Community health and care workers on the front line of Covid-19 care for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust have thanked auto parts staff for donating PPE for their own cars which they use to visit residents’ homes.
Motor Parts Direct, of Paignton, provided protection kits including steering wheel, gear stick, footwell and seat covers. The covers can be removed from community workers’ own cars and washed to avoid spreading infection to residents, their colleagues and their own families after work.
The Rapid Response and Reablement Teams visit patients (including those with Covid 19) in their own homes to provide personal care, medication prompting and assistance, meal preparation at short notice seven days a week and night-sitting. They may visit some patients up to four times a day.
The teams’ support enables patients to be discharged from hospital to their homes as soon as medically fit, which frees up beds to meet potential demand from the pandemic.
Sarah Sargent, Occupational Therapist in the Clinical Site Management Team, said: “The PPE for the cars helps protect the amazing teams and their families that may be using the car after the team member comes off duty. The car seat covers particularly are great because they can be wiped clean between visits and removed when the team member is not wearing scrubs or other work clothes.
“The Rapid Response and Reablement Team would like to say thank you for the generosity and kindness shown through this donation in which is helping to protect our teams and their families.”
Andy Campbell, Motor Parts Regional Manager, whose wife Rachael works for the Trust, said: “Rachael asked if we keep any kind of protective equipment for vehicle
“As a few of the staff at our Paignton branch have family members working in the NHS or currently being cared for by NHS services they were more than happy to donate these to your teams.”
