The Carer Digital - Issue #9

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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Issue 9

Call for Direct Support for Struggling Care Providers

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Campaigners are calling for financial aid to be given directly to care providers to prevent many from going under as they battle coronavirus. Many Care homes/providers were teetering on the edge of collapse before coronavirus crisis, which is now pushing many to the point of bankruptcy.

In May the Government launched a new £600 million Infection Control Fund, introduced to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in care homes in addition to £3.2 billion of financial support made available to local authorities to support key public services since the start of the crisis.

The fund, which is ringfenced for social care, is given to local authorities to ensure care homes can continue to halt the spread of coronavirus by helping them cover the costs of implementing measures to reduce transmission.

However, the Independent Care Group said that the £3.2bn given to local authorities to support care providers again Covid-19 simply wasn’t getting to the front line fast enough.

It has written to the Government calling for: • The Care Quality Commission (CQC) to waive or refund care providers’ 2020-21

registration fees • For future Government support to be delivered by the CQC • The Government to indemnify care providers against being sued over Covid-19 deaths.

ICG chair, Mike Padgham said: “Whilst deaths are falling, we must not lose sight of the fact that care providers are continuing to struggle financially and there is a very real danger that some will fail.

“Providers are seeing falling incomes, through a lack of new clients, and rapidly rising costs from extra staffing and PPE and they need urgent help on the front line now.”

He said a good place to start would be the waiving or reimbursement of CQC registration fees for the current year.

“This is a significant expense for providers and refunding that money would be a help to them. We have written to the CQC and asked for that to happen,” Mr Padgham added.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

PAGE 2 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT Welcome to the ninth edition of The Carer Digital! “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers.

Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.�

ROSALYN CARTER In an industry that has found itself the subject of heated debate, and at the coalface of one of the greatest crises to face the country in recent years, it is so refreshing to see some of the stories and initiatives coming in from care homes, care home employees, and families highlighting not only the wonderful work they do but also the creative, uplifting, spirit raising entertainments homes are providing to keep the residents “chins up� in the spirit that has made the British famous!

Editor

Peter Adams

Fancy dress, beard growing, letter writing, head shaving, bingo, talent contests you name it care homes are doing it!

Important though it is to maintain pressure on the government, various governmental departments and politicians to support the industry as much as possible, the relentless negative reporting can have a very adverse effect on morale. And, in my honest opinion, mainstream media have been appalling in their reporting.

Working in an environment so under pressure is a challenge on its own, having to listen to the sector being used as a political football in the media is bound to have an adverse effect on staff, and ultimately residents as well.

So, it is absolutely refreshing to see homes and staff “putting that to one side� in putting some joy back into the sector - so very well done from all here at The Carer.

We have once again called on some leading industry lights to provide their insight into the challenges with advice guidance and tips on how best manage these challenges.

One of the articles we have centres around “secondary trauma�. Something I don’t think has been given enough prominence, the article which appears on page 6 defines a secondary trauma as: “Secondary Trauma (STS) is the technical term for when an individual has been exposed to difficult or disturbing images or events, whether it be directly or indirectly. This can occur by coming into contact with material that has negatively impacted your wellbeing. Whilst occupational secondary trauma is not a new concept with journalists, police officers and crime scene investigators being the professionals most likely to suffer from symptoms of secondary trauma, the safeguarding of key workers globally during and as we move into the recovery stage of this pandemic is essential.�

Once again, I have to say I think in mainstream media reporting has very likely contributed to that. Something which may manifest with new staff long after the crisis has abated.

With many people entering the sector who have little or no experience in care, they will almost certainly have no experience in dealing with such a crisis and could very well find themselves at risk. I remember reporting in September last year that up to 81% of staff involved in care work felt that care work had affected their mental health, and some 79% of care staff also said they have experienced or felt ‘close to burn out’.

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More recently, (April 2020) a survey by YouGov and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) revealed that one in two health and social care workers throughout the UK felt their mental health has declined in the previous eight weeks. The survey of 996 workers also found that 42% of these professionals do not feel the government has done enough to support their mental health.

So once again it is refreshing to see 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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Fax: 01202 552666 Email: sales@thecareruk.com

WEBSITE: www.thecareruk.com EDITOR Peter Adams SALES EXECUTIVES Sylvia Mawson David Bartlett Guy Stephenson TYPESETTING & DESIGN Matthew Noades PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Shelly Roche

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 3

Call for Direct Support for Struggling Care Providers (...CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) “Given that the £3.2bn promised to care providers still isn’t reaching all providers – it is patchy to say the least – we need to ensure any further financial support gets directly to care providers and we suggest that it is channelled through the CQC rather than local authorities, to avoid it becoming mired in bureaucracy.”

Providers are very concerned that they may not be covered by insurance if they are sued following the death of someone they provide care for. NHS care providers have been indemnified by the Government against such against such action.

Mr Padgham added: “This has not been extended to social care providers and we are finding that our current insurance does not cover us. This is having an impact upon providers who may consider not taking on new clients for fear of repercussions. This would, in turn, impact upon the fight against coronavirus.

“We have therefore written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, calling on him to extend indemnity against legal action to social care providers.”

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said it is working with the Government to ensure that councils have the funding they need to do whatever it takes to keep supporting the care sector and health service during the COVID-19 crisis. In order to provide the most robust evidence to government on the financial challenges they face, councils

have been completing detailed monthly returns to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

LGA analysis of May’s returns shows that: • Extra COVID-19 costs and losses of income incurred by councils in March, April and May, amounted to £3.2 billion. This has been met in full by the two tranches of emergency funding provided by government to councils so far • Councils could need as much as £6 billion more to cover the costs of coping with the coronavirus pandemic during this financial year. This figure will need to be kept under review. The MHCLG survey assumes things return to normal from July. If councils have used this assumption in their returns then this figure could rise • Based on LGA analysis of the latest returns, almost two thirds of further funding needed would be to cover lost tax income (council tax and business rates) and non-tax income (mostly sales, fees and charges). The rest would be needed to cover extra cost pressures as a result of the pandemic.

• The loss of business rates (£470 million) and council tax income (£506 million) combined in the past three months accounts for more than half of all income losses for councils over the same period. This highlights the impact of the virus on local economies as some businesses close or people who are struggling to pay bills as a result of loss of earnings.

• The financial impact of the crisis will continue to be felt into next year

and beyond and any future package of funding measures from government will need to take this into account. The LGA is therefore commissioning independent analysis to project the potential impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent economic shifts on council budgets and this year and future years and to look at solutions that could help tackle this.

Cllr James Jamieson, LGA Chairman, said: “Local government continues to lead the way during the emergency response to this crisis, but they are being stretched to the maximum. Vital emergency funding from government has helped meet extra cost pressures and lost income in the past three months.”

“Concerns remain about the ongoing financial pressures ahead.

Councils will need further funding and financial flexibilities in the weeks and months ahead to meet ongoing COVID-19 pressures and to keep services running normally.

“Certainty around this is desperately-needed so councils can balance their budgets this year and take vital decisions about how to pay for vital local services next year.

“Councils not only need to be fully funded to help our communities beat this virus now but also to help support the nation as we tackle the unprecedented social and economic task ahead and move into the next phase.”

Fifth of all People Who Have Died from COVID-19 in England and Wales Had Dementia More people with dementia died from COVID-19 in England and Wales compared to any other pre-existing condition, according to new figures. Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, has called on government to do more to protect people with dementia from COVID-19 following the news.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that of the 33,841 deaths including COVID-19 in England and Wales between March 1 and April 30, 6,887 (20.4%) had dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as the main preexisting health condition.

These findings come on the same day as statistics show that over 40% of people who died due to COVID-19 in care homes also had dementia. According to ONS, of the 73,180 deaths in care homes in England and Wales, 12,526 of these mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate. Nine in 10 (89.0%) deaths were of those with at least one preexisting health issue, with the most common main condition being dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, with 5,115 deaths (42.5% of all deaths involving Covid-19).

Samantha Benham-Hermetz, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Daily we are seeing stark new figures that expose the tragic impact COVID-19 is having on people with dementia.

“New data is highlighting that there is a link between dementia and the virus. As age is the biggest risk factor for dementia, and with older people also more likely to experience severe symptoms from COVID-19, this may partly explain the high number of deaths. With over two thirds of people in care homes living with dementia, and the high rates of infection in these facilities, they are at a higher risk of being badly affected by COVID-19.

“We urge government to do more to protect people with dementia from COVID-19 and stop further deaths. We need to see more research to understand the link between the virus and dementia, while extra measures must be put in place to limit the spread of infection, particularly in care homes, so people can be kept safe. This is what people with dementia, and their loved ones, deserve.”

PAGE 4 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

How Well Are YOU Protected? Part 1 – Hand Sanitisers

S. Awolesi, MSc, Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, Environmental Science Group Limited, Cambridge.

Roy Simmons, BSc, Senior Consultant, Environmental Science Group Limited, March, Cambridge.

There is no doubt that Coronavirus is the main topic of conversation these days. The number of deaths reported in the media, in the UK and worldwide is alarming, causing us all to take positive steps in protecting ourselves. So how do we make sure that we are adequately protected?

Firstly, government health officials and epidemiologists advocate ‘self-isolation’ and ‘social distancing’. Inevitably, daily tasks will bring some of us into contact with surfaces that are potentially contaminated with the virus. The advice is to thoroughly wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Washing with soap can inactivate viruses, especially the enveloped viruses such as Coronavirus, and it also has the added benefit of removing contamination from the skin surface (Fig. 1).

Additional protection from potential contaminated surfaces (eg deliveries) would be to wear plastic gloves, leave the package outside the premises and wipe with a dilute solution of bleach (or spray). Leave for 10 minutes and then wipe dry before opening. Whilst still wearing plastic gloves, carefully dispose of the wipes as bleach solution is corrosive and harmful to the skin. (Note: in order to care for the environment plastic gloves do not have to be disposed after a single use. They can be cleaned with running water, dried and re-used by the same person).

In situations where washing facilities are not available and there is concern that hand contact has been made with a virus-contaminated object, the use of hand sanitiser (with the appropriate alcohol content) would be the best defence.

These products are commercially available in various sizes and price (Fig. 2)

USE OF HAND SANITISERS Hand sanitiser is a gel or foam that is marketed as a biocide and is also effective for certain types of virus. It is used as an alternative to hand-washing and is commercially available either as sanitiser that is alcohol-based or sanitiser that is alcohol-free. Approved formulations of these products are given in a publication from the World Heath Organisation (WHO) (Ref. 1).

In order to use hand sanitiser effectively, apply a small amount to the palm of one hand (read the label for the

appropriate amount) and then rub both hands together so as to cover all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry (Figs 3 & 4).

Alcohol-based sanitiser acts by denaturing protein and dissolving lipid in bacterial cell walls and membranes. It also inactivates enveloped viruses and reduces the infectivity of some nonenveloped viruses.

The majority of hand sanitizers contain a combination of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and ethanol. The percentage of alcohol present in hand sanitiser is key to its efficacy – those with less than 60% alcohol will be less effective at killing micro-organisms, and will just reduce their growth. Many studies have found that sanitisers with an alcohol concentration between 60 – 95% are more effective at killing microorganisms than those with a lower alcohol concentration or non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers (Refs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

It is well known that many chemical substances and mixtures when taken orally or applied to the skin can have side effects. This applies to hand sanitiser solutions as well. With repeated use over a long period of time, the active chemicals in these products can be absorbed through the skin. In sufficient quantities, they enter the blood stream and accumulations can occur such as to affect the normal functions of the body’s metabolism in liver and kidneys. The toxic effects of both ethanol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) are well documented in ECHA (Ref. 7) registered chemical listings. The toxic effects of IPA are many times higher than that for ethanol alcohol, so the informed choice is obvious in favour of ethanol.

A study (Ref. 8) reported an extensive survey of 18 retail chains (supermarkets, drug stores, general retailers, specialty shops) and exposed a substandard product at all three stores of a deep-discount chain. The marketing profile of deep-discount chains suggests that poorer segments of the community may be more at risk when it comes to the purchase of inadequate antiseptic gels. Moreover, products containing 40% ethanol may be stockpiled in homes and offices.

However, it was noted that the less common brands of antiseptic gel did not state the alcohol content online. It is

important that educational efforts should emphasize that effective sanitisers must be of a sufficient alcohol concentration.

Consumers should be alerted to check the alcohol concentration in hand sanitisers because substandard products may be marketed to the public.

The high demand for hand sanitisers at the present time means that the public may purchase these products, and due to the marketing, advertising and statements made on the product labelling, believe them to be substitutes for the conventional hand sanitiser products.

CHECKING FOR PRODUCT SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS It is vital that the manufacturer ensures that products on the market are effective and do not pose an unacceptable risk to people or the environment. The HSE has highlighted (Ref. 9) the fact that biocidal hand sanitisers that are made available in the UK to help protect people during the Coronavirus outbreak must be safe and effective.

So how can consumers know what chemicals are in a certain product?

A starting point is to request a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) which the supplier or manufacturer is legally obliged to issue to the end users. This is formalised today by the internationally accepted Global Harmonised System (GHS) (ref. 10). The document procedure and the details contained therein is directed by the United Nations. The information given in various sections of the SDS affords the declaration of a product’s hazardous classified contents along with other notations on any toxic properties and exposure limits.

For hand sanitisers that comply with WHO formulations, Section 2 of the SDS should declare the product classification as highly flammable liquid and causing serious eye irritation. If the SDS is GHS compliant, Section 3 should list the main hazardous components and should include the name and concentration of the alcohol used in the product. If the level of alcohol declared is less than 60%, then the biocidal and virucidal level of protection will not be as effective as when the alcohol is more than 70%.

Another way to check compliancy is to read the product label, which should include the type and amount of alcohol used in the hand sanitizer.

Part 2 in this series will address protection values associated with, Face Masks and Face Visors.

References 1. World Health Organisation Publication. Guide to local Production: WHO -recommended Hand rub Formulations. Revised April 2010. https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Pr oduction.pdf 2. Todd ECD, Michaels BS, Holah J, Smith D, Grieg JD, Bartleson CA. Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 10. Alcohol-based antiseptics for hand disinfection and a comparison of their effectiveness with soaps.external icon J Food Prot.

2010 Nov;73(11):2128-40.

3. Pickering AJ, Davis J, Boehm AB. Efficacy of alcohol-based hand sanitizer on hands soiled with dirt and cooking oil.external icon J Water Health. 2011 Sep;9(3):429-33.

