#7 – Monday, 4th May 2020

We remain at Implementation Level Two, with no Residents, Clients or Staff who are Symptomatic.

NHS Support

We continue to receive all the support we need at the present time, including adequate supplies of PPE.

Residents, Clients and Staff can now all get tested, although it is currently proving easier said than done. We are making progress with Staff that can make their way to a Testing Station, but are finding that Home Testing  Kits are like hen’s teeth. The website opens at 8am and by 8.01am all that day’s kits are gone. We will keep persevering.

At Nettlestead, we have been asked to take part in a Testing Trial which will be done through the Residents’ GP. We are currently awaiting details. So far 10 Staff have managed to book their tests, 7 have heard back, thankfully All Negative, and 3 are waiting on results!

At Priors Mead, so far 11 Staff have had their tests done over the weekend; 3 have returned back as Negative and we are awaiting the other results.

At HomeCare, so far 5 Staff have been tested and all are Negative. HomeCare is also going to be involved in a trial with Bromley Council for testing Clients in the Community. The trial will consist of us collecting 25 Home Testing Kits to complete with the Clients, for returning back to the Council the same day.

Both Homes

Sarah’s niece, Charly, is a student at The Hammond School of Performing Arts, who are going to put on a show via Zoom for both homes.

Nettlestead

Nettlestead currently has 1 Staff off but for non-Covid-19 reasons.

• We have had a donation of over 200 Face Masks from a local businessman, Adam Petyt – thank you!
• We have also had some Eggs donated from the First Mile recycling company.
• Apologies to everyone doing battle with our Internet. We appreciate your patience and are assured someone will be out tomorrow to fix it.
• We are having a Stay at Home Party on Friday 8th May in remembrance of VE Day where we will be decorating the home red, white and blue and enjoying an afternoon tea!
• Isabelle (a previous Resident’s daughter) sent us some Lola Cupcakes which helped considerably to lift everyone’s morale 🙂

Priors Mead

Priors Mead currently has one staff Self-Isolating for twelve weeks.

• On Thursday evening we enjoyed an Italian Themed Supper of pizza made by The Station Pub in South Nutfield. This was arranged by one of our Resident’s daughters, Manuela Romeres. Thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness in arranging this – it was enjoyed by our Residents and Staff alike!
• We continue to receive various gifts and treats from Relatives – thank you so much for this ongoing kindness and show of appreciation. We know this isn’t easy for you either, and we appreciate your support and understanding.
• A member of the Reigate community, Jayn McNally, very kindly gifted several Strawberry Plants to us, which had been proving impossible to come by. Thank you so much! We can’t wait to get started on our little garden project.
• We would like to wish our Night Carer, Marta Nykiel, a great last week at Priors Mead ahead of starting maternity leave to have her first child. We can’t wait to meet your new addition! Thank you for your ongoing hard work during this time.
• On Friday 8th May, in honour of the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, we are celebrating with a Stay at Home Party too. Please join us from the comfort of your own homes for the two-minute silence at 11am, and then again at 3pm where we will be having a Toast to Heroes. Thank you to Fred Greaves for sharing with us the details of a Live Stream Sing-a-Long that a friend of his is hosting; we’re looking forward to taking part.

HomeCare

HomeCare has two staff who are Self Isolating.

• Becky has started to contact clients and families in relation to the Isolation Stories. If you would like some more information or would like to get involved please contact the office and speak to Becky.

Volunteers

We now have 13 Volunteers.

• We have not used any Volunteers in the last week, but continue to be grateful for their background support and enthusiasm. 

Resilience

• Richard Bentine, a Nettlestead relative, has put us forward to take part in a trial of a wristband that monitors the wearer for changes to key health metrics, and which might therefore be particularly helpful at this time. We are just starting to evaluate the trial, and will report back if it looks promising to get the necessary permissions.
• Apart from this, we continue to audit our Pandemic Procedure on a weekly basis.

Suggestions

Suggestions continue to be welcome. Please share them with us by emailing covid-19@nightingales.co.uk.

Thank you all for your continued support and understanding.

Nick & Sarah Bruce

nick.bruce@nightingales.co.uk

sarah.bruce@nightingales.co.uk