If you have looked after/treated people with covid...

[Beamine]

Were you nervous the first time?

I am a carer in a care home, new to care and I'm loving it even though very very hard work. This weekend I have info that a resident has tested + and I'm due in tomorrow and will have very close contact with this patient. We will need to wear mask, visor, apron gloves etc...I will be very careful with hand washing. My dh has not had the vaccine yet, I also do not want to take it home to my children( dh and children all have asthma)

As long as I'm careful, I should be absolutely fine, right?

Yes I have worked in a care home where there was a huge covid breakout quite a few residents had it and some passed away from covid. Just wash your hand and change your ppe after every contact with a resident. Sanitise your hands and I did this and didn't get covid through that.

@Vivana

Yes I have worked in a care home where there was a huge covid breakout quite a few residents had it and some passed away from covid. Just wash your hand and change your ppe after every contact with a resident. Sanitise your hands and I did this and didn't get covid through that.

Thank you!! They had a big outbreak back in 1st wave where many staff were poorly and they lost residents but this was right at the beginning and didn't have adequate ppe. This is what I was told(wasn't there then)

It was have been very scary for you, I'm glad you were OK xx

It's very scary and you can't help think will you catch it. But remember take the time to wash your hands etc. The buzzer can wait a few extra seconds while you wash hands and change apron etc. Your safety and health is important to.

What type of mask? If they are positive make sure you wear an ffp2 or ffp3. The surgical masks don’t really offer protection to the wearer, it’s mainly for the benefit of the people you encounter.

@Canyouexplainhowthatis

What type of mask? If they are positive make sure you wear an ffp2 or ffp3. The surgical masks don’t really offer protection to the wearer, it’s mainly for the benefit of the people you encounter.

We only have surgical masks where we work.

@Vivana

It's very scary and you can't help think will you catch it. But remember take the time to wash your hands etc. The buzzer can wait a few extra seconds while you wash hands and change apron etc. Your safety and health is important to.

Yes you're right. It's so fast paved but will be extra careful with hand hygiene etc..

I only had those basic blue face masks but I brought a ffp3 mask and so glad I did. I left that care home in the end as got to stressful. Now work as a.l support worker

My DD is an ICU nurse who, thankfully, was vaccinated (twice) in the last four months. Prior to that she treated many Covid patients during the first and second wave, intubating them and very close contact. She had full PPE, but luckily, thank God, she escaped catching it, although colleagues did. She was scrupulous about hand hygiene, lots of showers, taking good supplements (including vitamin D) and eating healthily. She was constantly scared, but meticulous about hygiene.

Just be really careful and cautious OP, and like previous posters say, prioritise hand washing, changing PPE. Everything else can wait

At the height of it DH (ICU nurse) was straight up to shower when he got in, he had a pair of shoes just for work which lived in a bag in the car as well

@Vivana

I only had those basic blue face masks but I brought a ffp3 mask and so glad I did. I left that care home in the end as got to stressful. Now work as a.l support worker

We have to use the surgical ones as new government guidelines say we have to have a new surgical mask for everytime we do personal care with a resident.

@SophieB100

My DD is an ICU nurse who, thankfully, was vaccinated (twice) in the last four months. Prior to that she treated many Covid patients during the first and second wave, intubating them and very close contact. She had full PPE, but luckily, thank God, she escaped catching it, although colleagues did. She was scrupulous about hand hygiene, lots of showers, taking good supplements (including vitamin D) and eating healthily. She was constantly scared, but meticulous about hygiene.

Just be really careful and cautious OP, and like previous posters say, prioritise hand washing, changing PPE. Everything else can wait

Thank you. Sounds like your dd has had a tough time. xx

@BadgertheBodger

At the height of it DH (ICU nurse) was straight up to shower when he got in, he had a pair of shoes just for work which lived in a bag in the car as well

I think I will shower immediately when I get through the door.

Wear two surgical masks if they're the standard.

I have worked throughout in a hospital . Normal ppe would be mask glasses apron and gloves and scrubs on. If the patient was on oxygen or there was an aerosol generated procedure we would wear fit mask and long sleeved gown. Plenty of hand washing and changing ppe. I go to work in scrubs/uniform take spare clothes to change into after shift get home leave shoes outside my clothes go straight in the wash and I shower and wash my hair. None of the kids come near me until I'm showered it's a running joke when I get home don't touch mummy she's been to work and she's dirty 😂

At the height of it DH (ICU nurse) was straight up to shower when he got in, he had a pair of shoes just for work which lived in a bag in the car as well

^^
My DD (ICU nurse) had to shower and change PPE between patients - sometimes six times a day, then shower before leaving (then she'd have another shower when she got home). Bless her.
This was back in the days when they had to wait 2 or three days for a positive test to come back - often she would do all this and the patient would test negative - but they were stringent about this, which is obviously right.

We have to use the surgical ones

Could you buy a ffp3 mask to wear underneath and also wear a surgical mask over it (that you can change after each patient)?

NHS staff also using surgical masks only for positive cases unless doing aerosol generating procedures OP.
Some of the things we do.....
Different Clothes and shoes to travel to and from work, change into uniform and work shoes at work.
Leave work shoes, pens, etc at work.
Washable bag to put uniform in, straight in washer when you get in.
Lidded plastic box at door to put work bag in.
I stripped off near the door, straight to shower and hair wash.

Keep your mask and visor or goggles on.
Change apron and gloves for each patient.
Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands

Eat well, rest, look after yourself

Useful tips

Agree with the above. I would double mask - ffp3 mask underneath, surgical over that and change the surgical bw residents.

Current evidence is that Covid spread is mainly by inhaled aerosol, and very little by hand contact with infected surfaces.
So a well fitting mask, and well ventilated rooms, are far more important than hand sanitising, although you obviously must still observe scrupulous hand hygiene.
Why have you not been offered vaccination, OP? As a care home worker, surely you should have been in an early priority group? Worth checking that you have not been missed from the system.

"Washable bag to put uniform in"

Does anyone use the algaenet (?) washing bags. Respiratory ward partner has been told to use these but am slightly worried they will bung up the washing machine.

NHS hospitals still only providing FFP1 masks - totally inadequate ( ICU is only place with adequate PPE and ironically the patients are intubated - respiratory wards treating Covid patients have at least the same if not more exposure)

That's all we had was very basic masks and gloves which came just in one size
Even cqc came in to see why there was so many cases

@Babdoc

Current evidence is that Covid spread is mainly by inhaled aerosol, and very little by hand contact with infected surfaces. So a well fitting mask, and well ventilated rooms, are far more important than hand sanitising, although you obviously must still observe scrupulous hand hygiene. Why have you not been offered vaccination, OP? As a care home worker, surely you should have been in an early priority group? Worth checking that you have not been missed from the system.

I have had my vaccinations but I can still carry it home to my children and dh(who hasn't been vaccinated) also the vaccination doesn't stop me getting it.