CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 UPDATE
Memo to residents and their families – 25th May 2021
Indoor visiting continues in all of our homes, and seems to be going well, with everyone getting used to the testing routine. Our new Visiting Co-ordinators have settled into their roles, and as well as being available to welcome visitors when they arrive, they are providing invaluable support to the rest of the staff team, enabling them to continue with their main role – providing care and support to residents.
The new guidance that came out from Scottish Government last week about outings and visits outside the home was welcomed by everyone. It will make a huge difference to residents’ lives to again be able to go out with families, or to get out on the bus for trips. As is so often the case in the middle of this pandemic, each trip out incurs extra paperwork for the home’s staff. This is required by Public Health in their efforts to make sure that residents, families staff and the local community are kept as safe as possible. Please be patient with the manager or staff if they need to discuss the detail of your planned trip. We also need to make sure that the buses and the drivers are prepared and working in ways that keep everyone as safe as possible. This means additional cleaning routines and a new rota for the buses to be available at each home, but we are working to put this in place, and plan to have at least one of the buses ready to start next week.
We were very pleased this month to be able to pass on the £500 payment from Scottish Government to those of our staff who were eligible, as the money was passed on to us from the local authority who had been tasked with assessing the applications for this payment. The staff teams in all of the homes have worked incredibly hard over the past year, and are very deserving of this recognition.
While incidences of infection in the communities around each of the homes continues to be low, and restrictions are easing, there is obviously still some concern about the possibility of variants of the virus that may be less responsive to vaccination. It remains important therefore that we all continue to follow the guidance – Face coverings, Avoid crowded places, Clean hands, Two metres distancing, Self isolate if you have symptoms. Continuing to co-operate with lateral flow testing when visiting is also helping to keep residents and staff safe.
There is a sense of life beginning to return to something a bit more like normal, but we still need to be cautious, and so your patience and support is, as always, very much appreciated.
Board of Directors
Peter McCormick, Ingrid Neville, Clare Allen, Katie Wood
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Memo to residents and their families – 16th April 2021
Now that the staff and residents in all of our homes have been offered the second dose of the vaccination, the NHS vaccination teams continue to support us to ensure that new residents, or those who were not able to be vaccinated previously, are now being given the opportunity. Vaccination rates amongst residents is very high, with between 96-100% of residents in our home having received a vaccination, depending on their circumstances. Staff are all being encouraged to take the vaccine where possible, and those who did not receive it initially can still call the NHS helpline to arrange an appointment.
It has been encouraging to see that, with lower levels of infection in the local communities, the incidence of staff or residents testing positive has dropped dramatically, but it is too soon yet to let our guard down, and so it is important that we all continue to take care with hand hygiene, wearing masks, and staying socially distanced where possible, to keep residents and staff as safe as possible.
Indoor visiting has been operating again for the past month, starting with two visits of half an hour each week, in line with the Scottish Government guidelines. The staff around the homes have commented on how lovely it has been to have some kind of normality return, and to see so many familiar faces, even if they are behind a mask. They know how important the visits are to you, and to your relatives and friends.
The homes are gradually trying to increase the number of visits, and the length of time for each visit, as they are able. You will appreciate the practical difficulties that come with managing more than 120 appointments each week, when each visit needs staff to help with lateral flow testing, to supervise hand washing and donning of masks, and to escort the visitor to and from the resident’s room. The homes will continue to try to create more opportunities for visits, as they are able, and the guidance allows.
The good news is that hairdressers will be allowed back into the homes very soon, which I know many residents are looking forward to. When they return, they will be included in our twice-weekly testing regime alongside our staff, and of course will follow all guidelines on infection control and wearing PPE.
Once again, we appreciate your ongoing support for all of our staff teams around the homes, who continue to do everything they can to provide safe, comfortable and caring homes for all of the people who live and visit there.
Board of Directors
Peter McCormick, Ingrid Neville, Clare Allen, Katie Wood
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Memo to residents and their families – 26th March 2021
The vaccination programme in care homes is largely complete with all residents and staff offered their second dose of the vaccine now. There is still some catch up ongoing for people who couldn’t take the vaccine when offered and for others, like new staff. This has made a very real difference within the homes, as occurrences of infection and the need to isolate have dropped off significantly. In the wider community the roll out of the vaccine programme has also led to significant drops in infection rates.
