Covid-19 home care Oxford families can rely on starts with rigorous preparation and clear communication. From the outset of the pandemic, Visiting Angels Oxford took swift action. Our priority was to protect our clients, their families, and our caregivers. Prior to receiving official guidance from government and Public Health England, we had already put several key measures in place.
Our Covid-19 home care Oxford protocols included:
- Regular contact with all caregivers providing Covid-19 updates
- Specific additional training delivered to every caregiver
- Written guidance to the whole team on hand hygiene and infection control
- Provision of additional personal protective equipment and hand sanitiser
- A clear requirement for caregivers to self-isolate if they experienced symptoms or had contact with anyone who did
Our Covid-19 Home Care Oxford Preparations
All caregivers attended our Oxford office to receive dedicated training on Covid-19 and hand hygiene. Visiting Angels Oxford has always maintained robust infection control standards. In addition, the specific training we provided during the pandemic reinforced these standards. Our caregivers continued to meet our meticulous hygiene requirements when delivering care and support.
Our team received regular updates from the most relevant and reliable sources. These included NHS guidance on coronavirus and advice from Public Health England. Furthermore, this continuous flow of expert information promoted good hygiene across all our working practices. Our caregivers also learned exactly what steps to take if a client or team member showed any symptoms.
What Covid-19 Meant for Home Care Visits in Oxford
Government guidance required some clients to self-isolate during the pandemic. Certain activities were no longer possible as a result. Our team reviewed every client and their scheduled visits. Essential visits took priority above all else. In some cases, a different caregiver attended rather than the regular one. Visit times and durations also needed adjusting to meet the changing guidance.
Keeping Our Clients and Carers Safe
Many clients and families found media coverage of Covid-19 genuinely worrying. It is worth noting, however, that the virus posed serious risks specifically to elderly people with underlying health conditions. For many of our Oxford clients, the chances of contracting Covid-19 were actually relatively low. Many of our clients have limited community contact. Moreover, restrictions on social gatherings reduced the risk further for our caregivers too. Combined with our already rigorous hand hygiene and infection control systems, these factors helped keep everyone as safe as possible.
Visiting Angels Oxford is carer-centric at its core. As a result, all caregivers received full sick pay during any absence. Together with our self-isolation training, this ensured caregivers never felt pressure to work when they should have been isolating.
Our Commitment to Safe Home Care in Oxford
These are challenging times, and the service we provide is an essential one for our community. We take every possible step to protect our clients, their families, and our staff. We are also working to increase our capacity to provide the additional support that people across Oxford need.
To find out more about our home care services in Oxford, call us on 01865 410 791 or email oxford@visiting-angels.co.uk.
