low and would then have referred and admitted her to hospital. Had the patient been admitted, she would have avoided cardiac arrest because she would have received the necessary treatment.

In this case, even though it considers the actions of an NHS nurse as opposed to a care home professional, the essential principles still apply.

Whilst every case is fact specific, the Court will approach the issue of the standard of care as in the usual way: by examining the state of knowledge of the relevant profession at the material time and asking whether a reasonable body of professionals would have acted in the same way. It is worth bearing in mind that the extent of any strain on resources (particularly in the early stage of the virus) will impact on the analysis. However, now that the pandemic is under greater control, care homes (like al service providers), will need to demonstrate that they have kept up to date with all guidance and preventative measures.

It is worth considering practical steps that care homes can be taking to remind all staff of the guidance that is in place; this might include sending emails out to staff and putting notices up on notice boards to remind everyone of the correct approach to be adopting during these trying times. Further, now that the pandemic is easing but the spectre of resurgence remains, it will be essential to put in place better preventative measures such as pre-entry screening of all patients; regular testing of staff and service users; limiting agency staff to working at a single care home; ensuring social distancing between service users; and regular cleaning of private and communal areas.

There is no doubt that the care sector is currently under an enormous amount of pressure. We can however deduce from the Pope case that, even during times of crisis, there is relevant guidance that carers must do their best to follow in order to avoid potentially very damaging consequences.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 15

DO YOU KNOW THE CARER’S NEXT UNSUNG HERO? Regular readers will know we here at the Carer have been awarding an Unsung Hero each Summer and Christmas since 2016!

Now, in these unprecedented and testing times we are looking for another Unsung Hero! (How we wish we could reward you all!)

Say hello to some previous ers!

A two night luxury break for winn

Care Home urst of Cloverfield Marion Brockleh

Debbie Day of Cedars Care Home

two people in a choice of over 300 UK-wide hotels is the prize! £50 Marks & Spencer vouchers for two runners-up! e Boynes Care Centr Sam Buckley of The

Tina Higginson of Sam brook care home

A no-frills, no glitz or glamour competition - all we ask is for you to send us a paragraph or two nominating your Unsung Hero from any department with a brief description of how they've gone that extra mile and deserve to be recognised.

✓ Do you know our next Unsung Hero?

Email your nomination to us today at nominate@thecareruk.com

PAGE 16 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Tackling Malnutrition in Dementia Patients

By Gillian Farren,

Registered Dietitian

NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGES

Patients with dementia face numerous challenges, all of which can have a significant impact on their ability to eat and drink.

In the UK alone, it is estimated that 3 million older people are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.1 Alongside weight loss, key micronutrient deficiencies are recognised, with an estimated 35% of older people showing deficiencies in vitamins A, B12, iron and zinc.2 Although weight loss is part of the natural ageing process, dementia is recognised as a key contributor.3 Moreover, the link between dementia and weight loss strengthens as dementia becomes more severe.4,5 It is important to support dementia patients in eating and drinking well, as inadequate nutritional intake can make a person with dementia more confused.6 Recent guidance from NICE recommends that carers “encourage and support people living with dementia to eat and drink, taking into account their nutritional needs” and “consider involving a speech and language therapist if there are concerns about a person’s safety when eating and drinking”.7 However, dementia carers face specific challenges in supporting patients to eat and drink enough.8

DYSPHAGIA: A BARRIER FOR DEMENTIA SUFFERERS Dysphagia is a term used to describe difficulty or discomfort in swallowing food, fluids and saliva. Dementia is a well-recognised cause.9 Signs of dysphagia in people with dementia include coughing or choking; difficulties chewing; spitting out food; wet gurgling voice after eating; and food/drink spilling from or residue in the patient’s mouth after eating.10 If dysphagia is not managed appropriately, patients can suffer severe health consequences such as chest infections, aspiration pneumonia and choking-related death 9.

PROMOTING A SAFE SWALLOW The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) is a global standard that describes correct and appropriate thickening of liquids and food texture modification, to ensure that they are safe to offer to patients with differing degrees of dysphagia.11 IDDSI gives clear descriptors for all levels of consistency, from level 0 (thin/unthickened) up to 4 (extremely thick) for fluids, and from level 7 (regular) down to level 3 (liquidised) for foods.11 It is vital that patients with dementia are only offered foods and drinks that are a safe and appropriate texture for their current level of dysphagia. This should be assessed and regularly monitored by a registered speech and language therapist.

Many dementia patients dislike the taste and texture of thickening agents.

Thus, products which do not require added thickener may be more acceptable, and can make it easier when patients with dementia are preparing their own

drinks. Interestingly, research suggests that use products which do not require added thickener can lead to increased food and fluid intake.12

PERCEPTION, DEXTERITY AND DISTRACTIONS Dementia often changes how patients recognise once-familiar foods, drinks and utensils.6 Additionally, preference for sweeter tastes and contrasting colours are commonly observed 3. Involving patients in preparing their own foods and drinks, alongside the use of adapted utensils and cutlery, and a reduction in distracting sounds, sights and objects at mealtimes, can encourage independence and focus, while preventing wandering off during mealtimes.13

USING THE “FOOD FIRST APPROACH” For patients with small appetites, foods and drinks can be enriched by adding foods rich in fats and sugars – such as butter, jam, cheese and cream – to increase energy and protein intake without increasing the amount of food eaten.

This is referred to as a “food first” approach.14 While this is the preferred firstline strategy to tackle malnutrition, dementia patients can still struggle to meet their needs from food alone, and oral nutritional supplements or nutrition shakes such as NuVu Life are often recommended to fill the gap.15

HOW NUVU LIFE CAN HELP Made up with 200ml whole milk, one 50g sachet of NuVu Life delivers an impressive 362 kcal and 27.5g protein. When mixed with water or milk, it is IDDSI level 2 consistency. For patients requiring level 2 thickened fluids, NuVu Life removes the need for added thickening agents, thus saving time and reducing risk of error for carers and patients alike. Moreover, NuVu Life is enriched with vitamins and minerals, including those identified earlier in the article (i.e. vitamins A, B12, iron and zinc), which are a specific concern for older people. Just one 50g sachet on NuVu Life provides 100% of the recommended daily intake for these key micronutrients.

NuVu Life is available to purchase online (www.nuvulife.com), RRP depends on the quantity purchased. Use voucher code TC30 to claim 30% off your order.

For sales enquiries, or to request a sample of NuVu Life, please email sales@nuvulife.com or call: 07740 844 405.

REFERENCES: 1. Stratton R, Smith T, Gabe S. Managing malnutrition to improve lives and save money. BAPEN Report 2018. (available at http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/reports/mag/managingmalnutrition.pdf ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 2. Maggini S, Pierre A, Calder P. Immune function and micronutrient requirements change over the life course. Nutrients. 2018; 10(10):1531.

(Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212925/ ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 3. Prince M, Albanese E, Guerchet M, Prina M. Nutrition and dementia: a review of available research. Alzheimer’s Disease International 2014. (available at https://www.alz.co.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/nutritionand-dementia.pdf) [accessed 07 June 2020] 4. White H, Pieper C, Schmader K. The association of weight change in Alzheimer's disease with severity of disease and mortality: a longitudinal analysis. J Amer Geriatrics Soc 1998; 46(10):1223-7. (available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb04537.x) [accessed 07 June 2020] 5. Albanese E, Taylor C, Siervo M, Stewart R, Prince MJ, Acosta D. Dementia severity and weight loss: A comparison across eight cohorts.

The 10/66 study. Alzheimer’s & dementia: the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. 2013; 9:649-656. (Avaiable at https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.jalz.2012.11.014) [accessed 07 June 2020] 6. Alzheimer’s Society. Caring for a person with dementia: a practical guide. 2019. (Available at: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/202003/caring_for_a_person_with_dementia_600.pdf ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 7. National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Dementia: assessment, management and support for people living with dementia and their carers (NG97). 2018. (Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng97 ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 8. NHS Education for Scotland. Supporting People with Dementia in Acute Care: Learning Resource. 2016. (available at: https://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/media/11866144/supporting%20people%20with%20de mentia%20in%20acute%20care%20final%202016%20web.pdf) [accessed 07 June 2020] 9. Holdoway A, Smith A. Meeting nutritional need and managing patients with dysphagia. Journal of Community Nursing. 2020; 34(2):5259. (Available at: https://www.jcn.co.uk/files/downloads/articles/12nutritionalneed.pdf) [accessed 07 June 2020] 10. Hansjee D. 5 Fundamental Ms: cutting aspiration risk in dementia and dysphagia patients. Nursing Times. 2019; 115(4):38-41. (Available at: https://cdn.ps.emap.com/wpcontent/uploads/sites/3/2019/03/190327-5-Fundamental-Ms-cuttingaspiration-risk-in-dementia-and-dysphagia-patients.pdf) [accessed 07 June 2020] 11. International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative. Complete IDDSI Framework detailed definitions 2.0. 2019. (Available at: https://ftp.iddsi.org/Documents/Complete_IDDSI_Framework_Final_31 July2019.pdf ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 12. McCormick S, Stafford K, Saqib G, Ni Chronin D, Power D. The efficacy of pre-thickened fluids on total fluid and nutrient consumption among extended care residents requiring thickened fluids due to risk of aspiration. Age and Ageing. 2008; 37(6):714–715. (Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/37/6/714/40923 ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 13. Crawley H, Hocking E. Eating well: supporting older people and older people with dementia. Caroline Walker Trust. 2011. (Available at: http://www.cwt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/EW-OldDementia-Practical-Resource.pdf ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 14. Forbes C. The ‘food first’ approach to malnutrition. Nursing and Residential Care. 2014; 16(8): 442-445. (Available at: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/nrec.2014.16.8.44 2 ) [accessed 07 June 2020] 15. Robinson K. Nutrition and Dementia. Dietetics Today. Sept 2018; 42-43 (Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/nutrition-anddementia.html ) [accessed 07 June 2020]

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 17

91-Year-Old Care Home Tenant Walks 14km to Raise Funds for Keyworkers A 91-year old tenant of Surrey-based Belvedere House, the maritime care home of The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, has raised £5,000 for the home’s keyworkers by walking laps of the grounds for 30 days.

Inspired by Captain Tom, John Eiffes wanted to recognise the 100 hardworking keyworkers that make up the Royal Alfred workforce – including nurses, care workers, cleaners, kitchen and maintenance staff –for the around-the-clock care they have provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walking 365 metres each day during his sponsored walk of 13,950km, John raised a total of £5,000 in donations. The money raised will buy each staff member a £50 voucher to thank the hard work of the staff during the pandemic.

The Society, which delivers expert care to former seafarers and their dependants, including those living with dementia, is a registered charity and was first established in 1865.

John Eiffes said of his charitable efforts: “I have been living at this home for 10 months and, from day one, the care and compassion I have received from every member of staff has been exceptional. All the tenants and residents really appreciate everything the Belvedere House staff do for us and we

would have been lost without them during this very worrying time.

“I wanted to show our immense gratitude to the wonderful team and getting out to fundraise was the least I could do for the people that give so much to us every day.”

Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt, CEO at The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, said: “On behalf of the Society and all of our staff, we would like to say a big thank you to our tenant John who has selflessly raised funds as a token of gratitude to the Royal Alfred workforce that keep the home running each day. A very special thank you to each and every member of our team who, during the pandemic, have sacrificed spending time with their own families to take care of our residents here at Belvedere House.

“It is our keyworkers that have kept the country together in times of such distress so I’d also like to say thank you to all keyworkers including NHS frontline staff, our emergency services, supermarket workers, farmers, transport operators and teachers. In the battle against the virus, we have come together to take care of one another and I am very proud of all of our keyworker staff at the Royal Alfred, and of those across the country, we owe you all our thanks and appreciation.”

To find out more about the work of The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society visit the charity’s website. To keep up to date with the latest news from the Society, follow and like the official Society Twitter (@RAseafarers) and Facebook pages.

Charity Single ‘Angel by My Side’ is Taking the Internet by Storm With 3.3 Million Views!

The emotional and haunting new Charity Single ‘Angel By My Side’ is taking the Internet by storm, raising money for the NHS Charities COVID-19 Appeal.

With re-Tweets on Twitter from celebrities such as Keith Lemmon, Gemma Collins, Dermot Murnaghan, Linda Lusardi and Nadia Sawalha and many more.

Like so many of us around the world watching the heart-breaking images of COVID -19 play out, two Suffolk songwriters, collectively called ‘Love For The People’, felt they could not ignore the tremendous sacrifice so many NHS Staff were making, with some even paying the ultimate price.

The duo set about writing the heartfelt tribute dedicated to NHS staff and frontline workers, ‘Angel By My Side’ using news footage in the public domain from the National TV news channels to get the song’s meaningful message across, acknowledging the great care and support NHS and frontline workers are giving to us, our friends, and our families in our greatest time of need.

Once the song was finished they sent it to a friend who offered to put a video together.

“After seeing the images with the song, it really put everything into context, and we quickly realised we had something truly special to

honour the NHS staff”, said their spokesperson.

“A decision was made to feature the video on Facebook in the hope that our words would express the gratitude we all feel towards these amazing NHS heroes who are putting their lives at risk day in day out” the spokesperson added.

What they didn’t expect was what came next- 3.3 MILLION views, 89,000 Shares and 31,000 Comments in 3 weeks and its growing every day!

Their Facebook page has now received thousands of kind messages from all over the world including Russia, Australia, NZ, France, Spain, Italy, Canada and USA. Following this enthusiastic reception ‘Love For The People’ are releasing the song on Friday 29th May with all proceeds going to NHS Charities COVID-19 Appeal. There is also a Just Giving page hoping to raise £100,000.

‘Love For The People’ are hoping for the post to continue going viral worldwide and maybe even get the song to the coveted Number One spot.

The writers are not looking to gain personal profile from this song and came up with the release name ‘Love For The People’ from the title of one of the pair’s earlier collaborations. Their only wish is for people to show support for our NHS heroes by visiting their Just Giving Page, and even downloading the song.

