Glimpse of Brilliance: PPE

Amanda Collins from The Broughtons got in touch to share how her care home is keeping staff and residents safe following Covid-19

The Broughtons was one of the early care homes in Salford to have a resident with a confirmed case of Covid-19, since then sadly many more care home residents across the country have tested positive. We spoke with Amanda Collins, the manager at The Broughtons, to hear how staff and residents in the home are beginning to adapt to a ‘new normal’.

At first we were petrified. We didn’t know what was going to happen.

Care Home Manager, The Broughtons

Following advice from the local Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team, the home has put any residents with confirmed Covid-19 in isolation for 14 days. It was not feasible to create a separate ‘isolation wing’ in the home as a review of the impact on staff (not knowing where residents were) and residents (unfamiliarity with new surroundings) outweighed the benefits. Instead residents were allocated to dedicated members of staff (both day and night shifts) to care for them to minimise spread of infection between residents.

In the early days, advice on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) changed rapidly, with the manager and IPC team providing regular updates. To ensure staff felt confident in following the latest guidance, the team use their morning huddles give a daily demonstration of safe processes for the donning and doffing of PPE, minimising the risk of cross-contamination.

Unfortunately activities such as the gardening group and visits to the nearby community centre have been postponed, but this hasn’t stopped residents from having fun.

I can still hear a lot of laughter around the home when staff are interacting with the residents

Care Home Manager, The Broughtons

Before the home became Covid-free it wasn’t possible for residents to interact with one another in the communal spaces, or with external visitors, but staff have maintained moral with a number of different activities:

• putting on a tea party in the garden for one centenarian resident who came out of their isolation period on VE day
• celebrating the return of a long term resident who was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 – staff were delighted that he was able to beat the virus and come home safe and well
• using an iPad to do video and phone calls with residents and their families who have been unable to visit in person