Notes from recent Relatives meeting held on 19th June 2020

Notes:

Askham status update:

We have so far had no confirmed cases of Covid-19 at Askham; thanks in large part to the diligence of staff. At our peak we had ~15% of staff off, but this has come down now to ~5%. We have been incredibly lucky and our staff have been amazing throughout this period.

New admissions continue to be tested and confirmed negative before admission to the homes. We are barrier nursing for 14 days as an additional precaution.

We recently had our CQC telephone inspections in line with the Emergency Support Framework. Both Jo and Priscilla found these to be positive conversations and our regulator has been very happy with all the actions being taken at Askham.

The partnership working taking place between Askham and the Local Authority / CCG has been brilliant. Our Infection Control Lead for the county has been an enormous support.

Testing:

We are working with a local lab who are able to provide us with on site testing for staff and residents as frequently as we require it, and with results being returned within 24 hours. We are not testing all residents routinely as the swabbing process is not pleasant and many residents have been on site consistently with very little exposure outside. If you would like to speak to us about testing your resident, please do reach out.  

Funding:

We are expecting to receive the Infection Control grant from the government to support us with the additional costs of managing the risk of transmission. There are strict guidelines over what this can and can not be used for – it is focused on supporting staff during this period. It cannot be used to cover the cost of PPE such as masks – which has been a large unplanned spend for us.

For every week of barrier nursing it costs us >£200 per week in additional costs, and for the normal use of masks as per Public Health England guidance it is costing >£70 per week. We are in discussions with the Local Authority to understand how we can make this sustainable.

Visitors Policy:

We will keep this under review based on guidance and our own risk assessment. We would like to start to facilitate outdoor visits for relatives in a safe manner for all in line with the below principles:

• Visits to be by appointment during the below times for each Home
• Visitors to sign the brief on arrival and be accompanied by a staff member
• Two visitors (from the same household) for any resident at any one time
• Maximum of 20 minutes per visit and repeat visits to be scheduled only if time permits; initially we will prioritise to ensure all have the opportunity
• Meeting to take place outside in the grounds of Askham, in a space accessible by the resident – either from the external doors to their rooms or as directed by the staff for residents on upper floors
• 2m distance to be maintained at all times; mask to be worn just in case the 2m distance is reduced by accident

We will stagger the commencement of this policy in order to ensure we can manage it safely and take learnings on board.

From 22nd June the following visiting hours will apply

• Hall: Monday 2.30pm to 4.30pm and Thursday 10.30am to 12.30pm
• Place: Wednesday 2.30pm to 4.30pm
• Court: Thursday 2.30pm to 4.30pm

From 29th June the following visiting hours will apply in addition to the above

• House: Tuesday 2.30pm to 4.30pm and Thursday 2.30pm to 4.30pm
• Grove: Friday 2.30pm to 4.30pm and Tuesday 10.30am to 12.30pm

We acknowledge that an outdoor visit may not be practical for some and we will keep assessing for when indoor visits may be workable. We cannot confirm a timeline for this but we are aware this is the natural next step when it is safe enough to do so.

Healthcare professionals who need to see residents, wherever possible are still working through zoom or are being restricted. The risk they bring is higher due to being in contact with a high number of homes or hospital settings and hence we are continuing to work with them remotely as far as we can.

We thank all relatives for their patience and support, and we hope that this is the beginning of a sustainable next phase. If there is a need, we may need to suspend visiting again. If this is required we will communicate accordingly.

Activities:

The activities team, and indeed all staff, have been working hard to keep spirits high across the site and have been doing a wonderful job within each home. Various cooking and gardening activities taking place among arts and crafts, singing and dancing.