Coronavirus

We want to reassure those we provide housing, care and support for, that we are doing everything we can to keep people safe during this time.

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Coronavirus

Last reviewed: 8 April 2021

While we endeavour to keep this content as up to date as possible, please consult local services if you have any specific questions – particularly in relation to visiting.

Click on the links below to go straight to the latest updates for each of our services:

Care Homes & Reablement Centres
Extra Care Housing & Woodland Court Retirement Living Village
Community Services
Sheltered Housing
Repairs & Maintenance
Media Enquiries

Care Homes and Reablement Centres

Facilitating Visits in our Care Homes – Named Visitor Guidance

At Brunelcare we understand how difficult this year has been for our residents, their families and friends, especially because of the restrictions placed on visiting in care homes. We also recognise that relatives and friends are our partners in the care of those living in our care homes.

We remain committed to enabling and supporting visiting that is as meaningful and safe as possible, and we recognise that visiting is an essential, integral part of your loved one’s care.

We will continue to update, inform and involve all relatives with regard to visiting in our care homes and will remain responsive to the dynamic challenges Covid-19 presents at the moment (and is likely to continue to do so for some time to come).

In an update on 7th April 2021 the Department of Health and Social Care announced that as part of the roadmap out of lockdown care home residents will be allowed to receive two, regular indoor visitors from the 12th April 2021.

You can read the updated government guidance here

Nominated persons

The persons nominated will remain unchanged while this visiting guidance is in place, and will be reviewed as and when new government understanding and guidance is issued.

PCR Testing

An organisation we wish to continue to reduce the risk of the introduction of Covid 19 into our care home communities, and we also have to be mindful of the concerns of residents and relatives who still choose not to visit. Therefore we will continue to ask that visitors agree to undergo weekly PCR testing. No test is 100% reliable however evidence shows that the PCR test remains more reliable and sensitive than LFD testing – we will review this again in May 2021.

Visiting procedure

  • As one of the named visitors we ask that you contact the home to arrange a PCR test to be done prior to your first visit to confirm you are Covid negative. Please contact the home to discuss if this is not possible.
  • As the named visitor you will agree to join the weekly PCR testing in the home and we ask that you book each visit with the home. We are sorry but at this time we are unable to support visits that are not booked with the home.
  • You will be asked to complete this weekly PCR test at the same time as your LFD test, e.g. every Monday when you visit.
  • Prior to each visit you will be asked to complete a visitor checklist with a member of staff and undertake a Lateral Flow Device Test. This test takes about half an hour and your visit will depend on receiving a negative result (we will ask you to wait in your car or another suitable area).
  • On receipt of a negative result a member of staff will provide appropriate PPE, a mask which must be worn at all times in the home (covering your nose and mouth), and an apron and gloves.
  • The member of staff will then escort you to your relative’s room. Visitors will not be allowed in any communal spaces other than for accessing a relative’s room, and we ask that you maintain physical distance from staff and other residents.
  • Staff will not be present during your visit to afford you and your relative privacy.
  • There is no time limit on your visit, but we ask that you remain in your relative’s room for the length of your visit. Should you or your relative need any assistance, please use the call bell in the room and a member of staff will attend. Please also use the call bell when you are ready to leave and a member of staff will escort you from your relative’s room.
  • Hand holding is detailed in the Government guidance with appropriate PPE in use. Named visitors will be asked to avoid any closer contact (exception only if delivering care).
  • Whilst the Government states that vaccination is not mandatory and will not be a condition of visiting, Brunelcare would highly recommend that visitors take up their offer of vaccination. Please note that currently vaccination does not reliably prevent transmission of Covid-19, but does reduce the possibility and severity of any associated illness.
  • You are welcome to bring gifts, however please note that items that cannot be wiped down will need to be “quarantined” for 72hrs. Please let the member of staff welcoming you to the home know if you have brought gifts for your loved one.
  • In terms of visiting outside, the rules and guidance remain unchanged at this stage, so window and garden visits (weather permitting) can continue to go ahead as before. Again, please book with the home.
  • With the exception of End of Life visits all other visiting will be suspended for the duration of any Covid-19 outbreak in the care home in line with Public Health Guidance, (an outbreak is classed as 2 or more confirmed cases). 
  • The Government also announced that children will be able to visit, please contact the home manager to discuss this, as they will have to record this on individual resident visiting risk assessments.

We appreciate your cooperation in carefully opening up our care homes and in order to ensure the safety of everyone we ask that you follow this guidance and any requests from the team.

Admissions

Our Care Homes and Reablement Centres will remain open to new admissions where not in an outbreak situation.

Reablement Centre visiting

Please contact our Reablement Centres directly for local visiting arrangements.

Contact details

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your relevant home directly:

Deerhurst

Glastonbury

Little Heath Care Home

Little Heath Reablement Centre

Orchard Grove Reablement Centre

Robinson House

Saffron Gardens

Extra Care Housing & Woodland Court Retirement Living Village

All planned care and support will continue to be delivered by our on-site teams.

As a result of government restrictions, visits from family and friends must not take place indoors unless they are part of a ‘support bubble’.

A ‘support bubble’ is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households in that ‘support bubble’ can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit outdoor public places together.

Community Services

Visits to our community clients continue. It may be necessary to make temporary changes to visits so we can ensure the needs of our most vulnerable clients are taken care of first.

We will ensure our clients are communicated with about any such changes.

Where clients are clinically extremely vulnerable we will work hard to minimise the number of carers who complete their daily visits to reduce the level of risk.

Sheltered Housing

All communal areas, apart from laundries and bin stores, are closed, but we will maintain some staff presence on-site to provide support and advice for residents.

A number of our sheltered housing tenants have tested positive. We would like to remind all tenants of the advice to:

  • Wash hands – keep washing your hands regularly
  • Cover face – wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
  • Make space – stay at least 2 metres apart – or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions

No-one will lose their home as a result of Coronavirus. If you are a Brunelcare housing tenant, and you are worried about paying your rent or other bills because of Coronavirus or the need to self-isolate, please rest assured that your home is secure. We would encourage anyone with concerns about money to contact a member of our team to discuss them.

Repairs & Maintenance

Due to increasing community transmission of the virus, we are only responded to emergency repairs.

Tenants and residents should continue to report emergency repairs, in the normal way. This includes:

  • No heating or hot water
  • Major roof leaks
  • Uncontainable or containable plumbing leaks
  • Gas leaks
  • Blocked drains
  • Serious electrical faults
  • Broken/jagged glass
  • Toilet not flushing where there is only one in the property
  • Insecure front door or windows
  • Door entry system not working
  • Shower repairs where resident unable to use a bath
  • Dangerous walls or fencing
  • Replacement light bulbs
  • Lift breakdown/entrapments

Brunelcare’s controlled distance process

Media Enquiries

All media/press enquiries should be direct to:

Matthew Bell, Marketing and Business Development Director
matthew.bell@brunelcare.org.uk

More Information

If you have any concerns about visiting a Brunelcare site, or about a loved one, please contact the management team at that location.

If in doubt, email: info@brunelcare.org.uk or call 0117 914 4200.