Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Last Reviewed: Monday 23rd November 2020
Introduction
The safety and wellbeing of our customers and employees is our highest priority.
As we enter a new lockdown from Thursday 5th November until Wednesday 2nd December, we want to reassure everyone we provide housing, care and support for that we are doing everything we can to help keep people safe.
Any decisions we make will be based on the latest Public Health and Government advice.
This page will be updated with new information and changes in guidance.
For the latest Government advice, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Vaccine
With new developments in vaccines being announced, we are now preparing at Brunelcare for what this might mean for us and those we provide care and support for.
Care home residents, care home workers, and other health and social care workers, are at the top of the list to receive a vaccine when one becomes available.
It is most likely that vaccinations will be provided by GPs, and each Brunelcare care home is in communication with their local practice directly.
While vaccines must still receive regulatory approval before they can be used, it now seems increasingly likely that some vaccinations will commence before Christmas.
As soon as we have more information we will be in touch with our customers and their families and loved ones.
In the meantime, these links provide some useful information about the vaccines in development:
Care Homes
Visiting
We are confident that the risk assessments we have in place mean visits to our care homes can continue using current safety measures. Weekly testing for all staff will mean that there may be times when Public Health will request that homes will need to close at short notice for a period of time. This page will be updated accordingly.
We are also very keen to move ahead with an essential family carer scheme but do not have any details about this yet from Government.
The following locations are currently closed to visiting:
- Little Heath Reablement Centre
- Orchard Grove Reablement Centre
- Saffron Gardens Care Homes
Testing
Routine testing is now in place on a weekly basis for all of our colleagues and monthly for all of our residents.
Admissions
Care home admissions will continue. Tours of homes for new admissions will be limited to a
brief escorted tour with one individual only. Virtual tours are being filmed and will be
available as soon as possible
Contact
If you have any concerns about your loved one, please contact your relevant Care Home Manager.
Extra Care Housing and Woodland Court retirement village
All planned care and support will continue to be delivered by our on site teams.
Visiting
Our ABC Centre and Waverley Gardens extra care housing schemes are currently closed to all visitors following several positive cases.
Our other sites remain open as follows:
The Government has stated that 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.
Visits with 1 person from another household that is not in the support bubble may only take
place in outdoor public spaces. Please note our communal gardens are not public spaces.
Activities
Activity groups will be formed as support groups (as confirmed by Public Health England) so
that activities may continue, measures are in place to ensure this is done in a safe manner.
Communal facilities
Communal facilities such as the hairdressers will be closed from Thursday 5th November.
Restaurants will return to operating a delivery service.
Essential support/carer visits
If tenants or residents have alternative provisions by an unpaid carer or volunteer these visits
can remain in place.
Minibus use
Trips for essential items will remain in place with additional measures to ensure covid safety
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 about any such changes.
Where clients are clinically extremely vulnerable we will work hard to minimise the amount of carers that complete their daily visits to reduce the level of risk.
Housing
We will close all communal areas apart from laundries and bin stores, but will maintain some
staff presence on site to provide support and advice for residents.
Your home is secure
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
Repairs and contractor visits will be limited to emergency and health and safety issues only
to help protect our residents.
Brunelcare’s controlled distance process
Testing
Anyone in the England, who has Coronavirus symptoms, is able to ask for a test here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/ask-for-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-coronavirus/
Routine testing is now in place on a weekly basis for all of our colleagues and monthly for all of our residents.
Routine testing of all domiciliary care workers, sheltered housing tenants or extra care housing tenants is not currently being offered by Public Health.
Tenants and residents who have symptoms are able to request a test directly and Brunelcare can support them to do so if necessary.
Media enquiries
All enquiries from media/press should be directed 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.