This is a marathon not a sprint... Former soldier ready to battle coronavirus at care home
looked after under proper supervision in the event of closures.
Jonathan said: “I can keep my staff working which is great and keep looking after our gorgeous residents.
“First we did an audit on all our staff and found it would affect 23 children here at Birkdale Park. Out of those 23 some of the families are able to provide care which is brilliant in terms of childcare because they have grandparents etc.
“However there’s 10 or 11 who would be drastically affected so they would have to come onsite so we’ve got some plans here too.”
The home has also employed stateof-art technology with a live feed that watches over all its 37 residents and it is completely electronic when it comes to care planning and e-pharmacy.
There is an additional phone line into the building so relatives can phone in and an enabled remote monitoring service so that they can access via computer to see the live care being delivered to their relative through a PCS system. There is also Skype available on various platforms.
Jonathan said: “I didn’t want anyone thinking that while this potential lockdown is on people are festering in rooms.
“A lot is going on and we are really looking after people as much as we possibly can. The next stage will be phase black which is total lockdown which we are holding off on.
“I’m hoping that schools will remain open, I think they’re gonna limp into Easter and we’ll see after that. We’ve got good plans in place if you’ve got a relative here they’re in good company and good hands.”
Jonathon also created a Facebook group three years ago for all care homes to sign up to which is now one of the biggest support groups for the Coronavirus.
He sends out hourly bulletins, continuity plans and advice to nearly 2000 registered managers on how to cope along with videos to help care homes all over the UK.
The MBE encourages managers to search for the group called STORM Care Managers Inner Circle on Facebook and join. The group is free and offers amazing support.
Jonathan said: “In the absence of any leadership or direction for care homes at this time, it’s about keeping a calm head and putting sensible plans in place.”
For more advice on visiting a care home, please visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-andhome-care-guidance.