Care workers near Chichester sleeping in tents and caravans to protect vulnerable

Care workers at a residential home have been sleeping in tents and caravans to protect the residents from Covid-19.
The sign put up in the drive by relativesThe sign put up in the drive by relatives
The sign put up in the drive by relatives

Staff at Ferndale Residential Care home have introduced new measures to protect residents and themselves during the ongoing international Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the extra measures the home has put in place to protect staff and residents is by setting up a tent and caravan outside.

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The staff have been living onsite for two or three week periods to minimize the risk of infection to the residents.

The team at FerndaleThe team at Ferndale
The team at Ferndale

Care assistant Tammy Ley has been working at Ferndale Residential Care Home in Southbourne said: “I’m just so proud of them all. I am biased but I love our home.

“The manager is brilliant and the relatives have been really good too.

“They surprised the home by putting a big poster outside saying ‘heroes work here’.

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“We have had lots of support and I’m making sure I’m keeping in touch with everyone.”

The caravan being used by staffThe caravan being used by staff
The caravan being used by staff

Tammy described the team as ‘like a family’ which is especially true for her as her mother used to work there before her.

Care home manager Kathy Greenfield said: “I’m so proud of all of them. They have made sacrifices and a lot left their families at home for weeks.

“They have been working long days and they are all there doing a great job.

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“I’m more than proud of them all. Words cannot express it. At the moment we have a caravan in the drive and a tent in the garden.

The tent being used by staffThe tent being used by staff
The tent being used by staff

“It’s dedication but we need to minimise the risk to the residents.”

The placement of the sign which read ‘heroes work here’ meant ‘so much’ to Kathy and her team, she said: “It broke my heart. They get little recognition.”

The wife of Emsworth man Frank Hillebrand, 74-year-old Sue, has had Alzheimer’s for 11 years and has been living at Ferndale for three.

Frank described the staff’s dedication as ‘amazing’.

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The retired hospital chaplain said: “I think it’s really important actually, they have come up with the only practical solution to keeping it out of care homes.

“There should be more recognition for people who work in care”

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