We are reassuring our clients and their families that our care staff in care home and home care settings are following the latest Government and Public Health England (PHE) coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance.
We employ more than 3,000 frontline care staff across England. They provide care in people’s homes (through home care and live-in care) and in more than 20 care and nursing homes.
Our CEO Raina Summerson:
Although the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK is increasing, we will always take our caring responsibilities extremely seriously. We are keeping fully up-to-date with official advice, making sure that all our staff understand and follow the very latest COVID-19 guidance for social or community care and residential settings.
In the guidance PHE recommends that the best way to reduce any risk of infection is good hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding direct or close contact (within 2 metres) with any potentially infected person. Our care and support staff always maintain high standards of hygiene and follow robust infection control guidelines, but given that we care for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, during this outbreak we expect them to be extra vigilant about handwashing, coughs and sneezes, and keeping clients’ homes and our care homes clean. The wellbeing of our clients and staff is our highest priority.
We are monitoring all our services and receiving regular updates from managers and staff on their well-being and that of the people they support. For any who have been advised to self isolate we are supporting them to live safely and comfortably, and arranging essential shopping/deliveries to them. I would like to reassure people that we have robust policies and procedures in place, including business continuity and contingency planning with our public sector health and social care partners and the government Covid-19 Action Plan for Adult Social Care published on 15th April is kept under review.
The Department of Health and Social Care is distributing supplies of face masks and other essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to all care providers. Agincare is now equipped to continue to care for those who have, or are suspected of having coronavirus-type symptoms and care and support staff will ensure all PPE is worn and disposed of in line with current guidance.
Agincare care staff are given comprehensive social care training from our training partner Training Now that includes correct usage of PPE.
Read about PPE requirements in care home and home care settings.
The general hygiene principles everyone should be following include: