Latest update for Visitors
Updated visitor guidance available with effect from 11am, Monday 6th April. Here at The Orders of St John Care Trust our priority is the safety and wellbeing of residents, colleagues and visitors in our services.
Dear family, friends and loved ones
Here at The Orders of St John Care Trust our priority is the safety and wellbeing of residents, colleagues and visitors in our services.
As the guidance around Coronavirus (COVID-19) develops each day and the number of confirmed cases increases we cannot deny the risk this virus poses for those in our care.
Following Monday’s advice by the government on the vulnerability of the over 70s we have made the difficult but responsible decision to restrict access to our homes to all but the most essential visitors required to either protect the health of our residents, or to ensure that buildings remain safe and essential supplies are delivered. We will continue to welcome new residents and employees following our strict protocols. For now, this means that we are respectfully asking relatives and loved ones not to visit as well as chiropodists, hairdressers etc. Where circumstances mean that a visit is essential, such as deteriorating health, then we will plan for a visit, and requests should be made to the Home Manager in these circumstances.
We are incredibly sad to put in place this measure. We know how important contact is for our residents, and we ask you to support our managers and teams as we all work for the same outcome; the safety and good health of our residents and your loved ones.
We are working on a raft of things to make life as normal and enjoyable as possible over the coming weeks with our dedicated activities co-ordinators and carers supported by our marketing and IT teams including remote contact, social media and virtual events. In the meantime, we appreciate your support greatly and we wish you good health in the coming weeks.
We understand that this may be concerning news for relatives of residents who may be very unwell at this time. We will contact you on a 1:1 basis to ensure that we can support you with the need to arrange planned visits with your loved one at this distressing time.
Who will still be accessing our homes?
Health professionals including Local Authority social workers, government bodies that support the work of Public Health and key suppliers will continue to be welcomed into our homes to support our residents. We will continue to welcome new residents and employees following our strict protocols.
Some of our homes are having property works undertaken including that which relates to health and safety matters and we want to ensure that we don’t stop anything that would make the living environment worse over a long period and we will be reviewing this on a case by case basis minimising wherever possible. Our contractors have reassured us that they are following all relevant guidance.
Volunteers under the age of 70 who confirm they are not symptomatic will be welcomed into our homes to help us deliver the care and support our residents need at this time.