"Asymptomatic employees should be allowed to care for individuals."
That's the message from a Stallingborough care home, following a coronavirus outbreak.
Last updated 14th Nov 2020
The Old Vicarage care home in Stallingborough, near Grimsby says asymptomatic employees should be allowed to work, following an outbreak of covid-19 which left them with a skeleton staff.
It's home to 11 individuals, with additional complex physical needs and a range of complexities including mental health needs, 9 of which have tested positive for covid-19.
Out of the 32 members of staff at the care home, only 9 are currently allowed to work.
Some of the staff will be coming out of isolation tomorrow.
Paul De Savary, the managing director of Home from Home Care says they've been testing staff more than recommended and many who have tested positive are asymptomatic.
He says using agency staff isn't the right decision, because employees have built a strong relationship with individuals:
"Sometimes staff get injuries at work and that's when an individual is not in a good place, perhaps they're not well, sometimes it can be if we don't understand what's happening."
"You now bring in an external staff member who doesn't know this individual, and this individual, immediately, suddenly, where are my familiar faces, where have those familiar face gone?
"I'm not feeling well, there's no familiar faces, I can't express myself, you don't understand what I'm saying."
"That is the risk, it's an irrational way of approaching this."
A report published by Public Health England earlier this week, showed that people with learning difficulties had a higher death rate from covid-19 in the first wave of the pandemic.
A Public Health England spokesperson said:
“We sympathise with the very difficult position The Old Vicarage is in. We know care home staff are under a huge amount of pressure and we have nothing but admiration for the tough job they are doing.
“PHE do not believe staff should breach any legal obligation to self-isolate or put residents at risk by working following a positive test.”
“The local authority is working closely with this home to find alternative solutions.”
A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesman said:
“Our main concern will always be the care and safety of residents in any home in the area and we’ve been in daily dialogue with the provider to ensure this continues.
It’s been widely reported nationally and locally that the care home sector is one of the most badly affected in the pandemic and staff working in it are doing a fantastic job under tremendous pressure.
We have worked with the provider all week to ensure that any solution maintains residents safety and complies with current COVID regulations, and we are pleased to see that the home have taken steps to resolve the situation. We will continue to work with all providers to tackle the issues that Covid has brought about in care homes, including those affecting staff.’’
A CQC spokesperson said:
“We are aware that people and staff at the Old Vicarage have tested positive for COVID-19. We have engaged with the service, and supported steps taken by the local authority and clinical commissioning group, to ensure that it has adequate staffing and that people are safe.”
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