Your client may recently have received a letter from the NHS to say that they are considered a ‘high risk.’ This is because the NHS has contacted everyone who they consider to be at risk of serious illness because of the coronavirus. You may even have received this letter yourself.
The instructions are clear enough. The recipient must always stay at home. They must also avoid face-to-face contact for at least 12 weeks.
So, where does this leave you as carer?
As your client’s live-in carer, you are allowed to provide them with essential medical care. This also includes healthcare workers who need to visit your client.
If you start to develop the symptoms of coronavirus you must stop having face-to-face contact with your client. If you do not, your client will be even more at risk.
If you find yourself in this position with your client, it is always better to be safe than sorry and more important at this time. You must contact your agency as well as NHS in order to make sure that your client still receives alternative care and on-time medication.
The government has set up a dedicated helpline for people in this situation who seek additional care. They also have a website where you can register and receive further support.
www.gov.uk/cornonavirus-extremely-vulnerable
Tel: 0800 028 8327
If you and your client are in Wales and need extra help you should contact your local authority, the details of which you will find in the letter you have received from the NHS. Be assured that any health and social care services you or your client receive will continue.
If you and your client are in Scotland the letter will contain details of a local assistance service along with a text message service to shop for you and deliver groceries and medication. You can read more of this at www.nhsinform.scot
For carers and clients in Northern Ireland you can ask for extra help by emailing covid19@adviceni.net You can also text ACTION to 81025.
If I have symptoms?
If you show any symptoms you need to self-isolate for 7 days.
After 7 days if you do not have a temperature, you do not need to self-isolate.
After 7 days if you still have a temperature, you must keep self-isolating until this returns to normal.
If you still have just a cough after 7 days, you do not need to self-isolate because the cough can last several weeks after you are no longer infected.
If my client has symptoms?
If your client shows symptoms, then you must self-isolate for 14 days. This is because it can take this long for any symptoms to appear in you.
If there are more people than you and your client in the house you must self-isolate from the day the first person showed signs, and then stay in self-isolation for 14 days.
If you start to show symptoms you must self-isolate for 7 days from when the symptoms start, even if this is for longer than 14 days.
If you have no symptoms, you can stop self-isolating after 14 days.
To sum up
If either you or your client start to show symptoms of coronavirus, you need to be apart from each other. One will easily infect the other and a vulnerable person may easily succumb to the infection.
You may be able to make alternate arrangements with family or trusted friends to work with your client while you recover.
If your client shows symptoms and you cannot get anyone else to help you, you need to take every precaution to keep yourself from getting the disease.
Guidelines are set down on the NHS site at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/ and here you can read what you should do and the precautions you must take.
Above all, it is important that you keep yourself and your client safe. Never take a chance and go out unless you absolutely must. Rather ask for additional support and stay in.
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