4. Pickering AJ, Boehm AB, Mwanjali M, Davis J. Efficacy of waterless hand hygiene compared with handwashing with soap: a field study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.external icon Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Feb;82(2):270-8.

5. Coronado GD, Holte SE, Vigoren EM, Griffith WC, Barr DB, Faustman EM, Thompson B. Do workplace and home protective practices protect farm workers? Findings from the “For Healthy Kids” study. pdf icon[PDF 17 – pages]external icon J Occup Environ Med. 2012;54(9):1163-9.

6. Kampf G, Kramer A. Epidemiologic background of hand hygiene and evaluation of the most important agents for scrubs and rubs.external icon Clin Microbiol Rev. 2004 Oct;17(4):863-93.

7. ECHA. European Chemical Hazard Association, Helsinki, Finland. https://echa.europa.eu/ 8. Reynolds SA, Levy F, Walker ES. Hand sanitizer alert [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Mar [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1203.050955 9. https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/hand-sanitisermanufacture-supply-coronavirus.htm 10. https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_rev04/English/ST-SG-AC1030-Rev4e.pdf 6 Figure 1: Hand washing with soap & water Figure 2: Examples of hand sanitisers 7 Figure 3: Application of a hand sanitiser Step 1:Apply a palmful of the product in a cupped hand Step 2: Rub hands palm to palm 8 Step 3: Right palm over left back of hand with interlaced fingers Step 4: Palm to palm with fingers interlaced Step 5: Back of fingers to opposing palms with fingers interlocked Step 6: Rotational rubbing of left thumb clasped in right palm and vice versa Step 7: Rotational rubbing, backwards and forwards Step 8: Once dry your hands are sanitised with clasped fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa Figure 4: How to sanitise your hands

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 5

Care Home Covid-19 Deaths Fall By A Third The number of COVID-19 related deaths in residential and nursing care homes has fallen by a third in the latest weekly statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Figures for the week ending May 22 show that there were 1,090 COVID-19 related care home deaths in England and Wales, down by more than a third on the 1,660 recorded in the week to May 15.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales overall is now at its lowest level since late March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In total there were 12,288 registered deaths in the week ending May 22 – 2,348 more than the five-year average. During this week, 2,589 death certificates in England and Wales mentioned coronavirus, down almost one-third (32%) on the week before, this figure is considerably down on the height of the pandemic.

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

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “Today’s figures are welcome but we must not become complacent and let coronavirus take hold again.

“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.”

Today’s figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 1,090 people died in care and nursing homes from Covid-19 in the week up to 22nd May. That is down from 1,660, the previous week, 1,666 the week before that, 2,423 the week before that and 2,800 the week before that.

“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.

“Lockdown measures are being relaxed and we understand why. But coronavirus in care and nursing homes hasn’t gone away and it is vital that we proceed safely and sensibly to keep protecting our most vulnerable.”

Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence says: “This is great news but we must treat it as a golden opportunity to make sure we get things right – and don’t repeat the mistakes that happened when the country first went into lockdown. We need guarantees on regular testing, the use of and training on using PPE equipment and an undertaking that hospitals aren’t discharging people with COVID-19 into care homes. We cannot have care homes and other care settings once again becoming incubators for infection.

And it’s also a good opportunity to make sure that care and support links with health in a national, co-ordinated way, so that people also have the best experiences and outcomes in the long-term, not just during the pandemic.”

COVID-19 Workforce Survey Launched to Understand Future NHS, Health & Care Sector Skills Needs Skills for Health are launching a national Covid-19 Workforce Survey to help understand the critical skills required to rebuild a sustainable, productive, and flexible health and care workforce for the future.

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on every corner of the UK. Every community within our society and every sector across our economy has faced unprecedented challenges. Now, more than ever, it is vital we learn from employers and staff, just how much the pandemic has impacted our health and care workforce.

Jon Parry, Head of Research, Skills for Health says: “We are committed to our core mission of helping employers to develop a more skilled, productive and flexible workforce; this includes the provision of evidence based research and insights to support employer ambitions.

We have continued to undertake this through these difficult times of Covid-19, and we are now seeking to understand some of the challenges facing employers and staff, as well as collecting examples of good practice responses to the crisis.”

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, our dedicated NHS, wider health, and social care professionals have had to adapt rapidly to meet the increased demand on services and the changing needs of patients.

This has been a behemoth, collaborative effort, with our people making countless personal sacrifices, and showing their upmost compassion, tenacity and resilience, coupled with our organisations

responding at pace, with transformational change at scale, and an inherent drive to deliver only the highest quality, life-saving care, when our nation has needed it most.

The complete impact on the workforce is still yet to be realised. It is imperative that evidence based research, and insights are sought to establish the extent Covid-19 has had on all areas of organisational life; from staff mental health and wellbeing, to recruitment and retention, leadership, organisational structure, to training, and skills development.

In addition, the strategies, changes and innovative solutions that have been made out of necessity, must also be acknowledged, both in how they have helped to improve services and patient outcomes throughout the crisis, and why they must be maintained in the future.

Matt Lambert, Chief Executive Officer, The Federation for Industry Sector Skills & Standards says: “Maintaining and improving skills training will play a major part in rebuilding our health and care sector, our economy and repairing the public finances as we start to come out of the lock-down and return to work. I very much welcome this important survey by Skills for Health and encourage employers and staff to take part. Research into the challenges faced by employers and employees will help us to identify best practices and new ways to work productively and sustainably.”

The findings will be compiled into a report by Skills for Health’s

research team to support employers not only focus on the short and medium-term priorities for recovering and restoring our health and care service provision but also form a thorough grasp on the longerterm development required to establish future ambitions for the system.

To do this, they need your voice.

Skills for Health need to hear your experiences and your reflections.

Have your say and join the conversation by taking part in this vital survey today and contribute to national research into the workforce impact of Covid-19.

Jon Parry asks: “We would be very grateful if you could take part in this short survey which is aimed at gathering and sharing ideas and experiences. We will report our findings in due course, disseminating through our stakeholder networks and publishing on our website. Your participation will ensure that we are all able to contribute to rebuilding a sustainable workforce with the critical skills required post Covid-19.”

For every completed survey response, Skills for Health are donating 10p to NHS Charities Together, who continue to support NHS staff and volunteers caring for Covid-19 patients.

Please visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/COVIDres survey to take part.

The survey is open until Tuesday 30th June 2020.

PAGE 6 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

Government U-Turn on the NHS Surcharge Provides Welcome Relief for the Care Sector

By Gary McIndoe, founder and managing director, Latitude Law (www.latitudelaw.com)

The government’s u-turn on the immigration health surcharge represents some much needed good news for the care sector and the many international staff who are employed in care across the UK. Announced on 21st May, the move will ensure that both NHS and independent care workers and their families will be removed from the requirement to pay an annual charge of £400 to access NHS care. The surcharge is due to increase in October to £624 for most adults, and will expand to include EU workers who have previously been exempt when the UK’s Brexit transitional period ends on 31st December. Whilst the details remain to be confirmed, it is nonetheless an overdue and necessary change.

Economic migrants to the UK already face the highest visa fees in Europe, and an individual on a 5-year pathway to indefinite leave to remain here will pay many thousands of pounds in visa fees during that time. Applying for settlement means a further fee of £2,389 before securing their right to stay.

The annual NHS surcharge has always represented an onerous additional cost to migrant workers, and has been seen by many as unfair and disproportionate. Since its introduction in 2015 it has raised more than £900mn but commentators have long criticised it for essentially requiring workers to pay twice for treatment – once through salary taxation and again through the surcharge. The fairness of the charge has always sat uncomfortably in the case of health and care workers from abroad who make such a positive contribution to this sector.

The sacrifices and hard work being put in by so many across the NHS but also less publicly within the care sector during lockdown have helped the charge to become somewhat of a lightening rod issue, criticised across the media and also by senior Conservative MPs. Putting the annual cost into context, according to analysis by the TUC, across England and Wales seven out of 10 social care workers earn less than £10 an hour and one in four is on a zero-hours contract. In real terms, residential care workers employed by local government are almost £1,900 worse off salary wise than in 2010 . This is not a well-rewarded sector, compared to NHS doctors for example, who are more easily able to bear the costs.

Further, workers in social care have been twice as likely to die with coronavirus compared to the general population of working age, indicating that this sector not only takes home lower pay but currently also a significantly increased risk of illness and death.

Whilst this particular u-turn is highly overdue and to be welcomed, what should now be of concern is how the sector will start to source and retain migrant workers once the updated points based immigration rules come in to play for all foreign nationals in January 2021. With the care sector heavily reliant upon non-UK workers, it remains to be seen whether the government will now realise the value of this particular workforce, and its importance to the elderly and vulnerable in society.

Gary McIndoe is the founder and managing director of specialist immigration law firm, Latitude Law. Gary and the team at Latitude Law have been partnering with organisations to support their international staffing requirements for more than a decade and are trusted by multi-national organisations, small businesses, charities, religious organisations and many others.

Secondary Trauma Recognition For Key Workers “Essential” Employers must be conscious of and understand the indicators of ‘secondary trauma’ and ensure those who have experienced distressing circumstances are offered support, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health has said, and has called for the closer safeguarding of key workers psychological health as a result of coronavirus related secondary trauma.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, key workers including Healthcare professionals have been working on the front lines to treat and care for patients who have or may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Whilst healthcare workers, in particular, have had to man-

age critical issues daily, such as lack of hospital facilities, personal protection measures and exhausting working hours, IOSH has called for the closer safeguarding of key workers psychological health as a result of Covid-19 related secondary trauma.

Secondary Trauma (STS) is the technical term for when an individual has been exposed to difficult or disturbing images or events, whether it be directly or indirectly. This can occur by coming into contact with material that has negatively impacted your wellbeing. Whilst occupational secondary trauma is not a new concept with journalists, police officers and crime scene investigators being the professionals most likely to suffer from symptoms of secondary trauma, the safeguarding of key workers globally during and as we move into the recovery stage of this pandemic is essential.

Bev Messinger, chief executive at IOSH, said: “We believe it is essential to protect workers’ physical and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers and others on the frontline must have adequate mental health support and return-to-work processes throughout these challenging times. Many workers are also working

from home and may begin to experience a range of emotions including a loss of control, boredom, frustration and loneliness, therefore occupational safety and health professionals have important roles in helping organisations and governments manage well-being risks during this pandemic.

Due to the nature of this trauma often occurring indirectly recognising the symptoms of secondary trauma can be difficult and often go unrecognised by the individual and their peers for long periods of time.

The symptoms of secondary trauma can be broken into three sections: Physical warning signs, Behavioural signs and either emotional or psychological signs. Whilst the list of these symptoms is extensive it is important to remember that they are a signpost to what individuals may be experiencing and is not a checklist to assess the extent of someone’s negative experiences.

Physical symptoms, for example, can include exhaustion, insomnia, and headaches, whilst emotional or psychological signs can range from an impaired appetite and increased anxiety to negative or suicidal thoughts.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 7

Urgent Coronavirus Testing in Care Homes Highlighted by Public Health Investigation A team of academics from the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) has worked with GPs, infectious diseases experts, a geriatric clinical outreach team and Local Authority colleagues to undertake a coronavirus outbreak investigation in four London nursing homes. The multidisciplinary team was convened by Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Director of Public Health, after large numbers of residents at one of the homes became unwell at the end of March.

Using a robotic testing platform developed by the UK DRI team earlier in the month, 313 residents and a selection of staff were tested for the virus to assess infection rates and identify the particular challenges facing nursing homes in controlling an outbreak. A report from the investigation, authored by UK DRI researchers and published as a preprint on MedRxiv, found that comprehensive and repeated testing of both residents and staff are vital to controlling infection rates in nursing homes.

416,000 people in the UK live in care homes, where Covid-19 has led to very high levels of illness and death. The World Health Organisation has estimated that as many as half of all Covid-19 deaths in Europe are in care homes. However, little information is available to understand the details of outbreaks in the care home context.

The team, which included academics from the UK DRI’s Care Research and Technology centre based at Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, tested the residents at two time points a week apart, with systematic testing starting on 15 April. Clinical and demographic information was also collected and studied.

A sample of asymptomatic nursing home staff in a variety of roles were also tested to clarify the role that unrecognised staff infections may play in viral transmission. Test results were reported back to resi-

Photo By: Spc. Miguel Pena

dents and care staff promptly to inform decisions on how to minimise further infection.

All of the nursing homes involved had experienced an outbreak of Covid-19, and together saw 103 deaths across a total population of 394 residents between 1 March and 1 May. This was three times the death rate in previous years. Around half of the deaths were attributed to Covid-19 on the death certificate, and over half of those who died had dementia.

Testing found that 40 per cent of residents were positive for coronavirus, with 60 per cent of these being asymptomatic or displaying only

atypical symptoms. Four per cent of the asymptomatic staff sample tested positive, suggesting that staff are likely to be a factor in transmitting infection. Viral sequencing showed multiple distinct clusters of SARS-CoV-2 in the same nursing home.

The study found that Covid-19 often presented in an atypical way – if at all – in nursing home residents: respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath often existed already in patients and hallmark signs such as fever were often absent. Many residents, particularly those with the highest care needs, displayed no symptoms at all in the lead up to death. This means that usual approaches to infection control that rely on the identification of symptoms, contact tracing and isolation, are ineffective.

Professor Bart de Strooper, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said: “This investigation demonstrates how systematic testing is vital to our understanding of the virus, how it is transmitted, and how it can be contained. By recognising that many people in nursing homes are becoming unwell, often with no symptoms, infection control measures can be adapted, having an immediate impact.

“The UK DRI exists to transform the lives of people with dementia, so when we saw an opportunity to deliver a rapid project to benefit vulnerable older people, we mobilised resource and technology to make sure we could get results fast.

“Our team had already created a new high-throughput coronavirus testing platform in just nine days last month and the speed of this project has been no less staggering. A little over a week after the first conversation with colleagues about introducing testing in nursing homes, every resident had been tested in four homes.”

Sunrise Of Eastbourne Couple Celebrate 65th Wedding Anniversary Jill and Alan Burgess, both residents at Sunrise of Eastbourne, have recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

Jill was born in Eastbourne and Alan moved to the area from London when he was 10 years old.

They met at a dance at the Winter Gardens in Eastbourne, which, as Jill reminds us, was where couples used to meet. Alan proposed to Jill one day after taking her home, kissing her on the doorstep and saying, “if we still feel like this, shall we get married?”.

