COVID-19 & Infection Control

Covid-19 care, keeping you safe

Everything you need to know about staying safe with live-in care direct during Covid-19.

Advice for you and your families

With government guidance around staying safe during Covid-19 changing on a regular basis, it can be a worrying time for many, particularly those in higher-risk groups such as the elderly.

It's important therefore that you know what you need to do to stay as safe as you possibly can during the current pandemic.

We're here to help you through these challenging times by delivering high quality home care and ensuring all of our carer’s are tested for Covid-19 before arrival.

News of the ongoing vaccine roll-out will be greeted with great optimism by large portions of the country. For more information on who is being prioritised - head to the NHS website .

And with no recorded client cases of Covid-19, we remain one of the safest care options during the pandemic.

Five easy steps to look after your loved ones

• Keep in regular, virtual, contact with your loved ones Self-isolating does not need to mean someone becomes self-isolated. Make sure you have regular, non-face-to-face contact with your loved ones during this time, especially if you know that they suffer from existing mental health conditions such as depression or dementia.
• Get them up and exercising in a safe, controlled environment Keeping active is one of the best means of keeping immune levels high. Exercise is still permitted under all levels of the local and national lockdown guidance but ensure that if your loved ones are going for walks outside, that they maintain a two-metre distance from other walkers at all times.
• Order a test if they display any symptoms Crucially, if your loved ones (or you) develop any symptoms, however small, order them a home testing kit immediately and advise them to isolate at home until the test results come back. Dismissing symptoms as a cold, or seasonal flu, can lead to complications later down the line if it does indeed turn out to be Covid - don't take the risk.

Preventing the spread

• Wash your hands Wash your hands regularly, for at least 40 seconds. Be sure to also carry a pocket-sized hand sanitiser with you
• Avoid crowded spaces Make sure to avoid public spaces unless absolutely necessary. This will minimise your interaction with other people
• Wear a face covering Ensure you have a clean mask with you when you're out and about to cover your face with. Especially when indoors
• Hands off! Avoid touching your face or other shared objects with your hands. For example, use your elbow or foot to open doors
• Stay apart Maintain at least 2 meters from anyone not in your household at all times
• Catch it and bin it Carry a small packet of tissues with you at all times so you can catch any coughs or sneezes to then throw in the bin

Following the latest guidance

The latest government advice is broken down by geography, with the area you live in determining the restrictions. We've detailed below the different restrictions by area to help you ensure you're always on the right side of the guidance.

A message from our CEO

March 2019 seems quite a long time ago since the UK Government introduced the ‘lockdown safeguard’ measures that unfortunately has affected so many life’s. I thought it would be useful to let you know and to reassure you that despite the recent relaxations that the Government has and will be implementing on restrictions of movement, we continue to advise and guide our Live-in Care Direct Carers with the same advice and caution as we have done from the start to protect you and themselves.

Please continue to follow the updated guidance on the Government websites around social distancing in and around your home and ensure your friends and family respect any concerns you and your carers may have despite their eagerness to get things back to normal.

We will continue to provide peace of mind for our customers and carers through a number of key actions during this period:

• Our carers are working longer weeks before taking breaks to minimise the number of changeovers needed
• We are regularly briefing our carers on the situation – following health, medical and government advice – including their key worker status, enhanced cleaning and sanitisation routines to help support clients in their own home.
• We have switched our office team to 100% remote working, to allow us to maintain our support services. Also switching several functions to digital-only, to protect provision.
• We are following government guidelines on testing. If our carers show signs of symptoms, or the clients they are supporting, we will advise them on priority testing, guide them through the process and appropriate actions required.
• We continue to accept new clients, as long as our Carers can support the care requirements. After a simple registration process, we can have a live-in carer in place in as little as 24 hours.

Our actions are based on the government’s official Coronavirus advice and we continue to review and follow homecare industry advice and best practice in all circumstances.

Keep safe – I hope we can help your loved one during this period.

Best wishes, Jason Russell Chief Executive Officer