As the song says “We can never forget, when the rainbows are gone, all the things they’ve done”.

See the video at https://tinyurl.com/y8s8pf2a

PAGE 18 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Care Home Owner Fears Second Covid-19 Surge Because Test Results are Too Slow A worried care home owner fears a failure to ensure that coronavirus test results are available quickly enough will lead to a deadly second surge of the disease.

According to Glyn Williams, the owner of the Gwyddfor Care Home in Bodedern on Anglesey, critical time is being lost because test results are still taking too long to turnround.

Experts say it is vital for test and trace procedures to be completed within 48 hours otherwise it is ineffective but Mr Williams revealed it took nearly 70 hours for the result of a test on a member of his staff to come through last week.

Anglesey was the only county in North Wales to be selected to trial the Welsh Government’s Test, Trace and Protect strategy, which involves testing people for coronavirus and then tracing the people they have been in contact with in a bid to stem the spread of the disease.

Ministers believe effective use of the strategy will be critical to protecting the lives of thousands of people across Wales in the weeks and months ahead.

The fact that weekly testing for care home staff was now available was welcome news but in reality care providers say the test and trace system cannot possibly work because all too often tests results were not being returned within 24 or even 48 hours, leaving no time for tracers to do their job.

As it turned out, Mr Williams revealed the result of the test on his member of staff at Gwyddfor was thankfully negative.

“If it had been a positive there is no way that it would have been possible to break the chain of infection, it would have been far too late to break the chain of infection. To do that you need to trace every contact within 48 hours,” explained Glynn, 57, a former RAF engineer who runs the home with his wife Mary.

“I listened to the evidence of the UK Parliament Health and Social Care Select Committee, chaired by MP Jeremy Hunt, last week. He had a number of professionals giving evidence who explained in simple terms how fast the test and trace system needs to work for it to be effective.

“The scientists tell us it takes 48 hours from when a person becomes symptomatic for that person’s contacts to pass the infection on to somebody else.

“If we can get the test turned around within 24 hours that leaves the contact tracers with another 24 hours to contact everyone who is a potential contact of that person and get their agreement to isolate. One thing that

doesn’t help in North Wales is that the majority of tests from the region have to be couriered to Cardiff.

“My experience in Wales is that not very many of them are turned around within 24 hours. I referred a member of my staff on Tuesday afternoon at 3.30pm for a test. It finally came through at 11.02am on Friday – that’s nearly 70 hours.

“There’s absolutely no chance the tracers could trace all her contacts within 48 hours because we are beyond that timeframe already, even before the test result has come back.

“I’m in touch with colleagues across Wales and there are tests coming back within 24 hours but the average appears to be between three and six days.

“I’m no expert but I have serious concerns we will have a second peak or another uncontrollable outbreak unless we get the Test, Trace and Protect system running within that golden 48-hour period.

In his desperation for assurances, Mr Williams tweeted MS Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services, asking him to produce data to confirm tests were being turned around within 24 hours but is yet to receive any response.

Care Forum Wales (CFW), which represents more than 450 social care providers across Wales, has consistently warned ministers of the consequences of inadequate testing and says the current Test, Trace and Protect scheme will fail to achieve its purpose if the results are not available quickly enough.

Mario Kreft MBE, CFW Chair, said: “We launched our campaign to Shield Social Care and Save lives back in February and testing was one of the vital components of that campaign.

“It was vital for a number of reasons including the safe discharge of patients from hospitals into care homes, for staff so they could return to the front line and vital for residents in care homes so you could control the spread. This has not changed.

“It’s imperative that people in care homes – residents and staff – can be tested and the results delivered so that any outbreaks can be contained.

“We now need to learn the lessons of these past few months to ensure we don’t repeat the same mistakes, particularly if we are going to experience a second wave of Covid-19 later in the year.

“That’s why Care Forum Wales has campaigned so vigorously from the outset for an effective testing regime to be implemented.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Sanjiv Joshi, Director of the Caron Group, which owns 14 homes across South and Mid-Wales.

He said there were huge variations in testing returns across the group’s homes from 24 hours to five days and also highlighted other problems with the current system.

“There needs to be proper consultation with care providers before these policies are put into practice because it can be very disruptive for the care system,” he said.

“The current policy from Public Health Wales is that a home has to be incident-free for 28 days before you can admit new clients as you are considered high-risk. The problem is you are recorded as an “open incident” even if you have simply asked for someone to be tested - it doesn’t mean you have a positive result.

“It does not differentiate between a precautionary test and a suspected case. At one of our homes, for example, we are recruiting new staff and we want them to be tested before they start work as a precaution. The minute we asked for these tests the home became an ‘open incident’ which is disruptive and counterproductive.

“We need to assess what is practical and find a solution that works and is effective.”

So far at Gwyddfor, Mr Williams has managed to keep the home Covid19 free through extensive infection control procedures which include a self-designed decontamination unit based on his training in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare when he was in the RAF. But he fears lifting of the lockdown restrictions in England is undermining his efforts.

“I’m very concerned about the way we are proceeding with the lockdown requirements,” he said “We’re seeing a relaxation of the measures in England and people in North Wales are thinking why should England release restrictions and not Wales? As a result, we’re now seeing a peak in infections.

“It’s very much an economically-driven strategy. They’re not giving any consideration to care homes. They didn’t give us any when we went into this pandemic and they’re not giving us any now coming out of it.

“We’re collateral damage again, this time collateral damage in the battle to recover the economy. It’s so scary.”

Mr Williams said the ideal solution would be a quick 20-minute ‘point of care’ test which could deliver a rapid result. Instead, he claimed the current system is long-winded and this is hampering the speed at which results can be returned.

“I can’t understand why they can’t leave us with a stock of swabs so if we get a spike in temperature we can instantly swab and send it direct to the lab?” he added.

“It would be an enormous help until the quick point-of-care test was available.

Gwyddfor is currently full but Mr Williams said the financial situation was still precarious and warned he would only have to lose four residents to be operating at a loss.

Although the home has received some financial compensation and welcomes the support it has received from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Mr Williams said none of the original £40m rescue package from the Welsh Government is available for self-funded residents, only those funded by the local authority.

“What does the Government want us to do? They want providers to pass these extra Covid-19 costs on to self-funders which is absolutely ludicrous.

“Covid-19 has made care home residents prisoners, not being allowed outside their homes, or even rooms in some cases, and the Welsh Government is making self-funding residents pay to be prisoners.

Meanwhile, funded residents are being funded for a lower food allowance than prisoners.

“Care Forum Wales has been saying for years a perfect storm is brewing, well it just turned into a Category 5 hurricane. God only knows how we’re going to get out of it. A massive investment of money is the only way to put the social care system right.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 19

Barchester Healthcare Wins the Healthcare Services Sector Award As the care sector, the NHS and society as a whole, battles against COVID-19; health and safety has never been higher on the agenda. Barchester Healthcare are proud to have been honoured by a prestigious award for their contribution to occupational health and safety in the healthcare sector. The award comes, for the second consecutive year from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for the Healthcare Services Sector Award in 2020.

The expertise embedded and recognised by RoSPA has meant that Barchester teams have been brilliant in implementing infection control procedures, during a period of time when it has been needed most. Barchester Healthcare continue to demonstrate a consistently excellent and continuously improving performance for ‘Best in sector’ and are the only care provider to hold the prestigious Healthcare Services Industry Sector award from RoSPA. Barchester Healthcare previously won two RoSPA ‘Gold’ awards, ‘Commended’ and ‘Highly Commended’ and then Winner 2019 for the whole care sector. The Health and Safety team at Barchester entered into the competitive ‘Healthcare Provider’ category again in 2020, the business proudly took home the highly coveted ‘Healthcare Services Award as a ‘Winner’ of the major National Sector Award for a second time.

The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives

entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Paul Mason, Director of Health and Safety at Barchester said: “We are delighted to have received such a prestigious award, in recognition for maintaining the highest level of health and safety management throughout Barchester homes and hospitals. Winning this is testimony to the commitment shown by all staff employed by the group and the importance and focus placed on health and safety by Barchester’s Executive management team.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of qualifications, awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, but it receives entries from organisations around the world, making it one of the most sought-after global accolades in health and safety.

Dr Pete Calveley, CEO at Barchester Healthcare said: “The safety of our residents, patients and staff is always our first consideration and so we are especially proud that our work in this area is recognised by RoSPA. I hope this provides some reassurance to our residents and their loved ones on how important we know this is, and how seriously we take it, particularly in these very uncertain times.

Spearhead Launch Generic COSHH Training Video for Care Homes Care sector supplier Spearhead have launched a free COSHH training video for care home staff that can’t attend any in-depth COSHH training due to the lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures.

Spearhead have produced the video and make it available to all care homes for free in recognition for the need for efficient infection control procedures which are essential to ensure that care homes deal with infection outbreaks the best possible way.

Spokesperson said “Now more than ever, the correct and safe use of chemicals is essential to contain infection outbreaks in care homes; The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) training is paramount to inform and educate care home staff of the best practices to adopt when using chemicals of any kind. However, due to the current lockdown situation and social distancing measures across the country, many care homes are shielding their residents and limiting interactions with the outside world. As a result, many may struggle to get in-depth COSHH training for their staff.”

“To ensure that care homes stay safe by employing best infection control practices, Spearhead has developed a generic COSHH training video to assist care homes that can’t provide more in-depth training at this time. Many areas of COSHH are treated in the video, such as precautions and advice, health and corrosive hazards however, this should not be used as a permanent solution & has been designed to be used when normal training is not possible.” www.spearheadhealthcare.com/Blog/Spearheads-Generic-COSHH-Training

Oldest Resident in Chester Celebrates Birthday in Lockdown her training; initially against her father’s wishes, but he soon saw how determined she was and drove her to Liverpool to drop her off (the long way around, as the Mersey Tunnel did not exist in those days).

During her time as a well known nurse, Meg met the love of her life, a Yorkshire man called Charles Thomas, and they got married and moved to Halifax where they lived happily until three years ago when Charles passed away. Meg made the decision to move back to her beloved Chester in 2018 at the grand age of 104 to take up residence at Grosvenor Manor.

Wellbeing coordinator at Grosvenor Manor, Lisa Forth, said: “We’ve celebrated Meg’s 105th and 106th birthdays and were not going to let lockdown stop us celebrating her 107th birthday! Meg had a busy day full of surprise calls and messages from all of her family and friends and we all came together to sing happy birthday and enjoy some cake. 107 is a remarkable milestone; we’ve been doing our research and are pretty sure she is the oldest resident in Chester!”

Meg said: “I’ve had a great day, and thanks to all of this wonderful new technology, I have spoken to all of my family and loved ones. It really felt that everyone was here with me and I can’t thank Lisa and the team enough for setting it all up for me.”

The team at Grosvenor Manor care centre on Hatchmere Drive was determined not to let lockdown stand in the way of a superb celebration for the 107th birthday of possibly the oldest resident in Chester, Meg Thomas.

Many generations of family joined in with the celebrations virtually, sending special messages of love and best wishes on digital and social channels, making telephone calls and using video link-ups to chat to Meg, sing happy birthday and watch her blow out the candles on her magnificent cake.

Inundated with cards and gifts, Meg was also treated to a special socially distanced birthday party complete with an afternoon tea party, balloons and cake from other residents and the team at Grosvenor Manor to ensure that the three digit milestone was marked in style.

Born at Green Farm, opposite Gresford Parish Church, Meg attended Gresford Village School and then Grove Park where she was a very happy and enthusiastic student who loved school and participated fully in a host of in-school and extra-curricular activites including tennis, badminton and Girl Guides.

It was Meg’s dream to be a nanny, but a conversation with the family doctor ignited a passion within her for nursing and she left for Liverpool Royal Hospital to start

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 21

Lockdown Gains Must be Sustained to Prevent Even More Loss of Life

Responding to the latest COVID-19 mortality figures for England and Wales, published by the ONS, Dr Layla McCay, a director at the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, said: "These figures are continuing to move in the right direction, and that is good news. What this demonstrates is that lockdown measures have had an impact – and that this impact must be sustained in order to avoid even more loss of life and to protect the NHS and care services upon which our communities rely.

"It is clear that we are at a delicate stage that needs to be managed carefully: rushing to remove lockdown restrictions before we are ready could risk us ending up in an even worse position than at the beginning of the crisis.

"Our members are clear that we need a fully operational test and trace programme, as well as a guarantee that PPE supplies will be available wherever and whenever they are needed, especially as routine care restarts."

Key points from the data: • The number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 29 May 2020 (Week 22) was 9,824; this was 2,464 fewer than in Week 21, but 20.2% (1,653 deaths) higher than the five-year average.

• Of the deaths registered in Week 22, 1,822 mentioned COVID-19, the lowest

number of deaths involving COVID-19 in the last eight weeks; this accounts for 18.5% of all deaths and is 767 deaths fewer than in Week 21.

• The proportion of all hospital deaths that involved COVID-19 increased to 55.1% in Week 22 (compared with 51.0% in Week 21) but the proportion of deaths occurring in care homes decreased (from 42.1% in Week 21 to 38.7% in Week 22).

• In Week 22, the proportion of deaths occurring in care homes decreased to 25.5% while deaths involving COVID-19 as a percentage of all deaths in care homes decreased to 28.2%.

• Of all deaths involving COVID-19 registered up to Week 22, 63.9% (29,227 deaths) occurred in hospital with the remainder mainly occurring in care homes (29.4% - 13,460 deaths), private homes (4.5% - 2,070 deaths) and hospices (1.3% - 612 deaths).

• The number of deaths mentioning “Influenza and Pneumonia” on the death certificate (without COVID-19) decreased from 1,066 in Week 21 to 911 in Week 22 and remained below the five-year average.

• The number of deaths that mentioned both “Influenza and Pneumonia” and COVID-19 on the death certificate also decreased to 700, compared with 910 deaths in Week 21.

Hertfordshire Musicians Put in Surprise Performance at Hitchin Care Home something that served to make the surprise visit even more welcome.

