What will happen if there is a lockdown in Care homes? And also...

[Singingintheshower82]

I work in a 55 bed private residential care home. If there is a case of the virus, will we be able to go home and travel to and from the home. We wouldn't be able to would we? Also does anyone know if Care Homes will be sent masks, goggles and other PPE. I know they are in NHS have but how about the care homes? We are running out of gloves, hand wash and pretty much everything else.

Doctors and nurses are able to go home in Italy (although some are sleeping in camp beds in their garages rather than risking infecting family member) so you should still be able to travel between home and work. Lock down countries seem to mostly be requiring those outside to carry paper forms, prefilled with their destination and police are checking them either randomly or at check points.

Regarding consumables please contact your local cllrs/council leaders and metro mayors if you are in a city with one of those. I will be doing this tomorrow on behalf of friends in the funeral services, who are also worried about a lack of protective equipment.

I read somewhere ... it may have been in the government advice that PPE was being given to private and council funded care homes.

In here somewhere maybe?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance

Found it- the residential
care document says:

" Care home providers will routinely be procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and aprons. In addition, there will be a free issue of PPE to support adult social care providers to support compliance with the updated advice. This will be issued from the pandemic influenza stockpile. Arrangements will be put in place for adult social care providers to access further PPE as necessary."

Found it- the residential
care document says:

" Care home providers will routinely be procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and aprons. In addition, there will be a free issue of PPE to support adult social care providers to support compliance with the updated advice. This will be issued from the pandemic influenza stockpile. Arrangements will be put in place for adult social care providers to access further PPE as necessary."

I work in a much smaller setting. We have been in lockdown since last week. No one comes out, no one apart from staff in. Unnecessary staff are working from home. ' On the floor' Staff were asked to socially isolate a week ago. Head Office have telephoned each of us with a questionnaire re our contact/health etc. A couple of people were asked to stay away for 7 days.
We have food deliveries twice a week anyway, but I understand one of the larger supermarkets has now put us on some sort of 'priority' list for supplies.
We operate a very clean ship anyway luckily, and from FB it seems most staff are taking it quite seriously, also our setting is very rural with large gardens etc, our borders/gates are tight, so we are hopeful.

Tattoo shops are now closing, they are likely to have disposable aprons, cleaning sprays and gloves. Worth starting an appeal locally (through Facebook or ringing round) if the government PPE isn’t arriving fast enough (and as back up).

PPE hotline from the government - explicitly states that it can be used by independent sector and homecare services:

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/PPE-Letter-FINAL-20-March-2020-updated-on-22-March-2020.pdf