As we approach the winter, coronavirus cases rising again and another lockdown, it’s important to acknowledge how far we’ve come and what we’ve learnt. Our experience in supporting people who are rebuilding their lives after brain injury or living with learning disabilities means that we are problem solvers. We support people to overcome challenges every day. Never has this been more important and we’re proud of the way that our management team and staff have responded.

We asked our Homes Managers for their personal views and experiences of the pandemic – from their initial reactions to plans for the future. In a series of blog posts, we highlight what we’ve learnt and how some of the changes we’ve made will continue past the pandemic.

We’re more resilient that we thought

Resilience is defined as: “The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness” and it’s been demonstrated by our team throughout the pandemic.

We had to deal with something that no one had ever experienced before: a real virus, in real time with real people. Government guidance was changing almost on a daily basis and everyone reacted differently. The initial fear demonstrated by some staff left others having to broaden their shoulders, taking on extra activities within their daily routines. The responsibilities of the management teams have never been greater, we needed to be clear, decisive and robust in our response. We didn’t know all the answers, but we were learning together.

Jane Payne, Operational & Clinical Officer (pictured above), takes us back to earlier this year: “On February 18^th 2020 we informed staff that there was a new virus, and preventative measures were put into place including hourly touch point cleaning, increase in hand washing and an increase in awareness. Ahead of government guidance on March 12^th 2020, we took the very tough, necessary decision to close our doors to family and friends to protect service users. We made sure that all staff worked only in one home, so in the event of an infection, it would not be transferred from one home to another by our staff.”

“The Management team have become incredibly solid; working as one in supporting each other, as and when each has needed, as we live and work through the rollercoaster that is Covid-19. I am proud to lead; and be part of such a strong group of individuals displaying a sole purpose of ensuring the care, welfare, safety and security of our service users and staff.  Richardson Care has shown we are more than resilient, we have become stronger through experience. Care: it’s in our DNA.”