Those poor care homes struggling with ppe

[SirGalahad]

My understanding is that soap and water kills it instantly, bursts the virus's 'bubble', even at hand wash temperature. So why not just pop the PPE in a normal domestic washing machine?

They don't have enough reusable gowns and putting a single use gown into a washing machine will likely destroy it or reduce its effectiveness.

You don't think they would have considered this?


"Despite these facts, recent published studies still favor disposable gowns as having a more solid, reliable and reproducible bacterial impermeability. With reusable gowns, these properties seem to fade with wetting or repeated wash. While reusable gowns, being more pliable and breathable, may seem more comfortable, this may dispel its concept of being an effective bacterial barrier."

 

[JohnD]

a lot of PPE is made to be disposable, so very cheap. The plastic may tear or split, and fabrics are often made of, or include, paper fibres.

 

[foxhole]

That's unfortunate to hear. If she is employed by them don't they have a duty to care to provide adequate equipment. The problem is PHE keeps on watering down minimum requirements - an apron is good enough. Shameful really.

They don’t seem to care ( excuse the pun), they are supposed to use qualified mental health staff, my sister in law was originally employed as kitchen staff but moved to carer role when they had a shortage, when she complained she didn’t have the training she was told she could always leave .

 

[Notch7]

84% of Care homes in the U.K. are privately owned, charging anywhere from £700 - £2000 per week.
Yet the media would have you believe that it is the governments fault that they do not have adequate PPE.

I watched one of our close family friends with dementia have all his savings leeched away they were paying 1000 a week they should be more than equipped the scammers.

care homes dont normally use PPE -at least not masks or visors -the problem is not them paying for it its supply. Some care home groups have enough, many dont.

the biggest issue in my view is that the govt dont have the testing. I applied for my FIL to go into a very local home (£1,465 per week+ £165 FNC) but they wouldnt take him without a negative test, the hospital couldnt or wouldnt get the test done.

After studying the care homes 28p contract, I was put right off: sundries like incontinence pads not included, contract stated it had the right to increase rates by 5% per year and it insisted it wanted proof there were sufficient funds to cover 2 years (£150k)

the problem is that care home homes are mostly run privately -and the bigger homes have shareholders and directors wanting their pound of flesh, so those homes are driven by profit -they have pretty receptions and upmarket brochures but the barest minimum care staff on low wages.

a major problem with care homes is that most have some social service or NHS places. Social services only pay £630 per week, which for most homes is below cost, so private customers are subsidising the cost of the NHS places.

 

[Notch7]

My sister in law works at a care home looking after adults with learning problems .
She was told to provide her own Ppe while working up to 15 hour shifts on minimum wage .No breaks ( which I believe is illegal).
Some are just in it for the money .

have you checked the CQC review for the home?

 

[Notch7]

If simple washing kills the virus, I don't understand why PPE cannot be reused after being washed - providing the PPE is suitable for being washed.

its a good point, but most PPE is designed to be single use -the greatest issue is to maintain infection control procedures -cross contamination is a real problem.

it is the reason why the public arent encouraged to use masks -because they arent trained to follow the robust procedures to prevent cross contamination methods and done wrong masks make things worse.

 

[SirGalahad]

care homes dont normally use PPE -at least not masks or visors -the problem is not them paying for it its supply. Some care home groups have enough, many dont.

the biggest issue in my view is that the govt dont have the testing. I applied for my FIL to go into a very local home (£1,465 per week+ £165 FNC) but they wouldnt take him without a negative test, the hospital couldnt or wouldnt get the test done.

After studying the care homes 28p contract, I was put right off: sundries like incontinence pads not included, contract stated it had the right to increase rates by 5% per year and it insisted it wanted proof there were sufficient funds to cover 2 years (£150k)

the problem is that care home homes are mostly run privately -and the bigger homes have shareholders and directors wanting their pound of flesh, so those homes are driven by profit -they have pretty receptions and upmarket brochures but the barest minimum care staff on low wages.

a major problem with care homes is that most have some social service or NHS places. Social services only pay £630 per week, which for most homes is below cost, so private customers are subsidising the cost of the NHS places.

Some care home Bosses have done the right thing and forced the NHS to test before taking on new residents. When you run services into the ground they think competitive business interests help make better decisions on rationing resources - it doesn't.

There are many patients who are able to leave the Hospital but do not have a care package in place so they are blocking beds. These unfortunate people are being exposed to Covid infections simply because of cross infections. Care homes have imported infections through residents as well as their staff who do not have the right equipment.

It's a sad situation all round and the people who will suffer will always be the most vulnerable.

Private Equity bought into care homes.

https://www.ft.com/content/952317a6-36c1-11ea-a6d3-9a26f8c3cba4


The problems at Four Seasons are in part a result of a long-term decline in fees paid to providers for social care, an issue that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure to redress in next month’s Budget. But there are also growing questions over the public accountability of some of the larger private equity-owned care homeowners, with their short-term investment focus and complex structures, involving scores of subsidiary companies, many of which are listed offshore. “What has happened is that care homes have become financialised,” says Nick Hood, analyst at Opus Restructuring & Insolvency, which has advised several care home chains. “Their owners are playing with the debt and expecting returns of 12 or 14 per cent and that is simply unsuitable for businesses with huge social responsibilities.” Global private equity, sovereign wealth and hedge funds have piled into the sector in the past three decades, lured by the promise of a steady government income and the long-term demographics of Britain’s ageing population. Three of the biggest chains — HC-One, Four Seasons and Care UK — are in the hands of buyout groups. Now the sector is in crisis. All three have been up for sale in the past two years and not found buyers. Hurt by a state mandated rise in the minimum wage, and a decline in funding for local governments, which pay for 60 per cent of their residents, their owners are clamouring for more support. Those care homes that take in state-funded residents under Britain’s means tested social care system are subsidising them by charging higher fees for residents who pay for their own accommodation. Hundreds have closed in recent years, putting pressure on hospitals, or leaving the elderly stranded in their houses.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

or leaving the elderly stranded in their houses.

I think I seem to be seeing a lot of home care businesses springing up recently, where the elderly stay at home and have visits from carers.

 

[transam]

In Spain some care homes for the elderly the residents were abandoned by the staff

 

[ellal]

the biggest issue in my view is that the govt dont have the testing. I applied for my FIL to go into a very local home (£1,465 per week+ £165 FNC) but they wouldnt take him without a negative test, the hospital couldnt or wouldnt get the test done.

One of my parents has partial care at home.
She became ill a short while back and the in-home care company arranged a fairly rapid test. So I guess it's who you know, or rather who the company knows...
(It was a negative and the care company has always been exemplary)

But yes, care home costs are a scandal.

 

[Notch7]

One of my parents has partial care at home.
She became ill a short while back and the in-home care company arranged a fairly rapid test. So I guess it's who you know, or rather who the company knows...
(It was a negative and the care company has always been exemplary)

But yes, care home costs are a scandal.

the problem we had is that my FIL was in hospital so any test had to be arranged by the NHS -when we enquired about a test neither the staff nurse nor ward manager had a clue about who to even ask about arranging a test. In the end we chose a different care home and they accepted 7 days of temperature readings and put my FIL in isolation for 14 days -not as sure as a test, but it meant he could leave hospital before CV cases really got going.