They married at Holy Trinity Church in Eastbourne and had a traditional white wedding, followed by a reception at Devonshire Park. For their honey-

moon, Jill and Alan went to Paignton in Devon.

Alan had a successful career playing football, first playing for Eastbourne and then moving with Jill to Hastings where he played for Hastings United for eight years. Alan then worked in a plastics factory, starting out as a draughtsman and working his way up to become a Director.

Jill and Alan eventually moved back to Eastbourne in 2005. Together, they shared a wonderful life, enjoying plenty of holidays and cruises. The couple went on to move into Sunrise of Eastbourne on 31st January 2019.

They also have two sons, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren with another one on the way.

PAGE 8 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

In Times Of Crisis, We Must Not Forget Key Worker Wellbeing

By John Godden, CEO of Salutem Healthcare We are currently living in a time where health is at the forefront of our minds. We are constantly being reminded that something isn’t right; that we are in danger of becoming ill, and that we must stay alert to be safe. For all of us living through the crisis, it can be challenging for our mental health, but for frontline key workers, their wellbeing must be one of our top concerns.

Key workers, like our teams at Salutem, are working with some of the most vulnerable people in society. On top of coping with the relentless barrage of news on death rates and heightened levels of fear, they also have some challenging circumstances to deal with, including explaining to people with complex learning needs why their routine must change or even that they must be shielded from their families due to their repeated contact with others.

As an employer, we have made our team’s mental health and wellbeing as high a priority as any other aspect of our health and safety concerns. In early April, we launched a campaign to support our staff, so

they know what resources and facilities are available to them, and to show them that we know how difficult this situation is, how important their mental wellbeing is and that we care about how it’s affecting them.

We have been amazed, but not at all surprised, by the levels of trust and commitment shown by our staff over the past ten weeks, and we are buoyed by the fact that they are still giving their all during a time of high anxiety. We have sent our staff regular communications encouraging them to talk if things get too much. We don’t want anyone to struggle alone and we want to do the best for our people. These are unprecedented times and, as much as we must keep routine and a sense of normality for the people in our care, it’s ok not to be ok. We wanted our staff to know that if they needed to stop, take a breather, rest and talk to someone, that is fine. In fact, that is encouraged.

It’s important in these strange times we’re living through, to allow our key workers to focus on what’s important to them – their families, their work life balance, their passions, their sense of purpose. We must not allow ourselves to view our key workers as two-dimensional figures who have nothing to them except the role they play as an employee.

They are mums and dads, they are runners and swimmers, they are bakers and sun worshippers and pet owners. They have more to them than clocking in and clocking out, and to get the best from them, we need to respect every part of them.

We must not berate someone if they’re feeling down because some-

thing that motivates them isn’t going ahead. A carer who is in work on what should have been his wedding day or a teacher who is putting in the hours while their unused plane ticket to Barcelona expires might be fine but just as easily might find it tough to keep their motivation levels high. As part of an employer’s duty of care it is important to create an open environment where people can discuss what’s bothering them so they can be supported through it. People need to know that they are appreciated; it can’t be a perfect day every day, and there is someone to support them, not reprimand them when it’s tough. Checking in on each other, whatever their role in the company, is of immense value.

Encouraging teams to maintain contact with family and friends is important, that will help avoid feelings of isolation when they’re not at work. Stress the importance of taking regular breaks and exercising – it can be easy to burn out when times are tough and we all, particularly key workers, may just need a quick reminder to make self-care part of the day to day routine. The famous Latin phrase ‘Mens sana in corpore sano’ (a healthy mind in a healthy body) rings truer now than ever before. Feeling physically well will directly help us to feel mentally healthy, and vice versa.

Remember, you are doing a fantastic job. You are the ones the country has been applauding every Thursday. Stay well, stay safe and stay healthy.

Reducing Anxiety in Care Homes Using Aromatherapy

by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy (www.doctorfox.co.uk) COVID-19 has created a tidal wave of anxiety in care homes- for both staff, residents and their families.

One simple, natural, solution, may be the use of essential oils in aromatherapy.

This is a practical, natural, and inexpensive way, to improve the ambience of the care home. Inhalation of these very appealing, and fragrant, aromas, carries health benefits, by reducing levels of anxiety, and resulting in improvements in sleep.

Most research on this has been done with lavender oil, however, there are a large variety of essential oils to choose from.

Research suggests that lavender oil vapour reduces levels of anxiety and helps induce sleep.

For example, in one 2005 study, 10 people with insomnia, used 6-8 drops per night of lavender oil via an Aromasteam device. Inhalation of lavender oil resulted in a 2.5 point reduction on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) insomnia score.

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A 1995 study in the journal The Lancet, reported 4 geriatric patients who had become dependent on benzodiazepines. When their medication was stopped, they all suffered from rebound insomnia.

Aromatherapy with lavender oil re-instigated their previous sleep patterns.

A 2015 randomised controlled trial of 79 college students suffering from poor sleep, compared the use of a lavender skin patch, with use of a placebo patch. Both study groups were instructed in a good sleep hygiene regime and wore a Fitbit tracker device to measure their sleep quality. Both groups demonstrated improved sleep quality, however, in the lavender group this was statistically significant. The lavender group also reported feeling more refreshed when waking the following morning.

Lavender stimulates various brain pathways. The GABA nervous pathway is an inhibitory brain pathway. Activating GABA receptors quietens the brain and dampens down the transmission of electrical impulses.

Lavender also has a quietening effect on the sympathetic nervous system (the’ fight, fright and flight’ system). It also stimulates the conversion of serotonin to N-acetyl serotonin the precursor of melatonin.

Lavender has antioxidant functions for brain and nerve tissue and has

been suggested as a possible option for the future treatment of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

Other studies have shown essential oils can reduce anxiety for patients waiting in the doctor’s waiting room, before having a having a surgical biopsy, and in a group of post-natal women with sleep difficulties, for example.

Nursing staff have reported the positive, calming, effect of lavender aroma on patients with dementia.

Lavender oil is safe to use, with almost no reported side effects For care home staff, essential oils are very simple to administer.

Either put a few drops of the oil on a cloth and inhale directly, add a few drops to the bathwater, or use a simple aromatherapy diffuser in the room/bedroom.

Aromasticks are a convenient, easy way to add-in the aroma.

Other essential oils good for sleep include bergamot, sandalwood, and valerian, for example.

In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to be creative about the welfare of residents and staff alike. Essential oils used in aromatherapy may well offer a positive benefit for all.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 9

A Hop Skip and a Jump for Charity Local Somerset boy, James Byrne, 16, has pledged to skip for 20 minutes straight every day, for a month, (31 days) to raise money for Brunelcare, a charity supporting older people in the South West.

Starting his challenge on Tuesday 12th May, James will skip every day for 20 minutes until Tuesday 11th June, tallying a total of 10 hours and 20 minutes of skipping.

James said: “I wanted to do something to keep busy during these uncertain times, all while making a difference. I know skipping is a great form of exercise, so I married the two together. I’ll skip for 20 minutes, non-stop, daily, to raise money for the charity!”

James chose to raise money for Brunelcare’s Glastonbury Care Home, a care home that’s close to his heart after his late Grandmother, Ivy Byrne, was a resident there for nearly two-years.

James Said: “I saw what an amazing job the carers at Brunelcare were doing and now, wanting to support key workers more than ever, I couldn’t think of a better cause or better time to start skipping!”

James wants to raise a total of £3,000 for the charity to buy important Personal Protective Equipment and wellbeing supplies to be used around Brunelcare’s Glastonbury Care Home.

Joanna Crago, Glastonbury’s Care Home Managers said: “It’s a great honour that James is fundraising for us at Glastonbury Care Home, it’s such a lovely thought! The team and I want to wish James the best of luck with his challenge. Happy skipping!”

James said: “My parents always told me that actions speak louder than words and it’s nice doing something to help rather than just talking about it.”

David, James Father said: “James’ skipping challenge has been brilliant! The entire idea has all come from James and we are very proud of

him. He’s thought of others through this more difficult time and really wants to make a difference, all while keeping in line with Government advice. We are very excited to see his fundraising right through to the end.”

To find out more about how you can donate to James’s fund, visit his Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jamesbyrneforbrunelcare

Test, Track and Trace Detail Extremely Welcome Responding to the launch of the NHS Test and Trace service, Danny Mortimer, deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “We welcome the clarity that has now been given on the test, track and trace strategy. We should not be in any doubt how crucial getting this right will be, and we are extremely glad to see the involvement of local leaders and experts, which we called for in our letter on 20 May. “Much has been made of the importance of the app, but while its rollout is still some weeks off, this will not be the make-or-break element. Local involvement is really the key, and we are hopeful this will reduce the risk of a second wave of infections, thus saving lives and protecting the NHS. “It is now absolutely critical that any problems are identified and ironed out as quickly as possible so that all parts of the programme can be delivered, and that the government follows through on its promises of testing expansion. We would also call for more detail on how the impact of the 14-day self-isolation requirement can be mitigated in the health and care workforce.”

Visiting Artist Brings Beach to Care Home Residents Amidst Lockdown A visiting artist has brought the seaside to The Hall care home in Thornton-le-Dale, where residents were missing their visits to the beach during lockdown.

After residents told staff they missed visiting the seaside, care home staff asked local artist, June Appleton, whose mother and mother-in-law both live at The Hall, to paint a seascape for the garden to give the feel of being at the beach. Under normal circumstances, June is a regular visitor to The Hall, engaging the residents in a range of arts and crafts activities.

June also provided some sea-themed artworks to display inside the home’s new orangery. One of the paintings is of a donkey, which the residents have named ‘Joy’.

To complete the experience, residents have been treated to fish and chips to top off their afternoon ‘trip to the seaside.

June said: “Because a trip to the beach isn’t possible at this time, the next best thing was to bring the seaside to the Hall.

In addition to the outdoor seascape, we have used the new orangery to display some of my seaside related paintings to continue the theme and to help residents reflect on pleasant memories.

“Since my mother and mother-in-law moved into The Hall a year ago, I have been involved as visiting artist. Because of my activities with the residents from crafts, special events days and being part of the village Hub and junior school activities, I’d like to think I was part of the unofficial team, and I have become fond of the residents. So, it is with sadness that I am now on the other side of the window when we have a phone visit, and watch with eagerness, the activities on Facebook.”

Diane Hagan, home manager at The Hall, said: “The residents mentioned at one of our meetings that they were really missing trips to the beach, so we racked our brains to come up with a way to bring the beach to them.

“The seascape looks fantastic and the residents have loved our lockdown alternative! Hopefully it won’t be too long until we can take them for a real trip to the seaside.”

PAGE 10 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

Providing Specialist Adult Care in a Post-COVID World

A couple of weeks ago, Exemplar Health Care’s CEO John Whitehead joined other sector leaders to discuss the current state and future prospects of the adult specialist care sector, following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The ‘Adult Specialist Care’ webinar explored the key question: “When the coronavirus emergency is over, will lessons have been learned and will social care in general be held in higher esteem?”

In this article, John Whitehead shares his reflections on what lessons we’ve learned from COVID-19 and how changing public opinions are helping to shape the future for adult specialist care providers.

“Since March 2020, care homes across the UK have reported cases of COVID-19 – and at Exemplar Health Care, sadly we have lost some of our residents, but our primary focus is and will always be, to deliver high-quality care for our residents and provide a safe working environ-

ment for our colleagues.

“Fortunately, coming into the pandemic, Exemplar Health Care was in a positive position which enabled us to take swift investment decisions to protect our residents and colleagues. We were in a good place financially, we had a dedicated team of colleagues with low turnover rates and had well-established quality assurance processes and systems already in place.

“Early intervention ensured that we secured Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through global suppliers, meaning that we had enough supplies to protect our staff.

“Exemplar Health Care has shown great resilience throughout these challenging times and there are a lot of lessons that we can take away, as we start to think about moving forward.

Introducing processes that can be continued post-COVID “When you’re driven by necessity, it’s amazing how quickly you can adapt. And a lot of the changes that we’ve made over the past few months, will continue to support the business in the future.

“During the pandemic, we’re continuing to innovate by introducing new technology across our network, to help manage and maintain staffing levels.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a great pressure on the health and social care sector, which has resulted in the need to recruit additional staff. In response to this challenge, we’ve implemented a new online dashboard that provides real-time information about staffing levels across our homes. When colleagues enter and leave one of the care homes, they’re required to sign in and out on an iPad. This information feeds into the dashboard and is updated every 15 minutes; providing the Operations Team with a real-time view of how many colleagues are in each home at any given time.

“This is a much more efficient way of tracking staffing levels as it has reduced the number of emails and phone calls with Home Managers, meaning that we all have more time to spend supporting our residents

and colleagues.

“Lockdown also posed huge challenges to the way that we usually deliver induction and training, however, we made new ways. Our Learning and Development Team took swift action to adapt our induction process for new starters, and built on our existing eLearning platform to ensure that everyone can continue to learn and develop in their role, which, in the long-term, will only complement our already robust learning and development programme.

Changing opinions of social care “Social care has shown incredible resilience throughout the pandemic, despite not having the same support and funding as the NHS. And each week, as we stand on our doorsteps and #ClapForCarers, I feel encouraged that more and more people are seeing social care as an equal to our health counterparts.

“The media attention throughout the pandemic has gone some way to highlight the social care sector, along with its position as ‘number two’ to the NHS – but this needs to change.

“I believe that the overall social care operating model will be unchanged by COVID-19 and core failings of funding for the social care sector are likely to continue without a concerted Governmental effort.

“The challenges that the sector faces post-COVID are likely to further emphasise the gap between lower and higher acuity care.

“The fact remains that, despite the funding challenges that the sector faces, the adult specialist care that Exemplar Health Care provides cannot be commoditized – it needs to be bespoke and tailored individually to each person.

“Sadly for other providers, such as elderly care and domiciliary care providers, these challenges might have the opposite effect whereby care becomes increasingly driven by commoditised pricing.

“Future change is being helped by the public’s increased attention on the challenges facing the industry. This current, heightened public engagement is, however, now set against a challenging fiscal future.”

COVID-19 Impact has Highlighted Racial Inequalities and Some Root Causes Responding to Public Health England's COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes, Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, said: "The impact of COVID-19 on black and minority ethnic communities and healthcare staff has highlighted racial inequalities and some of their root causes.

