Advice being sent out to Sheffield home carers in case of coronavirus outbreak

Both Sheffield Council and the UK Home Care Association are advising care companies on how to protect staff and what to do if an epidemic does break out.

Sara Storey, of the council’s adult social care department, told a meeting: “We are working with providers to make sure there is continuity and things are robust in advance of a potential coronavirus outbreak.

“We are explaining to them about having plans in place, this is across all the health care workforce but there are slightly different challenges in home care.”

The UK Home Care Association, which represents over 2,000 care organisations in the country, said it had experience of preparing for epidemics with swine flu.

Colin Angel, policy director, said: “Public Health England has issued guidance for community care settings and we are sharing that with our members.

“The advice is really clearly laid out and shows the balance between it being business as normal and what to do if a member of staff starts to feel unwell, as it’s more likely to be staff who become unwell.

“If there is a large outbreak or pandemic then we, as an organisation, and the NHS have had experience of preparing for a pandemic and looked at this before with swine flu.

“We have been through this process before but we are not at the stage of a pandemic.”

Public Health England says carers shouldn’t wear face masks.

A Public Health spokesman added: “It remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home or the community will become infected. The best way to reduce any risk of infection for anyone is good hygiene and avoiding direct or close contact, within two metres, with any potentially infected person.

“Currently there is no evidence of transmission of coronavirus in the UK, there is no need to do anything differently in any care setting at present.”

This comes after a school in Derbyshire closed today due to a parent testing positive for coronavirus.