Health Protection Scotland have now developed specific guidance for residential settings on COVID-19. It is based on the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual and includes advice on how to prevent spread of all respiratory infections including COVID-19. 

In additional to the Health Protection Scotland guidance the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has developed targeted clinical advice for nursing and residential care residents and COVID-19. 

Scottish Government have stressed that we must take measures to protect the most vulnerable within our society and that means our residents and in certain instances our care staff as it is recognised that those who are in care homes are often frail with complex needs.  Based on the current emerging picture around COVID-19, the CMO advice suggests that long term care facilities should be subject to ‘social distancing’ to reduce the risk of infecting residents and their carers in this vulnerable group. This should operate at 2 levels:

1) reducing visits to care homes to essential visits; and

2) social isolation in rooms.

Following this advice, we have closed our Care Homes to all but essential visits for the foreseeable future.

At Abercorn Care Limited we are continuing to work hard to make sure that our residents’ day to day lives at the Care Homes are as normal as possible since this announcement.  The health, well-being and safety of everyone in our homes is of the utmost importance to us and our primary objective is to keep both our residents and staff as safe as possible

Our activity coordinators and staff are keeping the residents busy with all sorts of activities, arts, crafts and games.  We are regularly having sing songs to keep our spirits up and we are enjoying the tasty afternoon teas prepared by our chefs which are always popular. We are also keeping the residents mobile with chair based exercises if they feel like taking part.

We are committed to making sure that the residents also continue to share happy times and memories with their loved ones virtually, so we have purchased a “Facebook Portal” for each home. 

Finally, would like to thank our Managers and staff for their passion and commitment in delivering care in such difficult circumstances.  We know they have the knowledge, skills and resources to minimise the risk that coronavirus presents. 

Thank you for your patience, co-operation and continued support.

Yours sincerely

Carole Bravin
Operations Director
Abercorn Care Limited