“There is much we still do not know, and these figures do not take account of comorbidities which may well explain some of the differences. Working age men are twice as likely to die than working age women, while by far the biggest differential factor is age - those who are in their 80s are 70 times more likely to die than those under 40.

“But race is clearly a significant factor even if we cannot explain all the reasons why this may be the case. It is striking that people of Bangladeshi background had twice the risk of death than white people.

“The usual cry of ‘more research’ usually elicits groans but it is the right response here and reflects that everyone is trying to understand the impact of a new virus on some known inequalities. We also do need to know more about the larger number of deaths among a range of lower paid caring occupations including social care, nursing auxiliaries and assistants.

“That is one of the reasons why we should all welcome the creation of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, which the NHS Confederation will be hosting.

It will identify and help to tackle the disproportionate effects that race can have on patients, communities, and staff.

“For now, health and care organisations are putting in place practical measures to risk assess their staff, and we have issued guidance to support this. This should include whether to put in place shielding measures and making sure there is adequate protective equipment available at all times.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 11

Millions Worrying About the Impact Working In Care Lockdown is Having on Mental Health Homes During New research shows that nearly three-quarters (6.4 million) people aged 70 and over in Great Britain are worried about the effect that Coronavirus is having on their life right now, with over two-fifths (2.9 million) of them saying their mental health has been affected by Coronavirus.

During lockdown, half of these older people (3.3. million) reported that their access to essential items like groceries and medication had been affected. While the Government’s instructions to stay at home are vital for protection against the virus, they also mean that millions of older people are locked down alone, at an incredibly anxious time.

Mental health problems don’t end as you get older. Older people experience depression, loneliness and anxiety like other age groups. However, many older people do not seek help and instead, adopt a ‘stiff upper lip’ approach to dealing with these feelings, and the longer the lockdown continues, the more these feelings risk being amplified.

Age UK is raising awareness of the increased emotional strain that older people are under during lockdown as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 18-24 May. The research shows that many older people feel anxious at this time, but

not just for themselves. Over four in five (7.7m) people aged 70 and over are worried about the effect that Coronavirus will have on their family and friends, particularly their mental health and wellbeing, with over two-fifths (3.6m) of them believing it will affect it.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s Charity Director said: “Lockdown brought sudden changes to all of our lives and that has naturally affected our feelings and mood leaving many of us experiencing feeling low, worried or having problems sleeping.

“Understandably, social distancing can be boring or frustrating for many older people even though it is an essential measure for keeping us safe. We all miss being outside with other people and seeing our friends and family.

Many are missing life events, seeing and hugging grandchildren, meeting new additions to families, going to weddings and gatherings. Even very basic things like getting online to order essential food and products can present a challenge. All of these things can have an impact our mental health which is why we should all take some simple steps to safeguard our own and other’s emotional wellbeing.”

Sheffield School Children Give Messages of Hope to Care Home Residents Elderly residents at care homes in Sheffield have been delighted to receive letters and artwork from local teenagers giving them messages of support and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Year 11 students from Bradfield School in Worrall wrote to the residents of 12 nursing homes across the city, including three managed by Palms Row Health Care (PRHC), on the day before their school closed along with others across the country.

The three PRHC homes, which are all based in Sheffield, have also been closed to visitors since March so the residents have been unable to see their families in person for several weeks.

Mrs Banks, Deputy Head at Bradfield School, said: “One of our teachers, Ms Hiley, had the idea to get the students to write letters to elderly residents of care homes, whilst the Art department chose work from a GCSE Art project on images of Sheffield to share too.

“The hope was that our students would be able to do

something positive for others rather than dwell on how surreal and scary the situation with COVID was. We also wanted to offer something to brighten the days of those likely to be undergoing significant isolation from their families.

“Our Y11 prefects organised everything as their final act in school. We know our students will be delighted with how well their letters and art work have been received.”

Nicola Richards, Director of Palms Row Health Care, added: “Our residents were extremely touched to receive kind letters from local school children. Many of them have spent their lives in Sheffield so the local-themed artwork was also deeply appreciated.

“This pandemic has been incredibly difficult for all of us but particularly for our elderly who can often feel isolated. I can speak for our residents and our staff by saying thank you to the young people at Bradfield School and our wider community who have helped us all through these last few weeks.”

Covid19: New Training Resource

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has today published a training resource to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians newly deployed to care home settings during the Covid19 pandemic to deliver safe and effective patient care with confidence.

Working in care homes during the pandemic can be hugely challenging for those with experience, let alone those new to the role. This practical guide has been developed in collaboration with a group of experts including NHS England, CPPE, APTUK, PCPA, RCGP and SPS to enable pharmacy professionals to provide a baseline level of patient care covering four key areas of practice: • clinical reviews • medicines supply • structured medication reviews • medicines information The COVID-19 care homes training resource provides step-by-step instructions for upskilling. It includes a selfassessment knowledge and capability guide, targeted learning using a range of resources and worked case studies which show how to apply your knowledge in practice. It also provides tools for reflection, peer support and feedback.

Our care homes are at the heart of the fight against coronavirus. This resource will help make sure pharmacy professionals have all the support needed to become part of the multidisciplinary team looking after some of the most vulnerable in society.

Access to RPS COVID-19 learning resources is free during the pandemic for the entire pharmacy profession, through registering on www.rpharms.com or using RPS membership details.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 13

Next Stage of Coronavirus Public Information Campaign Launches

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has launched a new government public information campaign for the new NHS Test and Trace service.

The campaign includes a new animated TV advert, voiced by actor Mark Strong, as well as radio, print, online, and out-of-home content setting out important public health information It will reiterate the need for self-isolation and testing as soon as symptoms develop, in bid to rein in the spread of the virus.

Anyone who tests positive for coronavirus will now be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and asked to share information about their recent interactions.

People identified as having been in close contact with someone who has a positive test must then also

self-isolate at home for 14 days, even if they do not have symptoms.

“NHS Test and Trace will not succeed on its own – we all need to play our part, Dido Harding, executive chair of NHS Test and Trace, said then the service was launched last week.

“This is why we are working hand-in-hand with communities and local authorities across the country to tailor support at a local level, and respond quickly to local needs.

“Together we can help contain the virus, stop it spreading further and ultimately save lives”.

The new NHS Test and Trace service which launched last week (Thursday 28 May) will help identify, contain and control coronavirus, reduce the spread of the virus and save lives.

Staysafe Visor - CE-Certified PPE Manufactured in the UK Staysafe Visor is a subsidiary of 1st Packaging Ltd, a leading specialist UK plastics manufacturer founded in 2002. Used in a wide range of health and commercial settings, our high-quality recyclable CE-certified face shields offer protection against liquid droplets, sprays and splashes. Our visors are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, are anti-fog and easy to assemble.

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At Staysafe Visor our experienced team takes very seriously its role in supporting the health of the community by helping to maintain a safer environment. Availability and affordability are the cornerstones of our operation. Because we sell directly to businesses, organisations and the general public, we are able to remove the need for intermediaries and keep costs low. We believe that we offer the most competitive rates on the market for this type of CE-certified PPE.

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Generous Grandson Treats Care Home Residents and Staff Everyone at The Manor House in Little Weighton enjoyed some delicious treats thanks to the grandson of one of the residents.

David Bell received a voucher from his employer, Tesco, to thank him for his hard work and dedication during the coronavirus pandemic. David used his Tesco “Little Help” voucher to buy cupcakes and biscuits for his Nan, Gladys Leaf, to share with other residents and particularly with the staff to express his gratitude for their wonderful care of her.

David said: “Nan couldn’t be in better hands and all the family are so grateful for the love and care she is receiving. It’s really hard not being able to visit, but we understand that this is to keep everyone safe and well.

“I hope that the cakes and biscuits are enjoyed by everyone. Tesco has acknowledged my work, and I wanted to share some of the award with the home to hopefully brighten their day and give them some sweet treats to enjoy.”

Leanne Hatch, manager at The Manor House, said: “It was so kind of David to think of us all and send in such lovely cakes and biscuits. Receiving treats like this is a wonderful boost for our team.

“Our families and the local community have given

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

Workplaces around the nation are preparing for when the UK can return to a kind of normality. The Novellini Group presents a solution that will help to create safe working environments that are hygienic and adaptable. The BeSafe wall is a protective device that companies with any office, desk space, trade counters, and food service areas can incorporate going forward.

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.

Office teams aren’t the only ones who will be happy to see these walls put in place. BeSafe is a smart answer for all industries where contact with the public is required, such as pharmacies, retail counters, restaurants and public offices.

Novellini can customise each barrier to suit the space with three versions (floor mounted, trade counter, and desks) and five different sizes.

UK Sales Manager at Novellini, Stuart West says ‘We are looking to help the UK workforce where we can and these are a positive answer to those concerns about health and hygiene.’

As specialists in showers and design, Novellini are putting their skills to good use and many businesses across the UK will be pleased to find a safe and stylish solution. They are even available in several colours and glass finishes to suit the surroundings.

us such great support during the pandemic, and we’ve never felt alone even though we can’t welcome visitors.

“Our top priority is the health and happiness of our residents and to date, we have no reported cases of the virus in our homes. It’s testament to the commitment of our staff who have been working round the clock to make sure our residents have all the care and support they need.

“Thank you, David, for thinking of us!”

For more information contact Novellini UK on 01727 229922 or visit the website at www.novellini.co.uk For brochure and advice please email info-uk@novellini.com For large projects or orders, customized solutions can be evaluated. We are available to evaluate and propose BeSafe Wall solutions specific for your protection needs.

PAGE 14 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

Frontline Workers: Four Transferrable Skills Every Manager Should Know About

By Dr. Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments

The current pandemic has placed enormous strain on our healthcare workers. NHS staff throughout the UK are working tirelessly to accommodate the rising number of coronavirus patients, with many being redeployed in order to assist in the fight against COVID-19. As the backbone of our society, healthcare workers are tasked with nursing our population back to good health. However, their expertise does not stop here.

According data gathered by Hogan Assessments – the global leader in providing research-based personality consulting – healthcare workers score highly on a number of personality scales useful in other roles, including leadership. Hogan’s science-based assessments, such as the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) and the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), have identified four transferable skills in healthcare workers that companies should look out for.

AGILE AND ADAPTABLE The sudden onset of COVID-19 has led to dramatic changes in the way healthcare staff work. Shifts have become longer and more laborious, staff have been redeployed and day-to-day activities have been transformed to assist with coronavirus efforts. Nurses often balance many important tasks at once, from communicating with patients to administering medication.

Healthcare workers are extremely agile and can spring into action when faced with adversity. They score highly on HPI Adjustment, which measures an individual's stress-tolerance, optimism and composure in the face of change. CNAs, Nursing Aides and other healthcare workers are confident in their abilities and have a ‘can-do’ attitude when faced with change. These workers remain calm and level-headed during crises, and motivate their team to keep working, reduce panic and adapt to the new changes around them. Additionally, they can handle heavy and complex workloads, making them skilled multi-taskers and dynamic workers.

Nurses’ flexibility and ability to respond quickly to change is a skill all managers would benefit greatly from. As a crisis is always uninvited and unexpected, adopting a ‘can-do’ attitude and remaining composed and focussed is crucial when leading a team through adverse times. By remaining agile and tackling a crisis head on, business leaders can

ensure the crisis never gets out of hand.

COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATORS Hospitals are fast-paced working environments. Healthcare professionals are constantly working with their team members and patients in order to understand their condition and provide the best possible treatment in a timely fashion. This requires impeccable communication skills.

Nurses, Nursing Aides and other healthcare workers score highly on HPI Interpersonal Sensitivity. This measures tact, communication style & relationship-maintenance skill. As the first point of contact for patients in hospital, healthcare workers are experts in dealing with people in a friendly and sensitive way. When working as part of a medical team, they are thoughtful and cooperative, and not easily swayed by people’s emotions or personal concerns. Healthcare workers also score highly on HDS Altruistic, which measures an individual’s desire to help other people.

Nurses’ ability to build relationships of trust, respect and honesty with patients, as well as their desire to help others, can be applied to many other roles, including leadership. As a manager, communicating effectively with employees is crucial, especially in times of crisis. Being a warm, diplomatic and approachable source of support for others is key to effective leadership, and something organizations should keep in mind when onboarding new talent.

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS Attention to detail is vital in healthcare. When dealing with society’s most vulnerable people, there is little room for error. In the demanding hospital environment, Nurses and other healthcare workers are tasked with treating many patients at once. Healthcare professionals must have strong organizational skills and exercise great precision when documenting patient data, administering medication and carrying out other critical tasks.

Prudence measures detail-orientation, organizational skills and dependability. CNAs, Nurses and other healthcare workers score highly on this scale, meaning they are strict when it comes to details and rules, reliable and process-focused. These workers can manage their time effectively and prioritise accordingly when dealing with multiple people at once.

While organizational skills are crucial in healthcare, they can also be applied to many other organizational contexts and roles, including leadership. Being detail-focussed and organized has clear benefits when working in people-management roles. Leaders who are planful, organ-

ized and responsible, with high standards for their own work and the performance of others, are found to be highly effective at managing large teams.

PROBLEM SOLVERS When working in healthcare, each day is different, and the way in which work is carried out is constantly evolving. When dealing with individual cases, there is no ‘one size fits all’ model, with different health outcomes for different people. There are also new and improved ways of treating patients being developed every single day. Healthcare workers are avid problem solvers and are always keen to build upon their knowledge and learn about new ways of approaching tasks.

Nurses, Nursing Assistants and other healthcare professionals score highly on HPI Inquisitive and Learning Approach. Inquisitive measures an individual’s idea-orientation and openness to new ideas. Learning Approach measures an individual’s propensity to seek new information and stay up to date on trends. These workers are resourceful problem solvers and are proactive in learning and applying new knowledge on the job. By consistently monitoring patient outcomes and staying up-todate on new training and medical trends, they build an impressive inventory of knowledge, and are able to solve problems and carry out daily activities more efficiently.

Being inquisitive and open to new ideas is a valuable trait to have outside of the healthcare profession too and can be a major asset for contemporary business leaders. By leveraging new tools and technology, and being open to growth and development, leaders can unlock great potential when managing their teams.

“Crises are everyday realities for our frontline health workers, and our research finds that these individuals score highly on many personality scales commonly associated with effective leadership,” adds Dr. Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments. “What healthcare professionals have in common is their ability to adapt quickly to change and communicate clearly during times of crises; both of which are crucial when leading an organization through difficult times.”