Indoor visiting has begun again recently and you should all have had the opportunity to visit if you wished. Currently each resident can have up to two visits a week with designated visitors, and hopefully as the weather improves outdoor visiting can restart, with additional visitors. It is expected that this programme will open up further over time, as the guidance allows.
It is important that while we can all appreciate the return of freedoms that we have all missed, the virus has not gone away and, alongside the vaccine programme, we need to continue to take steps to minimise the risk of transmission. These include handwashing, masks and distancing along with the Lateral Flow Tests that many of you will be used to now. The vaccination programme does not provide 100% protection for everyone, and it is not clear how much it reduces the spread of the virus, so using these tools will limit the risk of anyone unknowingly bringing the virus into the home and risking infecting any of the residents. While it does look like we may be heading out of the worst of the pandemic at the moment, we do need to keep our guard up against risks that can be mitigated.
Board of Directors
Peter McCormick, Ingrid Neville, Clare Allen, Katie Wood
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Memo to residents and their families – 27th January 2021
There was a flurry of new guidance from the Scottish Government around the holiday period at the same time as the rules for the rest of the population were also changing significantly. We have national guidance from the Scottish Government, alongside specific guidance for care homes which is also supplemented by guidance from the NHS and public health and reviewed to account for both local conditions and the specific conditions within each care home. Unfortunately that means that what we are allowed to do at each care home can change very fast and quite frequently. Your home will keep you up to date with the situation they are operating under.
Alongside the national lockdown, visiting in care homes was suspended before the holiday period. This was in anticipation of the winter spike in infections and the increased infections from the new variant. While indoors visiting isn’t allowed at the moment, outdoor visiting is allowed in some homes, but it really depends on the local circumstances and advice from public health.
We are expecting further advice about visiting once the vaccination programme is complete, but haven’t seen anything in this regard yet.
The vaccination programme is well under way and nearly complete for the first dose. 5 out of the 6 homes in the group have now been vaccinated and the last one is due to have the vaccine this weekend. Although the vaccine is not a panacea, it is a great relief that this has been completed so quickly. Second doses are currently expected 12 weeks after the initial dose.
Once visiting reopens, we will be using the new Lateral Flow Tests that give a result within 30 minutes. Visitors will be asked to perform the test, which involves taking a swab from the nose and throat. If the test is negative (i.e. no infection) then the visit can go ahead, however, if the test is positive for the virus you will need to go home and isolate and ask for an NHS test to confirm. The vaccination programme does not provide 100% protection for everyone, so using this test will limit the risk of anyone unknowingly bringing the virus into the home and risking infecting any of the residents.
We are so sorry that these rules appear to be changing so often, but that is because we have to follow government guidance and the situation regarding the virus is so changeable.
Board of Directors
Peter McCormick, Ingrid Neville, Clare Allen, Katie Wood
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Memo to residents and their families – 3rd December 2020
Christmas
We are currently waiting for an update from the Scottish Government for care homes rules and guidance over the holiday period. This is expected to cover visiting, decorations & presents amongst other topics. As that has not yet been issued we are sharing this note with our current plans, although these may need amended once we receive the national guidance. However, please also note that any national guidance is also potentially subject to local restrictions and the circumstances within an individual home as well.
Visiting – Some of the homes within the company have had to suspend visiting due to positive test results. This is a constantly evolving situation and changes from day to day and also due to other local factors. We work with public health and follow the guidance they issue and that may include closing the home to all visitors for a period of time.
There has just been a new announcement about visiting and testing of visitors and we will issue a further memo shortly once we’ve had time to consider the implications of this.
Given the risk of passing on any infection can we ask that all presents are delivered in good time. We will quarantine all presents and cards for a period of 72 hours to ensure resident safety.
Steps have been taken to minimise the risk of infection passing through decorations, but we have been able to have decorations about the home both inside and out in a safe manner and it does look very festive.
