Hospital manager praises community workers for heroic efforts during pandemic
A hospital manager says coronavirus outbreaks have subsided at care homes – but revealed staff are prepared for a possible second wave.
And Edliz Kelly, from the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, paid a huge thanks to frontline workers who have been visiting care homes during the pandemic.
Ms Kelly, the team leader at the trust’s Community Clinical Hub, revealed things are "most definitely calming down" after a peak of cases back in March and April.
Since the outbreak, there have been 52 deaths from coronavirus at Dudley's care homes. However, the last death was recorded seven weeks ago on June 21.
She praised staff, who work at the hub, who she believes have not received the recognition they deserve for their work in the pandemic.
Staff members in this department have been going out to care homes and private residences, carrying out swabbing tests and offering medical advice to patients and carers. Roles include enhanced nurse practitioners and enhanced care home practitioners.
Ms Kelly said: “The management team in the community sector would like to thank the staff who worked extra hard in the pandemic.
“They work in care homes, with health protection teams and local authority public health teams.”
She added: “They are a part of the trust but don’t get the recognition for the work they did during the pandemic.”
When the coronavirus outbreak was at its peak earlier this year, these staff were “intercepting people” who weren’t going to hospital with coronavirus symptoms, said Ms Kelly.
“Some [patients] had respiratory symptoms,” she continued. “We were seeing Covid symptomatic patients at the early stage of the pandemic.
“We were part of the swabbing team going out to see patients. They were putting themselves on the frontline. I think it was particularly stressful to people, but we worked as a team and to the Government guidance.”
Ms Kelly added it is "hard to say" whether a second wave will occur. But she said health officials will be more prepared this time around.
"We are not [seeing new cases in care homes]," she said. "It has gone a bit quiet.
"We are not seeing any major outbreaks so the peak was in March and April time. It is most definitely calming down. We are still continuing to liaise with other stakeholders.
"I think at the moment, it is hard to say if a second wave will happen.
"We are much more prepared. We are obviously ensuring we have got enough adequate PPE [personal protection equipment]."