Recognizing the value of the Domiciliary Care Sector in Covid-19 time.

20 January 2021


2020/2021 – Recognizing the value of the Domiciliary Care Sector in Covid-19 time.

2021 has begun with rain, snow, floods, reduced train services, bus routes closed and internal flights have been massively reduced. However, the overriding factor with Covid 19 brought increased problems for a sector that already had staffing and financial difficulties.

Hourly care providers have care workers having to home school their children and isolate if a family member has the virus. Care workers catch the virus themselves and their days available to their agency again are lost. Providing care to an older person who has diagnosed means withdrawal for the isolation period required. The result is care workers who can work must be asked to increase their working hours. Managing staff have increased stress as they try to ensure that every person needing care has reliable support.

Able Community Care, a live-in care provider.

Able Community Care, a live-in care provider, has adapted it’s working practices. The office has two people working daily, and everyone else works from home. Many clients need to shield, and so our amazing conscientious carers who work through Able Community Care, many have agreed to extend their live-in periods to continue to provide safe support when it is possible.

Many care workers travel by public transport, and we work with new timetables for bus, train and flights as part of the daily management of our client’s care.
Zoom has become a working tool to interview care workers and ‘virtually’ visit new clients and connect with existing clients, carers and other professionals.
Notifying daily any Government and Public Health advice and news has become part of the messages that go out to everyone. In addition, notifying, who is ‘On Call’ that evening and available throughout the night, is appreciated by care workers and clients alike.

Despite everything, new care workers continue to send in their applications to us, and new clients seek our support.
People working in the NHS rightly deserve all the praise they receive, but in addition, the home care sector deserves recognition. It is estimated that there are over 600,000 care workers working through 8000 plus care agencies. Each day they are also providing a vital support service which in turn supports our NHS. Together, we make a great healthcare team.

Angela Gifford.

https://www.ablecommunitycare.com/contact-us