Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak update – 19th March 2020
Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak.
Rochcare Update – Thursday 19th March 2020
Hello All
Thank you for your patience and understanding during the past three weeks.
Please be assured that the health, safety and wellbeing of all of the people that we support, including visitors and staff are always our number one priority. We have therefore taken comprehensive action to prepare for, and respond to, the growing coronavirus outbreak which is currently affecting the UK and the rest of the world.
Firstly for comprehensive information about the coronavirus itself, please visit either the Government website https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response or alternatively the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ or if you are concerned that you or someone you are in contact with has coronavirus please call 111 who will be able to advise you further.
Please see below the latest advice from Rochcare about the steps we are taking across our homes.
Visiting a Rochcare home
For Rochcare, the health and safety of people we support and staff are our number one priority. Last week we made the decision to limit non-essential visitors to all of our homes until further notice.
We do not take this decision lightly, but we know our visitors, including relatives and loved ones, would want us to do everything possible to keep the residents in our care, safe and well.
Each home has the ability to SKYPE / WhatsApp / Zoom calls, please contact the home to discuss optimum times to do this with people.
Of course it is only natural that we all have different conceptions on what we feel is an ‘essential visit’ and sometimes what is important to us can be deemed different by another, therefore, please discuss your requests with the Registered Manger prior to visiting.
As a company, and in a bid to support our homes and the people that we support. We have made the decision that should you elect to take someone who lives in one of our homes out for a non-essential visit, the manager will risk assess the potential impact for infection to others in the home, and, for the well-being of others, have the person barrier nursed in their room for a minimum of seven days.
Please be advised that any requests for essential visits where exceptional circumstances have arisen will be considered. These can be arranged by contacting the Home Manager, or alternatively our Area Manager, Lin Spencer via email lin@rochcare.com.
Bank Hall: 01282 838909
Royley House: 0161 633 4848
Pendle Brook: 01254 311777
Coniston House: 01257 244 700
Community Careline: 01706 643433
If an essential visit is granted, we ask that a number of steps are taken to limit any potential risk – Please keep our homes, staff and people supported in our services safe by adhering to the following steps as outlined in the next section.
Please do not attempt to arrange a visit to any of the Rochcare homes for any reason if you currently feel unwell, particularly if you have a persistent cough, a fever or high-temperature, or have shortness of breath, or if you have been in contact with someone who may have coronavirus or has recently travelled to a country listed on the Government website.
How to safely visit one of our Rochcare homes.
If you are making an essential visit to a Rochcare home, it is important that you do so safely and in a way that minimises the risk of infection to the people that we support and the staff.
Therefore, before visiting and whilst on site, please consider and adhere to the following:
• Hand washing.
It is important that you wash your hands thoroughly before you visit any of our care homes, and regularly whilst you are at the homes. Please make sure you wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds, using either hot water and soap or 60% alcohol sanitiser gel.
The NHS has a video guide to effective hand washing which can be viewed by clicking the following link https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands/ Additional hand washing stations/Santisers have been set up at our homes to help visitors wash their hands on a regular basis.
• Coughs and sneezes.
We understand there are many reasons why someone may cough or sneeze. However, whilst visiting a Rochcare home please make sure you have a tissue on you at all times so that you can catch a cough or sneeze. Please then immediately dispose of the tissue in
the bin, followed by the hand washing procedure again. Remember – Catch it. Bin it. Kill it.
Protecting the people we support and the staff
Please be assured that Rochcare is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and comprehensive contingency plans are in place in the event of a coronavirus outbreak at a Rochcare home.
In response to the growing UK coronavirus outbreak we have created a dedicated Corona virus/Covid-19 group. Led by our Area Manager Lin Spencer, this group comprises of senior leaders from across the business who meet regularly to review and further develop our plans, reflecting the evolving situation.
The group has been allocated either a gold, silver or bronze status which have nominated roles to ensure the safe running of the homes and the continued high level of support, cleanliness and care provided to the people we support and the staff.
The Rochcare steering group has already taken action, including working to secure the medical supplies which we may need in the event of an outbreak in a home. The group has also developed and implemented policies and protocols needed to make sure our Rochcare homes can continue to provide high-quality, kind care during this difficult time.
All of our Registered Managers and staff have been informed of the steps we are taking and how they can help prevent the spread of infection. This information is relayed to the team on a daily basis and also have regular updates as the situation continues to change.
All staff have updated their hand washing competency and infection control training. When additional specific training on the virus is available, staff will be enrolled on this.
The Rochcare steering Group continues to be in contact throughout each day with updates and have conference calls throughout the week regularly and is monitoring and reacting to the latest guidance issued by the UK Government and Devolved Administrations, the NHS, and public health bodies, either via skype, telephone call and WhatsApp groups.
For anyone connected to a Rochcare home who has further questions about our response to the coronavirus, please call the Home Manager at your local home. Phone
numbers for all homes are listed on the individual home pages https://rochcare.com/our-homes/ Alternatively, you can contact the Rochcare Area Manger Lin Spencer, via email Lin@rochcare.com
If you are a member of the press, please contact Rochcare’s Marketing Officer – Karlie Stewart via email Karlie@rochcare.com
Thank you in advance for your patience and co-operation at this difficult time.
The Rochcare Team.