ABOUT HOGAN ASSESSMENTS: Hogan Assessments is the global leader in providing research-based consulting and assessment solutions. Based on decades of research, Hogan helps businesses reduce turnover and increase productivity by hiring the right people, developing key talent, and evaluating leadership potential. Hogan's assessments are available in 57 countries and 46 languages and are used by more than 70 percent of the Fortune 500. For more information, visit www.hoganassessments.eu.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | 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 9

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention" Victoria Stakelum, Deputy CEO of Arden University, a specialist distance and blended learning higher education provider, employing more than 270 people at its Coventry HQ and six study centres in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Berlin.

Just five weeks ago, I was exchanging fraught messages with my senior management colleagues over the burgeoning virus and how to handle staff or students showing symptoms. In the fortnight that followed I led a switch to fully remote working for our entire workforce, temporarily closed 6 campus locations and saw academic colleagues mobilise for wholly online learning so that our thousands of campus-based learners could join our already (thankfully) well established community of online learners and continue their studies. These were transformation projects intended to run over years, not weeks. It was an intense time involving many pressures and pains. But as is often the case during times of crisis, people stepped up and shone and the value of human-centred leadership and decision making came to the fore and won the respect and appreciation of our workforce. It showed us just how much we are capable of when crisis necessitates it.

Principles that served us well.

IF THE RULE BOOK DOESN’T WORK, TEAR IT UP AND START AGAIN. It didn’t take long for us to realise that our existing HR policies around leave and remote working were not wholly appropriate for something on this scale. We recognised the importance of our people feeling secure if they were to remain productive and motivated. So we put in place very people centric ‘crisis’ policies.

Information moved so quickly that a new policy on one day could be redundant and problematic a day later. We continually rewrote and updated information to remain current and balanced between supporting our people and protecting our commercial interests.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY. People were anxious about financial difficulty and layoffs, so we were exceptionally open. We acknowledged people’s anxieties and linked our reassurances to their efforts. We empowered people to step up in the interests of our students and the business, because this would enable us all to ride out the storm. This consistent message of working together to keep our students looked after and the business finances healthy sent a clear message – we can get through this together – but only if you all do your part, pull your weight and work with us to remain productive. I’m pleased to say that the team have done us proud.

COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE AND COMMUNICATE SOME MORE. Early on, we introduced three times weekly all-staff Skype update and Q&As which were recorded for those unable to attend in person. I spoke directly to up to 200 staff acknowledging people’s concerns, being honest about some of the uncertainty we faced, providing clarity where I had it and encouraging people to stay calm, positive and productive. We were transparent about how and why we were making our decisions, meaning that people were accepting of the changing landscape and worked with us in raising and solving problems, rather than trying to ‘catch us out’ when we had to shift direction.

CONNECTION ISN’T BUILT IN A DAY I am proud of the culture here at Arden University. We have a very authentic and non-hierarchical leadership team and our staff know us for who we are and connect to us as human beings first and leaders second. We kept a constant ear to the ground on how staff were coping and feeling as the crisis emerged.

Early on, we enabled remote working for anyone with an underlying health condition, or who lived with someone with one. I am proud of this decision to prioritise our most vulnerable colleagues and it won us a lot

of trust as people saw that we were putting the health of them and their loved ones first.

There was a moment before we closed our HQ when I could feel that people’s fear of coming into the office was growing. We took a prompt decision to send everyone to work from home just ahead of the government requiring us to do so, which showed people we were putting their wellbeing first.

Since then, we’ve shared resources on remote working, staying connected and mental health, we’ve added weekly yoga sessions and socials (involving quizzes, bake-off’s, dancing and karaoke!) and we’ve put Yammer in place to support social discussion and connection.

The careful judgements that kept our staff onside were founded in years of nurturing connections that enable me to sense the mood of the organisation and gauge what our people most need, balancing this against the hard commercial and operational realities of running a business. Importantly, I was very open about this challenge when communicating with colleagues. They understood what I was asking of them and why and, I hope and believe, recognised that we were doing all we could to find the best balance between maintaining business continuity for our students and protecting our staff during this difficult backdrop.

It has been a whirlwind, but our staff and students seem to be thriving and developing new capabilities that I couldn’t have predicted.

ABOUT ARDEN Arden University – www.arden.ac.uk - is a modern university that offers a more flexible way to study which enables students to ‘learn whilst they earn’, through either distance or blended learning options. Blended learning combines face to face, tutor-led teaching at one of Arden’s five Study Centres in London, Manchester and Birmingham with self-study time.

Arden believes that the purpose of Higher Education is to enable everyone to further career prospects and equip them with the right skills for the workplace. This is why course content is specifically focused on furthering career progression and improving workplace potential. It’s also why Arden invites companies to sit on the university’s validation boards to continually review and iterate course content. Arden’s entry requirements and costs involved help to make it a more accessible choice especially for candidates who haven’t been in education for a while or who are now returning to education having chosen a different path after leaving school.

Residents Create Art For The Tate Modern Residents in the dedicated Memory Care Neighbourhood at Sunrise of Fleet have created individual, personalised postcards as part of a project with Creative Minds.

Creative Minds is a social enterprise consisting of a nationwide community of artists who deliver fun, therapeutic, and engaging art sessions to people of all ages.

Sunrise of Fleet were invited to take part by Sarah Fenner, who has been delivering therapy sessions in Fleet for the past few years.

The project Sunrise of Fleet residents took part in was named ‘Filtered Reality’. The theme of Filtered Reality is to explore people’s feelings and emotions about social distancing. Creative Minds are working alongside the Tate Exchange, and the project will be featured in a Tate Exhibition at the Tate Modern’s Tate Exchange.

Lucy Jesse, Director of Community Relations at Sunrise of Fleet, said: “From a personal point of view, and my experience having done art classes with residents, art is such a free and equal activity. There is no right or wrong, and it is a particularly therapeutic for those that maybe struggle to express feelings or emotions with words. A brush to paper can be more beneficial and can really give that individual power to express themselves.

“I often see our residents so engaged when they are creating art, so it is clearly relaxing but also stimulating too. It is lovely to see their sense of achievement from completing artwork, and the sense of purpose they get.

“This is an exciting opportunity not just for residents to take part, but hopefully visit the exhibition once we are able to.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 17

Care Home Group and School Join Forces To Highlight The Value Of Intergenerational Relationships A Surrey-based care home group and a London school have announced a collaborative project that will see school children and senior residents share experiences and learn from each other.

CHD Living, which owns and operates 13 care residences throughout Surrey and South London, and School 21, a pioneering new East London school for 4-18 year olds are working together on a digital project that encourages intergenerational communication and relationship building.

The mutually beneficial project will focus on allowing pupils to develop their communication and storytelling skills, whilst also providing residents with companionship and mental stimulation.

The first session, which saw a group of Year 9 pupils connect with Audrey Roberts, a 94-year-old former art teacher and resident at CHD Living’s Surbiton care home, took place last week.

Prior to the session, which was facilitated by video call given the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, participants were asked to write a letter for Audrey introducing themselves and outlining their hobbies and interests. After the initial introductions had been made, Audrey kicked off the session by sharing with the school children some stories of her time working as a ballet teacher, before becoming an art teacher at 54 years old.

Audrey, who specialises in portraiture and continues to teach art at her local church to this day, then shared examples of her work with the children, as well as her top tips for creating beautiful art. This included advice on what colours go well together, colours that should perhaps be avoided, and how to add depth and dimension to paintings.

Afterwards, the children had the opportunity to showcase some of their own work, with one child, Ilham, delighted to share examples of her digital art.

Discussing their involvement in the session, 14-year-old pupil Ilham said “I really liked the session and found what Audrey said interesting. Speaking with

her was nice and relaxing. I enjoyed it a lot, especially learning about portrait paintings.”

Randa, also 14, agreed: “I enjoyed speaking with Audrey and I was really inspired by the art she drew. It was amazing!”

A second video session has been planned for this week, which will connect pupils with a former 94-yearold music teacher, Elizabeth Swain, who now resides at CHD Living’s King’s Lodge care home.

Speaking of the collaboration with School 21, Shaleeza Hasham, Head of Hospitality and Communications at CHD Living, said: “At CHD Living, we really appreciate and understand the value that older people and children can bring to each other’s lives. It’s something we feel incredibly passionately about, so much so that we were recently inspired to develop an ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ programme, which pairs residents across our care homes with volunteers to chat with over video call.”

“When School 21 contacted us looking to collaborate on the programme, we thought how wonderful it would be to give the former professors amongst our residents the opportunity to teach once again, whilst also providing them with the chance to learn themselves from some of the extraordinary pupils at School 21. We’re delighted that the first session went so well, and we look forward to facilitating many more sessions in the future,” Shaleeza added.

Rachael Futo, Head of Secondary at School 21, agrees: ‘Our involvement with CHD living is spurred on by our school value of community and wanting to support others around us. Our students have a great deal of humanity and we wanted to give them the opportunity to learn from other generations. School 21 puts a lot of emphasis on students developing their Oracy skills and this was a really authentic way for our students to do that whilst also developing a friendship.’

Care Home Mobility Solution Wins £50k Grant to Fight Covid-19 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 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

PAGE 18 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

Why Social Technology Is Now An Essential Tool In The UK’s Care Sector

By Silas Campbell, Marketing Manager at Blueleaf

over the last few years. Among the varying advancements, there has been the integration of smart home technology, patient monitoring, telemedicine and, to a certain degree, robots.

Hardware like laptops, tablets and smartphones are also far more readily available in the care sector now than ever before.

In line with that, further statistics from Ofcom show that UK seniors are, in fact, getting more digital too. The 2019 statistics show that 92% of seniors, aged between 64 and 75, use a mobile phone. That only drops to 81% for seniors aged over 75.

While UK seniors have the ability to communicate digitally more now than ever, there continues to be a year on year increase in the amount of senior Facebook users.

SENIOR CITIZEN USE OF FACEBOOK IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH

Brand new research by Age UK shows that nearly three-quarters of people aged 70 and over in the UK are worried about the effect COVID19 is having on their life right now.

As part of this same research, 2.9 million of them said their mental health has already been affected.

With the social distancing rules that have been put in place by the Government, millions of the country’s senior citizens remain in lockdown and while safety during this time is paramount the rise in depression, anxiety and loneliness has become just as prevalent.

This is especially true across the UK’s care home sector where a number of residents and patients are finding themselves quarantined and ‘shielded’ in their rooms to avoid catching COVID-19 - necessary measures that ultimately are restricting their human contact and connection with loved ones.

Speaking about this issue, Iain O’Neil, NHSX Digital Transformation Director, recently said: “We are working hard to find and develop services that meet people’s equally unprecedented needs. Technology has never been so important to providing one of life’s most essential things – the ability to communicate with the people we love regardless of where they are.”

With that, Blueleaf, the UK’s leading care home supplier, is challenging care homes to actively introduce social technology to all its residents and has analysed the statistics behind it that demonstrate why it has become so essential.

SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY IS AS IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER BEFORE Technology has taken many giant strides within the UK’s care sector

According to Statista, records show that more than 44.84 million people used Facebook during March of this year, just as lockdown was coming into effect.

Nearly 9% of that figure is made up of UK seniors aged 65 and over meaning more than four million senior citizens are using the platform. By the end of 2019, seniors were also the fastest growing Facebook age demographic.

The old adage tells us that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but this couldn't be further from the truth.

Many people, who were born in a generation long before the internet, tablets and smartphones are finding ways to use new technology to suit them; whether that be keeping up with the latest updates, watching video content or keeping in touch with loved ones.

With free social media tools like Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype providing options to video call, it’s incredibly likely that we’re going to continue to see an upward trend in senior citizen’s social media use over the course of 2020.

THE BY-PRODUCT OF ISOLATION Even before COVID-19, loneliness in the older generation was hugely prevalent.

In September, Age UK stated that 1.4 million senior citizens struggle with loneliness and as many as 225,000 of that figure would go a whole week without speaking to another person.

Even as early as January, Age UK reported one in four older people lives with an issue with their mental health and are far more unlikely to talk about it than any other age category.

It’s a two-fold problem that impacts a resident’s or patient’s family too.

“During the COVID pandemic, we have recognised that a number of our clients have experienced extreme loneliness and families have felt an extreme level of guilt and anxiety with not being able to see or care for their loved ones,” Mercy Canning, company director of A Class Care, said in a recent interview.

“Research has shown that loneliness or being estranged from a person’s loved one can cause a number of physiological and emotional health issues; including Alzheimer’s, cognitive disease, anxiety and depression.”

It’s also worth noting that there has been a campaign launched by CHD Living called #AdoptAGrandparent - a service that brings a sense of comfort to young people, as well as the elderly who may not have children or grandchildren and aims to create long-lasting relationships.

OTHER EXAMPLES OF POSITIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY Not every resident or patient is going to be in isolation during this time - meaning human contact away from family and loved ones is more accessible.

In Blueleaf’s most recent whitepaper, details about the impact of creatively using technology within the care environment were also shared along with the impact that it had on residents’ wellbeing.

The Laurels Residential and Nursing Home, based in Derby, introduced a Magic Table that uses a projector to cast lights on a table for residents to play various games.

According to one member of staff: “The look on their faces when they are chatting, having a laugh and a joke about things they haven’t seen before, is by far the best thing about it. It’s a joy to watch.”

While at Sandringham Care Home in Portadown, Northern Ireland, residents use wireless headphones to relive memories, connect with their communities and enjoy a personalised listening experience. The impact of such innovations is clear as one carer says: “When they hear their name on the radio it puts a massive smile on their face. And isn’t that what it's all about, making sure the residents are happy?”

FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES ON THE HORIZON Robots are in the very early stages of being introduced in care homes across the world, in an attempt to combat loneliness. However, it’s the future possibilities that are especially exciting.

CARESSES - a Japanese government and EU funded pilot project continuously assess how robots can assist the elderly in care homes. As part of a trial, they introduced Pepper the robot as an assistant at an Advinia care home.

Manufactured by SoftBank Robotics, Pepper greeted residents, and by using a combination of voice, images and video, enabled residents to access messages from loved ones, remind them to take their medication, and play their favourite songs.

The success of robots in care homes has also been seen most recently in countries like Belgium, which deployed 60 SARA robots into their care facilities to keep residents entertained while they kept safe in their rooms. The same robots were trialled in the Netherlands before the pandemic too. The full BBC report can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y9o8tvxr

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 19

Caring Through Covid-19; Etheldred House Care Home Keeps Up The Community Spirit The Coronavirus Pandemic has seen a huge shift in daily life across the world; with schools closing and the community being advised to stay at home as much as possible, and with care homes across the UK going into ‘lockdown’ to protect those most vulnerable to the virus.