There is a lot of talk, including in the media, about vaccination for care home residents and staff. This is really still in the planning stage, but we are advised that vaccination is expected to start in December. We will keep you updated as soon as we know more with any more certainty.
Thank you very much for your understanding in these difficult times of change.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 28th October 2020
Due to the rising number of Corona Virus infections in the community, the changes to visiting in care homes, notified by the Cabinet Secretary have not been authorised yet. Risk Assessments and procedure needs to be approved by the local Public Health (PH) team and this remains an ongoing review.
Visiting – Some of the homes within the company have had to suspend visiting due to concerns over possible positive test results. These may turn out to be false positives but Public Health err on the side of caution until the home has an ‘all clear’ again. Although disappointing, this is actually a good sign that regular testing of staff is working to try and stop any outbreaks as soon as possible.
Because of the risk to the health of the residents and others, it is imperative that all visitors follow the current rules and the guidance issued by management and staff on the day.
- Visiting will be carefully planned and on a booking system.
- There are strict protocols that homes need to adhere to.
- All visits will be stopped in the event of an outbreak of the virus within the home
- Visits may be stopped because of any breach of the rules.
The situation can change extremely quickly but we will continue to try and keep you updated and management can give you information on the individual home’s circumstances.
Thank you very much for your understanding in these difficult times of change.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 14th October 2020
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport sent a letter to Care Homes yesterday with updates to the stage 3 visiting plan. She recognised that the changes would need careful planning to ensure safe and manageable arrangements. As before, the Risk Assessments and procedure needs to be approved by the local Public Health (PH) team and is subject to ongoing review.
Visiting – There are a lot of changes to all areas of visiting with children, pets and social contact being suggested as possible. To facilitate these changes, home management need to plan how a phased process will work to keep everyone safe, particularly as infection rates rise in the community.
This may take some time but will be communicated to all residents and families as soon as possible.
Because of the risk to the health of the residents and others, but also the risk of public health stopping the visiting entirely, it is imperative that all visitors follow the current rules and the guidance issued by staff on the day.
Anyone not following the rules will be asked to leave and may not be allowed back unless they agree to follow the rules.
- Visiting will be carefully planned and on a booking system.
- There are strict protocols that homes need to adhere to.
- All visits will be stopped in the event of an outbreak of the virus within the home
- Visits may be stopped because of any breach of the rules.
We are grateful for your continued support and understanding in these difficult times of change.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 20th August 2020
With new Government guidance giving us a staged approach to visiting in Care Homes, we recognise that it’s important to keep everyone informed as best we can.
Visiting – Under the latest guidance, garden visiting is now allowed with up to 3 visitors from 2 households (depending on the size of garden) and visiting is allowed within the homes by one designated visitor.
As before, the Risk Assessments and procedure needs to be approved by the local Public Health (PH) team and is subject to ongoing review.
Because of the risk to the health of the residents and others, but also the risk of public health stopping the visiting entirely, it is imperative that all visitors follow the rules and the guidance issued by staff on the day.
Anyone not following the rules will be asked to leave and may not be allowed back unless they agree to follow the rules.
- Visiting will be carefully planned and on a booking system.
- There are strict protocols that homes need to adhere to.
- Visiting slots are limited and each type of visiting is not available every day.
- All visits will be stopped in the event of an outbreak of the virus within the home
- Visits may be stopped because of any breach of the rules.
Please speak to the manager for specific home information.
We are grateful for your continued support and understanding in these difficult times of continuing restrictions.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 10th August 2020
With new Government guidance giving us a staged approach to visiting in Care Homes, we recognise that it’s important to keep everyone informed as best we can.
Visiting – immediately after our last memo on Friday 7th, the Scottish Government issued new guidance effective from Monday 10th August about enlarging garden visiting now and allowing some visiting within the home in a designated area from around 24th August. As before, the procedure and policy will need to be approved by the local Public Health (PH) team. We are contacting PH to inform us of the approval process.
It is likely to take a number of days before we get approval and each home will communicate with their families as soon as approval is granted.
- This will be carefully planned and on a booking system.
- Each resident will be able to receive visits from up to three designated people from a maximum of two households.
- Strict protocols need to be in place to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care.
