The Duke of Cambridge spoke to five keyworkers from the care sector in a video call and thanked them for the “fantastic job” they are doing during the pandemic, saying “it’s hugely appreciated and acknowledged”.
He added: “I hope we see a shift in attitudes towards the care sector and an appreciation for all the wonderful things you all do.”
Prince William wanted to find out from those on the frontline of care what their experience of working during COVID-19 is like, how it has changed the way they delivered care and how the job has affected their wellbeing.
Keyworkers included Suraya Alvi.
The 42-year-old told the Prince William, “the main thing we face is uncertainty from clients. We aim to reassure them that we will still provide the best level of care regardless of the pandemic.
“The main aspect is keeping people safe in their homes at this time and providing that level of care that we did before but just with the added PPE and handwashing.”
She spoke about the mental strain on both the home care workers and the people they care for, revealing “the main thing is keeping well emotionally, and it can be really tough”.
A mental health crisis among the elderly and vulnerable may be emerging as over half of home care staff report being concerned for the mental health of those they care for, since the start of the pandemic.
A survey has revealed that 57 per cent of 1,366 home care staff say they have become worried about the mental health of the people they look after at home, in the wake of the UK going into lockdown.
The survey, which was carried out during the seventh week of lockdown, was conducted by homecare.co.uk, a leading reviews website for providers that give care to people in their own homes.
The findings come following figures from the Office of National Statistics showing nearly half of people in Britain had reported high levels of anxiety in the last week of March. The Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned that services could be overwhelmed by “a tsunami of mental illness”.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national clinical director for mental health, told the Commons health and social care committee that demand for mental healthcare would increase “significantly” once the lockdown is over and would result in people needing treatment for trauma for years to come, especially those who had been in intensive care or had lost someone to COVID-19.
Jane Townson, chief executive of UKHCA, which represents home care companies, is calling for home care to be “centre stage” in the government’s battle to contain the coronavirus.
Both home care and live in care services can provide a huge contribution to keeping the vulnerable in society safe in their own homes avoiding hospital visits and reducing pressure on the NHS during the pandemic.
She argues that home care often prevents “unnecessary admission” to care homes and hospitals as it enables to people to stay living well and independently at home.
Consequently she says preventing these unnecessary admissions “should be a priority” and “supporting people at home, as far as possible, would be an intelligent and cost-effective strategy for the nation’s health and well-being”. However she says: “Instead, the opposite is happening. The majority of public and private funding, as well as media attention, is focused on hospitals and care homes, which between them support only 0.5 million people at a time.
In an exclusive video interview, Home Care Insight editor Sarah Clarke spoke to Dominique Kent, co-founder of the Live-in Care Hub and chair of the United Kingdom Home Care Association.
She discusses a campaign to recruit 21,000 more care workers to the sector amid the coronavirus crisis and says the Hub, and the 21 live-in care providers within it, are ready to “step up” and create capacity planning for NHS discharge teams in order to get people home from hospital safely.
Kent and her peers are working hard to convince NHS trusts that live-in care is a safer alternative to discharging people into a care homes and mitigates the risk of COVID-19 cross-transmission between residents.
For more on this story and to watch the interview – CLICK HERE