Neil Gandecha, estate manager at Foxholes care Home, said: “It was a lovely experience for all of us to welcome The Hansel Trio to Foxholes. It was a beautiful day and the residents were able to enjoy the performance outside on the patio. They had a great time and the fact the group gave up their time for free to bring cheer and joy to our residents is amazing – we can’t thank them enough.

Neil continued: “Like all care homes across the UK, it’s been an extremely difficult time so little gestures like this go a long way for all of us, including the staff who also got to enjoy the performance. After such a positive reception, we hope to invite The Hansel Trio back once the lockdown is over so the friends and families of residents can also enjoy their music.”

The trio also enjoyed the visit to Foxholes, posting on their Facebook page: “We loved entertaining the residents of Foxholes on their patio – there was lots dancing and singing along.”

Residents at a Hertfordshire care home were treated to the musical melodies of a classical three-piece group during a surprise performance to bring joy and laughter to the home.

Foxholes Care Home, near Hitchin, organised the special event, which saw local musicians The Hansel Trio perform for residents on Sunday, May 31st, with the group covering the likes of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and other much-loved tunes, the joys of which left residents clapping, dancing and singing along.

The group, made up of Sarah Wilson (Violin), Anna Lusty (Viola) and Catriona Bevan (Cello), gave up their time for free to perform an array of classical numbers and classic songs in the sunny grounds of Foxholes, with residents enjoying the music from afar in accordance with the home’s strict social distancing policies.

Given essential precautions amidst the pandemic, the residential care home has restricted access for non-essential visitors since the lockdown began, resulting in many of its activities programmes being cancelled –

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 23

A Manchester Couple Say That Virtual Singing Sessions Have Lifted Their Spirits During Lockdown This week marks Carers Week, an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

Diana Marks, 75, has been isolating with her husband Malcolm Chapman, 77, who has Vascular Dementia.

Diana is an example of one of the many unpaid carers in the UK who has been using music as a way to alleviate stress and keep spirits high throughout the current health crisis.

Carers Week’s theme this year is ’Making Caring Visible’. This will ensure that unpaid carers get the information and support they need from services and the wider public.

Music for Dementia (musicfordementia.org.uk) - which campaigns for people living with dementia to have free access to music - have a range of resources on their website that carers can access to help them incorporate music into the care of a loved one who is living with dementia.

Ahead of lockdown Diana and Malcolm would usually attend SoundsUp Arts in Manchester - a participatory music organisation which specialises in developing programmes that engage people living with dementia. However, since the lockdown began this hasn’t been possible.

They have had to stay away from family and friends but have found solace in online music sessions via Music for Dementia’s Musical Map (musicfordementia.org.uk/2018/09/25/musicalmapfordementia/) - taking part in the SoundsUp Arts digital group singing sessions virtually while at home.

They have found that music has alleviated Malcolm’s symptoms, whilst also providing some light relief for Diana, in a time of heightened anxiety.

Diana said: “The sessions have become a weekly milestone for Malcolm and me during lockdown - the highlight of his day is to sing along with Lucy and Ranold who run the sessions.

“Usually, Malcolm is a people's person but unfortunately isolation has caused low moods and he can appear quite lost sometimes.

“I use music when I notice Malcolm is getting agitated, for example after watching the news we put Andre Rieu on afterwards and he is up singing and dancing every time!

"These sessions have been invaluable for both Malcolm and me, it's fabulous to watch him sing along and joke to Lucy, every so often giving them a thumbs up.

"There are thousands of people who are in the same boat as us who might feel lonely and isolated and their conditions may have got worse as a result.

"We’d urge them to go onto the Music for Dementia website and find out how to make the most of music during this time.”

Safer Ageing Charity Joins Legal Action to Force Inquiry into PPE Shortages Judicial review proceedings were issued yesterday [Monday 8 June, 2020] after the Government refused to launch an urgent inquiry into failures to provide adequate PPE for NHS staff and other frontline care workers.

Safer ageing charity Hourglass (the working name of Action on Elder Abuse) has joined the crowdfunded legal challenge being brought by the Doctors’ Association UK and the Good Law Project to bring attention to the Government’s failures to protect vulnerable care home residents in their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The challenge sets out the Department of Health’s legal obligation under the Human Rights Act 1998 and Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights to commence an immediate and independent investigation into whether failures to provide adequate PPE may have caused or contributed to the deaths or serious illness from COVID-19 of workers in the health and social care sectors, as well as patients and care home residents.

There have been at least 180 deaths of NHS staff and 131 deaths of social care workers in England.[1] Commenting on the charity’s move to join the Doctor’s Association UK and the Good Law Project in bringing legal action, Hourglass CEO, Richard Robinson, said: “Recent figures have shown that at least 40% of all coronavirus

deaths so far have occurred in care homes - the very places dedicated to keeping older people safe in their later years. The under-reporting of deaths, the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing available to staff, and the practice of transferring untested hospital patients into care facilities without sufficient processes for managing infection have all contributed to the deaths of over 130 staff and more than 20,000 care home residents.

“Indeed, our care homes have effectively been left to fend for themselves throughout the pandemic, as staff – in some cases left with nothing but bin bags for protection – risk their own lives to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. This cannot continue.

“As lockdown restrictions ease, it is vital that lessons are learned from our response to the pandemic before we encounter a second wave. There can be no excuse for a repeat of the carnage we’ve seen in our care homes over the last few months. The government must act now and commit to an urgent public inquiry before yet more lives are lost.”

Jolyon Maugham, Director of Good Law Project said: “You may think we will get a public inquiry, one day. Fine, perhaps we will. But for it to be meaningful it must have sensible terms of reference. It must be independent, by which we mean not led by a handpicked civil servant. And it must be soon - because we need to learn

lessons before a second or third wave. These are the things at stake in this case - justice to the 200 who have lost their lives in public service requires it.”

Dr Rinesh Parmar, Chair of the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) said: “We have seen over the last few weeks that the UK has one of the highest death rates from COVID-19 in the world. Health and social care workers rose to the challenge, returned to the frontline from retirement and pulled out all the stops to save lives. Some had no PPE, others had inadequate, out of date perishing supplies. Alongside caring for patients, we’ve cared for colleagues and also faced the sad and grim reality of losing colleagues, who themselves were caring for patients.

“As we recover from the first wave of COVID-19 there is a real and credible possibility that we will face a second wave in the coming months or into the winter. Now is the time to learn key lessons to enable us to avoid future pitfalls, protect the frontline and ultimately save lives. Our calls for a public inquiry and our petition of nearly 120,000 signatures have all fallen on deaf ears as the government buries its head in the sand and steadfastly refuses to commit to the learning required to prevent further tragedies.”

The Doctors’ Association UK, Hourglass and the Good Law Project have instructed Bindmans and Paul Bowen QC of Brick Court Chambers on the case.

PAGE 24 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

New Report and Guidance on Data and Cyber Security for Social Care Services Digital Social Care has been working with the Local Government Association, NHS Digital and NHSX on how to help care providers benefit from the increased use of digital technology while also keeping safe and secure.

Over the last year, 24 local projects and 57 individual care providers have been exploring practical solutions to the challenges of data and cyber security. Nine of the projects were led by local care associations, nine by local councils, four by national trade associations and two by individual care providers.

The full programme report, written by the Institute of Public Care at Oxford Brookes University, and some associated information can be downloaded via the Digital Social Care website.

The report highlights that, while there are great benefits to the increased use of digital technology in care services, there are risks in areas such as smartphone use, password practice, backups and staff training and awareness. The programme is developing a range of tools and guidance and the first of these, guidance on

data and cyber security training materials, has been published alongside the programme report.

There is also new guidance for the commissioners of adult social care services – local councils and CCGs. The guidance has been published by the Local Government Association and can be viewed here.

Ian Turner, who leads the programme on behalf of Digital Social Care and the Care Provider Alliance, said: “We know that while they meet the challenges of COVID-19, care providers have never been busier, and that data and cyber security may not seem an immediate priority at this time. However, the risks are still out there, and I would encourage all care providers to look carefully at this topic when they are able to. We hope that the information and guidance we publish will help them to do so.”

Digital Social Care is asking every care provider to sign up to receive further updates and information through the Digital Social Care newsletter.

Veterans’ Care Home Celebrates Interconnection Between Heroism of D-Day Resident Funding & Workforce

Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe has thrown a special D-Day party for one of its residents, who took part in the Normandy landings 76 years ago.

Staff at the care home in Hughenden Avenue organised the tea party for George Avery on Saturday 6 June, on the anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The 98-year-old, who is known to friends and family as Bunny, was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers and built Bailey bridges throughout Europe to help support the Allied advance into Nazi-occupied Europe.

He was part of the second wave of British troops to land on Sword Beach on 6 June 1944. Bunny was dropped close to the shoreline by his landing craft, and as he made his way to the beach he “just kept running”.

He remembers seeing bodies strewn on the sand and added: “I thought, ‘Keep your head down boy!’”

In 2016 he was awarded France’s highest military honour – the Legion d’Honneur – as thanks from the French government for his role in its liberation.

Today Bunny lives with dementia at the care home, which opened in 2019.

Staff arranged the tea party, with other residents also joining Bunny, while observing social distancing precautions. Photos of Bunny in uniform helped decorate the

Home, and residents ate a special cake with his image on it, listened to music and danced.

Receptionist Cerys Walters said: “Bunny and the rest of the residents had such a lovely time. It was a true honour for us all to be with Bunny on such a significant day.”

Two years ago, Bunny visited Sword Beach on D-Day and posed for a photo taken exactly 74 years to the hour of his landing on the stretch of sand.

Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has submitted written evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “Sad though it is to receive recognition through disaster, the coronavirus pandemic has brought to light the essential role of adult social care. Moving beyond lockdown, we need to craft a new approach, one that ensures that vulnerable people are not abandoned by the NHS. We need a system of support in which health and social care act in a coordinated fashion focused around the person and are financed adequately and appropriately”.

The Health and Social Care Select Committee’s latest inquiry focuses on funding and workforce, two of the most important pillars of the adult social care sector. It explores: What level of funding is required in each of the next five years to address this?

What is the extent of current workforce shortages in social care, how will they change over the next five years, and how do they need to be addressed?

What further reforms are needed to the social care funding system in the long term? https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commonsselect/health-and-social-care-committee/news/social-care-funding-and-workforce-inquiryre-opened-19-21/ Martin Green continues: “A decreasing funding pot has hampered providers’ efforts to recruit and retain staff. This has manifest in a number of ways, spanning the overall financial attractiveness of the adult social care sector as an entity in itself, but also providers ability to compete with other sectors. The adult social care workforce needs to be seen for what it is, an exciting, challenging, professional career and we have to ensure that staff are remunerated accordingly”.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 27

Care Home Mobility Solution Wins £50k Grant to Fight Covid-19 the armrest or a mobile phone app and will be built in the UK. Low-profile, puncture-proof tyres, a tight turning circle and small footprint make small rooms and corridors easy to negotiate. The Centaur’s armrests drop down to enable it to slip under desks and tables.

Exciting times Chris Hay, managing director of Centaur Robotics, said: “This is a real vote of confidence in our technology, our vision and our team. Future investors can see that we mean business and are on track. This is an exciting time for Centaur.

“We are leading the way and we’re really pleased that our work has been recognised and rewarded by Innovate UK.” The £50,000 will be used to carry out further research into mobility within care homes and build a demonstrator based on those requirements.

Improve lives, make impact The competition’s aim was to support the development of ambitious and innovative products and services which will help society or industry during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell, said: “The ideas we have seen can truly make a significant impact on society, improve the lives of individuals, especially those in vulnerable groups and enable innovative businesses to prosper in challenging circumstances.”

For more information visit www.centaurrobotics.com

Developers of a revolutionary personal electric vehicle which reduces exposure to viruses like Covid-19 have been awarded a government grant of £50,000.

The Centaur is a two-wheeled, self-balancing machine for the elderly and disabled that fits into the space of a dining chair and has a seat which rises up to eye-level.

It will eventually be rolled out into hospitals and care homes where it will eliminate the need for porters and safeguard patients and carers by limiting contact between them, stopping the spread of infections.

The Centaur is made by Centaur Robotics, which has just launched its third investment phase, offering investors up to 23 per cent of the company in return for £1.5m. The personal electric vehicle will go into production later this year.

Reduces transmission of virus About 8,600 companies entered the competition set by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. The competition was designed to encourage businesses to address issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Care homes and hospitals using the Centaur will become more productive as less time will be spent pushing patients around. The Centaur also gives care home residents greater independence and is easy to clean, further reducing the chance of disease and virus transmission.

Using revolutionary technology, the sleek and lightweight Centaur will challenge the way people think about mobility. It is operated via a small joystick on

Taunton Care Home Sends ‘From My New Health Check Station Heart to Yours’ Gifts for Residents’ Residents at Oake Meadows care home, Taunton, have sent their family members knitted hearts, photos and cards in a special ‘from my heart to yours’ campaign.

The home on Wyvern Road, received the knitted hearts as a donation from a friend of the home, Jeannie Woods, who is a seamstress. Jeannie reached out to Oake Meadows at the beginning of the UK’s lockdown to send them the gifts to help bring joy to the residents at a difficult time.

The residents decided they would like to share the gifts with their loved ones, along with photos of themselves at the home and cards donated by local business, Flamingo Paperie.

Margaret Hill, 81, resident at Oake Meadows care home, said: “I’ve found it very difficult that my daughter can’t visit at the moment. We have always been very close, and this is a strange situation for everyone.

“The knitted heart is so beautiful, and I love that I have one and now she can have one too.”

Joy Allgate, daughter of resident

Leroy Bryan, said: “It made me cry. It is a beautiful little heart and photo of my dad; I will keep it forever. Everything the home does is above and beyond.”

Louis Du Tout, activities coordinator at Oake Meadows, said: “Residents were eager to share a message with their loved ones and it meant the world to us to help them with this. We have made strong efforts throughout the lockdown to ensure that residents and their families can maintain contact either through video and landline calls as well as continued and increased social media posts and messages.

