Working together for care home residents / Cyd-weithio ar gyfer preswylwyr cartrefi gofal

Health and social care partners and Independent Care Home Providers in West Wales are working together to ensure people with COVID-19 are treated with dignity and respect and involved as much as possible in decisions about their care and treatment whether they are in a hospital or care home.

Care homes are a central and essential part of frontline services in West Wales, in particular by ensuring and supporting the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable of the population. Many of our care settings are facing significant challenges and supporting care staff in these settings has never been more important. We recognise that this is a time of great anxiety for families of residents and the care homes who provide such outstanding care throughout this unprecedented time.

Hywel Dda University Health Board and County Councils in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire are working together to support care homes and deliver the best possible care to vulnerable people in a timely and appropriate way.

This means a wide range of key workers from doctors, nurses, health care support workers, carers, assistants, cleaners, transport workers, managers and volunteers are all playing their part in planning, advising and providing the care older people need, taking account of their wishes.

Across our communities, we are seeing examples of exemplar working from clinicians supporting and providing direct care in the care home setting. This can involve hospital clinicians collaborating with GPs and community teams and also the transfer of residents into hospital when needed. Technology is also being utilised in many care homes so that they can maintain contact with District Nurses and GPs in a timely manner.

Jill Paterson, Director of Primary, Community and Long Term Care, said: “We are working really hard as a whole Health and Care Community, with the shared goal of providing the best care for residents of Care Homes , preventing further spread of the disease, and protecting the safety of care givers.”

Dr Sion James, Deputy Medical Director at Hywel Dda, added: “General Practice and Community teams across the Health Board are offering continuing and increased support to patients in our care homes.  We are working as a team across Health and Social care to provide care for this important vulnerable groups.  GP Practices are contacting care homes on a daily basis to ensure that residents are getting the care they need.”

Jake Morgan, Statutory Director of Social Services in Carmarthenshire said: “This is an extraordinarily challenging time for our care workforce who are on the front line dealing with this pandemic. Over the last few weeks we have been able to offer our care homes additional financial support, advice and protective equipment to support them in carrying out their critical role. We will continue to do all we can to support care staff doing a remarkable job in these challenging times.”

Eifion Evans, Chief Executive of Ceredigion County Council, added: “We are working very closely with our Health Board colleagues in ensuring we maintain the required services to our most vulnerable in a safe and timely manner throughout this period. We also thank and acknowledge our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one supporting the health and social care sector in Ceredigion.”

Geriatrician and Consultant Physician at Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli Dr Andy Haden, has recently had experience of working closely with a Llanelli care home where a number of residents were affected by COVID-19.

He explained: “In the past few weeks I have been working closely with a care home affected by the disease, as it can be serious in that setting. Myself, Palliative Care consultants and Specialist and General Nurses and Local Authority staff have been supporting people in the Home.

“What has been really important is an individualised approach where we do the right thing for the person affected, and we ask them what their wishes are, of if they cannot speak for themselves, seek help from family or carers. For some people that will mean ensuring they come into the hospital and for others it will be support at the end of their life in their home environment where they are comfortable and cared for with compassion and dignity.”

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Mae partneriaid iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol a darparwyr cartrefi gofal annibynnol yng ngorllewin Cymru yn cyd-weithio i sicrhau bod pobl sydd â COVID-19 yn cael eu trin ag urddas a pharch yn gymaint o ran â phosib mewn penderfyniadau am eu gofal a’u triniaeth, boed mewn ysbyty neu gartref gofal.

Mae cartrefi gofal yn rhan ganolog a hanfodol o wasanaethau rheng flaen yng Ngorllewin Cymru, yn benodol trwy sicrhau a chefnogi iechyd a llesiant y mwyaf bregus yn y boblogaeth. Mae llawer o’n lleoliadau gofal yn wynebu heriau sylweddol, ac ni fu erioed yn bwysicach cefnogi staff gofal y lleoliadau hyn. Rydym yn cydnabod bod hwn yn gyfnod o breeder mawr i deuluoedd y preswylwyr ac i’r cartrefi sy’n darparu gofal mor rhagorol trwy’r cyfnod digynsail hwn.

Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda a Chynghorau Sir Gâr, Ceredigion a Phenfro yn gweithio ar y cyd i gefnogi cartrefi gofal i ddarparu’r gofal gorau posib i unigolion bregus mewn modd amserol a phriodol annibynnol yn gweithio ar y cyd fel cymuned iechyd a gofal gyfan.

