Dan Hayes, OSJCT Chief Executive, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2022 New Year’s Honours for his services to the social care sector. OSJCT is one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit care providers. 

The rank of ‘Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’ is awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to their respective fields.  It is the second highest ranking award behind the rank of commander (CBE).

Dan joined OSJCT 19 years ago as HR Manager and progressed within the organisation through to his appointment as Chief Executive in 2015.

Dan said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive this recognition, but also clear that the award would not have been made if I hadn’t been fortunate enough to spend my social care career with OSJCT. It’s my great good fortune to represent literally thousands of OSJCT colleagues who deserve similar recognition for what they continue to do, and who have carried me to the honour. In the truest sense, this OBE is for them, and it is in recognition of the lives they make better through their love and professionalism every day.”

Dan strongly believes the social care workforce should be adequately recognised and renumerated, and has been pivotal in lobbying key stakeholders, including government, for reforms. Dan is also a Board Director of the National Care Forum which promotes quality care and advocates with government departments and the media on behalf of the sector.

Mark Everall, Chair of Trustees at OSJCT, said: “This OBE is well-deserved, and the Trust could not be more proud of Dan. He has skilfully guided the organisation through this pandemic and has been a passionate advocate of the sector for many years. His leadership epitomises the compassion, resilience, and commitment of all those across the Trust working so hard to provide loving care for those we look after.”

OSJCT is one of the largest not-for-profit providers of social care in England and has been named one of the top 20 recommended care home groups on leading independent consumer website Carehome.co.uk since 2016.

Dear family member or friend,

As you will all be aware, our teams and care homes have faced extraordinary challenges since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only have they worked courageously through the early months, adopting new protocols and practices, more recently they have been asked to manage ever-changing visiting guidance, often released by the Government at the eleventh hour.

Adding to the stress of understanding and introducing frequently changing Government guidance, our care homes have also been affected by long standing sector-wide pressures on staffing levels, and more recently increased employee absence through having to self-isolate. Whilst we plan for fluctuations in staffing, like others in the care sector, this winter is proving especially challenging.     

We understand how important visits are to yourselves and your loved ones, and we are committed to supporting visiting in our homes, in line with Government guidance. The Trust has always moved quickly to invest in and facilitate safe visiting, from installing handwashing units at home entrances, establishing screened visiting rooms and garden pods, and swiftly updating our protocols through our Covid-19 working group.

I am asking for your support and understanding for our teams, who are doing their very best this winter to ensure that visiting takes place safely in our homes. We are aware of a small number of instances where visitors have been obstructive or unpolite in their communications with our teams.

Our homes are also supported by our central teams. These include our busy recruitment team who are responding to our most ambitious recruitment campaign ever. Our volunteering department is liaising with care homes to promote new ways that volunteers can dedicate some extra hours and support their local teams. These are just two of the proactive initiatives we have taken to help tackle the current staffing crisis.

Please continue to be patient with all team members in our care homes and understanding of the pressures they are dealing with. We expect everyone to adhere to our Visitors' Charter.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

With best wishes,

Dan Hayes

Dear family member, loved ones and friends,

The new Government guidance for care home visiting was updated late on 14 December, and came into effect on 15 December.

As COVID-19 cases in the community rise steeply, our top priority is the care and safety of your loved ones living in our care homes. Please be reassured that after 20 months dealing with the threat of the virus, our care homes are well practiced in following our protocols, infection prevention control measures, use of PPE and testing procedures.

We have summarised key changes to visiting guidance below:

Visits in care homes

Each resident can have three nominated visitors and one essential care giver (ECG), plus visits from pre-school children. These four visitors cannot be changed for the time being.

ECGs must now take three LFD tests and one PCR test each week and undergo rapid response testing in the event that the home has an outbreak. This is the same testing regime as care home employees. ECGs should follow the testing instructions, and all other details explained in the ECG visitors’ agreement.

Residents on an end-of-life pathway can have extra visitors subject to negative LFD testing and following infection control measures as guided.

Close contacts with COVID-19

Any nominated visitors or ECGs – even if double vaccinated – who are identified as a close contact of someone who is positive for COVID-19 (of any strain) is strongly advised not to visit a care home for 10 days and to take a daily LFD test in those 10 days following notification of being a contact.