“I’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to Jeannie for the donation of the knitted hearts from everyone here at Oake Meadows, it has really made us all smile.”

Oake Meadows forms part of Larchwood Care and is currently managed by Healthcare Management Solutions. The home is currently rated ‘Good’ by the CQC. Across the Larchwood portfolio, the regulator ratings reflect the exceptionally high standards of care given and the drive of every team member to continually improve the care they give.

A new product has been released to help check individuals’ temperatures as they enter a public space.

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PAGE 28 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

Marton Care Purchases Eleven Four Seasons Care Homes

Marton Care Homes Limited has purchased 11 care homes based in the North East, Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The homes were formerly operated by Four Seasons but have been managed by Marton Care Homes for the last few months and have been bought from Administration.

Richard Hoggart founded the business specifically to create a new brand to complement the existing Burlington Care brand and Amanda Cunningham, former COO of Four Seasons Healthcare, joined the business in March; it is intended that further acquisitions will be made by Marton Care.

Richard commented: “The staff and management team in these homes have worked tirelessly over the last few months, not only dealing with a new operator but also the Covid pandemic. I appreciate the effort they have put in and the success they have delivered in such a short space of time. We look forward to the future with optimism about what else we might achieve.”

VODG Calls for Parity in Government’s Social Care COVID-19 Testing Programme The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) is calling for full parity in the government’s social care COVID-19 testing programme after it announced the roll out of ‘whole care home testing’.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced that from 7 June 2020 care homes catering for adults with learning disabilities or mental health needs, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and other conditions will also be able to access COVID-19 testing.

While a welcome announcement, VODG is concerned that government is continuing to overlook other parts of the sector including people who live in their own homes and supported living.

Commenting on the announcement Dr Rhidian Hughes, VODG chief executive, said: “We are pleased that the Department of Health and Social Care will open up testing to everyone living in care homes, regardless of age or condition. But people who use other care services, such as care at home and supported living, have an equal right to be tested too.

“We have serious concerns about the lack of parity in government’s approach to testing. Government must protect all citizens, and we are concerned that its current programme continues to overlook some types of support for disabled people and the staff and carers.

“Testing needs to be made available immediate for disabled people using care services whether living in their own home or supported living and whether symptomatic or not.

“As a country, we have been, and will continue to face an unprecedented crisis in the form of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We need government to apply testing, and all subsequent public health measures, in an equitable and consistent way across the country.

“The decisions made today that are negatively impacting on disabled people need to be put right to ensure these mistakes are not replicated in future decision making.”

Borough Care Residents Create Self-Portraits Residents at Borough Care’s Silverdale and Bryn Haven homes for older people have recently taken part in an art project and created self-portraits. The two homes signed up to the project with Arts on Wheels, which provides art activities to older people in residential care homes.

Arts on Wheels specialises in creating therapeutic collage making packs, which can stimulate communication, imagination and self-expression.

Lindsay Hadfield, Activity Lifestyle Facilitator at Silverdale, says: “We signed up to the art project initiative to give our residents something different to try their hand at.

Residents used the different coloured and textured paper to create a portrait of themselves. I helped Silverdale residents create their pictures and it was lovely spending one-to-one time with people chatting and getting crafty. It was a welcome distraction for everyone at the present time. At Borough Care, we believe our residents should live

life in colour and this project literally brought out everyone’s colourful side.”

The self-portraits produced by Borough Care residents will be part of Collaged Citizens, an online gallery of self-portraits created by people isolated or socially disadvantaged during the coronavirus pandemic. Devised by Rachel Shore, founder of Arts on Wheels, the project is funded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority and supported by Arts Council England. Rachel Shore says: “As a creative practitioner, I am a passionate advocate for how creativity, in all its forms, can have immense therapeutic benefits for older people. By participating in art making, we engage with both ourselves and others in the wider world around us.”

The self-portrait collages, produced for the Collaged Citizens project, can be seen online at www.artsonwheels.org alongside information on other therapeutic activities offered by Arts on Wheels.

stop the spread of Covid-19

Traditional sanitisers only kill germs at the moment of use so as soon as contact is made with another contaminated surface your protection has gone. OneSpray sanitisers powered by Zoono techology provide antiviral protection for your Staff and Residents up to 24 hours on skin and up to 30 days on all surfaces.

The Products

The Technology

OneSpray sanitisers significantly reduces the spread of harmful bacteria, viruses (including coronavirus), fungi, mould and yeast.

The revolutionary technology lasts up to 30 days on surfaces and up to 24 hours on skin.

OneSpray incorporates Zoono technology a mono-molecular layer of antimicrobial, silane based polymers that form a barrier of positively charged microscopic ‘pins’ on the surface. These positively charged ‘pins’ attract and pierce the negatively charged pathogens.

The ‘pins’ rupture the cell walls and this causes the pathogen to break up with lethal effect.

Plus the long-lasting bonding capabilities mean it doesn’t wash off so you can repeatedly wash your hands and wipe surfaces down without reducing its efficacy.

DERMATOLOGICALLY TESTED ULTRA GENTLE

ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY

LEAVES BEHIND AN INVISIBLE MICROBIAL SHIELD

ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY

LASTS ALL DAY ON SKIN DOESN’T WASH OFF NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS

PROTECTS FOR UP TO 30 DAYS PROVEN AGAINST BACTERIA, FUNGI AND VIRUSES NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS

One application of OneSpray Hand Sanitiser in the morning provides an antibacterial protective layer all day so you can relax, knowing you’re protected.

Using OneSpray after you clean gives you germ-free surfaces door handles, light switches etc. for up to 30 days.

When applied to a surface, OneSpray leaves behind a mono molecular layer that permanently bonds to the surface, Routine cleaning or handwashing does not disrupt the molecule or its antimicrobial activity.

OneSpray is water based, alcohol free and free from dangerous chemicals.

This is truly the next generation of antimicrobial technology.

Zoono has over 150 worldwide laboratory testing reports supporting the efficacy of their products.

MECHANICAL DISRUPTION OF PATHOGENS NOT DEHYDRATION OR CHEMICAL POISONING PROVEN EFFECTIVE FOR UP TO 24 HOURS ON SKIN

PROVEN EFFECTIVE FOR UP TO 30 DAYS ON SURFACES ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY

PREVENTS MUTATION ( SUPERBUGS)

ZOONO TECHNOLOGY

R

SUPPORTED BY 150+ LABOROTARY TESTS

PURIFIED DEIONIZED WATER AND AN ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUND

OneSpray is successfully used in London Underground, Network Rail, Offices, Vehicles, Shipping, Care Homes and Hospitals in fact anywhere where there is a risk of infection.

To find out more about how OneSpray can help your Home in the fight against Covid-19 and a host of other harmful pathogens call 020 340 41521 now or email carehomes@onespray.com

www.onespray.com

OneSpray Ltd. Abacus House, 14-18 Forest Road, Loughton, Essex. IG10 1DX

tel: 03300 577148 email carehomes@onespray.com

PAGE 30 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL Handwashing Gadget Launches To Help Care Homes

A motion-sensing gadget is launching to help and encourage better hand washing habits.

Wavewash can be fitted above sinks in any business, home, or healthcare premises, reminding people to wash their hands more thoroughly and helping them to achieve a 20 second wash every time.

Wavewash is intended for use in a wide range of businesses to help staff, customers or patients to wash their hands more thoroughly and meet their obligations under government guidelines. The product can also be especially useful in healthcare premises such as care homes where hygiene is crucial.

Once activated with a wave of the hand, Wavewash begins a light-up timer to indicate how long a person should continue washing their hands.

The 20 second timer gives users a clear indication of how long they need to wash, as recommended by the NHS and the government.

Under the government’s recently published COVID-19 guidance for employers (www.gov.uk/guidance/social-distancing-in-the-workplaceduring-coronavirus-covid-19-sector-guidance), employers should advise workers to regularly wash their hands for 20 seconds and they should consider providing any additional facilities needed to do so.

To help healthcare providers such as care homes to protect patients and staff from coronavirus, 100 Wavewash units are being offered to selected organisations in the sector, free of charge.

As well as being used in healthcare premises, Wavewash can be used in the toilets of pubs, cafes and restaurants to improve hygiene and reduce the spread of germs and viruses. It can also be used by businesses involved in food processing and preparation, where hand hygiene is essential.

Health authorities around the world, including Public Health England and the NHS recommend that everyone should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds using soap and water to easily and effectively kill the

microorganisms which can cause illness, including COVID-19 coronavirus.

Wavewash partner, Martin Hurworth said: “Health authorities around the world are urging us to wash our hands for 20 second using soap and water every time as it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways we can avoid getting sick and spreading germs and viruses to others.

“Unfortunately, accurately counting to 20 seconds is actually pretty hard, even if you sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice and lots of people cut corners and forget to wash their hands for that long… and, of course, some people overlook washing their hands completely, which is disgusting.

“Wavewash aims to solve all of these problems. It’s a smart but noticeable device which reminds people to wash their hands better and helps them to do it.

“Telling people to wash their hands more thoroughly can work, but positive reinforcement, timely reminders and a little help can work so much better at nudging us into doing the right thing. I believe that Wavewash can make a real difference in getting everyone to wash their hands properly, helping to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses” The device has been designed to help all businesses, including those in healthcare to comply with governmental guidelines for hygiene and for the prevention and control of infections. As a result, Wavewash is intended to play a major role in helping businesses to prepare for life after the nationwide lockdown comes to an end, when good hand hygiene is expected to be crucial.

As part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s social distancing guidelines (www.gov.uk/guidance/social-distancing-inthe-workplace-during-coronavirus-covid-19-sector-guidance), every business is expected to advise workers to wash their hands using soap and water for 20 seconds regularly, and should consider providing additional facilities to help with this. Wavewash can help companies towards fulfill-

ing these requirements, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and helping them to wash for 20 seconds every time.

Wavewash’s smart design and simple interface also makes it ideal for the home, helping parents and children to clean their hands and keep one another safe.

Wavewash has been developed by a team of British engineers who were inspired after speaking to doctors and nurses about the problems caused by people failing to properly wash their hands in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

The gadget is a simple tech solution which works using a non-contact sensor, so there’s no need to touch the device at all. It can also be fitted to virtually any surface using screws or a self-adhesive pad which are included and its smooth surface avoids the build-up of dirt and germs.

While washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is advised by the NHS (www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-towash-your-hands), Public Health England (www.gov.uk/government/news/public-information-campaign-focuseson-handwashing) and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html). Studies have shown that a 20-second hand wash with liquid soap is enough to effectively remove dirt, organic matter and most transient microorganisms which are acquired through direct contact with a person and from the environment.

Hand washing can minimise the spread of illnesses including influenza (annals.org/aim/fullarticle/744899/facemasks-hand-hygiene-preventinfluenza-transmission-households-cluster-randomized-trial), diarrhea and respiratory infections, and governments around the world recommend it as a central part of their advice to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) (www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/). Hand washing also reduces the risk of food poisoning (www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands).

However, recent studies have suggested that just 5% of people wash their hands for long enough (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23621052), with the average wash lasting only six seconds.

Wavewash is inspired by the ‘nudge theory’ of behavioural science which is widely used by governments and public health bodies. The concept is that individuals are more likely to make particular choices or behave in a certain way if they are positively encouraged and supported to make it through indirect suggestions, rather than coercion or education.

The makers of Wavewash hope that the device will lead to more people thoroughly washing their hands in future, helping to make 20 secondlong hand washing a permanent habit.

Wavewash is available for purchase now. Visit www.wavewash.co.uk for more information or call 01603 343 727.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 27

PAGE 32 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL Free Coronavirus Awareness Face Shields In Stock Now Video by iHASCO iHASCO , a market-leading provider of workplace eLearning, have released a free Coronavirus awareness video to help offer organisations and the general public practical advice on what Coronavirus is, how to reduce the risk of the virus spreading and what to do if you’re showing symptoms. This free resource is for anyone wishing to find out more about Coronavirus and how to minimise its impact. Employers can now, in under 10 minutes, provide a short video to all of their employees, spread awareness and help them understand best hygiene practices.

Access the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJrpfmnOnpc or visit the free resource page on the iHASCO website at www.ihasco.co.uk/blog/entry/2716/covid-19.

The free video contains information gathered from the NHS, the Direct Gov website, The World Health Organization, and it also includes a few useful tips from iHASCO’s Infection Prevention & Control course.

As a leading provider of online Health & Safety, HR and Business Compliance training, iHASCO offers quality online training courses to over 10,000 UK businesses. With this in mind iHASCO felt it their duty to share this information in a short video.

Face Shields are now in full production and available for delivery from Numatic International, home of the famous Henry vacuum.

Manufactured in the UK, the Face Shield offers a simple, comfortable and reusable solution. We are prioritising dispatch of these Face Shields to Healthcare settings, including Care Homes.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have urgently re-tasked our Design & Manufacturing Teams to deliver a Non-profit PPE initiative, supplying PPE to those that need it as quickly as possible.

For more information and to order: Call: 01460 269270 Email: PPE@numatic.co.uk Visit: www.numaticsupport.com/faceshield

“Being Health & Safety training experts, we have a duty to play our part in raising awareness to help reduce the risk of infection spread and keep people safe,” says Nathan Pitman, Director at iHASCO. “We know how to source quality information and present it in an engaging way to ensure the learner takes away the key points. Rather than focus on panic and frightening news headlines we want to provide information that is of use and provide practical steps organisations and the general public can digest, despite the uncertainty of things to come.

Visit www.ihasco.co.uk for further information.

Fight Back Against Bacteria and Viruses If the global COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's that good personal and environmental hygiene and a deeper understanding of cleaning procedures is of the utmost importance in controlling the spread of pathogens.

We know that having a thorough cleaning regime and the right cleaning equipment is important but how do you know which equipment is right and what a thorough clean actually is?

