• Our people we clap for every Thursday

Our people we clap for every Thursday

"We are managing to maintain a calm and pleasant environment for the service users despite the initial panic, and hopefully this will continue."

Gillian Kent, Deputy Nursing Manager

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Gillian Kent, Deputy Nursing Manager at Meadowview Nursing Home, tells us how the emh care & support team is handling the crisis on our frontline and the measures we have taken to protect service users. 

“At Meadowview service users are being cared for in isolation in their bedrooms – and weather and social distancing permitting in the sensory garden – with the primary nursing approach.

“Each staff member is responsible for two service users, providing individual personal care, meeting dietary needs, recording their temperature twice daily, and recording and reporting any physical or health concerns to the nurse in charge. Staff members care for their designated service users exclusively throughout their shift. Disinfected goggles and new masks, gloves and aprons are issued at the start of each shift, and each support worker has their own visor which is disinfected before and after personal care. At the end of the shift, masks, gloves and aprons are disposed of.

“Staff temperatures are taken and recorded before each shift, or twice during 12–hour shifts. Anyone showing a temperature of 37.8° or above will be sent home and told to self-isolate for seven days, and asked to keep us informed of any further symptoms or concerns. Full support and advice is given, and testing for Covid-19 arranged immediately.

“Staff are also aware that should anyone in their household display any signs or symptoms, they must inform us. We can now arrange for the members of the household to be tested, with a return to work dependent on the results.

“The PPE is available at the entrance to each bungalow, ready to be put on before entering the main areas. The staff change out of the clothes they arrive in before putting on the PPE, and everything is stored individually throughout their shift. Most of them have now paid for scrubs, which I ordered for them online. The scrubs have proved to be very practical, easy to wear, and most importantly easy to wash at high temperatures.

“We are being well supplied with PPE, and making every effort to make sure it stays that way. A team of volunteers is helping to collect and distribute it.

“We are managing to maintain a calm and pleasant environment for the service users despite the initial panic, and hopefully this will continue.”

You are all doing a remarkable job in very difficult circumstances, and everyone across the group is very proud of you. You and your colleagues on the frontline are always at the front of our minds every Thursday when we clap for carers.