Essex care home staff wear badges to protect 'our residents and our team'

Staff at a care home in Braintree are wearing badges outside of work to try to ensure they keep their residents coronavirus-free.

Care home staff at The New Deanery and St Mary's Court Care Home have been issued with badges which display a message reminding people to keep their distance in places such as supermarkets and to ask the general public to follow the government’s two-metre rule.

Staff who wear the badge feel they have a “bit of support.” Joan Sirett, matron at the care home said: “One of our staff noticed some people weren’t socially distancing and they were coming up quite close.”

When visiting a supermarket, Ms Sirett tried to ask people politely not to stand too close to her. She said: “Not everyone is understanding. I had a very unpleasant comment from someone when I have asked them not to stand too close and someone else has been sarcastic.

“If I have a badge on, I can just point to my badge. They are effective and hopefully it just makes people think.

“I did notice people were [respectfully] looking rather than coming up close and when I went to the till, the lady on the till said to me ‘oh that’s a very good idea.’

“What I want it to say is look at me, I’m looking after vulnerable people. Please help me to protect them.”

The care home team initially thought about wearing a mask which said: ‘keep your distance’ “but we thought people might think we were infected,” says Ms Sirett.

'I’m worried about transmitting something to my residents'

The badge has also given the public a chance to praise staff and the good job they all do in social care.

Janet Preece, activity coordinator at the home said: “The badges have been a good talking point at the supermarkets. Everyone is interested in reading what the badge say. They always want to know how the residents are doing or say ‘you are doing a fabulous job.’

“I think it’s made people aware of how hard carers work. This has made people appreciate what we as carers do.

“I felt cautious before the badge system came into place when I had the badge on, I felt like I had a bit of support.”

Ms Sirett is a member of the Gold Standards Framework Group where they are very interested in the initiative. The matron is hoping the idea will catch on and everyone in the care sector will wear the badge.

She said: “It will make the general public understand what the badges are and not get too close. The badges are quite large so people cannot miss them.

“I’m worried about transmitting something to my residents. My main concern is keeping my residents safe.”

'As the country comes out of lockdown, the next few weeks are risky'

The badge initiative has come into force just as the government has announced the coronavirus alert level has been downgraded from four to three and lifting lockdown restrictions could happen soon.

Julia Clinton, chief executive of The New Deanery and St Mary’s Court, said: “As the country comes out of lockdown, the next few weeks and months are risky for all care homes, even though our staff are being extra careful in order to continue to keep our residents safe.

“A member of the team was telling me how much they feel the weight of this responsibility.

“When in a busy supermarket recently, she noticed some inconsiderate behaviour and felt she needed a banner saying ‘I work in a care home – keep your distance!’

“Everyone really likes the badges, and we are confident people will understand us doing what we can to protect our residents and our team.”

It comes as both care home sites have yet to record any confirmed cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began in March.

click here for more details or to contact St Mary's Court Care Home