Tribute to 'dedicated' Wigan care home workers who died after contracting coronavirus

Sheena Gudhka, director of St George’s Nursing Home in Wigan, described the Covid-19 crisis as “by far one of the most difficult things we have had to deal with”.

She revealed two frontline employees, who were dedicated to caring for elderly residents, had lost their lives after developing symptoms of the virus.

They were clinical care manager Julie Hughes, who was described as a “much loved colleague and tenacious advocate for her staff and residents”, and long-standing domestic supervisor Jean Poole, who had a “heart of gold”.

Six residents have also died, all of whom went into hospital for treatment for other issues and contracted the virus while there.

Eight members of staff tested at the home were confirmed to have coronavirus, while other residents have also had the illness.

Mrs Gudhka said: “The passing of two of our dear staff has totally demoralised staff and will leave a massive void across the whole organisation, yet I feel proud to say they did not die in vain.

“Julie has been with St George’s for around six years. She was a much loved colleague and tenacious advocate for her staff and residents, always putting their needs first.

“Jean has been with St George’s for over 21 years. She was our domestic supervisor with a heart of gold.

“During her time with us she was known for her dedication to her role and came to keep St George’s clean and protect our residents.

“I would like them, as much as all the key workers out there, to be acknowledged for their hard work, dedication and loyalty shown to their employers, their profession and to their fellow colleagues.”

Mrs Gudhka said Julie had a test at a drive-through centre two days after she started showing symptoms of Covid-19, but her health deteriorated quickly when she returned home. An ambulance was called, but sadly she did not survive. It was confirmed she had the virus.

Jean called NHS 111 for advice when her symptoms began, but was told she was not poorly enough to go to hospital, Mrs Gudhka said.

Her health deteriorated quickly and she was taken to hospital by ambulance the next day, where she made good progress. However, she then had a heart attack and died.

The tragic deaths of the pair have been a massive blow.

Chief executive of Wigan Council, Alison Mckenzie-Folan, said: “On behalf of the council I’d like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families of the residents and staff from St George’s we sadly lost.

“We will do everything we can to support the care home at this very difficult time.”

At the beginning of the outbreak, staff and residents watched as infection rates grew around the country and death rates increased.

The lower ground floor of the building had been vacated for refurbishment, so they used the space to take in new residents and help hospitals free up beds.

The new residents were not isolated at first, as staff were told they had been tested before arriving at the home.

But as the pandemic grew, the policy changed and most of the residents were cared for in their bedrooms, to maintain social distancing and minimise the spread of infection.

There was also a big focus on personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensuring enough was available for staff.

Mrs Gudhka said: “PPE was something of a big concern to us from the very beginning of the pandemic as it was our top priority to keep staff and residents as safe as we could.

“We were following national guidelines at first, but changed our policy and increased PPE usage fairly soon.

“PPE was a national shortage and struggle to source. Guidelines for PPE use were different for care homes as they were for hospitals.

“Wigan Council have been supportive and have topped up masks and goggles over the supply from the government central team. They are regularly in touch to be able to assist if our stock gets depleted or low.

“We topped up our PPE by sourcing over-shoe protectors, face visors, more masks, aprons, long-sleeved full gowns, hand sanitisers.

“All this has been an extra cost to the nursing home we did not hesitate to take for the sake of our staff’s safety.

“We have spent over £15,000 on PPE and still have orders for more to restock, making sure we are never short to maintain our 100 per cent safety of our staff. All staff have been given training on use of PPE to ensure its effectiveness.”

As with most care home and nursing homes, many of the residents are elderly and vulnerable and need further treatment for underlying health issues.

Since March 20, six residents have been admitted to hospital for other issues, such as advanced urine infections or chest infections, and contracted coronavirus while there. They did not

survive.

A further two residents who were ready to be discharged found out they had the virus and stayed in hospital for another week in isolation, before they could return to the home. Mrs Gudhka said they have since made a full recovery.

It has been a difficult time for staff at the home as they tried to continue caring for their residents while following advice from the Government.

Mrs Gudhka said: “Our staff have been the heroes for us through this whole episode, as even though there was limited knowledge or support on the Covid-19, they kept going on.

“A lot of mixed emotions, feeling scared, anxious, putting their own lives at risk.

“Many live with children or vulnerable parents or partners, but still kept coming to work even though there was a grey area how to keep safe and maintain social distancing.”

Mrs Gudhka said social distancing is “extremely difficult” in care homes, as staff must be in contact with colleagues and residents.

But she felt Government guidelines on furloughing staff were “not clear cut”, as some staff were classed as vulnerable but could not get a letter from their GP or the Government to say they should be shielding.

The home tried to get testing kits, when they were only available in hospitals, but were unsuccessful.

Some workers have self-isolated and returned to work, while others were tested at drive-through centres once they opened, though there were difficulties when people wanted to book appointments or for those who did not drive.

Mrs Gudhka said Wigan Council, particularly Jenny Yates for age well (adults), had been supportive in sourcing mass testing at the home on May 1.

She said: “Through the testing we found a further nine residents tested positive, of which eight were asymptomatic and one symptomatic.

“All these residents were made to self-isolate and are still at the nursing home - a joint decision with advice of the GP and our competent nurses and manager.

“The one positive case is being cared for at the nursing home as he self-isolates and is keeping well.

“He seems to be on the mend as well.

“Our CQC inspectors have been supportive during this time and have offered their support.

“From the staff members who got tested at the nursing home, we found eight staff tested positive - four have resumed work and four are still self-isolating.”

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