In exceptional circumstances, for example those on an end-of-life care pathway, visits can take place during those 10 days following a negative PCR test and negative LFD test on the day of the visit, before it takes place. Full support will be given to ensure these visits can take place.

Visits out of the care home

Residents who are planning to go out of their care home for a visit should continue to avoid high-risk places, such as crowded venues or public transport.

Residents who have had at least two COVID-19 vaccinations, or are medically exempt, do not have to self-isolate on return from their visit, but must have daily LFD tests for 10 days on their return, and a PCR test on day five.

Residents who have not had their vaccines and are not medically exempt must receive in-room care for 14 days on their return.  This also applies for any residents who have been to a high-risk location (determined by an individual risk assessment) or visited a hospital in an emergency.

Residents who go to a planned hospital visit must remain in their room until they receive a negative PCR test, before re-joining the care home community and completing 10 days of daily testing.

Covid-19 booster vaccination

We are asking all family and friend visitors to OSJCT care homes to have their COVID-19 booster vaccinations as soon as they are eligible, as an important measure to reduce the spread and severity of the virus to residents and employees. As the effectiveness of vaccinations reduces over time, a recent vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family and those living and working in care homes.

Our homes will ask ECGs to share their vaccination status, this is a voluntary measure, and refusal to do so will not impact on visits. However, sharing this information will be very helpful for our teams.

All care home employees are double vaccinated and are also asked to get their COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations at the earliest opportunity.

We thank you for your patience with our care teams, as we implement these changes, and manage visiting over the festive period.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Dear family member or friend,

Firstly, on behalf of the Trust, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Like many of you, we have seen the news over the weekend of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and the actions we must all take to keep each other safe over the coming weeks.

In addition to national requirements, we have been alerted by government to new guidance coming out today regarding visiting arrangements, testing, and our workforce.

We have not received the details yet, but we believe that from Wednesday 15 December, our residents will be limited to three nominated visitors, plus one Essential Care Giver. Our understanding is that the vast majority of residents will see no, or minimal effects, in visits to their home through these changes.

Residents that leave our services to visit out will need to undertake additional tests, for a longer period on their return.

We will provide more details when we receive the guidance, but for now please be reassured that we want our residents to have visitors, and we believe it is of huge importance to the health and wellbeing of all involved.

Finally, remember that there is a great deal that you can do to help protect your loved one, and all of those that live with your loved one who are also vulnerable:
 

• Where you are eligible, get your COVID-19 booster as quickly as possible and without exception. This is the single most important thing you can do for yourself and others.
• Follow to the letter, all of the guidance and checks put in place by the home/scheme to protect you and others.
• Do not visit an OSJCT care home if you feel unwell or for seven days after being notified by Test and Trace that you have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

We thank you for your patience with our care teams, as we implement these changes, and manage visiting over the festive period.

With best wishes,

Dan Hayes

Dear family member, loved ones and friends,

As Christmas fast approaches our homes are busy organising decorations, activities, entertainers, and festivities to brighten this time of year. As always, our aim is to give our residents the best Christmas we can while keeping everyone as safe as possible.

One of this year’s highlights was Sing for Hope in May, a musical celebration which our homes and offices took part in, through zoom. We are excited to run another concert, Sing for Joy, on 8 December, when all out homes will join to sing together, again via zoom. Look out for pictures on social media from all the events and activities taking place in our care homes throughout December.

Planning for Christmas visiting

We are working to Government guidance and our protocols, as we make plans for Christmas visiting. News such as the emergence of the new variant of concern, Omicron, mean that we cannot guarantee that there won’t be changes to national guidance and we will contact you if we need to change any visiting arrangements. We thank you in advance for your support with events that are beyond our control.

Forward planning will help our care home teams to organise activities and resources in the home over the festive period.

Visits in

For any home that is not in outbreak over Christmas we expect to be able to facilitate visiting in line with current protocols. As it will be an especially busy time, we are asking relatives to contact their homes early to request visiting appointments and to be amenable to any local guidance from care home managers, who aim to share visiting opportunities equally across all residents.