- Visitors will be expected to wear a face covering and the homes can provide these on entry to the garden. Staff will continue to wear suitable PPE.
- Seating will be arranged adhering to the distancing advice of 2 metres.
- We would ask that visitors do not hug, kiss or touch their loved ones.
- There will be cleaning regimes in place between visits.
- All visits will be stopped in the event of an outbreak of the virus within the home.
- Please speak to the manager for specific home information.
We have designated an area to allow visiting within the home and are in the process of drafting the procedure for approval. This will allow one designated person to visit within the home in this area. Because visiting is moving inside and the risks are greater, in order to avoid any infection, this procedure will be longer and we anticipate it will take longer for PH to give their approval. Indoor visiting will be subject to the points above and also the following, similar to previous garden visits. This will not begin until 24th August at the earliest.
- This is to be with a single named visitor for each resident.
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 7th August 2020
With Government guidance giving us a staged approach to visiting in Care Homes, we recognise that it’s important to keep everyone informed as best we can.
Visiting – the Scottish Government were due to issue new rules from Friday the 24th July about enlarging garden visiting and allowing some visiting within the home in a designated area. Unfortunately they wrote to care homes soon after this to say that they weren’t yet in a position to allow this or provide more information. As yet, no further information has followed, possibly being delayed by the recent upswing in cases across the country. We understand how difficult this is for both residents and their families, especially those who can not visit the gardens. We are working with the National organisation Scottish Care to have the Scottish Government progress this and will update you again as soon as there is further news.
When the process is approved, as before, the procedure and policy will need to be approved by the local Public Health (PH) team. We have considered our plans for enlarging the garden visit and will be ready to request approval as soon as the process is announced and clarified.
At the moment garden visiting continues as before with one designated visitor per resident, outside in the garden, with appropriate PPE and social distancing at all times.
We continue to have video and Skype calls and other means to keep you in touch. Each home is doing everything it can to keep you in contact with your loved ones. Each home is different and not every home can implement each idea that you might see in the media, but we do those that we can.
Our staff continue to work as an amazing team, showing compassion and dedication. We have a collection of pictures, poems, videos and photos on our website, which is added to daily at www.randolphhill.com
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 1st July 2020
With new Government guidance giving us a staged approach to visiting in Care Homes, we recognise that it’s important to keep everyone informed as best we can.
Visiting – the Scottish Government issued new guidance effective from Friday the 3rd July about garden visiting.
- This will be carefully planned and on a booking system.
- This is likely to be with a single named visitor for each resident.
- Strict protocols need to be in place to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care.
- Visitors will be expected to wear a face covering and the homes can provide these on entry to the garden. Staff will continue to wear suitable PPE.
- Seating will be arranged adhering to the distancing advice of 2 metres.
- We would ask that visitors do not hug, kiss or touch their loved ones.
- There will be cleaning regimes in place between visits.
- All visits will be stopped in the event of an outbreak of the virus within the home.
- Please speak to the manager for specific home information.
We continue to have video and Skype calls and other means to keep you in touch. Each home is doing everything it can to keep you in contact with your loved ones. Each home is different and not every home can implement each idea that you might see in the media, but we do those that we can.
Our staff continue to work as an amazing team, showing compassion and dedication. We have a collection of pictures, poems, videos and photos on our website, which is added to daily at www.randolphhill.com
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 2nd June 2020
In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in the ever changing circumstances surrounding Corona Virus.
At first, we published these updates each week, but as we have settled down into a rhythm we have reduced their occurrence. However, we recognise that it’s important to keep everyone informed as best we can.
Randolph Hill has been following all the government advice and will continue to do so. The Scottish Government has said it intends to Test ALL residents and care home staff and while this has happened at some homes, we still await this being rolled out everywhere.
Visiting restrictions will continue in all of our care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care. As lockdown restrictions are being reduced, this is being reviews at a National level and we will inform you all as soon as any changes have been clarified and we know when they might begin. This is likely to be with a single named visitor for each resident.
