Will there be Keyworker care?

[Amonite]

If a school bubble or bubbles close is there still keyworker care as there was in the summer term?
Our children went to school throughout as we both have frontline keyworker roles. We are in a local lockdown area, if the children are sent home for 2 weeks surely keyworker children are exempt and can still attend?
We have no childcare options

I agree with you @CountessFrog

There is currently no provision for this is DH’s trust, hence 10% at home.

So you have intensive care consultants working on hospitals with virology labs but having to get in the queue with everyone else trying to book online tests.

IMO, the term ‘key worker’ was rather problematic from the word go. I’d prioritise fast turnaround testing for teachers and frontline medical staff.

I don’t know how long it actually takes to physically process a test once it arrives in a lab, ours was received about 4pm and the result available the next morning just in time for a return to school.

We need mobile testing of families of these groups of workers, we need those tests taken directly to the lab and processed on arrival.

I think the OP asked a reasonable question and was jumped on by people assuming she meant that teachers should offer childcare

I think people assumed the OP meant that children self-isolating due to being in contact with a positive case or being symptomatic, should be offered a KW place in school, like during lockdown. Is that not what the OP meant?

I think in either of those cases, that child should not be at school with lots of others. Do people really disagree?

Cue the usual 'school isn't childcare/childminder' crap

Yes, tiring isn’t it?

(No, I don’t disagree, they should go home pending a negative test, but that should come quickly and they should be allowed back if not staying home means their parents cannot work).

*staying

The OP asked a perfectly valid question and as a working single mum with little family around to help I'm worried about this too.

I’m surprised TBH that people posting angry replies couldn’t see the obvious problem of having those critical in the care of sick patients isolating at home.

I’m going to come over all Mumsnetty and sarcastic and say ‘Perhaps they’d like to be intubated by the ladies from the WRVS.’

Then maybe hospitals should have onsite childcare provision for those in that predicament. It’s not fair on school staff or other children to have them in school. I imagine the numbers where both parents are critical care hospital workers isn’t that large at all.

We don’t have spare rooms available for childcare, at least not in my trust. Many people commute to city centre trusts on public transport- so that’s not practical.

What proportion do you think it is, then?

My DH is an intensive care consultant, most of his colleagues are married to similar, presumably you’d count GPs as important? You are naive if you think the number affected is small. There are 55 in my husband’s department, 6 are currently at home. Of those, 3 are married to people with similar professional backgrounds in different hospitals.

And they are probably all immune.

And you know that how? That’s hilarious. Certainly my DH had the antibody test and he is not immune.

(They didn’t catch it - they were wearing full PPE in intensive care - they are the least likely to be immune if you apply logic).

I think this was a valid question and actually one I've been thinking about, so thanks Ip for asking!

Those of you who have sarcastically replied please take a deep breath and try not to be so vicious.

If there bubbles burst then you may find a huge gap in key worker provision, police, Nhs, fire, ambulance teachers etc etc I have 2 children in different schools- if there bubble bursts then myself, my partner, my Ex and his partner (all key workers) will be isolating effecting front line key working

The point here should be is it correct to be sending so many children home and for so long?
In secondary schools they are sending whole years home for 14 days once a child has tested positive, its likely to be several days from the children having last contact with said positive child and them receiving the test result and there's no way that the positive child has closely interacted with the hundreds of children in their year group. The isolation bubble guidelines need addressing rather than everybody home when they don't need to be

If a child is isolating because their bubble has burst only that child has to isolate, not every family contact with that child. Obviously if the child is young then someone has to stay home with them, and other family members will need to limit their contact with the child @1moreRep

It’s bonkers and it’s over the top, but there’s no actual choice when they can’t get a test.

My children can now get a test because the Trust I work for are testing them to keep me in work. But if their whole year was isolating, I assume there would be no point in them going into school.

If they are isolating because of being a contact rather than having symptoms a test isn't appropriate as they are unlikely to be at a point at which the virus is detectable by the currently available tests. In such a situation parents are not required to isolate and the solution will largely involve parents working opposite shifts if they both work in a shift work environment. Essentially the NHS will need to take greater responsibility and should have used the past 6 months to alter rotas in ways that minimise the likelihood of staff needing time off when they themselves aren't isolating. This may have included introducing the ability to work out of hours for those whose work is typically Monday-Friday 9-5 and looking at ways to ensure those with shared responsibility for children and who both work within the trust are scheduled to work overlapping hours as infrequently as possible.

'I imagine the numbers where both parents are critical care hospital workers isn’t that large at all.'
This above is rubbish!
My staff are all critical care hospital workers and their spouses are
paramedic,
hospitals social worker responsible for discharges,
teachers x2
inpatient physio,
GP nurse practitioner,
Plus some who may not be key workers but are still useful to have about! supermarket manager, dentist etc
Don't know the solution, but really we cant afford to not have these people at work because of children isolating in the huge numbers they seem to be having now.

So many people saying work opposite shifts. Who have never done shift work clearly. If someone is asleep recovering after a night shift, who looks after the little ones? OK maybe doable with junior age children leave them a packed lunch in the fridge or whatever but babies? Need to be watched.

We don’t have spare rooms available for childcare

If children need to be kept isolated, schools don’t have spare rooms available for their childcare either.

I’m not suggesting that schools do !

Don't be ridiculous, Op. Someone teats positive for Covid and everyone has to go home. Kw's kids aren't magically exempt from catching covid. I'm sure there will be staff volunteering left, right and centre to staff that... Oh no, they'll be at home...