Insight


our business as we try to establish the new normal. The change in structure and


recruitment is likely to be seen across the health and social care sectors, and given the uncertainty ahead, these changes are likely to be permanent.


Changes in teams across the care sector Additional training of care staff to encompass caring for residents during a pandemic will likely be a key change across the care sector. However, this must come alongside technological advances. That will not necessarily mean a higher


staff to resident ratio in care homes. Instead, we are likely to see an increase in the use of technologies and other operation management systems that increase productivity and reduce dependency on time consuming tasks. This could see a real shift in the way that care homes operate in the long-term.


Changes in built environment The built environment of care homes is also likely to drastically change, so that new processes can easily be put into place and other areas can be compartmentalised where necessary. It will be of utmost importance for the


design of buildings to reduce pathogen transfer. The design of care homes will have to be altered in order to create contactless pathways, perhaps taking advantage of technologies like facial recognition, to reduce the need to touch surfaces, and using anti-microbial products on as many surfaces as possible. Facilities that reduce contact


between residents, such as ensuite August 2020 • www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


bathrooms, will become increasingly important. Facilitating mealtimes between residents living in different areas of the home, as well as those living in independent living spaces, will also require demand changes, not to mention the need for staff to be able to easily deliver meals across the home to residents who may be isolating. All these factors contribute towards


the need for alternative designs within care homes, with the ability to facilitate both distanced socialising and periods of isolation. We will also start to see the


refurbishing of buildings to allow discrete visits from loved ones. That could involve pod-like areas for residents to meet their loved ones. While there may need to be screens in place in order to reduce the risk of infection, it is important that these areas are designed to not appear to be


clinical and sterile, but instead friendly, calm and inviting areas that people are happy to be in.


Visiting care homes The topic of re-introducing in-person visits to care homes is controversial for a number of reasons. The health and wellbeing of residents and team members is of course every care home’s top priority, and the restrictions on care home visits have been put in place for that very reason. However, each resident, and each


family, are bound to have different, and sometimes conflicting, views about the extent of visitation that we would like to allow. While safeguarding issues will always take utmost priority, the care sector will have to adopt a nuanced approach to strike a balance between the needs and wants of their clientele on a long-term basis. At Sunrise, we have developed a


framework with a number of criteria run on a weekly basis to assess the suitability of in-person visits. In order for a home to allow visits, not only does there need to be no infection in the home, but the coronavirus reproduction (R) level must also be below one in the area where a home is situated in order for the home to be open to visitors. When it is safe to visit, visitors will go


through a screening process, including temperature checking. They will be equipped with and advised on how to properly wear PPE, and they will be escorted through the building. In order to reduce transmission


through contact, care homes will see a reduction in the use of visitors books,


1 1


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34