A key part of the community surrounding Histon in Cambridgeshire, Etheldred House Care Home were sad to close their doors in March. Despite their home being closed to visitors, the team have not forgotten their surrounding community. While going above and beyond caring for the people living at the home, they have also been reaching out to the community, where many vulnerable people live alone and are in need of help, and where many jobs have been affected, forcing families to live more carefully.

General Manager, Santall Horn, explains “The virus should not affect our responsibility as a part of this community, with so many shops and services closed, it is our pleasure to do all we can to support not only those who we care for here, but our neighbours, too.”

During the trips to the shops that many of the care team take for the residents of Etheldred House, they have also been picking up essential items for vulnerable people living nearby and supporting them by dropping items off, noncontact, on their doorsteps. With the care home’s kitchen cooking freshly cooked meals each day, they have also been supplying meals to be delivered locally as well as delivering to those nearby who may not be able to cook for themselves. Team members have also been collecting food and essential items to donate to the local food banks, knowing that their helping hands can reach even further afield!

As Easter approached, the thoughtful team put a plan together to share some Easter joy, and delivered Easter eggs to all the local schools, nurseries, GP surgeries and their local Post Office.

“It’s the little things that count!”

Santall Horn – General Manager “We heard of a local family who could do with a bit of a boost during the pandemic” Santall said, “we felt that we could help to make them all smile, so we went out and bought some toys and

sweets for the children, and a little something for their mum, too.

Just imagining their faces as they open the gifts makes us happy - it’s the little things that count!”

Another group who have been in receipt of the home’s generosity is a group of local seamstresses, who have banded together, busy sewing items such as scrubs, masks, clothes bags and jewellery bags, as part of the ‘Scrubs for Cambridgeshire’ scheme for local services who are in urgent need of PPE. Etheldred House have continuously encouraged donations of linens and cottons which are needed to make these items, from their colleagues, and the families and friends of the people they care for.

Each year, Etheldred House celebrates VE Day, although this year, with the 75th anniversary taking place on Friday 8th May, the celebrations were a little different! “We didn’t want anyone to miss out, so we put a very careful plan together, being sure that everyone was as safe as possible,” explained Santall. “We were treated to such lovely weather as we held the main event in our front car park. From the road, we offered cakes and drinks to people from the community who passed by, while enjoying music in the open air from a regular entertainer, The Banjo Man.” The care home also arranged for a local Elvis tribute act to sing in their back garden, whilst a resident watched from the home during their birthday celebrations.

Regional Director of Excelcare’s Cambridge Region, Louise Jones, shared how incredibly proud she is of the community spirit seen at all the homes, including Etheldred House, “Everyone has been absolutely astounding during such a difficult time,” she said, “despite all that is going on, the amazing team at Etheldred House are still thinking of others, while still doing such an excellent job looking after those they support within the home. Each Thursday evening, as we step outside to clap for carers and the NHS, teams such as the Etheldred Team should be safe in the knowledge that so many of their community will be outside, clapping for the wonderful people who work at care homes such as Etheldred House!”

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ILC Urges Unused NHS Volunteers to Be Retrained to Teach Digital Skills in Lockdown In a commentary published this week, the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) urged the Government to set up a nationally coordinated volunteer service to teach digital skills to those most at risk of digital exclusion during the lockdown.

In the UK, around 11.9 million people lack the digital skills they need for everyday life. Older adults, who are more likely to be at higher risk of contracting or developing severe symptoms of COVID-19, are also more likely to be digitally excluded, with just 47% of adults aged 75 years and over recently having used the internet. This means a significant proportion of people self-isolating may be stuck in their homes with limited options to avoid social isolation, get essentials and stay safe.

ILC, the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, warns that the current pandemic has made the consequences of digital exclusion more severe and that failing to equip people with the necessary digital skills they need could significantly exacerbate existing health inequalities. While many people are using the internet and making use of new apps and technologies to access essentials, contact healthcare professionals and socially connect, those who are digitally excluded may have to risk their lives by physically going outside to access the products and services they need.

While there have been efforts by businesses and local government to make products and services more inclusive and useable during the lockdown, ILC calls on Government to coordinate a nation-wide volunteer service, making use of the NHS volunteers who have yet to be called into action, to address digital exclusion and the growing inequalities it could incur.

Sophia Dimitriadis, Research Fellow, ILC argues: “The digital divide is very real. And it’s not just preventing people from downloading the newest app or shopping online, but in the context of the ongoing pandemic, it is putting the lives and health of the digitally excluded on the line.”

“If we fail to equip people with the digital skills they need, digital exclusion, often linked to social exclusion and poor health, will exacerbate ongoing health inequalities. This is simply not acceptable.”

“Fortunately, there’s a lot of goodwill out there and people want to help. Businesses and charities across the country have been working hard to support those left behind, and the response to the call for volunteers to support the NHS has been overwhelming. But we can’t afford to leave this to chance.”

“We need a concerted effort by Government to support the digitally excluded. With the untapped potential of the majority of the 750,000 volunteers signed up to support the NHS, let’s organise a nationwide service to ensure the most vulnerable in society aren’t being further left behind in these challenging times.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 21

CQC Publishes Data On Deaths Of People With A Learning Disability The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released data on deaths of people learning disabilities. The data is based on information that care homes submit to CQC about the deaths of people in their care is published on a weekly basis as part of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting on deaths. The ONS data is not broken down by whether the person who died had a disability.

Supported by Office of National Statistics the CQC have completed a targeted piece of analysis to better understand the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on people with a learning disability, some of whom may also be autistic, and how the number of deaths during this period compares to the number of deaths last year.

This analysis looked at all deaths notified to CQC between 10 April and 15 May from providers registered with CQC who provide care to people with a learning disability and/or autism (including providers of adult social care, independent hospitals and in the community), and where the person who died was indicated to have a learning disability on the death notification form.

This data shows that between 10 April and 15 May this year, 386 people with a learning disability, some of whom may also be autistic, died who were receiving care from services which provide support for people with a learning disability and/or autism. For the same period last year 165 people with a learning disability, some of whom may also be autistic, died who were receiving care from services which provide support for people with a learning disability and/or autism. This is a 134% increase in the number of death notifications this year. This new data should be considered when decisions are being made about the prioritisation of testing at a national and local level.

Of the 386 people who have died this year, 206 were as a result of suspected and/or confirmed COVID-19 as notified by the provider and 180 were not related to COVID-19.

184 people were receiving care from community based adult social care services and 195 from residential social care settings. In other set-

tings* where we were notified of deaths the number in each setting was less than five people and cannot be reported for confidentiality reasons.

Kate Terroni, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said; “Every death in today’s figures represents an individual tragedy for those who have lost a loved one.

“While we know this data has its limitations what it does show is a significant increase in deaths of people with a learning disability as a result of COVID-19. We already know that people with a learning disability are at an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, meaning that access to testing could be key to reducing infection and saving lives.

“These figures also show that the impact on this group of people is being felt at a younger age range than in the wider population – something that should be considered in decisions on testing of people of working age with a learning disability.”

While this data is the most accurate data we are able to produce at this point it has a number of limitations; • It is not mandatory for providers to tell us if someone has a learning disability when submitting a death notification.

• We could not extract detailed data, including whether or not the person who died had a learning disability, from a small number (around 4%) of the forms we included in this analysis due to the way the information was provided to us – i.e. illegible handwritten forms.

• Despite removing a large number of duplicates from this data, we cannot guarantee that every duplicate has been removed.

• It does not account for those detained under the mental health act. We publish this data separately.

Overall, in 2020 the number of care home ‘beds’ registered with CQC to provide specialist learning disability and/or autism care, excluding care to older people or those with dementia, was 30,912. In 2019 that figure was 32,217.

Sunrise Of Solihull Resident Celebrates 100th Birthday In Lockdown Ron Catton has been a resident at Sunrise of Solihull for eight years. On 22nd May, he turned 100.

Despite the circumstances, the team at Sunrise of Solihull were determined to ensure Ron had a great day celebrating this milestone.

Ron spent the afternoon listening to his favourite songs in the garden, as he enjoyed lots of birthday cake shared with his friends at Sunrise. He also received gifts and a champagne toast Before moving to Sunrise of Solihull, Ron worked in the printing industry. He was also a beekeeper and spent seven years in the armed forces, serving in the Cavalry in World War 2.

Ron used to enjoy horse-riding and loved play-

ing badminton. He has just finished writing his own autobiography.

Ron has a wonderful family, a son, daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He says the secret to living to 100 is being well looked after all his life.

Jo Hopkins, Director of Community Relations at Sunrise of Solihull, said: “We were determined to make Ron’s 100th birthday special. We ensured he was able to speak to his family via video call so they could join in with the celebrations. We know that Ron had a lovely day, thank you to the whole team for making it so wonderful.”

Shepley House Resident’s Family Show Their Gratitude

Staff at Borough Care’s eleven homes for older people across Stockport have been working tirelessly to support residents during the current coronavirus (Covid 19) pandemic. The daughter of Sheila Dean, a resident at Borough Care’s Shepley House in Hazel Grove, was keen to show her appreciation and thank staff for all they’re doing. Liz Dean, Sheila’s daughter, has made a generous donation for flowers to brighten up the Shepley House garden, which staff and residents can enjoy.

Liz Dean says: “I will never be able to repay the kindness and generosity of spirit the whole team at Shepley House has shown in these unprecedented times; not to mention everyone’s dedication and hard work. Some beautiful plants for the garden at Shepley House, which everyone can enjoy looking at, is a token of my immense gratitude. Seeing the colourful flowers will hopefully help keep everyone’s spirits up.”

Rebecca Abrahams, Home Manager at Shepley House, says: “It was lovely to receive the generous donation from Liz Dean, which we’re very thankful for. All the staff work tirelessly to support our residents and it is great that their efforts are recognised. The team at Shepley House is truly amazing. I am so proud and would like to thank each and every one of them for what they are doing. Our garden is going to be lovely, in time for everyone to enjoy spending time outdoors over the summer months.”

Dr Mark Ward, CEO at Borough Care, says: “All our staff are doing a fantastic job in these challenging times. It means so much to our staff when their unwavering commitment is warmly recognised and appreciated. The families of residents, and people in the wider community, have been so kind and generous. On behalf of all Borough Care staff, I would like to thank to everyone for their donations and support.”

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 23

Keeping Connected: Open and Transparent Communications in the Time of COVID-19

The Relatives & Residents Association and the National Care Forum have created a joint statement, endorsed by the Care Provider Alliance, the Care Quality Commission and Skills for Care setting out shared expectations and good practice relating to the importance of clear, open, transparent and regular communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full statement can be read here.

We recognise that this is an exceptionally difficult time for care providers, with staff working incredibly hard under extremely challenging circumstances to ensure residents’ safety and well-being and to deliver quality care during this crisis. It is also a very difficult time for residents and their families as visits are restricted.

Family members are, understandably, anxious about the well-being of their relatives.

Vic Rayner, the Executive Director of the NCF says: “The COVID-19 crisis has created huge challenges for the people who live in care homes, their friends and families and care providers. Given all the uncertainty and anxiety that we are all facing, it is more important than ever that there is a culture of clear, open, transparent and regular communications during the COVID-19 crisis between care providers and the families of their residents.

This joint statement has been developed through collaboration between the National Care Forum and the Relatives and Residents Association. It has been endorsed by the Care Provider Alliance, the Care Quality Commission and Skills for Care. It sets out shared expectations and good practice relating to the importance

of clear, open, transparent and regular communications during the COVID-19 crisis between care providers and the families of their residents. Many thanks to the NCF members who shared their good practice examples and to the Relatives and Residents Association for the insights and advice they have been able to offer.

We know that regular, clear, open communications between care providers and the families of their residents are always immensely important and in the new COVID-19 world, they are even more critical.”

Helen Wildbore, Director of the Relatives & Residents Association says: “We know from the calls to the Relatives & Residents Association Helpline that this is a distressing and agonising time for older people using care services, for their families and friends, and for staff. Our helpline is hearing from callers concerned about the well-being of their relatives in care, and for families who are not receiving information and updates from their relative’s care home, this can compound their anxiety. We know that care staff are working incredibly hard under extremely challenging circumstances, and that the lack of adequate testing is making this rapidly changing situation all the more difficult to manage. Keeping residents and their families updated on the situation in the home and steps taken to manage the virus will ensure an information gap doesn’t create unnecessary fear or anxiety. Open and honest flows of communication are central to good care. At a time of such uncertainty for those in care and their family, they are all the more critical.”

Three Sisters Enjoy Emotional Reunion In Powys Care Home Families up and down the country are counting down the days until they will be able to sit down together, enjoy a meal and catch up on old times, but for three elderly sisters from Powys, the moment arrived slightly sooner than they would have expected.

94-year-old Gwenora Evans, recently moved to Llwyn Teg care home in Llanfyllin, one of 12 homes run by Shaw healthcare on behalf of Powys County Council. For the next 14 days, in accordance with Public Health Wales guidelines, she was confined to her room, visited only by members of the care team. But this week, staff laid a special table for three, as Gwenora was finally reunited with her two sisters, Ceinwen (95) and Megan (91), both of whom are Llwyn Teg residents.

Mother-of-five, Gwenora, remained an active lady and keen gardener well into her 90’s, but when her health deteriorated earlier this year, her family could no longer give her the care she needed. After recently being admitted to hospital, they started making arrangements for her to move into Llwyn Teg, but the ongoing Coronavirus situation presented them with a real dilemma.

“Although we knew that mum would receive fantastic care at Llwyn Teg, we wanted to be sure that we were doing the right thing and that

all the proper precautions were being taken,” said Gwenora’s daughter-in-law, Jackie Evans. “We had long discussions with the manager and the local health board until we were convinced that all the possible safeguards were in place before making the final arrangements. She had two tests COVID-19, both coming back negative, and then went into isolation in the care home. All through the process, mum was adamant that it was what she wanted to do and being able to spend quality time with her two sisters has given her something positive to focus on.”

“The two sisters have been a special part of our community here and they always love sitting and eating meals together,” said Jane Humphries, manager of Llwyn Teg care home. “Although we have arranged lots of video calls, they’ve both really missed having visits from their family, so to have their sister around will be real boost, and I’m sure that Gwenora will fit in really well.

