Care home bosses fear a second wave
An uncertain winter brings anxiety and apprehension for those who are looking after our most vulnerable
CARE home bosses facing an uncertain winter have spoken of their hopes and fears as they prepare for possible outbreaks.
Although buoyed by the hopes that the government will, during a second wave, stay true to their promises to protect care home residents and staff – and not pressurise homes to accept Covid-positive patients from hospital – care sector staff are still facing the colder months with trepidation.
With waits for test results taking up to eight days, residents suffering through lack of family visitation, and self-isolation rules creating understaffing issues, these are already challenging times for care homes.
But the government have published a new winter plan including £546m funding for infection control, a ban on all but essential movement of staff between homes and the appointment of a new chief nurse for adult social care.
The plan includes a commitment to test all patients before they are moved to a care home from hospital – and ‘no provider should be forced to admit an existing or new resident if they are unable to cope with the impact of the person’s COVID-19 illness safely’.
But these promises aren’t enough to quell all concerns in the care industry.
Matthew Callaghan, director of Bowfell House in Bowdon, which had an outbreak in the first wave, told the Manchester Evening News: “I feel nervous.
“It’s scary. There’s just general trepidation of what the future holds because none of us know.”
“An outbreak is a very traumatic experience for everybody concerned – residents, family, staff and management.
“People are very ill and people die and whilst it’s an occupational hazard that people will die from time to time, you don’t expect to be losing people so quickly.
“It’s a very virulent disease. Its effects on some people are very dramatic and distressing.”
Matthew said the number of people who can rapidly become infected was also shocking, adding: “While we can ordinarily cope with a number of people being very ill, if you get an outbreak in a care home, too many of those people will be very ill with it, while some are asymptomatic.
“I am very worried about Covid getting back into the building.”
Despite his concerns, Matthew does believe the government is better prepared now.
He added: “I think the government will have hospital beds for people in residential care this time. Capacity has increased, knowledge has increased, treatments are better.
“But I am worried about the lack of stimulation for residents because of restrictions on visiting and outside facilities, as well as risks around staffing.”
Testing capacity is also a concern, he said, as is the impact of the pandemic on staffing levels.
He added: “We’ve had a number of members of staff off in the last week who have been required to self-isolate with a household member.
“All tests came back negative but we are having to cover shifts at short notice as a result.”
Holli Taylor, manager at Bickham House in Altrincham, which avoided an outbreak during the first wave, said they would continue their
policy of refusing to accept any patients from hospital.
Holli added: “If someone is at breaking point at home we will take a resident and have them isolate until they are tested but we won’t be taking residents from hospital.
“I think what happened in the beginning has just given a lack of confidence – with patients being discharged without being tested.”
She felt confident they would be supported by Trafford Council, adding: “I’m not particularly confident we will be supported by the government.
“We are more prepared as we have a good stock of PPE and also in terms of mental health because we’ve been through the first wave. But you just don’t know if somebody’s asymptomatic.”
A new care home visiting plan published by the government places the onus on individual sites to decide on whether they will allow visits – although this will be overseen by the public health directors in each area and restrictions will apply during local lockdowns.
Martyn Davies, manager at Urmston Manor, said the situation was ‘very difficult’, adding: “Cases are going up again, deaths are rising again.
“We need to keep people in care homes safe but also them not seeing their families can’t go on forever – there needs to a some happy medium and I’m not sure what that is. The risks are higher in care homes but we have stayed Covid free throughout.”
Urmston Manor does have a visiting ‘pod’ – a glass screen allowing visitations without contact.
Martyn added: “I am pretty optimistic. I’m looking forward to coming out of local lockdown and using our visiting pod again.
“It’s so nice to have family on one side, us on the other – singing happy birthday, watching them blow the candles out. It’s positive for everybody. Once we get back to that I feel the way to go is through pods and things like that.
“I appreciate that doesn’t meet everybody’s needs but it’s a compromise that we all need to make.”