COVID-19, or Coronavirus, has presented major challenges for everyone, particularly those in the care sector. There is nothing more important to Signature than the health and wellbeing of our residents and staff, so we have made continuous adjustments and improvements to our working practices to ensure the safety of all. Below are some of the questions commonly asked by prospective staff members. If you would like any further advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us on xxxxxxx:
Do Signature staff have enough PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)?
We consider ourselves to be fortunate in having plentiful stocks of PPE, having reacted swiftly to opportunities to purchase bulk supplies.
Are Signature staff trained in dealing with COVID-19?
Signature offers daily COVID awareness training for all staff, which is delivered virtually by the group’s Quality Manager. This ensures all staff are up to date with the latest best practices and safety processes.
How are staff kept up to date when the situation changes so often?
A daily brief is sent to everyone at Signature, aimed at updating staff with the latest government and industry guidance in relation to all aspects of COVID-19.
Can staff be tested for COVID-19?
In association with Public Health England, we are able to support our staff in receiving COVID-19 tests. We will advise you on how to get tested and arrange to accommodate this within your working pattern.
How does the Signature group management support its staff during this crisis?
Aside from providing PPE, training and updates, Signature’s management is in daily communication with each home, offering advice from our team of industry experts. This includes:
- A weekly Dementia Care Manager meeting chaired by our Head of Dementia to ensure that sufficient consideration is given to the complex needs of our dementia communities
- A weekly Clinical Service Manager meeting with the Group Quality Director leading on the latest clinical awareness of COVID-19
- A weekly People Services Manager meeting to review HR policy and update on working directives in addition to colleague welfare
- A regular staff newsletter has been introduced which is emailed to all home staff directly on a bi-weekly basis
- Daily Regional Director “check ins” with General Managers at each home. Our Chief Operations Officer commonly supports on this
At Signature we truly believe that we are doing everything possible to support the wellbeing of our staff during the COVID-19 crisis. This is illustrated by the fact that we have extremely few cases of the virus compared to our industry as a whole. However, we believe that this is most meaningful when expressed by our own staff. Please view our video below, in which our teams discuss their feelings when the crisis started, and how the support of Signature, as well as their own hard work, has helped them through this most challenging of times.