If the home is in outbreak over the Christmas period, residents will still be able to receive Essential Care Giver visits (as long as both are fit and well) in line with local booking arrangements.

Visits out

Residents, who are fit and well, are able to leave their care home for a visit with loved ones, and this includes during the Christmas period. They are also able to stay overnight with a family member, without having to isolate on return to the care home. Relatives should put in a request to their care home manager to plan a visit so that the visit can be risk assessed where appropriate.

Any visit to a busy venue where social distancing may not be possible, will be risk assessed and the home may ask the resident to undergo in-room care until the return of a negative PCR test, to protect all residents in the home. If a resident is frail or poorly, a request to take them out of the care home for a visit may not be possible, and if this is the case, your Home Manager will explain their reasons in full.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Dear family member, loved ones and friends,

We know that limits and restrictions around visiting loved ones in OSJCT care homes due to Covid-19 can be frustrating for all. However, the emergence of the new variant of concern, Omicron, reminds us to continue to be diligent and cautious. All our teams work in line with Government guidelines to manage the risk of Covid-19 transmission to our residents, many of whom are extremely vulnerable to that and other winter viruses.

Our homes use a Dynamic Risk Assessment (DRA) to manage and respond to changing circumstances such as outbreaks (as defined by Public Health England), fluctuating community transmission rates and each home’s capacity to manage infection control measures associated with each visit. Whilst OSJCT policies provide options for regular visiting, it is not always possible for every home to offer all types of visits, at all times. Home Managers are supported by their Area Operation Managers, and a central policy group, led by care quality experts who regularly review and interpret Government advice and policy changes so that homes have up-to-date information.

The availability of visits, visiting spaces and types of visits may change in your home, so please liaise with your Home Managers about the latest situation. You can also refer to the DRA for your loved one’s home. A copy is available on request.

We are aware of a recent update to the Government’s visiting guidance (25 November), which was released prior to wider knowledge of Omicron. We expect further changes to the visiting guidance and are awaiting those before we change our protocols. It is still the case that OSJCT homes in outbreak only permit visits by ECGs or visits for residents at end-of-life.

Please bear with our teams during these busy and challenging times. We are all committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of residents and endeavour to make visiting as open as possible within the current restrictions. We very much appreciate your ongoing vigilance against illness, and we ask that you postpone your visit if you are feeling unwell yourself.

Essential Care Givers (ECGs)

Each resident has been offered the opportunity to nominate one visitor as their ECG. These visitors can come into the home during outbreaks as long as they are fit and well, and test negative for Covid-19. They also need to sign an ECG Visitors’ Agreement which covers the roles and responsibilities of both the care home and the ECG.

In some cases, ECGs will also be able to visit their loved one in their bedroom. This can be discussed with your Home Manager or Head of Care. If you are unsure whether your loved one has an ECG, please speak to your Home Manager or a senior team member.

Visitors’ Charter

All visitors must adhere to the Visitors’ Charter. We politely remind all visitors of the importance of treating our employees and others with respect when visiting our homes/sites as stated in our Visitors’ Charter.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

The Government has brought in legislation requiring anyone who enters a care home from 11 November to prove that they have had a full course of COVID-19 vaccinations or have a valid medical exemption. (Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes: operational guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Therefore, any prospective resident or family member who wishes to visit an OSJCT care home to view a bedroom and meet the Home Manager, will need to show evidence on arrival of their vaccination status.

Vaccination status must be confirmed using the NHS COVID Pass, as per Government guidance. This can be obtained using the NHS App, the NHS website or by calling 119 and requesting a letter. Further details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass.

Government policy is found here, along with details of obtaining evidence. Information about medical exemptions is available here.

For any other questions about moving into an OSJCT care home, please visit our admissions page or call our Customer Services team on 0800 988 8133, or fill in an enquiry form.

Dear family member, loved ones and friends,

We all understand how important regular contact and visiting between residents and their loved ones is. After last year, where we faced numerous restrictions, we are pleased that much more visiting can now take place. I am writing to ask all our visitors to be mindful of the risk of inadvertently bringing winter viruses into one of our homes.