While we appreciate how difficult and distressing these restrictions are for you and your loved ones, we would like to thank you for being so understanding and patient with our hard working staff team. We have arranged video calls and other means to keep you in contact. You will understand that arranging this takes so much time when things are already busy. Each home is doing everything it can to keep you in contact with your loved ones. Each home is different and not every home can implement each idea that you might see in the media, but we do those that we can.
Our staff show amazing compassion and dedication. They continue to come to work, despite the risks to themselves and their families, to care for our older citizens, frequently going the extra mile to make a resident happy. We have a collection of pictures, poems, videos and photos on our website, which is added to daily at www.randolphhill.com
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 12th May 2020
In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in the ever changing circumstances surrounding Corona Virus.
Randolph Hill has been following all the government advice and will continue to do so. The Scottish Government has said it intends to Test ALL residents and care home staff and we await this being rolled out to care homes.
Visiting restrictions will continue in all of our care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care.
Our staff show amazing compassion and dedication. They continue to come to work, despite the risks to themselves and their families, to care for our older citizens, frequently going the extra mile to make a resident happy. We have a collection of pictures, poems, videos and photos on our website, which is added to daily at www.randolphhill.com
Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale and is International Nurses Day. We will be putting pictures of our wonderful nurses and all the fantastic teams that support them onto the website in the coming days.
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 29th April 2020
In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in the ever changing circumstances surrounding Corona Virus.
New guidance has just been issued from Health Protection Scotland for Care Home settings. Randolph Hill has been following all the government advice and will continue to do so. If you have any concerns please contact the home as the manager will be able to answer your specific question.
Visiting restrictions will continue in all of our care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care.
To keep in touch, staff help residents use Skype, Whatsapp and Facetime. We have many cards and letters coming in all the time from families and the community. To see a selection of these, visit our website www.randolphhill.com
Testing for residents who show symptoms is working well and results usually come back in 48 hours. Many residents with symptoms have tested negative but there are some confirmed cases and staff continue to follow firm infection control measures to reduce any spread.
Volunteer recruitment continues, similar to what the NHS have done. The volunteers would only be used if care home staffing has been reduced due to sickness. So far, the homes continue to operate with full staffing, helped by bank and agency staff.
We have received gifts from local businesses, school children and the community in general. It is really uplifting to experience the warmth and gratitude towards the work of our staff.
Our staff continue to show amazing teamwork. Those who need to self –isolate return when they are fit and able and, meanwhile, their colleagues rise to working extra so that residents receive their usual, wonderful, compassionate level of care – we are hugely grateful to them all.
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 22nd April 2020
In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in the ever changing circumstances surrounding Corona Virus.
Randolph Hill is following all the government advice that is being issued regularly and will continue to do so. This advice is provided by the Scottish Government, Health Protection Scotland, NHS Scotland and the local NHS Trusts, the Local Authority and local Health and Social Care Partnerships. If you have any concerns please contact the home as the manager will be able to answer your specific question.
Visiting restrictions will continue in all of our care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care.
Testing for residents who show symptoms is now being offered in all nursing homes. Many residents with symptoms have tested negative but there are some confirmed cases and staff continue to follow firm infection control measures to reduce any spread.
Volunteer recruitment continues, similar to what the NHS have done. The volunteers would only be used if care home staffing has been reduced due to sickness. So far, the homes continue to operate with full staffing, helped by our regular bank and agency staff.
Our staff continue to show amazing teamwork. Those who need to self –isolate return when they are fit and able and, meanwhile, their colleagues rise to working extra so that residents receive their usual, wonderful, compassionate level of care – we are hugely grateful to them all.
Social work care fees have been agreed for the next year and initially those increases will be paid for by the council. The normal financial review will be completed and, when notified to us, we will amend the invoices for families.
Private fee invoices will be sent out this week with an adjustment invoice for the period from 1 April.
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 14th April 2020
We know this continues to be a very worrying time for everyone. In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in ever changing circumstances.
Randolph Hill is following all the government advice that is being issued regularly and will continue to do so. If you have any concerns please contact the home as the manager will be able to answer your specific question.
We continue to have visiting restrictions in all of our care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care. We would ask that everyone follows this guidance.
