Keeping Our Family Safe

At any care facility, controlling infection outbreaks as soon as they appear is vital. The quicker the reaction, the sooner we can stop the spread. Infection control is of paramount importance to us. If vomiting and diarrhoea (or any other infectious illness or disease) occur inside our homes, we ensure to isolate residents to their rooms. Similarly, with the outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe, we became dedicated to combating the spread and ultimately preventing the risk of infection.

The safety of all living and working within our homes always has and continues to be our number one priority. We have continued to implement additional measures to help stop the risk of transmission. We follow all of the latest Government and Public Health England guidelines and adjust our policies and procedures to reflect this.

You can be sure that you are in a safe and clean environment when in an Athena Care Home.

PPE

At the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we made the swift decision to invest significantly in PPE. We will continue to remain well-stocked with PPE across all of our homes and monitor stock levels daily. All staff in our homes, as well as anyone joining us for safe visits, are supplied with PPE to ensure we are preventing the risk of spreading infection.

Mandatory Staff Vaccinations

In line with government legislation, from 11th November 2021, it will not be possible to work in a care home unless the member of staff is fully vaccinated or has a medically confirmed vaccination exemption in place.  We are extremely proud that our staff have actively sought vaccination, to enable them to deliver the safest possible care for the people who live and work in our homes.  

Enhanced Cleaning

Our housekeeping teams are working closely with our Clinical Care leaders to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness throughout our homes. We have also invested in many different types of equipment to help aid our teams to fight potential infection, including fogging machines, virucidal cleaning products and thermal-imaging temperature screeners.

Training

As part of our commitment to care and the development of our staff, our teams are receiving ongoing infection control training. We have also invested in developing teams of Infection Control Champions across every home to support safe visitation and reunion of families. These teams coordinate all visits within the homes and ensure all safety, administrative and cleaning procedures are in place.

Wellbeing & Staying Connected

The emotional wellness of our residents remains extremely important to us, and we are so proud of the way our teams are continuing to provide an engaging and innovative activities programmes. We have increased the hours our Activities teams to enable more 1:1 time with residents. Keeping your loved ones stimulated and smiling is a strong focus for us, and we are rolling out more technology across our homes to ensure loved ones are staying connected via scheduled video calls.

New Admissions

We are currently accepting new admissions to our care homes. We conduct a virtual assessment of any new residents before they join our family; this includes completing a pre-admission checklist, along with a COVID-19 test. In line with current Government & PHE guidance, all new admissions will remain in the comfort of their rooms for the first 14 days. We are also regularly testing staff and residents as well as following PHE’s most up to date advice.

Visiting Our Homes

We are currently conducting safe visits in each of our homes according to current government guidelines. Connecting with your loved one via video call or visiting the home should be booked via our online system or by our reception teams over the telephone; this allows for the safe management of footfall to our homes. We will continue to work hard to ensure that the well-being of our residents is the highest priority.

For more information on nominated visitors and essential care givers, please contact our homes. 

Scheduling a Visit with your Loved One & What To Expect

We understand that seeing your loved one is important, and we recognise the urgency to see them after a long time apart. Despite this, safety always comes first meaning we can only allow a certain amount of visitors to our homes throughout the day. Booking in advance will secure you a spot to see your loved one. Please visit the webpage of the home you wish to visit and follow the instructions on how to book a slot, our teams will then respond to you with a confirmation of your call or visit. When arriving at our homes, you will be greeted by an Infection Control Champion who will safely take you through the procedures according to government guidance.