On occasions care homes are asked by Public Health England to restrict visiting when a home has two or more positive cases of COVID-19 or several instances of another serious disease such as respiratory viruses, and we are keen to minimise these events. Therefore, when you are preparing for a visit to your loved one, please consider whether you are feeling unwell, for any reason. Please postpone your visit if there might be a risk that you have symptoms of any infectious diseases. As our residents are the most vulnerable in our society, even minor coughs and colds can develop quickly into more serious conditions for them.

If it is necessary to postpone or rebook a visit appointment, please be reassured that you will be able to book another visit as soon as you are well or ask for a video or voice call which our homes will be happy to organise for you.

Thank you to everyone who has already had their flu and COVID-19 booster vaccinations, as these are important steps which help to protect our residents and employees.

I would like to thank you personally for your patience and understanding during this time and would like to reiterate that we at The Orders of St John Care Trust are totally committed to the loving care of all our residents and colleagues.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Dear family member, loved ones and friends,

I write to you as we approach the winter months of the year to share our commitment to ensuring that visiting in OSJCT care homes takes place where possible. I would also like to encourage all those who regularly or occasionally visit our care homes, as a relative or friend of our residents to take up flu and COVID-19 booster vaccinations to help protect our residents and employees.

Vaccinations along with LFD testing and the strict infection control protocols we undertake in our homes are the best ways to reduce the likelihood of winter viruses getting into our homes. We anticipate that visiting will be possible all through the winter, except in cases where the home is asked by Public Health England to limit visitors to essential visitors only (these include Essential Care Givers).

COVID-19 boosters are being prioritised for people over 50, care home residents and employees, and those who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions. The NHS will contact eligible individuals directly. The winter flu vaccination can be booked either through your GP surgery or www.boots.com/online/pharmacy-services/winter-flu-jab-services (may incur a cost).

We appreciate that visits to your loved ones are still facing restrictions, and we continue to offer booked and timed visits in designated spaces within our care homes as the best approach to minimising footfall and risk of asymptomatic spread of winter viruses. Our visiting protocols align with government guidance on visiting in care homes.

I would like to thank you personally for your patience and understanding during this time and would like to reiterate that we at The Orders of St John Care Trust are totally committed to the loving care of all our residents and colleagues.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Following the high uptake of the COVID-19 vaccination programme across the UK population, the government has removed the need for people to undertake a period of self-isolation in several scenarios. It is now no longer necessary for people who have had a full course of vaccines (and allowed two weeks to elapse) to self-isolate for the full 14 days in the following instances:

• Contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 if they don’t live in the same household.
• Residents who have had contact with someone who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 if they receive a negative PCR test before mixing with other residents and have an enhanced LFD testing regime for 10 days.
• Residents returning to a care home following a planned hospital stay.
• Residents transferring from another care facility.
• Residents moving into a care home from their own residence if they undergo an enhanced PCR and LFD testing regime for 10 days. *
• Employees who have had contact with someone who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 (but does not live with them) if they receive a negative PCR test before returning to work and have an enhanced LFD testing regime for 10 days.

*Residents moving into a care home who do not wish to have an enhanced testing regime may choose to undergo 14 days of in-room care with full support from our care teams.

(Self-isolation may be implemented in cases where there are high rates of transmission and variants of concern in the local community under the guidance of the local Public Health England teams.)

People who have not been fully vaccinated, will still need to self-isolate in those scenarios, in accordance with the national Stay at home guidance (COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).

Visitors to care homes

To ensure the safety and protection of vulnerable care home residents, government guidance also advises visitors to care homes who have been identified as a contact with someone with COVID-19 to avoid visiting for 10 days after contact unless absolutely necessary. Where visits are necessary, visitors must have a negative PCR result, and a negative LFD result on the day of their visit.

Scenarios where self-isolation is required

Self-isolation is still required for all care home employees and residents while awaiting PCR test results. Any employee or visitor who has tested positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for 10 days. Any resident in a care home or high-risk setting must isolate for 14 days and will be fully supported with in room care during that time. This applies even if they are fully vaccinated. Vaccination reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of acquiring and transmitting infection.