Covid-19 testing for residents who show symptoms has not been consistent across the council areas but is now happening in all of the nursing homes. Many residents have tested negative but there are some confirmed cases and staff continue to follow firm infection control measures to reduce any spread.
The process of recruiting volunteers continues, similar to what the NHS have done. The volunteers would only be used if care home staffing has been reduced due to sickness. So far, the homes continue to operate with full staffing, helped by bank and agency staff.
Social work care fees have been agreed for the next year and initially those increases will be paid for by the council. The normal financial review will be completed and, when notified to us, we will amend the invoices for families.
We sent out letters notifying you of the private fees for 2020/21. We will send out invoices at the new rate later in April with an adjustment invoice for the period from 1 April.
We are hugely grateful to the ongoing commitment of our staff. They receive a separate weekly memo of update information and will have a detailed, individual letter about their pay increase, effective from 30 March.
As always, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers for working together during this difficult time.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 6 April 2020
We know this is a very worrying time for everyone. In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in ever changing circumstances.
Randolph Hill is following all the government advice that is being issued regularly and will continue to do so. If you have any concerns please contact the home as the manager will be able to answer your specific question.
The government has asked us to stop visits to residents in care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care. We would ask that everyone follows this guidance.
We have now started the process of recruiting volunteers, similar to what the NHS have done. The volunteers would only be used if care home staffing has been reduced due to sickness. This will not change the current government rules about visiting.
Covid-19 testing for care home staff is continuing to roll out slowly by the NHS. This allows staff to return to work quicker if the tests are clear.
Social work care fees have been agreed for the next year and initially those increases will be paid for by the council. The normal financial review will be completed and, when notified to us, we will amend the invoices for families.
We will be sending out letters this week notifying you of the private fees for 2020/21. We will send out invoices at the new rate later in April with an adjustment invoice for the period from 1 April.
Our staff pay increase is also effective from 30 March.
Finally, we would like to thank our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 30 March 2020
We know this is a very worrying time for everyone. In the Randolph Hill nursing homes we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in ever changing circumstances.
The government has asked us to stop all visits to residents in care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care. We would ask that everyone follows this guidance.
We are now beginning the process of recruiting volunteers, similar to what the NHS have done. The volunteers would be used only if care home staffing has been reduced due to sickness. Volunteers would be expected to help in the kitchen or the laundry or with residents with staff supervision. This will not change the current government rules about visiting. Further details can be found on our communication from 23rd March below. Covid-19 testing for care home staff has now been introduced to allow them to return to work quicker if the tests are clear.
Randolph Hill is following all the government advice that is being issued regularly and will continue to do so.
If you have any concerns please contact the home as the manager will be able to answer your specific question.
The Scottish Government, COSLA and Scottish Care have come to an agreement on the increase in care home fees for 2020/21. We will make these changes and write to you separately with the details. It is important that we make these changes now as staff are due their pay rise and it is important that we remain competitive with pay to avoid losing staff to our competitors. If you are having any difficulty in making payments at this time can you please contact your home administrator or call Linda Stuart in accounts at head office on 0131 523 0442.
Finally, once again we would like to thank everyone for pulling together at this difficult time to ensure that things can continue as close to normal. This includes our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing
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Memo to residents and their families – 23 March 2020
We know this is a very worrying time for everyone. In the Randolph Hill Nursing Homes Group, we are continuing to provide the best possible care we can in ever changing circumstances.
The Government has asked us to stop all visits to residents in care homes, to provide the best possible protection for residents, but also for staff who are needed to provide the care.
We would ask that everyone follows this guidance.
We have Skype and Facetime organised to make it easier for families to stay in contact with their relative in the home and we have ordered more computer tablets for this service.
Randolph Hill is following all the government advice that is being issued regularly and will continue to do so.
If you have any concerns please contact the home as the manager will be able to answer your specific question.
In these uncertain times it is imperative that families continue to pay the care home fees. That will keep the company in the best position to ensure ongoing payments to the staff who we rely on to provide the care.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who are pulling together at this difficult time to ensure that things can continue as close to normal.
This includes our staff, residents, their families and friends and all of our suppliers.
Peter McCormick Ingrid Neville
Managing Director Director of Nursing