COVID Response

Download the COVID Admissions PDF here.

(11th August 2020)

Due to the current situation with the Coronavirus most of our corporate offices around the country are unmanned.

Our staff are working remotely during office hours and doing all they can to support our operational services around the country at this difficult time.

This means that the quickest and easiest way to communicate with us is via email. If you have a general query then please email: hello@ambient.org.uk or use our contact form on this website.

If you do wish to talk to us then calls are being re-routed and diverted to our corporate support teams on our Head Office number: 020 8502 3933

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you and thank you for your patience.

(4 June 2020)

Tips for Keeping in Touch

You want your relatives and friends to be safe and well cared for during this pandemic and to help prevent risk of infection to them and others, including care staff. Staying away doesn’t have to mean losing contact. The Relatives and Residents Association have drawn together to create some tips for how families can continue to remain in touch with loved ones.

Use the following links to find out more:

http://www.relres.org/keep-in-touch/

https://www.relres.org/helpline/coronavirus/

Ambient Support fully endorse the joint statement from the Relatives & Residents Association and the National Care Forum, endorsed by the Care Provider Alliance, the Care Quality Commission and Skills for Care. Which sets out shared expectations and good practice relating to the importance of clear, open, transparent and regular communications during the COVID-19 crisis between care providers* and the families** of their residents.

Download the full statement here.

As such Ambient Support continues to commit to:

1. Keep family members informed about their own relatives Covid-19 status (suspected or confirmed)

2. Being as open and transparent as possible with family members about the situation in any of our services.

We have kept in touch with family members to update them as to the status of our services in respect of the virus and have provided assurances about the actions we continue to take to minimise risk to those that we support.

Our management teams are in regular contact with family members and are doing their utmost to facilitate regular contact between those we support, and their loved ones, be that via telephone, video conferencing, apps or distanced interactions.

We are ensuring that our social media pages are used as a way of keeping people connected and up to date with the daily life in our services and where appropriate (with consent) video messages.

We acknowledge that we all have a part to play in helping achieve honest and effective communications at this difficult time and would also draw to the attention of family members the asks from us as, originally articulated in the joint statement. Namely that family members:

• Ensure we have their up-do-date contact details

• Inform us promptly of any changes to these contact details

• Agree where possible that a ‘lead contact’ be established in a family, particularly when that family is large or indeed divided, (so there may be need for two lead contacts).

• Letting our services know of your preferred communication method and any other specifics on how best we might contact you.

• Recognise that this is a stressful and anxious time for families, those we support and our Ambient staff teams and that everyone is doing their very best in an unknown and difficult situation.

We will continue to work in the best interest of those that we support and our staff to minimise any risks to them and will always work towards following the latest guidance and best practice in a way that makes sense within our services.

We are open to feedback and suggestions on how we can all continue to work together to keep family members informed and those we support safe and well. If you wish to provide us with any feedback and suggestions on how we might can work together please email us at: hello@ambient.org.uk or use the Contact Us form on this website.

(4 June 2020)

Care Homes

In line with Government guidance, our care and support services across the country are working on their dynamic risk assessments to ensure that guidelines permitting visits between family members and those we support are adhered to and can go ahead safely in our Care Home services.

Allowing visits is a complex issue and requires us to carry out full Health & Safety, risk and feasibility assessments and is dependent on the type of service we operate, the environment we are operating in, the accessibility to suitable space, client group and staff resources.

As the pandemic situation is dynamic and ever changing we will always work within the latest guidance and advice that is provided to us by both the Government and local public health teams. This means that as guidance changes we are constantly required to reassess our response to allowing visits to services.

This means that for the latest visitor information for a specific Care Home that your family member or loved one is resident in  you will need to contact the Ambient Management team at the service directly.

There are a number of general principals which we work within when, where and if we are able to facilitate visits. These are:

·         Visits in general may be able to go ahead  with window visits or gardens and outdoor spaces and in some instances inside.

·         There will be no general access granted to the building for visitors including any need to use a toilet.

·          Visits will be time-limited to 30 minutes per visit and will need to be arranged in advance with the management team at the service.

·         Appropriate PPE should be worn.

·         Social distancing measures must be adhered to for the whole of the visit.

·         Visits will only be permitted if the service is COVID free (i.e. at least 28 days since any resident / tenant first became symptomatic.)

·         There will be a limit on the number of people in the visiting party with a maximum of 2 people from the same household.

·         All visitors must be 16 years +.

·         Temperature checks of visitors may be taken before a visit can proceed.

·         Visits must be booked in advance.  Arranged visits cannot be guaranteed and may be subject to change.

Supported Living

Effective from 4^th November 2020 all on-site visits (including gardens) by family and friends to Supported Living services will no longer be possible in line with government guidance and national lockdown rules.

We will be monitoring all developments in relation to the pandemic and will advise you as soon as we are able to resume visits on-site as restrictions and transmission rates decline or government guidance is changed or updated for those living in Supported Living services.

Visits may be possible externally of a service (e.g. in local parks), in line with lockdown guidance. However, this will be risk assessed on a case-by-case basis with particular reference to each person’s capability to adhere to social distancing requirements.

If off-site visits cannot be accommodated in this way, our teams  will do their very best to ensure ‘virtual visits’ for family members via ‘Facetime’, ‘WhatsApp,’ ‘Messenger’ or by telephone to ensure you remain connected with your loved ones.

In exceptional circumstances, where the restrictions on visiting are likely to have an extreme effect on the wellbeing of someone we support, we will review individual arrangements with the family, social worker and relevant health professionals.

Please contact local Ambient support teams at the service you are connected with if you have any questions or queries.

(10 November 2020)

Ambient Support is committed to ensuring that we protect the health, safety and wellbeing of both the people the we support and our staff teams.

This means that across our services and offices Ambient staff are following the latest Government and Public Health England (PHE) Guidance to work in ways that ensure we minimise any risks to those we support and our staff during this crisis.

Offices
Our coproate and regional offices are currently closed to visitors and only essential staff access visits are taking place.  Our corporate staff teams have been provided with the equipment and resources which enable them to work from home.

Operational Services
Each of our operational services have a fully site specific COVID 19 Risk Assessment in place.  If you wish to find out more about the specific operating practices at a site or service that a relative or loved one is resident at or receiving support from, then please send an email for the attention of our Health & Safety Manager to: hello@ambient.org.uk We will endeavour to get back to you as quickly as possible.

(8 June 2020)

Download the Ambient Support Protocol for Contractors document.