Understanding more about the potential pathogens is a good place to start. Firstly, do you know what the difference is between antibacterial and antimicrobial? An antimicrobial agent protects against various types of microbes, including bacteria, viruses, mould and fungi, whereas an antibacterial specifically protects against bacteria.

Knowing which products are best to use alongside chemicals, as manual cleaning is still vital, is also key.

Some pathogens survive in different

conditions for different lengths of time and variations in temperature.

For example, did you know, MRSA can survive up to 8 weeks on a mop head and 7 months on dust?

Listeria Monocytogenes, (aka Listeria) which is known to cause fever, diarrhoea and can even affect your nervous system, is what is known as a resilient bacterium.

That means it can harbour on seemingly clean surfaces and create a protective biofilm over itself that chemicals alone cannot remove. This is where the right cleaning equipment comes into play.

Using a high-quality brush alongside the correct chemicals when cleaning will allow filaments to get into the crevices where bacteria may be harbouring and clean it away, creating a hygienic surface.

For more information about the highest quality, anti-microbial brushes available for the job, visit https://bit.ly/39oRq5r or call +44 (0)17 4786 0494

Proven Technology Offers Greater Protection for Staff and Residents Against Covid-19

Care Homes are having to work around the clock to ensure their facilities are as clean and infection-free as possible, to try and prevent Covid-19 (and multiple other viruses and harmful bacteria) from entering their facility in the first place or containing it once it does.

However, routine cleaning and disinfection, even with the use of other hand sanitisers and antibacterial surface cleaners, only sanitises the individual or surface for that moment in time, i.e. as soon as contact is made with an infected surface or introduced from the outside, the area or the person is no longer safe.

In the tight confines of a Care Home, supporting one of the most vulnerable groups, cross infection via surface contamination is a major challenge. The transient nature of current cleaning regimes will always prove challenging, particularly as over 80% of germs are spread by hands.

Now a proven, independently accredited technology that offers a protective barrier wherever there is a risk of infection is at the forefront of preventing and protecting against the spread of Covid-19.

Once applied it stays active, providing up to 30 days protection on surfaces and 24 hours on the skin. In a

Care Home, this can dramatically reduce the chances of encountering a crisis by reducing the spread of dangerous pathogens either by hand or touch.

OneSpray’s Hand Sanitiser offers 24 hours protection with one application, contains no alcohol, is ultragentle on the skin and won’t wash off during normal daily washing. This means it is very economical to use versus alcohol-based sanitisers, given that typically one person will apply those sanitisers up to 10 times per day.

OneSpray’s Surface Sanitiser offers protection on nearly all surfaces including door handles, desks, door entry systems and keypads, touchscreens, phones, kitchens and taps. A single application forms an invisible barrier over the surface that lasts up to 30 days and will not wash off so normal, daily cleaning can continue.

OneSpray products incorporate Zoono technology, world leaders in antimicrobial protection. Over 150 worldwide laboratory testing reports support the efficacy of their products.

In earlier trials for London Underground a treated train came back 99.9% clear after 28 days of uninterrupted service.

OneSpray is offering a Starter Outbreak-Prevention Package, specifically for Care Homes. It consists of a 5-litre Hand Sanitiser with two 1-litre dispensers, plus a 5-litre Surface Cleaner with two 500ml spray bottles.

For more information contact 07811113108 or email russell@onespray.com or see the advert on page 8.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 33

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

Haigh Engineering Resident and patient waste is a day to day practical matter that simply cannot become a problem for frontline carers and nursing staff.

With the raised awareness of cross infection risks, the proven reliable waste disposal systems from Haigh are recognised more than ever as being a key part of the toolkit for ensuring that human waste is effectively and efficiently removed as a source of risk, day in day out, without the risks and complications of either washing pots or manual bagging waste for collection.

The team from Haigh have been working hard to support this beyond just the manufacture of the

Incomaster and Quattro waste disposers here in the UK, but also developing innovative and safe methods to enhance the servicing provisions that are available to customers.

The recently launched all-inclusive rental proposition has proven particularly effective and popular with new and existing customers alike, not least as it reduces the operational, maintenance and financing headaches from sites which have more critical matters to address.

For more information about incontinence and bedpan waste disposal please feel free to contact the Haigh team on 01989 763131 or info@haigh.co.uk

Reduce Cross-Infection with Dorgard

As a measure to reduce the risk of cross infection care settings may introduce increased cleaning routines, but managing this with the increased workload can be difficult and easily overlooked. Preventing cross infection amongst residents and staff in care and nursing homes has never been more important. Staff may be concerned that contact with door handles and hand plates could increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus and finding a legal solution to hold your fire door open has never been more pressing than now.

Dorgard Original and Dorgard SmartSound can offer you a quick and cost effective solution to this pressing dilemma. They can be fitted to your existing fire doors by your own handyman in around ten minutes, providing you with an effective solution to reduce the risks of cross infection. Once fitted, these fire door holders will hold

your fire door in the open position with the help of a foot plunger. The devices will constantly ‘listen’ for the sound of your fire alarm and on hearing it the Dorgard will automatically lift the plunger and allow the door closer, fitted as standard to all fire doors, to close the door, ensuring fire safety is maintained.

By holding fire doors open in this way you remove the need for your staff to touch door handles and hand plates, reducing the risk of germs and viruses spreading. You can programme the Dorgard to automatically close at night should you require this.

If you would like to know more about how Dorgard can help you meet your legal fire safety requirements and reduce the risk of cross infection, call our customer care team today 0800 612 6537 or visit www.safelincs.co.uk or see the advert on page 18.

How Best To Assist With Limiting The Transmission Of Airborne Viruses Care homes and hospitals have been of particular focus in the news recently and how best to assist with limiting the transmission of airborne viruses within these establishments.

This is part of the greater discussion around Indoor Air Quality and how we can protect people who are working, studying or being cared for in increasingly airtight buildings for the majority of their day.

Humidity control as part of the Indoor Air Quality discussion is very much part of the debate as we try to replicate good quality fresh air in our homes and buildings irrespective of the outside air quality, whilst being conscious of energy usage which could put greater pressure on climate change.

The benefits of humidity control are well documented - creating a more comfortable condition, adding to thermal comfort and importantly reducing the transmission of bacteria and viruses.

Scientific data does show that to maintain a humidity of 50%rh will reduce the transmission of viruses by keeping the bodies defence mechanism (mucus membrane in the nose and throat) moist and able to capture airborne bacteria and virus before it enters the body.

Maintaining a relative humidity (RH) between 30-60% has been shown to influence the survivorship of viruses and reduce the transmission and infectiousness of viral diseases.

More recent studies have taken aim at the influence of relative humidity (RH) on specific families of viruses,

• While coronaviruses are durable on surfaces relative to influenza viruses, survival rates are reduced at moderate RH of 50%. (Casanova et al., 2010) • The infectiousness of airborne influenza viruses was significantly reduced when RH was above 40% (Noti et al., 2013) • Humidification in homes can reduce survival of influenza and promote recovery, by improving restfulness, in sick individuals (Myatt et al., 2010) • Maintaining 40-45% RH in hospitals reduced perceived air dryness and airway symptoms of patients and hospital staff (Nordström et al., 1994).

Figure 1: Effect of pathogens, microbes, and environmental contaminants on human beings. From Sterling et al. (1985).

like influenza and coronavirus. These studies focus on the observed survival on surfaces and in the air column, and the rates of infection under different environmental conditions. Below we outline key findings from commonly referenced or recent studies. Links to the studies are posted as well.

• Maintaining an indoor relative humidity between 40%60% may help to limit the spread and survival of novel coronavirus. Humidification maintains hydrated and intact mucosal barriers of human occupants, resulting in an increase resistance against any microbial attack. (Dietz et al., 2020).

So, where a humidity control system is not already in place in a facility, is there a practical solution to retro fit into the office, care home, classroom etc? Mobile humidifiers can be used but they do require regular manual filling and take up floor space.

Commercial systems can be installed into the fresh air supply (AHU), but sometimes this is not possible, or such a system is not already installed into the building.

One excellent solution is to use the HomEvap, a cold water evaporative humidifier, which can be fitted to a heat recovery unit in a house or supplied with a fan to be neatly installed above a false ceiling in an office – out of the way, plumbed in, and providing excellent control automatically. Energy usage ranges between 20 -90 watts dependant on if you require a fan or not. A

single humidifier can evaporate 5 litres of water per hour which will provide humidity control to a space with a volume of approximately 1200m3. The result is a comfortable, healthier environment for net zero energy usage (temperature can be reduced by 2⁰C when the humidity is raised from 30 – 50%rh for the same thermal comfort).

In a care home the solution is often not to put the humidifier in the day room or bedrooms but to control the humidity in corridors serving these rooms and to allow the humidity to migrate to the areas of concern.

This way there is no noise issue (although very low in a bedroom a small fan can still be a nuisance) and maintenance when required does not disturb the occupant of the room.

Humidity Solutions Ltd has a wealth of experience, expertise and application knowledge in the field of humidity control please do contact us for free advice. www.humiditysolutions.co.uk info@humiditysolutions.co.uk

The importance of humidity control maintaining Relative Humidity at 40-60%....

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Service & Maintenance

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 35

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL How Do You Control The Spread Of Infection?

The severity of any build up of bacteria or pathogen could be fatal. At SFS Protect, high standards of hygiene are recognised and paramount to the ethos of our service.

No sprays, no wipes, just vaporised Hydrogen Peroxide. The Nocospray 2, has been carefully developed around a heating and ionising turbine that transforms and emits the Nocolyse disinfectant into a non-corrosive, non allergenic, bio degradable gas – with no residue.

mint fragrance or with essential oils, should there be a requirement to remove odours. All Nocolyse gas when evenly distributed throughout isolated areas will eliminate dangerous viruses such as MRSA, Clostridium difficile, Norovirus, CPE, Coronavirus.

In relation to the current Pandemic COVID-19 Coronavirus, our “Oxypharm One Shot” has now been fully accredited and a full copy of this declaration is available on our web site.

THE PRODUCTS The Nocospray 2 will eliminate 99.99% of all bacteria in as little time as 90 minutes. There is no requirement for the removal of electrical equipment, furniture, fixtures and fittings, just the room to be completely sealed for the gas to work effectively.

Services At SFS, we offer 2 types of service.

Curative “One Shot” Disinfection is where there is a known or recurring problem.

Preventative Decontamination Disinfection is to maintain good levels of infection control. The “Decontimination” range is also available with a mild

OUR MISSION SFS Protect are dedicated to providing a caring and discreet service. Our mission is simple, to provide a safe and comfortable environment to work, play, learn and relax without the fear of contracting harmful viruses, bacteria and fungi.

TESTIMONIAL “SFS Protect are working with us to keep our employees safe by fumigating areas in any suspected COVID-19 cases. The team deliver a professional and efficient service, provide excellent technical support and respond quickly to any fumigation requests. Callout requests are fulfilled within 24 hours, leaving areas safe to return to within 40minutes of any suspected cases.”

Book now on 07468 428530, email info@sfsprotect.co.uk or visit www.sfsprotect.co.uk

JET - A Powerful Sporicidal Disinfectant JET is a powerful sporicidal disinfectant for use on non-porous high-touch surfaces.

JET is also a powerful cleaner destroying RNA and DNA in seconds. Its cleaning efficacy meets the requirements of a medical instrument cleaner, effectively reducing levels of protein and carbohydrate.

JET is the best safeguard for residents and staff wherever the risks of infection are highest and is ideal for use in care homes.

JET is sporicidal, mycobactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal and bactericidal in one minute. It has been tested in accredited laboratories and is proven effective against a wide range of microorganisms.

DOOR FRAMES & HANDLES

JET is built upon the same core chlorine dioxide technology as the Tristel medical device disinfectant products, but specially adapted for surface disinfection where cleaning and biofilm destruction are so important.

Chlorine dioxide is widely regarded as one of the most effective disinfectants for biofilm removal and prevention. JET delivers chlorine dioxide as a foam. It creates no aerosols when used.

Efficacy with the standard wipe in EN16615 means JET can be used with any sustainably sourced wipe, avoiding the use and waste of plastic wipes.

Find out more: BIT.LY/JETCH20

CHAIRS & WORK SURFACES

BEDS & BEDSIDE TABLES

FACE SHIELDS

Clean Care Is In Your Hands Skin health and surface hygiene expert, GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd, has backed the World Health Organisation’s global call to action for health workers.

The worldwide advocacy day for Hand Hygiene falls annually on 5th May, and this year its importance is even more significant, as the world battles COVID-19.

As a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Private Organizations for Patient Safety group, GOJO Industries-Europe has always been a strong advocate of making hand hygiene second nature to everyone.

Once again, GOJO is supporting the WHO’s annual ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign and encouraging everybody in the healthcare industry to get involved.

As the World Health Assembly has designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, the campaign’s focus this year is on the central role played by nurses and midwives in achieving clean care. This includes hand hygiene best practices, as well as recognising their crucial contribution to strengthening quality health systems.

The annual campaign and advocacy day targets a crosssection of influencers in the global healthcare sector, calling them to join together in celebrating and empowering nurses and midwives in the monumental work that they do to keep patients, families, and colleagues safe, by preventing healthcare associated infections.

This year’s specific calls to action are: • Nurses: “Clean and safe care starts with you.”

• Midwives: “Your hands make all the difference for mothers and babies.”

• Policy Makers: “Increase nurse staffing levels to prevent infections and improve quality of care. Create the means to

empower nurses and midwives.”

• Infection Prevention Control Leaders: "Empower nurses and midwives in providing clean care.”

• Patients and Families: "Safer care for you, with you.”

Chris Wakefield, Vice President, European Marketing & Product Development, GOJO IndustriesEurope Ltd comments, ‘Nurses and midwives account for nearly 50% of the global health workforce1 and play a vital role in providing health services and meeting everyday essential health needs. At GOJO, saving lives and making life better through well-being solutions is our mission and it continues to inspire our deep commitment to improving hand hygiene. In partnership with healthcare managers, we can help implement a tailored, effective, and total solution, which promotes compliant and healthy hand hygiene behaviour.

