Opinion
services such as access to online GPs and 24/7 counselling and mental health support.
HC-One and Covid-19 The impact of Covid-19 on HC-One has been profound. Every aspect of our work and the services we provide has been affected by Covid-19 - from visits from loved ones to wellbeing activities, from staffing to training, and from supply chains to our work with contractors. From the outset, we had to be agile,
acting and adapting very quickly to respond to the virus, to prevent the transmission of the virus and to protect our residents and colleagues. We set up a ‘Gold Command’ of senior
colleagues who met daily in the run up to and throughout the peak of the pandemic, taking and implementing decisions across our services very quickly to respond to the rapidly escalating situation in order to protect our residents and colleagues. This group continues to meet on a regular basis to steer our continued response. As the pandemic escalated we were
faced with very regular, and sometimes conflicting, changes in guidance. This presented challenges of implementing numerous changes at pace, and finding innovative ways of communicating, as some of our standard methods of communication were not always effective or quick enough. We really learned the need for agility
and adaptability during this period, as well as using our own judgement in some areas, as we acted as quickly and effectively as possible to safeguard our homes. We have learned a lot more about this
virus as time has gone on, and this has been hugely helped by our ability to
We have learned a lot more about this virus as time has gone on, and this has been hugely helped by our ability to capture and analyse data
capture and analyse data. We quickly and effectively developed an app and new processes to capture data that we never had to capture previously – including the number and location of confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases, as well as testing information for residents and colleagues. That enabled us to track the virus in
real time and make sure that affected homes received targeted support. Our data statisticians have been tracking the virus in Italy and Spain, and modelling and forecasting the data. We have used this data to inform our ongoing response to the virus, including informing our forward orders of personal protective equipment (PPE), which has proved very effective. PPE has been crucial. After the initial
confusion about who was providing PPE as the pandemic escalated, we took control to deliver a continuous supply of PPE to our homes, and the regional hubs that we set up, thanks to outstanding efforts by HC-One’s head of procurement, Michael Robson, and his team. Enhanced infection control measures
have been essential in the response to the virus. We have increased the frequency of surface cleaning and appointed ‘Infection Control Champions’ in our homes so that housekeeping colleagues play their part alongside care and clinical colleagues. This has been supported by initiatives such as the Infection Control Fund, which have been
welcomed by our homes and helped us to increase our capacity and capability for infection control through for example enhanced training modules. The other crucial element of our
response to the virus has been the availability of testing for both residents and colleagues. Given the virus spreads asymptomatically, testing has been an essential component in the way we have been able to respond to the virus. It has allowed us to ensure that
residents can be cared for in an appropriate and personalised manner, and also enabled staff to isolate as needed. Alongside the availability of PPE, enhanced infection control measures and the lived and learned experience of colleagues, testing has allowed us to get on the front foot in responding to the virus.
Looking ahead From a HC-One perspective, we have always planned for the long game with this virus while others said it would be over by Christmas. Amid the second wave, there is a feeling of anxiety because we know what this virus is capable of, but also with some confidence because we now have more knowledge and experience of the most effective way to provide care and keep residents and colleagues safe. Moving forward, we are all learning to
live with this virus. All of the enhanced infection control measures that we have in place to protect the people who live and work in our homes are here to stay and these are being firmly embedded into our ‘business as usual’. Enhanced infection control measures are having a wider impact in our homes, beyond Covid-19. For example, between March 2019 and July 2019, we had 18 outbreaks of norovirus but in the same period in 2020, we had none.
Visits to our care homes The hardest element of our response to Covid-19 has been the separation of residents from their loved ones. In early March, we made the difficult decision, ahead of government guidance, to lockdown our homes for all but essential visits – ceasing routine visits from loved ones.
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com• December 2020
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