Day 1 of Abbotswood COVID

“From: info@abbotswood.co <info@abbotswood.co>
Sent: 19 March 2020 18:34
To: 'West, Kevin' <Kevin.West@gov.im>
Subject: covid 19 plans
Dear Kevin
Just to keep you abreast of Abbotswood Nursing Homes current situation.
1) We have shut our doors since last Monday to All relatives, this will continue
until it is deemed safe to reopen. We will consider relatives coming in to see
dying residents if we are happy they have been appropriately socially isolating
themselves as far as possible.
2) We have already stockpiled dry food goods, pads disposable aprons,
washcloths ect for at least a three week supply. We will carry on ordering as
needed week by week and not touch these supplies until necessary. We have
closed a bathroom to store these things.
3) We will carry on admitting patients from hospital or home while it is still safe to
do so but as soon as one case is confirmed we will be closed to admissions.
4) All staff holidays have been cancelled for the foreseeable future as many
cannot leave the island anyway. The staff on Al have been asked to come into
work if colleagues have to go and self isolate because they fall in the high risk
category.
5) A handwashing basin has been placed at the front entrance for staff to wash
their hands before entering the building with anti bacterial soap.
6) All staff have been retrained in appropriate handwashing and infection control
and are observed handwashing their hands before entering the shift.
7) Staff who are considered in the high risk category (including myself have being
asked to go home and stay safe away from others. To keep them as safe as
possible.
8) I have coming tomorrow a computer that can be linked in to Abbotswood so I
can do a lot from home including wages off duty and emails, policies ect.
9) Doctors will be kept out unless absolutely necessary and we can always do
skype or face time with them if it is more difficult medical decisions.
10) Any one who develops even mild symptoms will be told to self isolate for two
weeks from last Monday. This is not easy as government will not test healthcare
workers in the private sector and ther are still many seasonal colds going
around.
11) We have got two new ipads for relatives to skype residents or just to see their
faces if the residents cant do skype so we can reassure relatives.
12) If the virus spreads here out of control we have set up two teams of staff that
will stay at the home locked in for 14 days each. One set of staff for the first 14
days and the next set for the next 14 days and so on. working around the clock
with appropriate rest breaks, the shift patterns and working rota will be devised
by the care staff and nurses undertaking this but there will be no definite night
and day shift, appropriate sleeping spaces and rest areas have been set aside
in the building if this has to come to pass. The staff on the rest time will have to
self isolate at home for this period to reduce risk to a minimum. Only the staff
in agreement will work this way and only if the island becomes heavily infected.

13) At present two staff as of Saturday will go into self isolation for health risks the
rest will go when confirmed cases have been identified.
14) As you know some of my 2 nd nurses are registered nurses in their own countries
( ie Portugal) and work as nurses without pin with a nurse with pin on the same
shift. These nurses are high calibre nurses and are better trained than most
from the U.K as they have undertaken 4 years of training. Once self isolation
starts from my high risk staff(those with underlying medical conditions) I will
loose 4-5 staff with pin and therefore we will still be able to operate with staff
that are registered nurses but not with a registered Pin on every shift. This will
be a problem going on from the 29 th March or as soon as confirmed cases are
identified on the island. I have full confidence in those nurses to run the shifts.
I am in the fortunate position that care staff have been trained in medications
so we will be utilising them and ancillary staff to undertake feeding or fluid
rounds.
15) I will remain on call from home 24/7 for advice or guidance
16) Ana will also be available for advice and guidance as she does not have to
medical conditions.
17) All weekly training has been suspended for the foreseeable future
18) All work on refurbishing the home from outside agencies such as swales doing
all the new doors has been put on hold
19) All staff have been told that they cannot go out socially to darts, pubs, clubs
restaurants ect or any gathering with more that 5 people and when not at work
they should just go straight home and wherever possible get food delivered to
avoid shops and supermarkets and if they cannot avoid it stay away from
people and use gloves on shopping trolleys.
20) All staff are no longer allowed from next week to use public transport.
21) No uniforms are to be worn outside the building.
22) Residents are not being isolated in their rooms at present due to an even more
risk of social isolation but individuals may be isolated and barrier nursed if they
get high temperatures over 37.8 and or display symptoms
These are the measures put in place by Abbotswood Nursing Home
As the government has not supplied us with protective clothing if we actually get a
case or suspected case within the nursing hone at this time no other measures have
been put in place as we cannot get supplies of our own or can we even get hand
sanitiser. So unless government are gong to help in other departments we have no
ability to put other things in place to protect staff or residents.”