‘We are proud and loyal supporters of the WHO’s “Save Lives – Clean Your Hands” campaign, and urge everyone in the healthcare industry to join together in support of hand hygiene improvement globally.’

Free advocacy toolkits to support the WHO Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign are available on the WHO website: www.who.int/infectionprevention/campaigns/cleanhands/en/ WHO invites everyone to use the hashtags #SupportNursesAndMidwives #HandHygiene #InfectionPrevention on social media to ensure Save Lives: Clean Your Hands posts are picked up by the campaign.

For more information, email infouk@GOJO.com or visit www.GOJO.com 1 https://www.who.int/news-room/ fact-sheets/detail/nursing-and-midwifery

Please mention THE CARER when responding to advertising.

PAGE 36 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES New Guides To Supercharge Your Care Home Management Calibre Audio - Unleash the Power of Your Imagination Is continued customer satisfaction important to you? Could your communications with residents and their loved ones be improved? Does your care home's website need to be brought into the 2020's? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you will be pleased to learn about a series of free expert guides for care home managers and owners.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a series of guides for the care home industry. These guides provide you with specialist advice on fair trading practices, complaints procedures, communications methods and website layouts

for care homes written by and for those working in the care homes sector.

UK consumer law is among the best in the world, but this also means that it can be complicated and in-depth. Care home regulations are no exception, and you may be overwhelmed by it all. These guides make it simple and straightforward so that you can avoid the regulatory pitfalls and improve your business for the good of you and your residents.

The guides are hosted on Business Companion, a government-backed website containing a wealth of in-depth knowledge on every element of consumer protection written by industry experts in every sector.

Download your free guides at: www.businesscompanion.info/focus

CareZips Dignity Trousers ™

CareZips™ are adaptive dignity trousers that preserve the privacy of people receiving care during diaper changes.

Fitted with unique 3-zip fastening system, the CareZips™ make changing of incontinence diapers more dignified and comfortable for the patients and easier and faster for the carers.

CareZips™ feature 3 strategically positioned zips, 2 of which run from the waist to the knees on both sides of the body. The 3rd zip goes from the inside of one knee up to the crotch and down to the knee again on the inside of the other leg. This allows total opening of the trousers at the crotch for diaper changes. The

3-zip system facilitates fast and easy access to the abdomen and crotch without having to undress the patient or pull trousers down.

CareZips™ are suitable for men and women. They are available in 7 sizes for perfect fit. CareZips™ are soft and wrinkle resistant with stretch and give for extra comfort. Practical, washable and non-iron, the CareZips™ trousers are the best choice for daily use.

When worn over soft hip protectors, such as HipSaver QuickChange or OpenBottom, the CareZips™ contribute to prevention of fall-related hip fractures.

Contact Win Health Medical Ltd 01835 864866 - www.win-health.com or see the advert on page 7.

The Oxford Up from Joerns Healthcare The Oxford Up, from Joerns Healthcare is a manual stand-aid and seated transfer device, designed to support easy, safe and efficient patient transfers. Suitable for clients who require some assistance when standing but are able to participate in the process, the Up can play a key role in patient rehabilitation and promoting on-going independence.

Manufactured from aluminium and weighing just 22.5kg, the Up is among the lightest and most nimble in its category; but don’t be fooled, a maximum safe working load of 200kg (31st) also places it among the elite. Highgrade castors offer outstanding manoeuvrability across a range of

floor surfaces and ensures minimal exertion on the part of the caregiver.

As with all Oxford products, injury reduction, fall prevention and ergonomic principles were fundamental considerations during the Up’s development phase. Perfect positioning of both the swing-away seat pads and knee support help ensure optimum patient positioning. Adjustable leg positioning and a contoured base allow excellent access for the patient and promotes better posture and ease of use.

Contact Joerns Healthcare for more information on 0844 811 1156, send an email to info@joerns.co.uk or visit our website at www.joerns.co.uk

New Skincare and Incontinence Leaflet A new ‘Skincare management in incontinence’ leaflet is available from Thornton & Ross Pharmaceuticals – manufacturers of Zerolon® Barrier Cream. Accredited by the Association for Continence Advice (ACA), the leaflet is designed as a quick guide for all health professionals involved with continence care. Including recommendations from NICE, the leaflet also outlines factors to consider when selecting a barrier cream and advice on helping prevent incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD).

Zerolon® Barrier Cream is the latest addition to the Zeroderma emollients and barrier creams range, specially formulated to prevent irritation from bodily fluids including urine, faeces and exudate.

To receive a free copy of the ‘Skincare management in incontinence’ leaflet, please email: zeroderma@thorntonross.com, email: 01484 842217 or www.zeroderma.co.uk

Ultimate Comfort For Extra-Wide Swollen Feet materials, expert shoemaking and advanced foot comDo you, or a loved one, struggle to find shoes or slipfort technology. It’s also why they’re recommended by pers to fit? Cosyfeet, the specialists in extra roomy over 11,000 healthcare professionals. footwear, can help. Wider and deeper than anything on The beauty of their footwear is in its simplicity. They the high street, their British designed footwear is expertly offer a roomy, one width fitting which can be adjusted to crafted to fit and flatter extra wide and swollen feet. fit a range of swelling, so you don’t have to worry about Their new spring collection includes a fabulous range complicated foot measurements. of fabric footwear in an array of exciting patterns and Lots of thought goes into Cosyfeet’s designs, includprints. Enjoy spot on style with their lovely polka dot ing minimal seams, easy openings and removable print or explore their collection of animal prints including footbeds so you can even wear your own orthotic. stylish zebra, fashionable snake and on-trend leopard.

Thanks to innovations such as Soft yet supportive, these their ‘Hidden Depth’ design, comfy styles are perfect for Cosyfeet fits swollen feet with relaxing at home. You’ll also STYLES FOR ease but still looks stylish and find a great choice of cottonMEN & streamlined. rich slippers which are ideal for WOMEN Cosyfeet offer VAT exemption the warmer months or if you STYLES SHOWN: Koryl, Katie, if you have a chronic medical suffer with hot feet.

Kama condition and a money-back Cosyfeet’s ethos is simple. guarantee if their footwear doesThey believe that swollen feet n’t work for you. should have the most comfortFor more information visit able, stylish footwear possible. cosyfeet.com or call Cosyfeet on That’s why they combine the VISIT cosyfeet.com 01458 447275. latest trends with premium

E

O

Calibre Audio is a free national charity that lends audiobooks to everyone who has a print disability.

A print disability is most commonly a sight problem, dyslexia or a condition that makes it hard to hold or understand printed. Audiobooks offer a way to overcome difficulties such as these, so that you can consume books the same as others, just in a different way – audio.

Calibre Audio has thousands of audiobooks in its collection, with so many categories catering for all ages and tastes. No one needs to miss out on the pleasure of a good book. Calibre Audio’s collection There are well over 11,000 unabridged audiobooks on

Calibre’s shelves. Titles cover all fiction and non-fiction genres, including bestsellers, classic novels, modern fiction and popular non-fiction.

Calibre’s audiobooks can be streamed online, downloaded to your device or delivered straight to your door on CD and memory stick by our free postal service. Which means whether you’re listening from your favourite armchair or in your garden, unleash the power of your imagination.

‘Being a member of Calibre has given me a chance to read and enjoy books that I wouldn't have otherwise had a chance to read.’

Join and get listening! It is free

Lotus Care Technology The NurseAlert pressure mat has been one of the most successful floor pressure mats due to it being non slip and carpeted which makes it feel very natural under a residents foot.

Lotus Care Technology Ltd have many other fall saving devices that can give you peace of mind whilst caring for

for everyone with a print disability to join Calibre Audio.

Go online at www.calibreaudio.org.uk or call membership services on 01296 432 339 for more information.

See the advert on page 16 for details.

this at risk of falls.

Having many years of experience in fitting and maintaining Nurse Call Systems helps the guys at Lotus Care Technology understand that every home is different and has different needs. They can specify not only the best system for the environmental factors in the home but also take into consideration the best products that will make your carers and nurses jobs that little bit easier.

Visit lctuk.com or see the advert on page 17 for details.

COVID-19 Game Raising Awareness To Promote Safe Behaviour Because COVID-19 is causing confusion and anxiety Focus Games has developed a simple online COVID-19 Game that offers the facts and challenges myths (from UK government and NHS). It's free-to-play and works on any device through a web browser. It only takes couple of minutes and there is no registration required.

The game is intended for anyone and everyone: https://games.focusgames.co.uk/coronavirus/game/ The game is being played by adults and older children and here is feedback from a teacher in Egypt: “I teach grade 8 students (14 years). My students are in COVID-19 isolation and their response to eLearning was disappointing. I needed to attract their attention. We were exploring diseases in populations and I sent them the COVID-19 Game. It was like magic!

Within 2 hours they were sending selfies of their scores, encouraging others to play and sharing information. The students were engaged, they learned and were entertained. Thank you.” Haidy Wael, Science Teacher, Egypt.

The game is based on similar health education games: Flu Bee Game and

Dementia Awareness Game. Both games were investigated by Queen’s University Belfast and within the NHS and they concluded that the games can and do change perceptions and behaviour.

So, it is hoped that the COVID-19 Game will have a positive effect on some members of the public. Here is a comment regarding the Dementia Awareness Game from Dr Gillian Carter, School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen's University Belfast: “The dementia awareness game has been played over 1,000 times and research conducted by Queen's University Belfast on its impact shows that after playing the game, a person's attitudes to people living with dementia improve! This statistically significant information is being prepared for an international journal” For further information, please contact: Andy Yeoman – Director, Focus Games Ltd andy@focusgames.com +44 (0)141 554 5476 games.focusgames.co.uk/coron-

Workwear Experts For Over 100 Years Grahame Gardner has more than 100 years’ experience in clothing a broad spectrum of medical and healthcare professionals. Our knowledge and understanding of uniform demands ensure we remain one the UK’s most trusted and respected suppliers. We combine our extensive expertise with the latest innovations in technology and fabric and design, to offer you the highest quality garments to meet the demanding standards of healthcare professionals… all at exceptional prices!

We also provide one of the most flexible embroidery services available from any clothing manufacturer using state-of-theart technologies that enable us to copy virtually any design or

logo directly onto your chosen uniforms.

Whether you’re seeking a classic healthcare dress or tunic, or something from our bold and bright scrubwear range, you can find it with us. As one of the largest workwear providers in the UK, we are proud to be able to offer instant stock availability on 1,000s of workwear garments all in addition to our extensive range of ‘made to order’ items that can be manufactured on demand in a wide range of styles, fabrics and colours.

To find out more, or for a no obligation discussion as to how we can help with your workwear requirements, please get in touch on 0116 255 6326 or email Info@grahamegardner.co.uk www.grahamegardner.co.uk

Mattress Maintenance Services In order to bring a mattress back into service after use, it needs to be completely cleaned and decontaminated to approved standards that guarantee bacterium and viruses such as C.Diff and MRSA are killed, and no cross contamination occurs.

A challenge with mattress cleaning is not only that it requires large commercial washing machines but that different mattress types also require different treatment.

The right rental and maintenance service will not only provide you with an appropriate mattress when you need it, but offer fast cleaning, repairs, and replacements, ensuring mattresses are up to the required standards. This undoubtedly saves you money in the long term, provides the best possible levels of care to your patients and residents, and reassures all stakeholders that hygiene is a top priority; a must in the current climate.

WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR? So what should you look for in a rental service – apart from a wide range of special purpose mattresses? Here are a few key pointers: • Rapid breakdown response

• All work carried out by trained technicians • Mattresses returned in fully certified working order with free loans while repairs are carried out to allow you continuity of service • Servicing and/or repair offered in a hygiene controlled environment where mattresses are PAT tested, static pressure leak tested and cycle tested • Mattresses placed in an infection controlled 'Cold Storage' zone to control cross contamination • Mattresses completely cleaned and decontaminated using a specialist, certified decontamination system to approved standards • Transparent and clear results reporting for peace of mind In today’s ever-more pressurised care sector, ondemand mattress rental and maintenance services are playing a growing role in helping providers respond quickly to growing patient and resident intake. This allows you to maintain the highest possible standards of infection control practises in all areas.

Visit www.spearheadhealthcare.com or see the advert on page 4.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 37

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE How Tech is Supporting the Recruitment and Retention of Carers During COVID-19

By Stephen Pattrick, CEO and Co-founder, Newcross Healthcare (www.newcrosshealthcare.com) Newcross Healthcare is a provider of care and nursing resource to care homes, hospitals and service users in their own homes.

We are not a healthcare staff recruitment agency. We operate differently to our competitors -all staff are employed with permanent contracts and guaranteed minimum hours. So, we have a vested interest in the skills and development of each and every carer.

Their skills are vital to ensure we continue providing an excellent standard of care to our clients and service users. To support with this, in addition to our existing learning and development offering, we have recently launched a series of free clinical training webinars to help them upskill.

The ability to recruit and retain good people is critical to the service we provide, never more so than now.

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting pressure on the care industry like never before, we have had to consider how we recruit, induct, train and retain our people – safely and efficiently to meet demand.

At Newcross, we very much embrace technology to improve services.

Over the years we have invested in our own tech development team which means we can develop our own tools and roll them out across the organisation. Also, we can prioritise and accelerate development where we need it most. This has been true of a number of applications we are using now.

ACCELERATING RECRUITMENT

We are currently recruiting more healthcare staff and at a faster rate than prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is to ensure we can meet the increased demand for our services.

When speeding up our recruitment process, our main priority was that it remained as rigorous as before. We wanted to make it more streamlined,

but not compromise on employing the most competent people.

By digitalising the process, we have succeeded in fast-tracking recruitment so that candidates can go from initial application to being on-shift in as little as 48 hours.

The six-stage operation is now entirely virtual. Applicants can now progress through each stage at a much faster rate than before with our HR teams all working remotely from home.