“It has been a very anxious time for both residents and staff, but our team has done a fantastic job of keeping everyone’s spirits up and looking for the positives every day. To have three sisters, all in their 90s and all living under the same roof at this stage of their lives is not something that happens very often, so we are happy that we have been able to make it happen.”

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

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The Health Check Station is available directly from Contour Heating. Call +44 (0) 1952 290 498 to find out more or head over to www.contourheating.co.uk.

PAGE 24 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

How Can We Care For People Living With Dementia During Coronavirus?

In the UK, 850,000 people currently live with dementia but this is set to reach 1.6 million people by 2040 due to the ageing population1.

Caring for a loved one living with dementia at any time brings challenges, but a global pandemic makes daily life that much more difficult. Even once lockdown restrictions have lifted, carers must continue to be careful and make sure they don’t take risks so that their loved one stays safe.

Bernadette Mossman, Healthcare Director at dementia care specialist Vida Healthcare, discusses how people can care for their loved ones living with dementia during a pandemic, and what needs to be done to keep them safe.

Communication “Maintaining communication is crucial but this depends on the capacity of the individual. It’s important to remember that people living with dementia may process information differently, but it should never be assumed that they can’t understand what they are being told.

“Families need to find a way of connecting with their loved one that’s appropriate for their current cognitive functioning and understanding, and won’t overwhelm them. Explain the current situation in the same way something would usually be explained, and when chatting about day to day events keep it simple and easy to follow.

“Using a range of ways to communicate can also be very helpful, and more importantly, allow the person living with dementia the time to process information, ask questions and acknowledge their understanding. TV, newspapers, family support and regular conversations are all essential in enabling meaningful conversations and connections.

"It is also important to consider choosing the right time to have this conversation. A time when the person living with dementia is rested, willing to enter into the conversation and have any devices such as hearing aids turned on will all aid communication.

“Remember to keep information simple to follow and repeat regularly to support understanding. This can also involve repeating the information throughout the day. The benefits of repetition include being able to adapt the style of sharing information if previous attempts weren’t successful.”

Replicating normality “We all need routine, so continue with what is deemed ‘normal’ which might include daily routines, cooking, cleaning and hobbies in the home. Having a purpose is very important at this time to avoid boredom and restlessness, and to build a structure in the day. Explore simple games and activities that stimulate the brain, help concentration

and promote a sense of achievement such as jigsaws, art, knitting or dancing and singing.

“Give the person living with dementia what they want, and then try and do this as much as possible. For example, if they want to get ready to go to work, let them do this but say they are working from home for the day.

“Every person living with dementia is different and so each home will have its own normal, so families should stick to this as much as possible.”

Keeping connected “It’s also essential to keep connected so that loved ones living with dementia feel part of everyday family life and avoid losing recognition of key family members. Video calling, letters, phone calls and photographs all play a part in supporting the person living with dementia to remain connected with loved ones. Reminiscence is also essential so storytelling with photographs is a great activity.

“People caring for loved ones living with dementia should be prepared to answer questions and manage anxiety and frustration around not being able to go out. Be patient and take guidance and support from professional services (GP, mental health team etc) to ensure all physical, emotional and mental health needs are met.”

“Coronavirus and the changes that have followed have meant that caring for someone living with dementia has become increasingly challenging. Families must also remember to look after themselves and prioritise their own mental and physical health and wellbeing. If someone is feeling stressed or unhappy they won’t be able to provide the most effective care for their loved one.”

For more information about the specialist care available for people living with dementia, please visit www.vidahealthcare.co.uk.

Source 1: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/dementiascale-impact-numbers

Clayton-Le-Moors Care Home’s ‘Bingo-Ing’ Mad For Socially Distanced Fun A care home in Clayton-le-Moors is keeping residents on the ball and in high spirits with games of socially distanced bingo.

Hope House, based on Rishton Road, is using tablets and WhatsApp video calls to allow residents who have opted to self-isolate to join in the fun with their friends.

Residents who are not isolating gather in the home’s lounge to hear the numbers being called, and staff are supporting residents who would prefer to stay in their rooms to participate via technology.

This ensures that anyone in the high-risk categories being shielded under NHS advice can still be included in group activities and avoid feelings of loneliness.

Cathy Yates, home manager at Hope House care home, said: “Our residents have been amazing during the coronavirus crisis, as they’ve had to respond to a number of changes, but they’ve approached everything with a smile.

“We love a game of bingo, and it was important to us that even those

who’d been advised to shield, due to being in a high-risk group, could still see their friends and join in group activities we have going on.

“At Hope House, community is at our very heart, and we will do everything in our power to ensure everyone feels included and happy. The residents love using the technology and we’re happy to help them use it.”

Pat a resident at Hope House care home, said: “It’s fantastic that we have access to all these gadgets to help us keep in touch with our friends and family, as well as other people in the home that we can’t be in the same room with.

“The staff are being wonderful too. I can’t wait for the next game of bingo.

I’m feeling lucky!”

Hope House is part of Larchwood Care and is managed by Healthcare Management Solutions. The care home is currently rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission. 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.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 27

Coconut Team Advance Directives and ThirdParty Mandates - the Alternatives ‘HAIR’ They Come! to Lasting Powers of Attorney OVER the past few weeks, the number of Covid-19 cases in the UK has continued to rise to almost 278,000 (as of 2 June).

Increases in the number of people wanting to make and amend Wills has been reported and leading East Midlands law firm Nelsons has also seen an increase in the number of people enquiring about making Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) during lockdown.

With people looking to get their affairs in order, partner and specialist wills and probate solicitor Jane Sutherland looks at whether there are any alternatives to LPAs and what these documents do and don’t cover.

“An LPA is a legal document in which the person making it (the ‘donor’) appoints one or more people chosen by them to act as their ‘attorneys’. The donor will continue to make their own decisions while they’re able but if they lose capacity, for example because of an accident or illness, their attorneys can step in to act on their behalf. There are two types of LPA; health and welfare, and property and financial affairs.

“LPAs can take up to 12 weeks to complete, because of the time it takes to register these with the Court of Protection, so in situations where an LPA isn’t practical, it’s important people understand that there are other alternatives available to them, which can be put in place much more quickly, as if they do become seriously ill, their capacity to make decisions could be impaired within a matter of days.”

“You should instruct your solicitor to draw the documentation up as there are technical requirements as to form and content for it to be legally binding.

Provided the advance directive is properly drawn up and doesn’t include decisions that are not permitted, it is legally binding on the medical professionals treating you in the future.

“However, an advance directive does have its limitations. You cannot, for example, use an advance directive to refuse future basic care (i.e. being made or kept comfortable and free from pain) but, providing the correct wording is used, you can refuse life sustaining treatment.

“The main advantage of an advance directive is that it’s effective as soon as it’s made and does not need to be registered before it can be used.

They’re particularly useful for people who have a terminal or degenerative illness or particular beliefs (be they personal or religious) that are relevant to their medical treatment.”

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“A third-party mandate is an arrangement that you make with your bank or building society, so you just need to get in touch directly with them and follow their processes. However, it’s crucial to know that if you then lose mental capacity to make decisions in the future, the authority of the person you’ve appointed to act for you under the mandate ends automatically as a matter of law. In which case, a property and financial affairs LPA would be required to be in place.”

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES “An advance directive (sometimes known as a living will) sets out your advance decision to refuse the giving or continuing of specific medical treatment if you were to be unable to make that decision for yourself at the time in the future when the treatment is required. For example, nothing more than making you comfortable if you were suffering from an illness you would not recover from.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADVANCE DIRECTIVES AND LPAS “A health and welfare LPA differs from an advance directive in that you’re appointing the people you choose to act as your attorneys to be able to make decisions about your health in the future should you not be able to make the decision yourself.

“In an LPA, you must specify whether or not you want your attorneys to be able to make decisions for you about whether or not you should receive life sustaining medical treatment. You can also include wishes and/or instructions regarding your future health, welfare and medical treatment.

“You can have in place either an advance directive or a health and welfare LPA or both at the same time. But if you want to have both in place, it’s crucial you ensure they don’t conflict with each other and, usually, the LPA should be made first to avoid the advance directive being invalidated.”

“These documents should be made when you are fit and healthy as part of putting your affairs in order.

“It’s also worth noting that only a health and welfare LPA gives your attorneys the authority to make decisions regarding your health or medical treatment - a property and financial affairs LPA does not cover this. We always tell clients that we hope they’ll never have to use their LPAs, but if they do, they are crucial when it comes to making life easier for both the client and their family at what is already a very stressful time.”

For more advice on making an advance directive, please visit www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/wills-and-probate/living-wills or for advice on making a Lasting Power of Attorney, please visit www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/lasting-powers-of-attorney. For the latest government advice on coronavirus, please visit www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-forthe-public.

Care Home staff in Mawdesley, Lancashire have been very brave recently!!

Many entering into the challenge of a new shaven hair style, and lots of kind, monetary donations given as a result.

Manager of Stocks Hall Mawdesley Care Home, Kristy Lunt, plus Nurses, Carers, Wish Activities Team, Kitchen staff, Laundry & Domestic staff, supported each other as their hair fell to the ground at the hair dressing salon within the Home.

From 2cms, to over 30.48cms, their heads got lighter as each locket of their hair fell to the ground – cut by the staff members themselves.

Watch the video and see the results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvC4jX6wIKI The superb team raised £800 to date, for Stocks Hall Mawdesley’s Home, Residents Fund.

Kristy sums up the challenge “I am so proud of the Team.

To agree to have your hair shaven is a brave act. It was a shared experience, which gave lots of unity, and has made the team even stronger. Well done to everybody. Thank you also to all who have so very generously donated and supported in any other ways. Thanks also to the people who ‘braved the shave’ with long hair and donated it to The Little Princess Trust.”

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 29

Cambridgeshire Care and Rehab Group Encourages Volunteers to Join National Care Force to Help Support Social Sector A Cambridgeshire care community is encouraging volunteers from across the county to sign up to the National Care Force, which looks to help provide much-needed support to the social care sector during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Askham Village Community, a specialist rehabilitation and care group near Doddington, is appealing for people to sign up to the free online platform, delivered by a not-for-profit organisation that enables volunteers to book shifts at registered homes, of which Askham is one.

With more than 20,000 volunteers and 2,000 care environments already signed up to the service, the National Care Force has announced a bid to reach 100,000 volunteers as it looks to help fill staffing gaps both during and after the pandemic.

With projections suggesting up to 80% of the UK population could be infected with Covid-19 by May 2021, staffing gaps caused by the illness could add even more strain to social care services already stretched prior to the outbreak.

As is the case for the majority of care homes across the country, Askham has been impacted by the pandemic with staff having to self-isolate and work remotely when showing any sign of symptoms. Although the care group hasn’t had a recorded case of infection yet, it isn’t immune to the burden the virus is placing on the social care sector and is welcoming any support from volunteers as it looks to maintain its high standards of care.

Aliyyah-Begum Nasser, Director at Askham Village Community, said: “The National Care Force is a fantastic initiative that offers much-needed support to our sector, helping to direct resources to the areas that are most in need of them. At Askham, we’ve been very fortunate so far, having put stringent meas-

ures in place at the earliest opportunity and going into lockdown a week ahead of the Government’s advice to do so. This has meant, in terms of infections, we’ve avoided any outbreak so far. However, that doesn’t mean we haven’t been impacted.”

She continued: “Although testing is starting to become more widespread, the lead time in results is anywhere between 48 hours and up to 5 days. This delay means there have been periods where staff have had to self-isolate, being unable to work during that time. It’s these periods that have presented us with staffing problems. The services provided by the National Care Force though, help us to bring in extra resources swiftly, ensuring there’s no break in our delivery of care. With that in mind, we’re encouraging as many people as possible to sign up, helping to expand and grow this vital support service.”

A family-run business for over 30 years, Askham Village Community provides specialist nursing and care for the very young to the elderly, offering day visits, respite or long-term care, goal-focussed rehabilitation, and continuing reablement support.

The National Care Force is a nationwide network of care providers, healthcare workers, and volunteers, ready to support the UK’s social care services in looking after the most vulnerable members of society. Care England, the representative body for care services, has endorsed the use of the National Care Force to help support social care through the challenges of coronavirus. To sign up, visit: https://www.nationalcareforce.co.uk/#signup.

For more information on Askham Village Community, please visit https://askhamvillagecommunity.com.

Oakland Care Brings Residents and Families ‘Face To Face’ During Lockdown Care home group, Oakland Care, is bringing residents and families ‘face-to-face’ for the first time since visits were restricted for relatives due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The group, which operates four homes in the south east of England, is introducing summer houses into the homes’ gardens which will allow residents to meet loved ones in safety. Clear screens will be installed in the summer houses so both parties will be able to see and talk to each other.

Residents will enter from one side while up to two family members from the same household will be shown into the other side via the garden. Half-hour visits will be booked via an online appointment system and the summer houses will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each visit.

None of its four homes have had a single case of COVID-19 and Oakland Care’s Chief Executive Officer, Joanne Balmer stated: “We are, so far, free of coronavirus due to the measures we brought in very early on such a as closing our doors to visitors. However, we recognise that residents and families would dearly love to be able to see each other. We have been keeping people in touch via video calls but it’s not the same as being in the same space together. This is why we came up with the idea of the summer houses.”

Oakland Care’s homes – Lambwood Heights in Chigwell, Woodland Grove in Loughton, Hastings Court in Hastings and Beechwood Grove in Eastbourne – offer personalised residential, nursing, memory and respite care in five-star surroundings.

Ronald and Pat, who live at Lambwood Heights, are looking forward to seeing their family who haven’t been able to visit them since early March.

“It’s so positive!” said Ron. “This is such a brilliant idea; I can’t wait to see my family and to use the new summer house. Even though it will be difficult not to hug them, just to be able to talk and have them close will be absolutely wonderful!”

The group carried out a comprehensive risk assessment of all its properties before the lockdown was introduced. It brought in a raft of measures to keep coronavirus out of the homes including closing the doors to visitors, purchasing significant stocks of PPE and cleaning products at the earliest point, closing staff rooms, co-horting groups of staff to specific areas of the homes, additional cleaning and extra hand-washing facilities.

Lambwood Heights, which the group opened in February, is also offering a unique ‘Senior Shielding’ package. This gives those who may be without their usual domestic support or who might be struggling with shopping or managing their home, a short stay in a separate part of the home which is COVID safe.

