Lynn’s Blog: Caring in COVID – Why I’m so proud of the hard work and dedication of my HRM Homecare staff

Over the years many people have asked why I chose to start a care at home business. The reason is I love it, I love the caring profession, and I love the people I work with at HRM Homecare.

I am so lucky to be surrounded by talented, dedicated staff. This has especially been the case as they carried on caring during COVID-hit 2020 – without doubt the toughest year I can remember since setting up the business. Every single HRM Homecare worker has stood tall in the face of COVID-19. Together, as the first wave grew back in March, we worked round the clock to deliver a highly effective infection control regime through hard work and total dedication.

And the result has been that no vulnerable or elderly person looked after by my carers has died from COVID-19 between 1st March and 31st August. Not only that, only three were confirmed to have the disease when admitted to hospital.  That is no mean feat. Just so you know, over this period HRM Homecare carried out 257,264 care visits, and 1,800 daily visits.

And we also made sure high quantities of quality PPE were in place for everyone who needed it. The result? No HRM worker was confirmed as having contracted Covid-19 during this six-month period. And it’s not just about PPE – it’s the care and attention that my team have taken to protect themselves against this terrible virus.

Then there’s the fantastic extra contributions they’ve made as wonderful human beings. They’ve regularly and faithfully gathered donations for the vulnerable during lockdown, providing them with everyday items such as shampoo, toothpaste and soap that they could not get out to buy. That is a selflessness that is an honour for me to see.

Now a second wave is growing, we have been working hard once more to future-proof our services and protection. Earlier this month, while continuing to provide support to our service users, we achieved the world’s most recognised quality management system standard, ISO 9001: 2015 Certification. Our certificate is independently verified and accredited by UKAS and comes with a ‘Crown & Tick’ mark, that underlines the security that comes from Government-backed certification.

This is a source of huge pride for us all at HRM Homecare. It shows just how high the quality of care is that we provide in terms of home support, self-directive support and specialised care to children and families, adults with disabilities and older people across west and central Scotland. If anything good comes out of this long, tough stretch for us all, it is that my HRM carers and staff team have shown just how skilled they are, and how valuable they have proved to be for those left vulnerable in the face of this pandemic.

For those looking to start a new chapter in their working lives, who enjoy caring for others, we’d be delighted to hear from you. You’d be joining a fantastic team.

• Lynn Laughland, MD