Charity to help ease Covid-19 care home crisis
CARE home support in Kirklees is to be boosted by extra staffing provided by Huddersfield-based charity Kirkwood Hospice.
It has partnered with Locala, Kirklees’ community health provider, to help care homes in the borough “navigate the crisis” caused by Covid-19.
The two organisations are now supporting each other, with Kirkwood providing two clinical nurse specialists and one Admiral Nurse to back Locala’s care home support team.
They will work across North Kirklees and Greater Huddersfield.
The development comes on the back of a warning from one senior figure on Kirklees Council that care homes in the borough were under increasing pressure due to the virus.
Speaking in May Clr Mus Khan, Cabinet member for Health and Social Care, said some care homes were teetering on the brink of financial collapse and that the situation was “dire”.
The authority has increased its capacity in the care sector by buying 100 residential care beds and pumped an extra 10% into funding care homes.
Clr Khan warned that people who had tested positive for coronavirus were still being released back into the system - and discharged into care homes.
Kirkwood’s community services manager, Joanne Keeling, said with so many care homes affected by coronavirus it was important to ensure people received the right care at the right time.
She added: “During the early stages when symptoms were still a grey area, many patients would have been inappropriately admitted to hospital, but Kirkwood and Locala work hard to maintain care in the homes, keeping residents safe and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.”
As well as advanced care planning to residents, Kirkwood’s nurses provide support to those who may have symptoms of coronavirus and those nearing end of life, giving care homes the advice they need to look after the patients.
It means carers can better manage patients within a care home rather than in hospital.
The charity has created a central hub of resources to offer care home staff advice on end of life care for people with Covid-19.
Those working in care homes can access medical advice from Kirkwood’s doctors via the telephone at any time, with the charity’s advice line accessible 24/7 for all care home staff to call for support and guidance.
Specialist teams are on hand to offer support to families or carers linked to care home residents.
Extra resources have also been put towards offering advance care planning to families of care home residents with the team available to “maintain clarity” between care homes and families during the ongoing health emergency.
Ms Keeling added: “Weekly calls are held with every care home in Kirklees, where nurses and carers talk about conditions, symptoms and update on the crisis – a conversation we have all found very beneficial and has fast become a valuable part of work life.”
Kirklees Council was allocated £4.5m of the £600m pot available through the Government’s Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund.
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