"Behind the mask there is caring and compassion" - how social care teams in Leeds are balancing coronavirus and consideration

Thousands of people leave hospital after treatment and go back to the sanctuary and comfort of their own homes every year.
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For many people in Leeds, that is not possible without a little help and teams of care workers around the city are supporting the city’s vulnerable adults to regain their independence and dignity.

Debra Elbourne is a supervisor with the city council’s Adult and Health Skills Re-enablement unit that works with people aged between 18 to 80 and above.

Every day skills

Care workers in Leeds continue to be a lifeline for the city's vulnerable adults.Care workers in Leeds continue to be a lifeline for the city's vulnerable adults.
Care workers in Leeds continue to be a lifeline for the city's vulnerable adults.
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From ordering a handrail to showing someone how to use a microwave, the scope of their work is wide and covers whatever people need to help them lead as independent a life as they can and the little things make the biggest difference.

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Read More: How care workers are coping with coronavirus

“It could be someone that is a little frail and finding it difficult to use their skills, they could have had a fall and want to regain their confidence. We go in there and see what we can do to help them regain those skills.”

Referrals

Debra Elbourne in the PPE that her teams wear during home visits.Debra Elbourne in the PPE that her teams wear during home visits.
Debra Elbourne in the PPE that her teams wear during home visits.

They are referred to the service by a doctor, hospital or even their own families and despite the pressures on the NHS and care services caused by the coronavirus outbreak - the teams are still making sure people are safe and happy at home.

Other people the service works with may have conditions like cerebral palsy issues brought about by drug and alcohol addiction that means their routines with personal care have slipped.

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Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, a case officer would visit the person at home and do a personal care plan to work out things like whether they need any specialist equipment, whether they need two or four daily visits from a care worker and the goals that they want to achieve.

She added: “It is about self-worth. We have had the loveliest comments from customers saying ‘thankyou, I have just managed to step in the shower’. It means so much to them just to be able to get around the home safely.”

Supervisor Debra Elbourne says her staff introduce themselves to customers through the window before donning PPE.Supervisor Debra Elbourne says her staff introduce themselves to customers through the window before donning PPE.
Supervisor Debra Elbourne says her staff introduce themselves to customers through the window before donning PPE.

Since the pandemic lockdown, staff have had to adapt the way they work but are still having to visit people in their own homes as many clients are not using modern technology methods such as Skype, Zoom or Facebook apps.

The case plans are being put together over the phone, office meetings now have fewer people and some staff meetings are virtual, while the necessary home visits are done in line with social distancing, for example, showing someone cooking skills from across the room. The rest is done with personal protective equipment (PPE) which provides its own issues.

Anxiety

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She said: “They (customers Debra’s team works with) are aware of social distancing. Some are very, very anxious around this and it is a little bit cold (wearing masks and PPE) so we show our face at the window first and make sure they can reduce that anxiety.”

Another change to working practices is that the PPE is now being delivered to staff at their own home rather than an old folks complex where they would have previously collected it from. And, there are other changes that may be made more permanent in the future.

Mrs Elbourne added: “We are still picking customers up and still doing referrals. But it has meant finding new ways of working. I am a supervisor and have 11 staff, they could have been self isolating or we could have been at a point where we didn’t have enough staff to deliver that service.

“I am very much on the front line making sure staff are working safely, it is a nervous and unsettling time.

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“I have to be mentally prepared to go to work. I have anxiety about if my staff get it and I feel responsible. No one day is the same but I can honestly say that behind that mask there is compassion and caring and a sense of positivity.”

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