A free training package for care homes on coronavirus infection prevention and control has been released online.
The package, launched yesterday for nursing and residential care homes by the Infection and Prevention Society (IPS), outlines the infection and prevention control procedures required to protect residents from Covid-19.
The IPS said it developed the training after it recognised the ‘difficulties that many care homes have in accessing relevant infection prevention advice and training’.
The set of 33 training slides provide a ‘simple summary’ and are ‘designed to be easily understood and provide information that is relevant to the needs of those working’ in care homes, it added.
Topics that the care homes training covers include:
- the symptoms of coronavirus
- how to prevent it spreading – including staff and resident hand hygiene, and personal protective equipment
- isolating residents in residential care
- how to care for residents with Covid-19
- what staff with Covid-19 should do.
IPS vice-president Professor Jennie Wilson said: ‘We understand how challenging it is for care home staff to cope with Covid-19 and we hope that this simple guide to best practice will help support them to deliver effective and safe care for the most vulnerable people in our society.’
The guidance was prepared in conjunction with the IPS Care Home Special Interest Group and is closely aligned with UK guidance on Covid-19.
Earlier this week, a Royal College of Nursing survey revealed that staff working outside the NHS, such as in social care, had less access to testing.
The Government announced last week that coronavirus tests will be available to all NHS and social care staff even if they do not have symptoms.
In addition, it was revealed last week that the families of all frontline NHS staff who die with Covid-19 will receive a one-off £60,000 payment.
