COVID-19 is putting everyone under great strain. Staff are understandable anxious not only for themselves, for their families, their service users and their jobs. Despite the immense pressure and the feeling that we are all running so fast, taking a little time to touch base with staff with have benefits in the long run. This is looking like it will be a marathon, not a sprint, keeping a structure will help to support your staff, service users and ensure you continue to deliver Safe, Caring, Effective, Responsive and Well-led services. There may not be time to carry out the formal structure so think about some of the following ways of supporting your staff.
We have summarised some key points for you, which can be downloaded here.
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Alternatively, you can read the action card here:
What action can you need to take?
• Start a log of when and what you share with staff. It doesn’t have to be an essay, if you like paper, write it in a diary, if you are techier, make a note online. This way you have a record to refer to later. It’s easy to forget when it’s so busy.
• Try having a daily standup meeting – a huddle. You can quickly go around and get staff to say what their top priorities are for the day. Anything critical or a concern. It doesn’t have to be along with meeting and works well either face to face or video conference or by phone. Jot down any actions and circle back at the end of the day.
• Create an online file that staff can access all the updates. This way you will know they are getting information from reliable sources. If you have a paper file remember to wipe it down regularly along with any shared IT equipment.
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ public-health-england
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronaviruscovid-19/
- https://www.who.int/
- https://www.nationalcareforum.org.uk/ncfvoice/covid-19-coronavirus/
- https://www.scie.org.uk/careproviders/coronavirus-covid-19
• Current Topics for supervision- PPE, Personal Wellbeing, Self-Isolation, immediate training needs e.g. Clinical observations, how to barrier nurse suspected or confirmed cases.
• Refer to your policies and procedures, highlight the key ones. Encourage staff to check them