Rainbow Heroes come in all forms
When you hear the term care workers, it's easy to only think of those that are working in care homes and in our communities, supporting elderly or disabled residents. However, there are a huge number of staff working in Social Services who provide other forms of care and support.
Tuesday 26 May, 2020
Jude McManus currently manages the Long Term Care Service and Review Teams, who are based in Ty Jenner.
Jude got in touch with us recently to tell us how they have adapted to working from home, whilst upholding the standard of service expected by Vale residents in receipt of support.
Can you tell us a bit about your team's work over the past few weeks?
We are a team of social workers, social care assistants and a carer's officer.
Following the Government's announcement to remain home, our team undertook a project to gain a picture of what people needed if their usual care and support arrangements were compromised in any way as a result of the pandemic, and what contingency plans needed to be put in place.
This involved our team contacting approximately 1,000 individuals, their carers, and their care and support providers by telephone to identify a contingency plan for all individuals supported by the Vale. All whilst working from home in very different circumstances.
We worked alongside the care agencies to establish their view of the level of risk attached to a reduction of care and support arrangements.
Individuals and their families were then contacted to discuss and agree an acceptable alternative plan that reflected what was important to them. Their contribution and participation was vital to any arrangements being adjusted.
We also explored with individuals if anyone else within their families, friends, and communities, were able to help with any of the care and support arrangements where reasonable.
Our conversations focussed on key aspects of well-being, namely how people could remain safe, minimise harm, stay healthy and active in their own homes.
We also considered how people could maintain positive relationships and avoid isolation, and how people could live as independently as possible within the contingency arrangements.
By undertaking this work we feel we have assisted people to stay home, in order to save lives and protect the NHS.
Where are you with this project now?
As of today there are 98 care and support contingency plans outstanding, which we expect to have completed by the end of this week. This means that all 1,000 residents will have been contacted.
We have been able to manage the support that is needed through working in partnership with agencies, individuals and their families in agreeing contingency arrangements.
It was vitally important that we were able to respond swiftly to the pandemic and the success of the project has been in the advanced planning to ensure that people’s needs are met swiftly if Covid–19 impacts on the workforce’s ability to provide the usual care arrangements.
Thank you Jude, we agree that your team deserve a shout out for being #ValeRainbowHeroes.