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Council shortlisted for national award for helping care homes battle coronavirus

A council's public health team has been shortlisted for a national award for its response to coronavirus outbreaks in care homes.

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Lisa McNally, director of public health, Sandwell Council. Photo: Sandwell Council

Sandwell's director of public health, Dr Lisa McNally, said the nomination in the Royal College of Nursing [RCN] Awards was a "testament" to her hard working staff.

She likened her team's response to the pandemic as battling in a "war" but said high vaccination uptakes among elderly people has given them much more protection now.

Sandwell Council's Public Health Team is a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution to Infection Prevention and Control Award.

Dr McNally said: "I have said many times that, in the first wave of the pandemic, and when we saw the way the care homes, and the care home residents and staff that were impacted, it was one of the most difficult times of my career.

"I remember very well being on an outbreak meeting where we were responding alongside the care home team to an outbreak and the care home staff were in tears.

"They were absolutely pulled apart by it. I think we were on the edge as well.

"This [award nomination] is not something to celebrate because so many people died.

"It is really a testament that I want to pay to the team. The care home staff, they would never describe themselves as heroes, but I do.

"I would absolutely describe the care home staff as heroes.

"I will never walk past a care home again without thinking of the absolute war that was being waged behind those doors, and the bravery of the staff.

"It is paying tribute to my own team who worked seven days a week, and still do, supporting the care homes.

"They know all the care home managers by their first name and many of the staff."

When the pandemic began to surge last year, public health teams increased support to Sandwell's 84 care homes, helping to manage Covid-19 outbreaks.

There was help available seven days a week and that round-the-clock assistance is still in place.

As of today, Sandwell has a lower rate of coronavirus care home deaths than the national average, Office for National Statistics figures show.

Dr McNally says the roll-out of the vaccine has proven key to that.

She said: "We are seeing people getting infected in the past couple of months who, if they had been infected let's say last year, when there were no vaccines, the chances of them surviving would have been really slim.

"In care homes, you are talking about the frailest of the frail, very old, long term conditions, all the biggest risk factors.

"The number of infections has significantly decreased. Even where there is infection, we are not seeing the severe illness and death that we were before the vaccination programme was complete in care homes."

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