Council and NHS experts have joined forces to support dozens of care homes in Stoke-on-Trent during the coronavirus crisis.
The new cross-agency support team is providing advice to 89 homes and extra care facilities in the city on a range of issues, including testing for residents and staff, infection control, the use of personal protective equipment and how to access it, and care planning.
At least 39 care home residents in Stoke-on-Trent have now died of Covid-19, out of a total death toll of 100, and coronavirus outbreaks have now been reported in nearly a quarter of the homes in the city.
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Elderly people, particularly those with underlying health conditions, are known to be especially vulnerable to Covid-19.
And analysis by the Office for National Statistics has shown that care workers are twice as likely to die of the disease as the general working age population.
Stoke-on-Trent's new care home team is made up of experts from the city council, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Combined Healthcare and University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. The team has now provided support to around 1,300 care home residents.
City council leader Abi Brown said: “Care homes have played an invaluable and crucial role throughout the pandemic, going through some of the worse times imaginable up and down the country.
"We wanted to make sure we were supporting care homes in the city in a way that really helped and did not add any undue stress to an already pressurised environment.
"Our aim was to support all homes across the city, including those who were Covid-19 free so we could try and get ahead in protecting residents.
“By joining with partners and focusing on prevention, we’ve been able to provide a range of expertise ranging from social care, deep cleaning, infection control and logistics to ‘buddying’ for registered managers.
"The care home team has covered everything from advising management teams on how to effectively use the space they have to minimise the spread of the disease to providing mental health support for those in isolation given the huge challenges being faced.
“In one home, their laundry facilities had broken down. It’s a small thing but one that is essential to ensuring effective infection control so we quickly arranged replacements. We have also offered staffing support where care home teams have been depleted.
"Feedback has been incredible – one care home was so appreciative that they cried because they were simply so overwhelmed. This is about working together to protect residents in the city wherever they live. I’m proud that the team has been able to make sure a difference in such a short space of time.”
Kevin Parker-Evans, UHNM Associate Chief Nurse, said: “As part of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent health and social care system, the Community Rapid Intervention Service, which is a joint partnership between UHNM and Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and the trust’s quality and safety team with the infection prevention and control team, is pleased to be able to support local care homes with infection prevention advice and support and as part of mutual aid is also able to provide personal protection equipment to help keep this vulnerable group of patients safe and cared for in the most appropriate place.
“The Community Rapid Intervention Service was set up to help patients avoid unnecessary visits to A&E and hospital admission and is now providing this essential additional support during the current Covid-19 outbreak.”
Jane Munton Davies, associate director of Stoke-on-Trent community mental health services for Combined Healthcare, said: “Combined Healthcare has enhanced their support to care homes, providing seven day a week, 8am to 8pm specialist input to support people experiencing difficulties relating to mental health and/or dementia. The care home liaison service works closely with local care homes and primary care to ensure that the needs of this vulnerable group are met appropriately at this difficult time.”
The team is providing support to care homes both virtually and through face-to-face meetings, depending on the preferences of the care home.
Under the scheme, care homes are contacted proactively on a regular basis, while also having the ability to raise issues themselves.
The team uses a specially designed checklist covering potential coronavirus-related issues across 19 different areas.
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