From an online application form, where candidates submit details like their work experience, references and uniform size, the central recruitment team will call back and screen suitable applicants within three hours. The next stage is the DBS/CVG checks and contacting referees.

Applicants are then interviewed via video link and those that are successful are invited to take part in the ‘Virtual Shift’, our scenario-based test which places candidates in a virtual care setting to assess their knowledge and decision-making skills.

Those who are offered a position then complete a virtual induction and, if required, complete a ‘moving and handling’ certificate via e-learning.

Finally, before commencing work with us, staff will receive their ID badge and uniform couriered by next day delivery, as an automated process, directly from our supplier.

TRAINING ROLL-OUT

As part of our digitalisation process for training, we have formed a partnership with Docebo, a leading AI-Powered learning platform. This means we have been able to equip our entire workforce with specialist training required to keep our teams, clients and service users safe during the outbreak.

All members of Newcross office and healthcare staff, over 9,000 people, can access a suite of COVID-19-specific training materials. This includes guidance on what the virus is, how it spreads and what specific control measures should be in place to mitigate the risks of its spread. An optional module is also available to healthcare staff, which provides specialist training in oxygen therapy, basic observations, taking nasal and throat swabs and donning and doffing personal protective equipment. Scenario-based

Lifelong Antimicrobial Product Protection Guaranteed With Pinpoint According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard (QS61), an estimated 300,000 patients a year in England acquire a healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) after spending time being looked after in the NHS. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reports that HCAIs are estimated to cost the NHS approximately £1 billion a year1. These monetary values do not even include the physical and mental health cost to patients and healthcare workers.

HCAIs include a large number of infections, such as the well-known infections caused by meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Clostridium difficile (C.diff) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Guidelines published by organisations like NICE and Public Health England, give detailed instructions on the prevention of these infections in all parts of the health service.

While we have become very familiar with some of the measures that can be taken to reduce the spread of infections like hand washing and

wearing appropriate PPE, there are additional technologies that can be used to complement these practices One of these is the introduction of Antimicrobial technology. This technology inhibits the growth of a range of microorganism on the surface of the product.

Bacteria and other microbes can be spread by touching contaminated surfaces, objects or people. As with all infections, breaking the chain of transmission is vital to controlling the spread. This may sound easy enough – just wash your hands or change gloves and other PPE between touching different people. What about the microbes on the surface of more permanent pieces of equipment that get touched a lot? Do light switches, control panels, alarm buttons and personal attack alarms, for example, really get cleaned and disinfected thoroughly multiple times during each shift?

That is where antimicrobial technology can make a significant difference. Pinpoint Ltd is working with Addmaster, manufacturer of antimicrobial technology Biomaster, to add an extra product protection to its staff

PINPOINT WRISTPIT The WristPIT is a wrist worn Personal Infrared Transmitter designed exclusively for patient use.

The latest call button is recessed and surrounded by a bump guard to prevent false alarms. It is also backward compatible, allowing seamless integration into existing Pinpoint Systems.

DID YOU KNOW? Biomaster Technology is incorporated into all surface areas of the product during manufacture, inhibiting the growth of contaminating bacteria 24/7 for the lifetime of the product.

www.pinpointlimited.com

advice, specific to the environments in which we work, such as care homes, prisons and schools, helps to prepare frontline staff in the best possible way.

SHIFT ALLOCATION

Over the last six weeks, we have really embraced our in-house app HealthForceGo® - for communicating with our employees. The app was originally designed to give staff full control of their schedules, allowing them to opt-in to be automatically assigned shifts that they are eligible for and which matches their availability.

Among other features, staff who are self-isolating can now immediately notify us via our app. This will automatically suspend their availability for the isolation period. They can become ‘active’ again, once they have completed the return to work protocol.

STREAMLINED ACCESS TO OUR HEALTHCARE STAFF WITH AUTOMATED BOOKINGS

Our clients – care homes, hospitals and private individuals – are now using our automated booking process in the majority of cases. We fasttracked the launch of our Automated Instant Verification feature, enabling clients to make bookings via the client portal and with instant fulfilment.

This means we can help clients when they need staff critically, at short notice.

Thanks to our VoIP calling technology, the lines of communication have remained uninterrupted. Clients can still contact us 24/7 and speak to their local branch team or our advisers, who were previously based in an office setting, but are now working from home.

Tech has so much to offer in the current environment. For us, it has meant we can accelerate some of our recruitment and training processes, while ensuring the skills of our central recruitment team are used where they are of most benefit. This ensures that we continue to employ the most competent and best carers in the market.

Above all else, the ability for us to interview, induct and train new employees remotely means we are minimising the risk of infection to our branch staff and applicants alike. safety systems.

Biomaster is based on silver ion technology and can be added to polymers, textiles, paper, paints and coatings. The antimicrobial features of silver have been known for centuries. Apparently, even Hippocrates discussed the use of silver in wound care in his writings.2 The silver ions in Biomaster work in 3 ways, disrupting the bacteria cell wall, interfereing with the production of enzymes , therefore stopping energy production and. preventing DNA replication Pinpoint incorporates Biomaster Antimicronial Technology into the product of its staff security system including Personal Infrared Transmitters (PITs), call buttons and display units etcThe technology starts to work straight away and is effective 24 hours a day, 7 days a week., and if effective for the life of the product.. It is built-in, doesn’t wash or wear off or leach out. Tested to ISO standard, Biomaster is safe to use can be recycled as normal.

Although this antimicrobial technology makes Pinpoint devices more hygienic by reducing the ability of microbes to grow on the surface, it does not replace standard hygiene protocols.

Visit www.pinpointlimited.com for further details.

PAGE 38 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10

TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE Medpage Limited Medpage Limited have manufactured quality affordable caring technologies for over 30 years. We specialise in providing bespoke design and development solutions for patient care.

We were challenged recently to develop an alarm solution for a wandering resident in a care home on a limited budget. The alarm was to operate independently from the house nurse call system and required to send notifica-

tions to the carer mobile phone with time and dated incident reports. This we did with 100% success. The alarm is now a mainstream product sold nationally.

Reassurance and confidence in a supplier is paramount to a successful business relationship, especially where healthcare is concerned.

You can rest assured that when you buy and use our products you are connected with a company with backbone and a passion to offer care technologies that deliver performance and quality.

Visit www.medpage-ltd.com or see the advert on page 2.

Workforce Scheduling Solutions Workforce Scheduling Solutions deliver Electronic Time & Attendance systems worldwide, using the latest Face Recognition technology.

Why should care homes move from paper to electronic time sheets

The industry is under considerable financial pressures. An efficient electronic booking on/off system that will schedule, provide budgets, calculate hours worked, overtime and absence such as sickness and holiday entitlement will save Time and Money.

How is time and money saved by doing things electronically?

Collecting payroll information from paper timesheets can be slow, prone

to errors, and very labour intensive.

Staff rosters can be produced as far in advance as practical and accurate within budgeted hours. Staff book on and off-duty electronically, thus eliminating any time errors.

Wage queries are virtually eliminated and immediate checks can be made without wading through reams of paper which invariably are inaccurate, misfiled or even 'lost".

There are many systems on the market - Why facial recognition is important and how it works Some systems use tokens, which can be lost or left at home, requiring management involvement in the booking on/off procedure.

Fingerprint systems can be beaten and Social media is awash with ways

Edison Telecom

We here at Edison Telecom Ltd have been providing specialist solutions to your call system requirements tailor-made to each customers needs for over 25 years, says director Bob Johnson.

Is your current Nurse Call “legacy”, obsolete, so full of software bugs or commercially not viable for your current supplier/maintainer to maintain?

We may have just the part and expertise that you are looking for to give your nurse call a further extension to

to copy fingerprints. Face recognition combined with a staff PIN is simple to use and manage using touch screen technology and web cams.

Staff see their image displayed immediately when booking on or off and confirms their identity visually.

It provides the best deterrent available as it builds a greater 'image knowledge’ of each employee, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Eliminates 'buddy punching' where employees can book colleagues on/off duty using someone’s tokens, swipe card or even fingerprint.

How is data protected?

With the correct security setup computer systems provide more data protection than paper-based records which can be easily removed or stolen. GDPR covers all data including paper records and therefore the chances of infringing the rules and incurring fines is greater with paper.

Visit www.wfsoftware.co.uk

life, adds Bob, “Edison will treat your nurse call with the same compassion that you give to those in your care.

There will come a time when your equipment is beyond repair but Edison are experts in extending the life of obsolete systems.” www.edisontelecom.co.uk

NURSE CALL

IT’S NOT OBSOLETE UNTIL THE OPERA LADY SINGS

EDISON TELECOM LTD (IN BUSINESS SINCE 1984)

have spares, enhancements and expertise for wired and wireless systems abandoned by the original manufacturer, whoever they are.

Call us on 01252-330220 We can give most systems a new lease of life and maintain them into the future.

www.edisontelecom.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 39

TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE Is This The ‘New Normal’?

With the COVID-19 crisis having such an impact on everyone’s life, is working remotely set to become the new normal? Care services are facing a massive challenge with workers, managers and owners having to isolate. GPs and other health professionals are also trying to avoid unnecessary contact.

Electronic care management systems have helped services meet regulatory guidelines. However this crisis has led to many more benefits becoming apparent.

With CAREis, our customers are giving remote access to GPs to review and leave notes and recommendations. Another service has their therapists working from

home and carrying out consultations remotely using CAREis to review and record their sessions. Managers using the system have reported that they find it reassuring to be able to remotely track and update care provision, audits and action plans. And families have been able to see what has been happening for their loved ones by logging in to the daily diary.

When choosing a new care management system it is important to check that it does everything that you need it to. Does it ensure your care and support is delivered as planned? Does it flag when things are missed? Does it allow remote access to you, your staff and selected professionals? Does it allow you to complete audits and inspection reports? Does it allow you to track and update action plans? Can you plan and track training, and carry out supervisions and appraisals on the system? CAREis does all this and more.

CAREis is easy to install and you can be up and running in a couple of weeks with or new easy start system. We can demo, install and support remotely. If you would like more information, please email us at info@careis.net or call us on 01424 400060

Mainteno Facilities Maintenance and Management Software Whether it’s managing planned maintenance or dealing with fault repairs, Mainteno simplifies the day-to-day maintenance of almost any organisation.

Mainteno also seamlessly incorporates asset management and tracking.

Mainteno streamlines every aspect of the maintenance management process, saving your organisation time and money.

Usability made affordable Mainteno was designed with practicality in mind.

The interface is so intuitive that basic operation can be learned in minutes, and you can be a power user in one afternoon.

Elegant usability usually means a hefty price tag.

However, our pricing structure means that for small

organisations, Mainteno can cost as little as two cups of coffee a month. No set-up fees, no lengthy contracts and a free trial, all mean that the system starts paying for itself straight away.

Dr Asif Raja, Bsc MBBS Summercare Managing Director says “Facing significant challenges of ever increasing quality and compliance demands upon time and resources as well considerable economic pressures, Summercare, an award winning provider of residential care and housing related support, sought to upgrade their systems for managing the property and environmental aspects of its service delivery. After an extensive period of investigation and research Mainteno was selected as the platform of choice for the entire organization based on its ease of use, very short-term contract, quick set up and ongoing support.”

Visit www.mainteno.com, Tel: 020 8798 3713 or email sales@redro.co.uk

Facilities Maintenance and Management Software Simple to use, easy to maintain and very affordable.

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Reporting tasks and faults Asset tracking and value reporting Invoice management Add multiple images and documents Detailed analytical reporting Dashboard reporting showing live status of all tasks Management of all planned maintenance schedules Compliance testing and inspections Traffic light detailed reporting for audit purpose Audit reporting Direct allocation of work to relevant parties Can be used for help desk Supplier performance management and reporting Warranty and insurance management Can be used on any web enabled device Link tasks to calendar Create check lists for compliance purposes Contractor Quotes and Invoice Management Contractor Login upload function

www.mainteno.com 020 8798 3713 sales@redro.co.uk

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 41

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Covid19: Accelerating the Use of Digital Technology in Healthcare or Excel so why do many operators still use this method when invoicing?

How many industries with shift workers rely on manual payroll processing outside the care sector?

Repeatable systems should harness the power of technology to cut back the massive waste of man hours spent processing and checking manual tasks.

In order to work out the best technology for your needs, you should assess your current systems against your requirements. Think about what inefficiencies exist in your homes and how you could: 1. Capture relevant information, such as resident/staff details, in a simple, time-efficient way.

2. Manage your documents to ensure that information is dealt with logically.

3. Avoid duplication at all costs; completing handwritten timesheets which then need to be manually inputted into payroll is a massive, unnecessary waste of time & manpower.

4. Address technological obstacles. The perception that your staffs are not IT literate is out of date; most people own a smart phone so yes they are!

See www.fusion4care.com for details.

As this crisis impacts every part of the health sector, significant vulnerabilities are being exposed. The NHS ‘digital revolution’ has long been touted as the key to futureproofing both Social Care and our health service in the face of increasing patient demand. That demand has now reached unprecedented levels and seems unlikely ever to revert to previous trends; against that background; there is an urgent requirement to move quickly to realise the opportunities which are available from digital technology. It is no longer an interesting speculation; it is an essential requirement to support staff and save lives. (Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell)

USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY Poor efficiencies in many areas of the sector are caused by the lack of investment in technology.

Technology will improve the way your staff carry out tasks by either speed up existing processes or allowing new, more flexible and accurate ways of carrying out a job or process which will in turn enables live real time management information.

Would you expect to check out of a hotel with an invoice and extras raised in Word

Evolving Technologies Technology moves forward at an ever increasing pace and forward thinking Care Homes are ensuring they are keeping in step with the tech.

Quieter and calmer care homes are on the horizon and embracing various technologies can help with getting there.

Smart phone and tablet technologies are a firm fixture in our everyday lives and these are translating into the Care Home landscape. Care Management plans can be developed and improved by collating data from these technologies in extraordinarily fast ways – leaving more time for staff to focus on their jobs and not painful administerial tasks. The information managers receive ensures that they can make informed decisions and keep accurate and safe records without impacting on time spent caring for residents.