Golyga hyn bod ystod eang o weithwyr allweddol o feddygon, nyrsys, gweithwyr cymorth gofal iechyd, gofalwyr, cynorthwywyr, glanhawyr, gweithwyr cludiant, rheolwyr a gwirfoddolwyr i gyd yn chwarae eu rhan yn y gwaith o gynllunio, cynghori a darparu’r gofal sydd ei angen ar bobl hŷn, gan ystyried eu dymuniadau.

Ar draws ein cymunedau, gwelwn weithio enghreifftiol gan glinigwyr yn cefnogi ac yn darparu gofal uniongyrchol mewn cartrefi gofal. Mae hyn yn cynnwys clinigwyr ysbyty yn cydweithredu â Meddygon Teulu a thimau cymuneol, ac hefyd yn rhan o’r gwaith o drosglwyddo unigolion i ysbyty pan fo angen. Defnyddir technoleg hefyd mewn nifero gartrefi gofal fel y gallant gadw mewn cysylltiad amserol â’r Nyrsys Ardal a Meddygon Teulu.

Meddai Jill Paterson, Cyfarwyddwr Gofal Sylfaenol, Cymunedol a Hirdymor: “Rydym yn gweithio’n galed iawn fel cymuned iechyd a gofal gyfan, â’r nod o ddarparu’r gofal gorau posib i drigolion cartrefi gofal, gan atal yr afiechyd rhag lledaeu ymhellach, yn ogystal ag amddiffyn diogelwch yr unigolion hynny sy’n gofalu.”

Meddai Dr Sion James, Dirprwy Gyfarwyddwr Meddygol Hywel Dda: “Mae timau Meddygaeth Gyffredinol a Chymunedol ledled y Bwrdd Iechyd yn cynnig cefnogaeth barhaus a chynyddol i gleifion yn ein cartrefi gofal. Rydym yn gweithio fel tîm ar draws iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol i ddarparu gofal i’r grŵp bregus, pwysig hwn. Mae meddygfeydd yn cysylltu â chartrefi gofal yn ddyddiol i sicrhau bod y preswylwyr yn cael y gofal sydd ei angen arnynt.”

Meddai Jake Morgan, Cyfarwyddwr Statudol Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol Sir Gâr: “Mae hwn yn gyfnod hynod heriol i’n gweithlu gofal sydd ar y llinell flaen y delio â’r pandemig hwn. Dros yr wythnosau diwethaf rydym wedi medru cynnig cymorth ariannol, cyngor ac offer amddiffynnol ychwanegol i’n cartrefi gofal i’w cefnogi i gyflawni eu rôl hanfodol. Byddwn yn parhau i wneud popeth yn ein gallu i gefnogi staff gofal sy’n gwneud gwaith rhyfeddol yn yr amseroedd heriol hyn.”

Ychwanegodd Eifion Evans, Prif Weithredwr Cyngor Sir Ceredigion: “Rydym yn gweithio’n agos iawn â’n cydweithwyr yn y Bwrdd Iechyd i sicrhau ein bod yn cynnal y gwasanaethau gofynnol i’r rhai mwyaf agored i niwed mewn modd diogel ac amserol trwy gydol y cyfnod hwn. Rydym hefyd yn diolch o waelod calon i bawb sy’n cefnogi’r sector iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yng Ngheredigion.”

Yn ddiweddar, cafodd Dr Andy Hayden, Geriatregydd a Meddyg Ymgynghorol yn Ysbyty Tywysog Philip, Llanelli y profiad o weithio’n agos â chartref gofal yn Llanelli lle mae nifer o breswylwyr wedi’u heffeithio gan COVID-19.

Eglurodd: “Yn yr wythnosau diwethaf, rwyf wedi bod yn gweithio’n agos â chartref gofal sydd wedi’i effeithio gan yr afiechyd, am y gall fod yn ddifrifol mewn lleoliad o’r fath. Rydw innau, ymgynghorwyr gofal lliniarol, nyrsys arbenigol a chyffredinol a staff awdurdodau lleol wedi bod yn cefnogi pobl yn y cartref gofal.

“Yr hyn sydd wedi bod yn bwysig iawn yw’r ymagwedd unigol – lle yr ydym yn gwneud y peth sy’n iawn ar gyfer yr unigolyn, gan ystyried dymuniadau’r unigolyn, neu dymuniadau perthynas neu ofalwr os na all yr unigolyn siarad dros ei hun. I rai pobl golyga hynny eu bod yn dod i ysbyty, ac i eraill golyga eu bod yn cael cefnogaeth ar ddiwedd eu hoes mewn amgylchedd cartref lle y maen nhw’n gyffyrddus ac yn cael gofal gydag urddas a pharch.”