Coronavirus: Care homes in Northern Ireland get 'Rainbow Rooms' to give staff 'switch off' time

Rainbow Rooms are being created in almost 500 care homes in Northern Ireland to give staff ‘much needed space and quiet time' to relax and 'switch off' during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rainbow Rooms idea was adopted from the rainbow symbol of solidarity used by the NHS in the pandemic and Rainbow boxes for the rooms are being delivered to each of the 483 care homes across Northern Ireland.

Each Rainbow box is unique but contains advice on health and wellbeing for staff, activity packs as well as items such as toiletries, water bottles, tea, coffee and snacks.

‘Our staff are going to climb Mount Errigal together’

Louise McCloskey, manager of Longfield Nursing Home in Londonderry, which has 46 residents, told carehome.co.uk: “I think care home staff were initiatially forgotten at the beginning of the pandemic.It was all about NHS staff in the beginning.

“We got the Rainbow box last week and it had pedometers in the box to monitor steps and a step challenge for staff to do 10,000 steps a day.

"As a result of the Rainbow box, our staff are going to climb Mount Errigal together as a team-building exercise this Saturday."

The Rainbow box also contained snug socks, lip balm she says “as a sign for staff that it’s good to talk” and hand cream to treat hands made rough by regular handwashing as part of COVID-19 infection control.

’Our care home has been 100% COVID-free'

“Our care home has been 100 per cent COVID-free since the start of the pandemic but staff were prepared to move into the home if any residents got the virus.

"During that time we had a lot of coffee breaks, whenever staff wanted to take time out."

"There was a voucher for £100 and we are going to buy a CD player and some lamps so that they can close their eyes and switch off for a while.

“The Rainbow Room can be any room in the care home. My advice to care home managers across the UK is go ahead and create one for your staff.”

Led by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), the Rainbow Room idea was brought to life with help from Northern Ireland’s 17 Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) which are local networks of service providers that include staff from care homes, councils, voluntary groups, GPs and service users.

HSC Trusts, the Healthy Living Centre Alliance and the Public Health Agency (PHA) are also helping make the Rainbow Rooms a reality in the 248 nursing homes and 235 residential care currently registered with RQIA .

‘Any small space’ where staff can ‘set aside time for self-care’

Rodney Morton, director of nursing at the PHA, said: “A Rainbow Room is a space for care home staff to go when they are in need of some solace and some quiet time for reflection.

“The concept can be set up in existing staff rooms or in any small space where staff have the opportunity to set aside time for self-care.

“We very much want care home staff to know that they are not alone and their contribution has and is making a real difference in people lives and we thank them deeply for this.”

Healthy Living Centres across Northern Ireland have received donations for the Rainbow boxes from the Red Cross, the Food Standards Agency as well as other voluntary organisations and businesses.

Each box has been created ‘as a gesture of support to help strengthen the relationships between the care homes and the local voluntary and community sector’.

Tony Doherty is regional coordinator at the Healthy Living Centre Alliance, a network of Healthy Living Centres (HLCs) which drives community-led ideas to address health inequalities.

Tony Doherty said: “Care Home staff have experienced extreme difficulties during the pandemic. The Rainbow Box is a symbol of our solidarity and appreciation to all of them. I am grateful that many Healthy Living Centre managers and staff stepped up to the plate across the region to bring solace and inspiration to others during these most trying times.”

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann, said: “This initiative is an important opportunity to recognise the hard work of care home staff, acknowledge the very difficult circumstances in which they have had to work over the last number of months, reinforce some important health, wellbeing and ICP messages, and foster ties between care homes and the wider community.”

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