Real time alerts can be delivered to mobile tech

– resulting in faster response times. Meaning peace of mind for both staff and residents.

It’s not just the mobile tech revolution that is having an impact on Care Homes. New developments in the field of Acoustic Monitoring are having dramatic impacts on staff and residents.

Acoustic Monitoring has proven capabilities of improving the nights sleep a resident may have and freeing up time for night staff. A recent investigation into the benefits of Acoustic Monitoring has shown that the technology can result in up to 60% fewer nightly disturbances for residents and up to a 70% reduction in nightly visits by care staff.

This translates to freeing up to 40% of staffs time during the night – leaving them to carry out other duties. This, in turn, can result in staff and residents having better, calmer days.

The technology can be used to determine patterns in night time activity and, when coupled with the power of Care Management Apps, provide a better understanding of a residents needs and, therefore, enable more dynamic and relevant care plans to be deployed.

For more information about solutions for care, see Courtney Thorne's advert on page 11 or visit www.c-t.co.uk

A Longer and Healthier Life Is A Goal to Be Pursued The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock addressed the AllParty Parliamentary Group to present its longer, healthier lives strategy. A positive approach to a subject that is often seen as a problem, instead of something to celebrate. Matt Hancock: “Longer life is not a problem to be tackled but a goal to be pursued. And not just for government, or even the NHS, but for each and every one of us.” A goal imminently linked to technology.

Growing older every year is an accomplishment we should be very proud of. Not only because it’s the outcome of a continuously improving care system, but also because it shows that we’re all taking our health seriously. It’s no longer a side dish: it’s the main dish.

Matt Hancock tapped into the momentum and presented the longer, healthier lives strategy: “There’s a huge prize ahead if we get this right: 5 more years of healthy life. More enjoyment out of life. More time for the things that matter most in life.” It’s an ambitious goal, but definitely one worth fighting for and, with the right knowledge, people and attention, a goal that can be achieved.

There are three things that are key to making this goal a reality: people and place, lifestyle and technology.

Technology is an ongoing and upcoming important conversation that Adaptive IT Solutions is humbled and proud to be a part of. One of our most special clients WCS Care and our CLB Acoustic Monitoring were referenced in Matt Hancocks’ speech: “Adult social care is increasingly a site of healthtech

innovation. Internet-linked devices can help people live at home for longer and stay connected to family and friends.

They can also help providers deliver smarter, more responsive care. For example, there’s a provider up in Warwickshire – WCS Care – doing great things with acoustic monitoring.”

Our CLB Acoustic Monitoring lets the care staff hear crying, moving around and breathing difficulty, just to name a few. When a sound like that is detected, it sends an alert to the night managers’ monitoring station. An important solution with big impact: it means care staff doesn’t have to knock on the residents’ doors regularly to check and see if they’re alright, ensuring the residents can have a good night sleep.

This alone reduced the amount of night-time falls at WCS Care with 34%. It also provided WCS Care with another interesting insight, Matt Hancock: “…when they analyzed the data, they found that lots of people were staying awake late into the night. This led the care home to set up a ‘wide awake club’ to support night owls and get them back into a healthier rhythm.”

ABOUT ADAPTIVE IT SOLUTIONS

Formed in 2002, awardwinning Adaptive IT Solutions provides professional IT services throughout all commercial markets, predominantly within the Healthcare, Dentistry, Education and Retail sectors.

Adaptive IT Solutions offers a vast portfolio of IT services including structured cabling, audio visual, hardware deployment and specialist digital clinical equipment. For more information about Adaptive IT Solutions: www.adaptiveit.co.uk.

For more information about CLB Acoustic Monitoring: global.clb.nl.

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Made to the highest safety standards with a wide selection of choices, this range gives you total reassurance, every time. Each dish complies with IDDSI guidelines for texture, launched in nd. Each dish has April 2019, ensuring you can prepare each meal safely and with peace of mind.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 43

CATERING FOR CARE

Promoting Good Nutritional Care in Care Homes food first approach are commonly used in care homes.

IDENTIFYING NUTRITIONAL RISK IN CARE HOMES

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD NUTRITIONAL CARE BAPEN estimates that 93% of malnourished individuals with or at risk of malnutrition live in community settings (1). Unfortunately, malnutrition is often unrecognised and untreated, particularly in vulnerable populations (2).

Malnutrition can affect every system in the body, leading to adverse changes in body form and function.

Physical effects include (3): • Impaired immunity • Pressure sores • Delayed wound healing • Muscle wasting • Adverse changes to the gastrointestinal structure and function • Generalised weakness • Increased risk of falls • Increased risk of bone conditions (i.e. osteoporosis) Other studies have shown that malnutrition is associated with more hospital readmissions (4), longer length of stay, increased complications and greater risk of mortality (5).

The good news is that dietary counselling given with or without oral nutritional supplements (ONS) is effective at increasing nutritional intake and weight (6).

Therefore, interventions which combine ONS and a

Nutrition risk screening is a rapid and simple way to detect those with or at risk of malnutrition, so that suitable care plans can be implemented. Nutritional screening for malnutrition is recommended in NICE clinical guideline 32 for all admissions to care homes and when there is clinical concern (7).

The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) (www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/must/must_full.pdf) is the most frequently used screening tool in the UK. It is a five-step tool suitable for screening adults across all care settings. It is used to detect those who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

The five steps are as follows: • Measure height and weight to determine Body Mass Index (BMI) • Calculate percentage of unplanned weight loss in the past 3-6 months • Establish acute disease effect and score • Add scores together to obtain an overall score for risk of malnutrition • Use management guidelines and/or local policy to establish treatment plan All staff involved in nutrition-risk screening should be suitably trained to meet required standards for their organisation.

PERSON-CENTRED APPROACH TO NUTRITIONAL CARE Person-centred care (www.hee.nhs.uk/ourwork/person-centred-care) means “focusing care on the needs of the individual.” It’s about ensuring that people's preferences, needs and values guide clinical decisions, whilst delivering care that is respectful of

By Harriet Smith, Registered Dietitian on behalf of AYMES International

and responsive to their needs (8).

One-size does not fit all when it comes to good nutritional care. People’s dietary preferences are highly individual due to religious, cultural and ethical factors.

Additionally, nutritional requirements may differ according to medical need.

Food provisions in care homes must be able to meet an individual’s needs.

Having a discussion with care home residents and/or their family, friends or carers to obtain further information about food preferences can be useful when delivering person-centred nutritional care. Menus should provide variety and choice, with systems in place to gather the views about food and drink from their residents, families and friends.

Every mealtime matters, and individuals should receive appropriate support and assistance to ensure optimal nutritional intake. Organisational approaches such as communal dining and protected mealtimes are useful strategies.

Oral nutrition support should be considered in patients who have inadequate oral intake of food and fluids to meet their nutritional requirements. This may include a food first approach (i.e. food fortification, extra snacks, nourishing drinks, energy-dense meals), oral nutritional supplements (ONS) and dietary counselling.

ONS products are used for medical purposes in patients who meet the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) prescribing criteria, have been screened using a validated malnutrition screening tool and have been deemed to be at nutritional risk. ONS should always be given under medical supervision and must be used appropriately and in accordance with local prescribing guidelines.

Local prescribing guidelines for the treat-

ment of disease-related malnutrition often recommend powdered ONS products such as AYMES Shake (aymes.com/products/aymes-shake) as first-line interventions in care home settings. AYMES Shake is a nutritionally balanced, milkshake-style supplement, providing 383kcal and 19g protein per serving when mixed with 200ml whole milk. AYMES Shake is one of the best value powdered ONS products available (9), and is therefore a sensible choice for cost savings.

ABOUT AYMES INTERNATIONAL: AYMES International manufactures delicious, costeffective oral nutrition supplements for the dietary management of patients with, or at risk of diseaserelated malnutrition. For more information, visit https://aymes.com/ or call +44 (0) 845 680 5496.

References: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Malnutrition Task Force. Malnutrition in the UK Factsheet. Available at: http://www.malnutritiontaskforce.org.uk/resources/malnutritionfactsheet/ BAPEN Nutritional Screening Surveys in Hospitals in the UK, 2007 2011 (2014). Available at: https://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/nsw/bapen-nsw-uk.pdf Gandy, J. Manual of Dietetic Practice, chp. 6.2 Malnutrition (2014).

Sharma, Y. et al. (2017). ‘Malnutrition and Its Association with Readmission and Death within 7 Days and 8-180 Days Postdischarge in Older Patients: A Prospective Observational Study’.

BMJ Open.

Correia, M. et.al. (2003). ‘The Impact of Malnutrition on Morbidity, Mortality, Length of Hospital Stay and Costs Evaluated through a Multivariate Model Analysis’. Clinical Nutrition.

Baldwin, C. & Weekes, C. E. (2012) Dietary counselling with or without oral nutritional supplements in the management of malnourished patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. [Online].

NICE, ‘Nutrition support in adults: NICE guideline CG32’, 2006.

Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32/chapter/1Guidance NHS Health Education England. Person-Centred Care. Available at: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/person-centred-care MIMS April 2020

NUTILIS CLEAR • Transparent results • Simple to use • Amylase resistant1 • Does not continue to thicken2 • IDDSI compliant

The Dysphagia Act

NEW NUTILIS CLEAR RECIPE BOOK COMING SOON

AR NUTILIS CLE K RECIPE BOO

URABLE SAFE, PLEAS US FOOD IT AND NUTR IO LIVING FOR PEOPLE GIA A WITH DYSPH

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 10 | PAGE 45

CATERING FOR CARE Are You In Need Of Dysphagia Training*?

*This training is intended for healthcare professionals only.

The quality standards aim is for all new health and social care staff members caring for patients with Dysphagia to complete the modules as part of their induction programme. Existing health and social care staff members should also complete the learning to support their continuing professional development.

There is a certificate that can be downloaded once the training has been successfully completed.

Caternet With care plans running up to 100 printed pages, providers are increasingly turning to kitchen software to support their CQC nutrition and allergen responsibilities. With Caternet, care organisations build recipes and menus using live data from their suppliers. Going paperless means nutrition per serving is automatically calculated, with allergenic ingredients tracked and cross-referenced - transforming Regulation 14 risk management.

Reference: 1. O’Loughlin G, Shanley C. Swallowing problems in the nursing home: a novel training response.

Dysphagia 1998; 13, 172-183.( https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-languagetherapy/clinical-information/dysphagia)

Creating recipe cards using a bank of meal preparation steps saves a digital record, accessible to service users and care professionals alike. Organisations that share menus

to apps or websites removing dietary concerns around can build trust with families,

religious and cultural backgrounds. This saves time spent manual change.

ly updating meal plans as menus Going paperless extends to purchasing with

live prices and enforcing approved buying lists. Many organisations add in their

HACCP food safety analysis guidelines to use as kitchen training

packs. Included are forecasting tools that promote compliance

across stock management too.

Caternet is developed with operators, buyers and chefs, who have all experienced similar operational and financial challenges.

It is specifically designed to help the sector remove manual processes. You will support nutrition and allergen compliance, buy more competitively, enjoy paperless financial administration, and reduce overheads.

Start saving time and money today.

023 8212 4099 www.caternet.co.uk sales@caternet.co.uk

Simply Puree

Use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code to access the elearning and get started!

For any questions contact your local Nutricia sales representative or our Resource Centre at resourcecentre@nutricia.com.

Nutilis Clear is a Food for Special Medical Purposes for the dietary management of dysphagia and must be used under medical supervision.

utes in total to complete, however you can complete one section at a time.

How can this training help you?

• Easy & convenient online solution to dysphagia training • Visibility to track progress in your care home • Raise the quality standard of dysphagia care in a consistent way

Did you know that between 50-75% of nursing home residents suffer from dysphagia1? Nutricia has a training solution for you, a FREE e-learning covering the fundamentals of dysphagia management using Nutilis Clear.

The training is divided into 4 sections and has been specially designed for busy health and social care staff caring for people living with dysphagia. It takes 60 min-

Launched in 2019, Simply Puree is a range of IDDSI compliant, nutritionally balanced, texture modified meals from levels 3-6, catering for people with dysphagia. . All made to the highest safety standards with a wide selection of choices, this range ensures you can prepare each meal safely giving you total reassurance, every time.

Each dish also has consistency in nutritional content, allowing you to easily control calorie intake. All meals come frozen and ready to serve, providing quick and convenient meals that simply need to be placed in the microwave or oven. But that’s not all, made to home-cooked standards these authentic

and tasty meals are packed full of flavour, making them perfect for any meal occa

sion throughout all day parts!

We work closely with a number of speech and language therapists so that we can ensure that we can adapt and innovate to the changing wants and needs of patients or residents with dysphagia.

Clare Park MSc MRCSLT HCPC, Speech and Language Therapist says: “As a in swallowing, I have been using the Simply Puree range clinician specialising for many years. I would definitely recommend this texture modified meal but also for the appearance,

quality and texture. I range not only for the taste that this range has made a huge difference lives, find

to my clients’

they now enjoy their meals and I have found that many now look forward to meal times meals are quick and easy to regenerate and they maintain appear again. The and through. ance, texture

taste once cooked

“So, if you have clients who have to be on a texture modified diet following a

swallowing assessment by a speech and language therapist, due to perhaps a stroke, Dementia, Parkinson’s disease etc then I would highly recommend the Simply Puree range for them.

“The range has now been extended to include reduced portion sized meals for those with small appetites, as well as snack pots for those clients needing to up their nutritional daily intake. All options are of the same high quality and are fully IDDSI compliant – who wouldn’t enjoy an afternoon snack of level 4 tea, with a chocolate bourbon biscuit!”

Not only are we continually expanding our adult range, we’ve listened to our customers and have now launched our Simply Puree Junior range which also fully complies with paediatric IDDSI guidelines so now we can provide for all age groups.

For more information go to bidfood.co.uk/simplypuree

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