Information on COVID-19/Coronavirus

Monday 16 March 2020

At Right at Home, the safety and wellbeing of our Clients, CareGivers and employees is always our top priority. With the Coronavirus outbreak now declared as a pandemic, we understand how concerning this time is, particularly for those with loved ones who may be more vulnerable to infection.

We want to reassure our Clients and their families that we are taking proactive steps to ensure we have controls and contingency measures in place to help protect Clients and employees as best as we can. We are working closely with the relevant authorities, including the UK Home Care Association and care regulators and are monitoring the situation as it continues to develop. We are also providing regular updates to our CareGiver teams, who have all received robust training on infection prevention and control and we will continue to update our policies and procedures in line with official advice from the Government, with the best interests of our Clients and employees always front of mind.

It is important to keep up to date with developments, as official guidance is changing daily. For advice on Coronavirus symptoms and tips on prevention, please see below.

NHS Website
For health information and advice, read the NHS web pages on coronavirus.

GOV.UK 
For latest guidance, information and updates visit Public Health England.

1. Requiring people to stay at home, except for very limited purposes or for those classed as key workers
2. Closing non-essential shops and community spaces
3. Stopping all gatherings of more than two people in public

Every citizen must comply with these new measures. You can read about each of these and what they entail here.

As key workers, we can and will continue to serve the most vulnerable in our communities so they can remain living safely in their own home. We are continuing to follow the Government’s guidance and updating our policies and procedures accordingly and we remain in close contact with our Clients and care teams to keep them informed of the situation as it unfolds. There’s no doubt that the coming weeks and months are going to be challenging.

We know how important social interaction is to our mental health and wellbeing so think about ways you can continue to communicate with people that you would usually visit face-to-face. There are lots of free apps you can use such as FaceTime, Zoom or Skype to communicate with multiple people during a single call and this handy article from the BBC provides suggestions for keeping in touch with older relatives virtually. Mental health charity Mind has also put together helpful advice and guidance on taking care of your mental health and wellbeing during isolation. Whilst staying indoors, it’s also important to keep your brain active, with activities such as Sudoku, puzzles and jigsaws, rather than watching TV all day.

Exercise is also strongly encouraged, as this releases endorphins which can improve your mood. There are hundreds of exercise videos on YouTube which will allow you to exercise in your own home or garden. Now is the time where we can all play our part to help our communities. By following the Government’s new measures, we are providing a safer environment for our key workers to continue serving those who need support the most during this challenging time.

Other useful links:
Looking after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak
How to look after your mental wellbeing while staying at home: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/

Mental health and wellbeing
Your mental health and wellbeing should always be a priority but during these challenging times, where we are spending the majority, if not all of our time indoors, it’s more important than ever to look after yourself and look out for others.

In our latest blog, we have put together six key tips for maintaining mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic. Read about our tips here.

We understand that this is a worrying time for families who are concerned about the health and safety of their loved ones requiring care. We want to reassure our Clients and their families that we are doing everything we can during this difficult time to continue providing the safe, high-quality care we are known for.

By sharing some of our frequently asked questions around homecare during the coronavirus, we hope this will help to put your mind at ease.

Is it still safe for my loved one to receive homecare?

We have been asked this a lot and the answer is yes. We have been and will continue to be closely following Public Health England’s guidelines around Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are updating our policies and procedures accordingly to ensure the safety of both our Clients and our CareGivers.

Please also be assured that we have a solid supply route for PPE, so our CareGivers have everything they need to keep both themselves and your loved ones as safe as possible.

All of our CareGivers have received robust training on COVID-19 infection prevention and control, handwashing and the safe use and removal of required PPE. Our CareGivers will clean any surfaces that they have touched during their visit and disinfect their face visors after every care call.

For more information on how we are keeping our Clients safe and connected during this time, please click here.

If my loved one is self-isolating/shielding, can they receive care from Right at Home?

Yes – following the guidelines mentioned above and wearing the required PPE, we can continue delivering care safely to those who require our services, including those who are in the ‘extremely vulnerable’ category, as defined by the Government.

What services can you support my loved one with during lockdown?

For us, it’s still very much business as usual and as such, we are continuing to provide the same trusted homecare services we normally would. This is anything from companionship, meal preparation and medication reminders, through to light housekeeping, running errands and dementia care.

For Clients who are shielding or self-isolating, our care teams can pick up shopping using dedicated hours at the supermarkets and collect prescriptions so Clients can avoid unnecessary contact with others.

We also offer specialist care to those with conditions that require additional expertise or specialist equipment, such as neuromuscular disorders, spinal injuries and cancer care.

For those with loved ones who require one-to-one support, we also offer 24-hour live-in care, where a CareGiver lives with the Client. This service enables Clients to remain living in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible.

For more information on our services and how we can support you and your family, please click here.

I’m considering care for my loved one, can you still take on new Clients at this time?

Yes – Right at Home can continue to undertake care assessments and new Client packages. All of our care packages are highly-personalised and tailored to meet individual needs. We pride ourselves on being able to respond to urgent care needs with speed but without compromising on standards. We have measures in place to support families with completing a new care assessment and are on hand every step of the way.

What can I do to support my community during the coronavirus outbreak?

First and foremost, following the Government’s instructions around social distancing and staying at home will provide a safer environment for our CareGivers to travel to and from our Clients’ homes.

Secondly, if you would like to help us support those most vulnerable in your local community, why not consider becoming a Right at Home CareGiver? Our care teams are doing an outstanding job keeping Clients safe and connected during this difficult time and you could be too. Find out more about becoming a Right at Home CareGiver.

You can also play your part by checking in with relatives and neighbours to make sure they have the essentials they need but also to check how they are feeling. For people who live alone, self-isolating/shielding can be a very lonely time and you may be the only person they talk to that day or even that week. For more information on maintaining mental health and wellbeing whilst isolating, click here.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local Right at Home office.

We can support you to stay safe, Right at Home

We are here to support Clients, where it is safe to do so, to get out into the community, whether that’s to meet with family and friends, get some much-needed fresh air or enjoy some light exercise. Social isolation has been an increasing problem during lockdown and we cannot underestimate the importance of social interaction and exercise on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. At the same time, this must be balanced with staying safe and following the rules put in place by the Government to protect ourselves and our communities during this pandemic.

Our number one priority has been and will always be, the safety of our Clients and CareGivers and we will continue to monitor and adhere to the Government’s advice on social distancing measures when accompanying Clients on visits outside of their home.

If you would like more information on how we are supporting Clients during this challenging time or would like to discuss how we can support you or a family member, please contact your local Right at Home office.

The Government’s expectation is that the new measures will need to remain in place until March 2021. For those most vulnerable, this could once again result in going for prolonged periods of time without seeing their family and friends face-to-face. We know these new national measures and any additional measures as a result of a local lockdown will be of great concern for many families, particularly if they live far away from their loved one. Please rest assured that we will continue to do our utmost to ensure our Clients are getting the support and comfort they need during this difficult time.

As we have mentioned in our previous updates, social interaction and exercise is incredibly important for a person’s mental health and wellbeing. Where it is safe to do so and whilst continuing to follow the new measures in place, we will support our Clients to get out of their home and into the community, if they wish.

As a national homecare provider, we will continue to follow Government and Public Health England guidance and update our practices accordingly. Where there may be a local lockdown with differing measures, the affected local office will closely follow the local rules in place.

If you would like further advice or guidance on how we can support your loved one through the pandemic, please contact your local Right at Home office.