As the numbers of cases of COVID-19 continue to fall, we continue to make sure that we give the best possible care to residents – regardless of their coronavirus status.
We hope that in the coming days and weeks life will begin to return to some level of normality for those residents who are not in isolation. Indeed, in recent days we have certainly seen more smiling faces around our sites.
However, we are still vigilant and maintain hospital-standard levels of infection control.
Sadly, this means that our homes still remain closed for visitors for now, but we have facilitated “window visits” and are using technology to help residents keep in touch with their families.
We are aware some other homes are facilitating drive through or garden visits but we don’t feel we should commence these at this time. But this situation is under constant review and as soon as we feel it is safe to do so, we will contact families and make arrangements. We thank all families for your understanding of this.
Despite the national lockdown easing, the sad fact remains that for the most vulnerable in society, this virus remains horrific and is highly contagious.
This means that care homes need to be vigilant now and ready for the future. While we all desperately hope that a second wave of COVID-19 doesn’t take hold, we cannot be certain that it won’t.
Therefore, we need to take any lull in the infection rate as an opportunity to prepare ourselves. This applies to all care homes in the country – and applies equally to local government too.
Our petition calling on the Council to take action remains as valid as ever.
It calls for Sheffield City Council to end the crisis in the city’s care homes by:
• Immediately increasing fees by the 15% recommended by Care England to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Making the planned strategic review of care in the city independent of current office holders and decision makers and for it to be published by September 2020.
• Ensuring care homes are given the adequate support and funding they need now and in the future.
You can sign and share the petition online at https://www.change.org/p/sheffield-city-council-fair-fees-for-sheffield-care-homes.
You can find out more about this campaign by keeping an eye on our website for the latest news and we will continue to appear in the media to fight for our services in the short and long term.
Finally, just a reminder that to help families get a sense of what’s going on, we’ve increased the number of posts on our Facebook page to give you a glimpse of how we are trying to support our residents and make their lives as comfortable as possible.
This week we have featured our use of natural remedies to help boost the immune system as well as posting some more pictures of life inside the homes where staff are doing their best to keep residents in good spirits. Following our feature in the Sheffield Star regarding the artwork and letters for residents we have been contacted by more schools who are currently working with pupils to get creative to keep sending these to our residents. We are all truly grateful for your support.
Palms Row will provide all of the necessary support to make sure that ongoing care for residents continues in the same high standards that we have provided for many years, but we will also continue to put pressure on those who make the decisions not to forget about care homes during this crisis.
Nicola Richards,
Director