You will no doubt have seen the government’s public information about coronavirus. The public awareness campaign focuses on hand washing, washing your hands for 20 seconds, washing your hands when you get to work or arrive home, after you blow your nose, cough or sneeze or before you eat or handle food. Use a tissue to cough or sneeze into and then dispose it immediately. All of these tips aim to prevent and slow down the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
If you are worried that you or someone you look after may be at risk, there is useful information here, you can call NHS 111 for advice and let them know that you are a Carer. Even if you are not showing symptoms, it’s important to use this service if you’ve been in close contact to someone with the virus or if you’ve been to one or more of the places listed on the NHS website in the last 14 days.
Contingency plans
In case you do need to self-isolate due to the Coronavirus or any other infectious symptoms, make sure that you have made arrangements so that the person you care for will still be looked after. You may already have these plans in place, don’t worry if you haven’t as Carers UK has some good advice on how to create a contingency plan.
If you have paid care workers coming into the home to look after someone:
- ensure that they are following stringent hygiene measures as set out by the NHS. Ask if the agency has a policy available if in doubt.
- talk to the person you look after to ensure they’re content with the hygiene standards of the care worker providing care for them.
Remember, if you are registered with our CERS service (Carers Emergency Response Service) you can lean on their support if you’re unable to care due to an emergency or pre-planned medical appointment. Find out more about our CERS service here or call them to register on 0121 442 2960.
