Unique Senior Care Infection Control policy including Covid-19

  Avatar photoBy

Preventing and reducing the transmission of infectious diseases is essential to ensuring people stay healthy. People who have contact with social care should have confidence in the cleanliness and hygiene of the services provided. Unique Senior Care continues to adhere to high standards of infection prevention and control as the best way to prevent the person-to-person spread of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases in order to keep people receiving care and staff safe.

An assessment of a person’s risk of infection is carried out before they start using the service and is kept under review for as long as they use the service. The assessment contributes to the planning of the person’s care and should determine whether any extra IPC precautions are required, such as whether they need to isolate or whether workers need to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE).

Unique Senior Care’s infection control policies and procedures against Covid-19 include (updated 10/08/23)

  • Keeping a safe distance of at least one metre from another person in social interactions that do not require close contact (as when delivering personal care).
  •  The wearing of face masks or coverings in enclosed situations where clients request us to or where clients or household members test positive for the virus.
  • Covering of the mouth and nose with a tissue or their sleeve (not their hands) when coughing or sneezing.
  • Put used tissues in a bin immediately (following the Catch it Bin It Guidance).
  • Washing of hands with soap and water regularly for 20 seconds and use hand sanitiser gel (at least 60% alcohol) if soap and water are not available.
  • Avoidance of close contact with people to whom they are not delivering care who are unwell.
  • Avoidance of touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

We also encourage people using the service and other members of their households to follow good infection control practices, including regular cleaning of frequently touched hard surfaces with a suitable disinfectant and cleanser.

Hand hygiene

Unique Senior Care has a focus on effective hand hygiene and promotes NHS England’s ‘Gloves off’ campaign. Gloves are not an alternative to Good Hand Hygiene.

The main reason for this is to reduce unnecessary glove usage and the impact on the environment this causes. 5.5 billion gloves were used in England across health and social care between February 2020-2021. Becoming more environmentally sustainable is an important part of our company strategy and this change will be one key way of achieving this.

In line with the “Gloves Off” campaign across Health and Social Care from 1st July we will use gloves and aprons on a risk assessment basis rather than as standard. This means:

  • Wearing gloves (and apron) only where there is a risk of exposure to blood or bodily fluids.
  • When helping with tasks such as medication, food preparation or personal care such as dressing or grooming with no risk of contact with bodily fluids gloves and aprons are not needed.
  • Good hand and arm hygiene remain essential.

Unique Senior Care policy is to communicate all public health messages, including those relating to testing, wearing of masks and PPE, and staff movement to staff, people who use services and relatives so that everyone knows what is permitted and what is not.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on tel: 01789 204040

Scroll to Top