Occupational Therapy News OTnews May 2020 | Page 8

NEWS COVID-19
HCPC REGISTRATION FEE
RISE DELAYED
Acknowledging the extraordinary
pressure that registrants currently
face during the COVID-19 pandemic,
a proposed rise to the registration fee
for the Health and Care Professions
Council has been delayed. RCOT
had lobbied against the proposed
steep rise. HCPC says it will publish a
revised timetable for fee changes at a
later date.
HUNT FOR NORTHERN
IRELAND MENTAL
HEALTH CHAMPION
BEGINS
The Northern Ireland Department for
Health is searching for a new mental
health champion. Health minister
Robin Swann linked the new role
with the toll on mental health caused
by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is
estimated that a funded champion
without statutory functions would
cost between £300,000 and £500,000
per year, depending on the size of the
supporting staff and in which host
organisation the champion is placed.
NICE CHANGES DURING
COVID-19
The National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence (NICE) has
produced 14 rapid guidelines to
support best practice around the
care of patients during COVID-19.
NICE is changing how it develops
guidance while frontline NHS staff
are focused on patient care, and will
be prioritising upcoming guidance to
focus on COVID-19, as well as other
therapeutically critical topics. For
more information, visit: www.nice.org.
uk/covid-19.​
8 OTnews May 2020
Supporting care homes to cope with COVID-19
Two occupational therapists in Powys have
supported a large care home to cope with
a number of suspected cases of COVID-19
among its residents and staff.
Verena Zimmer and Dean Richards,
who work in adult social care in Powys
County Council, first heard via their local
commissioning team that one large care
home was running on less than half
strength as staff had to self-isolate.
They considered the best way to
support the care home and – seeking to work at the top of their licence to make the
biggest difference – worked out ways to offer single-handed care training, equipment
and advice to support the care home to make the best use of the staff they had.
Dean said: ‘I was thinking, how much help could I be just to volunteer my services
as a carer? We thought about how we could instead invest time in training them and
work with them to make better use of their time.’
Two-carer tasks were a particular issue so single-handed care training was
provided on the use of satin sheets, position wedges and quilted in-bed positioning
systems, as well as using hoists to turn on the bed.
Gantry hoists were loaned to the home to support this. The team also advised
on working routines, such as how staff could still deliver personal care individually to
residents and just work in pairs to hoist residents rather than delivering full double-
handed care.
Verena, the team’s occupational therapy lead, said: ‘We took a very pragmatic
approach of getting down there and seeing how we could help. Normally we would
have in our minds what we would cover in a training programme, but this wasn’t
exactly what was required, so we were really led by what the home needed and
taught them that. They were so busy that releasing staff for training wouldn’t have
worked if we had been rigid.’
Dean and Verena sat down with the manager and a senior staff member to discuss
which tasks were particularly difficult. The home identified particular issues with night-
time care shortages on its nursing care unit and the need for two staff to provide
turning for pressure care, as well as regular changing of incontinence pads.
To help with this, the local community equipment service agreed to loan both active
pressure care mattresses and turning platforms, which would eliminate or reduce
turning required during the night.
They also advised on the principle of overprescription of equipment. Where a
person would normally be supported by two staff to walk, for example, transfer
equipment could be used with one member of staff instead as a short-term measure
during the critical staff shortages.
Adds Verena: ‘They could immediately see how this was useful for tackling the
staffing crisis, but when this is all over they could really see the value to do this to free
up time for more meaningful activities.’
Dean and Verena continue to stay in touch with the care home to provide ongoing
support, and have sent photos and videos of different techniques to recap staff on the
techniques that were delivered in person.
Says Dean: ‘It’s definitely improved our rapport with the staff in the care home as
we’ve worked together to solve the issues, and they have thanked us a lot for the
support that we have provided.’
They also hope that what was delivered at this care home can be delivered at other
care homes coping with staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
NEWS IN BRIEF