Working together to move care homes forward

Monday 15 June 2020

The States will continue to work with island care homes moving forward, as they decide how to return to a new level of normality while keeping their vulnerable residents safe from covid-19.

At the moment, visitors are allowed in but have to book a session first.

However, that could change as the island moves into Phase Five later this week.

"It's really important that we consider these things together and also acknowledge that we know people over 70 and certainly over 80 are really vulnerable," said Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink.

A working group, made up of some senior care home staff and members of HSC, was set up in the early days of the corona virus crisis to deal with each home individually. At last week's media briefing, Dr Brink confirmed that cell is still working to ensure the homes come out of lockdown in the right way. 

"In Phase Four, we set up the booked visiting appointments and so on," she explained. "That was actively considered by the care cell.

"What the care homes cell will do now is look at Phase Five specifically and do a risk assessment on care home matters as we move into it."

It is likely that cell, and others like it, will remain in place for some time as the island adapts to 'normality'.

"There could be a second wave, which is not unusual for pandemics," added States Chief Executive, Paul Whitfield. "We've said we are planning and we will be ready.

"There's an absolute army of staff formed in cells and strategic groups, who have specialised around certain aspects of work. We aren't letting them drift away and lose what we've already learnt.

"Whilst we'll ease off on those structures, because we've got to get on and celebrate 'business as usual', they will all be stood to, ready and planned if we have to upskill them and get them in place again."

The care homes were seen by many as the 'frontline' during Guernsey's peak of covid-19 with many of the cases and the majority of subsequent deaths relating to clusters in the homes.