Staff shortages due to the quick spreading of the virus could lead to the closing of care homes. The concerns are shared by care homes in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot where the spread of the virus is not slowing down enough and can force them to shut down, according to the council’s head of social services in the country.
David Howes shared concerns that the staff shortages are putting care homes at serious risk.
“At some point, you just run out of health and care staff,” comments the council’s head of social services.
In order to prevent the risk and slow down the alarming rates of staff shortages, a major mass vaccination site is going to open in Swansea Bay next week. The vaccine will be initially offered to staff of care homes. Meanwhile, a call is issued for extra staff from the third sector.
“Our workforce has made extraordinary efforts this year – they are exhausted - and they continue to do extraordinary work. And yet we have got to the point where they ask of them is even greater,” comments Mr Howes.
Last week’s news for staff shortage at care homes saw plans for moving all residents of three care homes in the area to hospitals. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Parkway Home at Sketty Park is currently closed due to Covid outbreaks, while the council’s re-enablement home, Bonymaen House in Bonymaen has already had to close twice temporary due to the same reason.
Mr Howes comments that: “We were desperately trying to find enough people to support these homes to make sure that eventuality didn’t happen.”
It is reported that eleven care homes in the area were under the risk of shutting last Tuesday due to hitting a certain level of risk. Two days later and the number has been grown to twenty care homes at risk of closing down at the red level risk and three of the care homes were at the absolutely critical level risk.
Currently, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot have one of the highest rates of coronavirus in the UK. Mr Howes comments that the surge in cases is having an adverse impact on care homes staff such as carers, cleaners, and cooks who are either testing positive for coronavirus or required to self-isolate due to contact. He further discusses that the council’s in-house domiciliary care workforce has been operating at half of its normal capacity at times. In addition, half of the district nurses in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot have been absent in the last few weeks.
“Keeping people alive is the reality of lots of what we have been focusing on,” says David Howes. Meanwhile, he warned that the Swansea Bay area is facing the risk of reaching a point where some community care services may be restricted to serving and helping only those in critical need.