‘I know how incredibly hard visiting restrictions have been for families, friends and residents in care homes. There is no escaping the pain and the very real consequences of being separated for such a long period of time. The accounts I have heard personally are truly heart-breaking, especially where care homes have been unable to reopen for visiting during the summer. We must get the balance right between reuniting families and ensuring care staff and residents are safe from COVID-19’

These words from Helen Whateley, Minister for Care, accompanied the Government’s new guidance about care home visitation which has been very much in the news this week.

Here at Hcsuk we have been working with our care home customers, following their requests, asking us how we could help them to facilitate safe visits for improved engagement and health and well-being of their residents and their families. So we have been researching safe, innovative and fit for purpose solutions to enable care homes to create safe and protected environments and make these visits happen.

In this article we share 5 innovative solutions how Hcsuk have been helping our care home customers to prepare for safe visits

1. Providing Safe And Trusted Temperature Screening

With temperature checking now becoming a normal part of life in care homes, for residents, staff and visitors, this can be time consuming, labour intensive and requires ongoing costs to cover consumables.

Using our wall mounted infrared thermometer allows staff and visitor temperatures to be screened instantly, effectively and without contact. A motion sensor on the thermometer that is activated with the infrared enables the temperature to be taken. It protects residents, staff and visitors, improving health and safety without creating queues or delays.

The device has been registered and regulated as a medical device, intended for screening of fever-like symptoms as per the latest MHRA guidance,

Our customers have been placing these in visiting areas and main reception areas either wall mounting them or using a separate tripod support.

Benefits:

• Fast and effective
• Non-contact – avoids cross-infection
• Reduces staff time having to constantly and physically screen temperatures and report results
• Instant audio/visual warning if temperature is high
• Wall mounted (fixtures included) or attached to a tripod (purchased separately)

2. Introducing Free Standing And Mobile Hand Washing

The best form of hand hygiene to reduce the risk of cross contamination is still washing your hands. Our customers have been asking us to provide a range of either free standing or mobile foot operated hand wash basins available that they can install at ideal locations where visiting will take place, for peace of mind in infection control.

Benefits:

• Foot operated – reducing the risk of cross contamination
• Sensor option or automatic water supply
• The foot is designed backwards to avoid accidents
• Soap dispenser incorporated into the unit
• Some ranges require plumbing and electricity supply
• Wastepaper bin incorporated into the unit

3. Touch Free Hand Sanitising For Reduced Cross Infection

Our customers have been requesting touch free mobile and free-standing hand sanitiser dispensers for where handwashing facilities are not easily accessible. They are proving very popular for placing in visiting rooms, reception areas and staff entrances providing easy access to instant hand sanitisation where water and hand wash is not available.

Benefits:

• Reduces the risk of cross contamination
• Free standing
• Mobile – can be placed at strategic areas required (stand purchased separately)
• Works with type C batteries – no electrical supply needed
• A 70% alcohol hospital specification clear hand sanitizing gel - Contains emollients to prevent the drying of skin

4. Safe And Easy Dispensing Of Personal Protective Equipment

Wall mounted dispensers for gloves and aprons have been extremely popular with our care homes for protecting residents and their families during visits and preventing cross contamination. They can be placed in at entrances to visiting rooms and reception areas enabling easy access to individual products without touching multiple items.

With several compartments that provide easy access to the contents, the glove and apron dispenser offers a quick and practical solution to the routine changing of disposables. This means that a pair of gloves can be changed at a moment's notice without having to worry about handling boxes or other containers where germs can live or spread.

Benefits:

• Provides 3 glove compartments and an apron roll holder for easy and convenient access to disposables.
• Easy to use
• Practical design

5. Fast And Effective Room Sanitisation

Customers have asked us to help them solve the issue of how to sanitise and disinfect visiting areas quickly and effectively between appointments. We have researched the market and have found the best current technology on the market in this area - X-MIST a broad-spectrum which is formulated specifically for deodorising and sanitising all types of space from hospitals, clinics and hotel rooms to vehicles and much more. It is fully tested, approved and certified to kill Coronavirus and is easy and quick to use as rooms can be re-entered 1 hour after use, minimising the down time of rooms and maximising family time.

Benefits:

• Eliminates a broad spectrum of bacteria including E- coli, Salmonella and Legionellae’s
• Kills germs responsible for colds, flu, staph infections, and MRSA for a healthier environment
• Remains active for up to 7 days after use
• Disinfects places that might otherwise be missed, overlooked, or out of reach
• Fully tested to British Standards BS EN 14476, BS EN 1276 & BS EN 1650

We want to help you provide high quality, compassionate care and infection control for your care home ensuring that families reunite in the safest way possible and to keep residents from experiencing loneliness.

If you would like to know more about these products or further advice and guidance, we are here to support you.

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