Getting Ready For Winter in Home Care..

We have all heard the old adage failing to prepare is preparing to fail, but we all too often forget to plan because everything these days is so immediate and we are used to getting what we need when we need it. In this blog we will look at some of the tasks that the Providers and Registered Managers of domiciliary care service can be doing now to make their winter a little easier.

Off course, as a health or social care provider, if the winter weather or some other issue, such as a lot of staff coming down with flu, prevents you from running your service safely and properly, you would be obliged to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC). So it is worth giving your winter contingency planning some thought now.

Sign up for updates

One of the simplest tasks for the Provider and registered Manager is to ensure that you sign up to the various agencies which provide updates for health and social care businesses. In terms of bad weather preparedness this means https://www.gov.uk/guidance/weather-health-alerting-system, which is provided by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in partnership with the Met Office and is aimed at the health and social care sector among others. This alerting system will let you know in advance if there is particularly bad weather on its way.

Other sources of advice and updates for the winter can be gained by signing up to updates from:
• CQC alerts
• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)

As well as any local authority forums who you work with and who provide local intelligence for local social care providers.

Utilities

The National Grid have a register for people who might need extra support during a power cut, including linking them with the British red Cross if necessary. They also advise that people have a working torch in the home in case the lights go off. It is also a good idea for the service to know where a Service User’s utilities come into their home, e.g. where the fuse box is, in case they need to help a tradesperson locate it in an emergency.

In some instances care staff might need to identify alternative forms of heating if the Service User loses their primary heating. This might include portable heaters, coal or log fire, hot water bottles etc., all of which can be useful in the short-term. All of these contingencies need risk assessing and appropriate safeguards putting in place and so are best considered before a problem arises – of course digital carers apps like https://nursebuddy.co/ can be used to create these . Other means by which Service Users might stay warm are by wearing additional layers of clothing and having access to hot food and drink – perhaps a thermos or similar, again with a risk assessment.

In a similar vein, Water UK advise people to check their radiators and boilers before the winter to ensure they work when the weather turns cold and to locate their stopcock in case they have a burst pipe. Domiciliary care providers might like to ensure they have reminded Service Users or their families to make these checks and to register for additional support where available.

Flu and COVID Vaccines

Now is the time to remind staff to get their vaccinations for the flu booked. For the Provider / Registered Manager this might mean ensuring staff have some proof of identity as a social care worker so they can access the free provision at their GP or pharmacy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-immunisation-for-social-care-staff/flu-vaccination-guidance-for-social-care-workers

Of course many Service Users are eligible for vaccination and may need to be supported to get to a vaccination appointment by their care provider. This year this includes the COVID vaccination booster for over 75’s. The sooner this is booked for, the sooner the person has the protection the vaccination offers.

Contact details

One of the jobs that domiciliary care providers are good at is getting contact details for family and GPs etc. when they undertake the initial assessment for new Service Users. What they are not so good at is making sure these are kept up to date and, with permission, getting the details of an friends and neighbours who visit or ‘keep an eye’ on the Service User. Such people can prove invaluable on bad weather, so identifying them and making an initial contact can save a lot of grief in bad weather. Again such details can be collated on digital carers apps like https://nursebuddy.co/.

As an example, a neighbour might be able to pop round and give a service user lunch or a drink at a time when care staff might be stretched or the weather so bad travel is all but impossible.

Staffing

In the community setting a loss of staff because of illness or severe weather can be very challenging for domiciliary care providers. Some of the strategies for managing a shortage of staff over a short period of time include:
• Prioritising calls to the most at risk Service Users including those who live alone. This should be done in discussion with commissioners, Service Users and their families.
• Reducing the length of calls and/or their frequency, again with consultation.
• Asking staff to take on more visits for a short period.
• Redeploying office staff who have care skills.
• Asking for help from family and neighbours with tasks such as shopping, doing meals and making hot drinks.
• Liaising with the local authority / local response forum for support and advice (so it is worth ensuring you have the email and number for this to hand).
• Use agency care staff – ensure you have their profiles and a contract with the agency.

Staff also need to know what to do in an emergency and who to contact. In some cases this might mean talking directly to family, if they know them, or calling the office for advice and support from the manager. Remember failing to prepare staff for the winter contingencies might well make a bad situation worse than it needs to be.

Summary

There are many things for Registered Managers to think about throughout the year, so it is little wonder many don’t plan for winter contingencies. Making contingency planning part of the assessment and review process will save managers a lot of aggravation when there is an emergency.

At Bettal we advise all providers to have an eye to their contingency planning at all times – especially in the weeks leading into the winter months. To help with this Bettal has forms, policies and procedures specifically about contingency planning and winter resilience.

Bettal has a well tried and tested suite of policies, procedures and risk assessments which are available to help social care providers concentrate on the important aspects of caring like being with people.

If you would like to know more, browse our website or get in touch:

Email: info@bettal.co.uk
Telephone: 01697741411

Peter Ellis MA MSc BSc (Hons) RN
Consultant
Bettal Quality Consultancy

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