We feel to have been in lockdown for months and months, though in reality, we are ‘only’ 7 weeks today! It is difficult to remember what ‘normal’ life at Barley View felt like. I’m sure many of you are experiencing the same.
The news over the last week has continued to focus on Care Homes, whether that’s been a lack of PPE, difficulties sorting testing for residents and staff, or the number of deaths in care homes. I’m very proud to say that we haven’t experienced these difficulties at Barley View, and have worked hard to source PPE throughout the lockdown.
Lancashire County Council has been in touch on a daily basis checking our service and recently supplied a top-up delivery of surgical masks. We have also been grateful for the deliveries of 3D printed masks from a local college, Pendle Vale, and also from friends of Barley View.
Our links with Rochdale and Lancashire Council, have meant that we have been able to access rapid and local testing of staff and residents. All of which have come back negative, and no confirmed cases. Much to everyone’s relief!
Social distancing has meant that the face to face meetings we would normally have with Consultants, Psychologists, and other Health Professionals, have had to be conducted in new ways. Virtual meetings, whether that’s by Zoom or the NHS equivalent, have allowed us to rapidly connect with professionals and ensure our residents receive the best health care advice possible.
This week we have held Health Review meetings with various Hospital Consultants, the Mental Health Team, and also Multi-Disciplinary Meetings with families and social services. On the occasion, when a face-to-face meeting was essential, our new office area is the outdoor courtyard with seating placed at 2 meters apart. Thank goodness this is the warmer season!
We had paused our monthly Family Meetings since lockdown, but are pleased to announce that we are launching a Virtual Family and Resident Meeting next week. This will also have the advantage of enabling families that live remotely, to access the meetings. One of the developments that we will look to keep even after lockdown.