“We continue to exceed government guidelines to keep our residents and our staff safe,” added Joanne. “We know this is a worrying time for everybody and we want to offer support in any way we can. Families should feel confident to move a relative in with us and be assured that they will be safe and receive the care that they need. Now that they will also be able to ‘see’ them, this will benefit everyone’s wellbeing.”

PAGE 30 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

Covid-19: Your Rights if Your Operation is Cancelled Kate Goodman is a Senior Solicitor at Fletchers Solicitors, a leading UK medical negligence law firm. In light of the new NHS regulations to cancel non-emergency procedures, Goodman has answered questions about what this means for patients and their rights to proper healthcare.

IS IT COMMONPLACE FOR OPERATIONS TO BE CANCELLED ON THE NHS? “The cancellation of nonemergency operations is nothing new in the NHS. Every year during winter, operations are cancelled due to the lack of availability of beds and to ease the pressure on the NHS at a time when demand for services is at its height.

It has repeatedly been suggested that delaying an epidemic, rather than preventing it altogether, may enable the NHS to be able to cope better in the Spring and Summer months when demand for health services reduce.

However, this has potential ramifications for patients who are waiting for non-emergency surgeries, such as knee and hip replacements.”

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS IF YOUR OPERATION IS CANCELLED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS? “If your operation is cancelled due to the Covid-19, there are a number of things you can do.

The NHS has a maximum waiting time for non-urgent referrals of 18 weeks. This means that from the date of your referral by your doctor, you should be seen and preferably, undergo treatment within 18 weeks.

This target however, is not always met and different hospitals have different waiting times for surgery. It is not uncommon for a hospital to have a waiting time of twice this for some procedures. It is also foreseeable that the 18 week target may well be suspended entirely in the wake of a Covid-19 outbreak. One can also anticipate that once we are over the worst of Covid-19, there will be a significant backlog of nonemergency procedures which may push surgeries back further.

If your procedure has already been cancelled on the day of surgery, then you should be offered another date for the procedure within 28 days, or the hospital can fund the treatment at a date and hospital of your choice[1]. If the hospital does not comply with this, you have a right to complain to PALS at the hospital, or the Clinical Commissioning Group who referred you for treatment.”

“However, it is more likely that surgeries will be cancelled well before the date of surgery. In this situation, there is no right for you to be offered an alternative within the 28 days specified, though if your waiting time is outside the 18 weeks, you have a right to ask the hospital or Clinical Commissioning Group to move your care to another hospital.

However, during the outbreak, the likelihood that this will result in your procedure taking place any sooner is remote. It is likely that any delays caused by Covid-19 would be reasonable and in the public interest.

In these circumstances, you are likely to be reliant on complaints to PALS and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

If you have already experienced a significant delay well in excess of the 18 weeks target, and you suffer a further significant delay as a result of Covid-19, there is a possibility that your wait will have become so excessive as to become a breach of duty of care.

WHY ARE OPERATIONS BEING CANCELLED FOR CANCER PATIENTS? “There have been a number of news headlines reporting that cancer patients are unable to access potentially life saving treatments such as operations to remove their tumours, or much needed chemotherapy.

This is understandably a very distressing time for such patients, who are already living under a cloud of uncertainty.

On 21st March 2020, NICE issued guidelines[2] specifically dealing with patients receiving what is referred to systemic anticancer treatments, which includes chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The NICE guidelines acknowledge that there may come a time during the Covid19 outbreak where which patient’s receive their treatment may need to be prioritised.

There is also a clinical decision to be made for many patients.

Chemotherapy for example, can make a patient immunosuppressed or

immunocompromised, meaning their immune system is not as good at fighting infection. Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy are more likely to become seriously ill if they catch Covid-19. Some blood cancers and cancer affecting the bone marrow can also make a patient even more susceptible to infections.

Clinicians are therefore being asked to conduct a balancing exercise for all patients. They need to consider on the one hand, the degree that the cancer patient’s immune system has been/will be compromised by their treatment or underlying health conditions; on the other hand, the risk that their cancer is not treated ‘optimally’, such as altering when they have surgery or the chemotherapy regime they receive might be changed; and this has to be weighed against the risk to the patient if they get Covid-19 when on these treatments.

This is an extremely delicate balancing exercise. There is also no guidance for what decisions a clinician should make for individual patients, so there is likely to be differences in approach across the country.

Hospitals will sadly also have to consider whether they have the necessary resources to safely deliver cancer treatments, including surgeries. As the number of staff in the NHS requiring to self-isolate increases, the number of staff available for such procedures and treatments will diminish. The staff that previously frequented oncology wards will also be gradually redirected to the front lines to treat those with Covid-19.

There have been concerns about supply of some chemotherapy drugs though at the time of writing, these do not seem to have occurred.

The prioritising of cancer surgeries is more difficult. At present, many cancer surgeries are not considered an emergency. They are certainly classified as urgent, but some surgeries, particularly where the cancer is incurable though not causing symptoms that immediately require intervention, may be classified as non-emergent.

The NHS target for cancer treatment is for a patient to be seen within 2 weeks of referral from their GP by a consultant, after which the patient is expected to undergo any necessary investigations, and for the patient to then start the treatment within one month of the decision to treat being made. There will be patients whose treatments will fall outside these targets as a result of Covid-19.

The big questions for these patients will be whether or not their cancer treatment has been compromised by any delay and/or change in their treatment. This will be a waiting game for these patients. A short delay in treatment is unlikely to have a significant impact on a cancer patient’s prognosis but there will be patients who do unfortunately suffer as a result of the delay.

It does seem that cancer patients and their treatments will be protected as much as possible and for as long as possible.

If you have any concerns regarding your cancer treatment, you should first speak to your oncologist. If you are unhappy with the response, then you may want to consider a complaint to PALs.”

WILL LIFE-SAVING OR EMERGENCY PROCEDURES BE CANCELLED BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS? “Life has not entirely stopped as a result of Covid-19 and not everyone requiring emergency hospital treatment will have Covid-19. The general population will still have accidents and still get ill. A child with appendicitis for example, is still going to need their appendix removed.

The NHS therefore does need to continue to provide emergency and life saving procedures in the event that patients have to attend hospital due to non-Covid-19 conditions.

Such procedures should take place as soon as practicably possible.

The hospital may need to consider their available resources such as availability of operating theatre, surgeons and operating staff. There is likely to be increased pressure on these resources so short delays in accordance with supply and demand may be expected.

If a protracted delay occurs and the patient suffers harm that would usually have been avoided, this is likely to remain a breach of duty of care.”

The latest figures from NHS England suggest there was a 29% drop in the number of people attending A&E in March 2020, compared to March 2019[3]. The NHS has urged people who have a serious condition to continue to attend A&E as required.

HOW WILL THE NHS PRIORITISE PROCEDURES DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK? “The NHS has always prioritised procedures in the NHS. However, the added pressures of Covid-19 makes it increasingly important that hospitals do so appropriately.

There are always stories in the NHS of patient’s admitted on the day

of surgery, only to have it cancelled as new, emergency patient’s had to take priority. One would anticipate that this will remain the case. The difference will be that instead of having to prioritise emergent vs nonemergent procedures up to now; for at least the next 3 months, the priority will be between patients’ requiring treatment for Covid-19 and emergency patients requiring procedures.

Prioritising is entirely reasonable and has been necessary in the NHS for many years. The prioritisation of patients should remain in accordance with their clinical need and the urgency of their condition, rather than any formal guidelines or usual waiting times (pre-Covid-19).”

WILL PATIENTS BE DISCHARGED EARLY FROM HOSPITAL TO MAKE BED SPACE FOR CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS? “Bed capacity in hospitals is now at a premium. For existing patients, it is understandably an anxious time being in hospital. The NHS, in an effort to free up bed space, has issued guidance[4] encouraging hospital staff to discharge patients as soon as they are fit for discharge.

In theory, this should not significantly change when a patient is ready to be discharged as any patient who is fit and ready to go home should be routinely discharged at the earliest opportunity. However, for some patients, they will be concerned that they are being discharged too early or without adequate support at home. Practically, it is likely that some patients will be discharged sooner than they would have been, had Covid-19 not occurred.”

“The updated guidance clearly sets out when a patient should be considered fit for discharge, under what they have termed the ‘discharge-to-assess’ model, and what is required of the hospital in particular with regards to follow up support in the community and/or rehabilitation or residential accommodation if required.”

“The guidance requires that: • The patient is discharged from the ward within an hour and taken to the discharge lounge, where they should be transported home within two hours. If the patient does not have support at home, then the voluntary sector should ensure the patient has access to essentials, such as heating and food.

• A clinician should visit the patient within 24 hours or so to arrange any necessary support whilst the patient is at home, unless this was done prior to discharge from hospital.

• Patients who require more support than they are able to get in their own home will be provided with a bed in a care home or similar. Patients will not have a choice over which care home they are sent to.

• For those in their own home, the patient is to be given the telephone number of the ward to call if they require further advice. The guidance specifically states that patients should not be told to attend their GP or A&E to minimise the impact on these services.

• Patient’s should receive a telephone call the day after their discharge to check on them and offer any advice they need, and also to inform patients of any test results or changes in how their condition will be managed moving forward.

• Community care teams and social care should also provide equipment, physiotherapy and other support following the discharge.

If a patient does not receive the support they need, they should call the ward number they have been provided in the first instance. On a practical basis, they may also want to contact NHS volunteers and charities to secure the assistance they need. Contacting GPs and 111 should be considered an absolute last resort.

If a patient becomes unwell after an early discharge however, they may need to be re-admitted. Whilst some re-admissions will have been unavoidable, such as where a patient develops a post-operative infection after discharge from the hospital, there may be patient’s whose readmission was avoidable had they not been discharged quite so early.”

[1] https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/hospitals/ guide-to-nhs-waiting-times-in-england/ [2] https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/nice-publishes-first-rapid-covid-19guidelines?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=covid [3] See for example https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52232941; https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-parents-children-serious-illnesses-hospital-sanjay-patel-paediatrics-a9462421.html [4] https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wpcontent/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/covid-19-discharge-guidance-hmg-format-v418.pdf

Encore Care Homes Welcome MP Tobias Ellwood For Volunteer Visit BOURNEMOUTH East MP, Tobias Ellwood recently made a visit to Encore Care Homes – Fairmile Grange care home in Christchurch where he volunteered his services. Meeting the care team, Mr Ellwood was given an insight into the challenges that face the local care sector during the lockdown.

The Conservative MP participated in a training session to correctly ‘don and doff’ PPE equipment before meeting residents in the gardens for a socially-distanced afternoon tea.

Tobias Ellwood, Bournemouth East MP said: “A huge thank you to Encore Care Homes – Fairmile Grange for allowing me to learn first-hand about the challenges they and other care homes are currently facing and appreciate the hard work and commitment of all the key workers who continue to provide such high quality care at this difficult time. It’s very clear more must still be done to support all care homes across the country – given how vulnerable the elderly population is to COVID-19.”

While in the gardens, Mr Ellwood joined in the 96th birthday celebrations for resident Mr Colin West and listened to the experiences of fellow residents and carers.

The popular residential, nursing and dementia care home is based in the grounds of Christchurch Hospital off Fairmile Road and can accommodate 80 residents.

Mr Ellwood added: “It was a particular pleasure to say hello to WWII veteran Colin West on his 96th birthday. I look forward to taking him to the Veterans’ Breakfast Club when it is eventually safe to do so.”

Cecilia Thomson, Home Manager for Fairmile Grange, said: “We welcomed Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood to Fairmile Grange and gave him the opportunity to experience life in the care home. We provide all visitors with a warm welcome and were thrilled that Mr Ellwood took such an active role participating in PPE training and spending time with our residents in the gardens. Our incredible staff range from carers, housekeeping to catering.

They have been doing a fantastic job and we really do appreciate their dedication to our residents in these challenging times.”

In recent weeks, Rachel Dryden CEO of Encore Care Homes has also made national headlines by successfully championing better local access to coronavirus testing for the team and residents.

Encore Care Homes have also led the way in the procurement and provision of PPE equipment. Sharing their advice and experience with government departments and colleagues in the care sector.

Rachel Dryden, Chief Executive Officer of Encore Care Homes said: “We have an immense sense of pride working in the social care sector and the privilege of looking after our residents. Mr Ellwood’s visit was a welcome gesture of solidarity and support in the community. We are currently recruiting additional staff on a full, part-time and voluntary basis for what has never been a more vital and rewarding career. As an organisation we are fully committed to ensuring that every team member is fully supported and we provide access to a range of financial and wellbeing benefits.”

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PAGE 32 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

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 9 | PAGE 27

PAGE 34 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

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 9 | PAGE 35

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 9 | PAGE 37

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 38 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

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 9 | PAGE 39

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 40 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9

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 9 | PAGE 41

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.

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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 9 | PAGE 43

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.

WISHING Y OU DIDN ’T YOU DIDN’T KEEP P APER RECORDS PAPER RECORDS?? self-isolation working greater, As the pandemic crisis hits, with self -isolation and home w orking much gr eater, futuree pr proofed the digital rrevolution evolution has, for most, futur oofed “business as usual” wee kno know large percentage providers aree not so luck lucky!

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C ARE PL ANS CARE PLANS As sessments, Dail es, Assessments, Dailyy Not Notes, T Task ask Management & C are Planning Care

very member of staff Vital information all in one plac e, in the cloud, rremotely emotely ac cessible to eevery place, accessible ealise the oppor who needs it. Ther gent rrequirement equirement to mo mov tunities that Theree is an ur urgent movee quickly to rrealise opportunities ar vailable fr om digital technology aree aavailable from technology..

CAN INSTALL TRAIN FUSION C AN INS TALL AND TR AIN YOU YOUR STAFF REMOTELY Y OU AND Y OUR S TAFF REMO TELY TEL Y WITH CONTINUOUS W ITH C ONTINUOUS AND REASSURING ROUND CLOCK SUPPORT. R OUND THE CL OCK SUPPOR T.

THE DIGITAL DIGITAL REVOLUTION REVOLUTION IS NO L ONGER SPECUL ATION  SPEAK TO TO US NOW LONGER SPECULATION

t: 01133 0 1 1 33 979 555 e: info@fusion4care.com info@fusion4care.com • www.fusion4care.com www.fusion4care.com

care solutions ltd care

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 April 2019, ensuring you can prepare each meal safely and with peace of mind. Each dish has

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 9 | PAGE 45

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 9 | PAGE 47

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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