For Sahan Cares and other care agencies in the wider healthcare sector, remaining alert and equipped to protect the clients in our care by preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection has been critical to our approach and operational master plans. Many of our clients are highly vulnerable, including the elderly and those with physical disabilities and mental health conditions, and the action we take in their home environments with regard to minimising the spread of coronavirus infection is crucial when it comes to saving lives.
We took a pro-active approach to infection control in February, early on in the outbreak, as we could see the spread of the coronavirus was gathering momentum and we knew we had to be prepared and give our carers all the support we could in preparation for a potential pandemic.
Sahan Cares has always invested heavily in the training our teams of care workers who protect our elderly and vulnerable clients in their own homes – we even have our own dedicated Sahan Cares Training Academy to ensure every carer is fully equipped with the skills and knowledge required for work in this dynamic care sector.
We conducted regular training sessions, including medication training and infection control for COVID-19 for our carers, which culminated in a large group training course just before the lockdown was implemented. This gave all carers a thorough grounding in all aspects of infection control, including hygiene procedures, hand sanitising and the correct disposal of personal protection equipment (PPE), such as masks, aprons, shoe coverings and gloves.
We supplemented our infection control and COVID-19 training procedures with constant communication – even setting up a WhatsApp group to keep everyone informed and updated and able to ask questions about the coronavirus threat or suggest training sessions on relevant topics. Our management of the coronavirus pandemic has been a hugely collaborative effort that has made all carers feel part of our effort to restrict the spread of infection and, ultimately, save lives, as Anab Abdalla, Care Manager for Sahan Cares, reveals.
‘We knew relaying important information to our care teams would be a critical element of our care work,’ she explains. ‘We’re working in close proximity to our clients within their own homes, so mitigating and preventing the risk of infection is vital. We’ve opened the lines of communication in ways our care workers can access easily and kept our discussions jargon-free, so everyone understands our aims and objectives.
‘We’ve also shared video clips and information from NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and Skills for Care, both of whom have continued to share invaluable healthcare content. Our care workers have also been encouraged to download the Care Workforce app, which was launched by the government to support frontline care workers with news and guidance within specialist care environments, such as the private homes where we operate. All this has ensured our carers can go into our clients’ homes feeling as confident as they can be that they’re protecting those they’re charged with caring for and not subjecting them to a risk of COVID-19 infection.
‘In addition to our practical training on COVID-19 infection control, we’re supporting our carers mental health and wellbeing too – we know how important it is for our care teams to take time out when it’s needed in times of pressure that a global pandemic brings. The possibility of further waves in the months ahead mean we have to plan ahead and mitigate for worst-case scenarios, so it’s crucial that our carers are prepared and ready to work accordingly should they arise.’
Today, Sahan Cares continues to work closely with other healthcare agencies, to follow government guidelines and to ensure our care teams are trained in areas of COVID-19 safety procedures, notably in the infection control techniques we’re pushing home so diligently. As the lockdown restrictions begin to ease, we’ll also continue to find new and innovative ways to deliver infection control training courses for the dedicate care workers who are making an invaluable difference to the elderly and vulnerable who depend on us for care in their homes.
If you’d like to know more about how Sahan Cares is putting infection control training and management at the forefront of our care in the home activities, please contact us.
