Oswald Avenue Day Centre

Two weeks before lockdown the decision was taken to transfer Oswald Avenue Day service and operate out of Dundas resource centre, for the protection of service users and to release some day service staff members to support other critical care services who were having staffing difficulties. The team was re-worked, some volunteered to work in other services, whilst others worked to inform parents and carers of the changes being made and others supported service users to explain why we were transferring.

The management team contacted other professional colleagues keeping them informed and a week later the decision was taken that Day Services would have to close.  Staff members and the management team followed a similar process as the transfer.

Prior to closure a Risk Management Plan was created by key workers, colleagues and managers which followed a red, amber, green methodology assessing risk to each of the 102 service users not receiving their day service at weeks 1, 4, and 12 of the pandemic.

The risk assessment meetings enabled staff members to review each service user to assess risk based on the criteria detailed and provide an information plan that could be used in supporting the service users and their families through the pandemic and dedicated members of staff have maintained weekly communication. From this communication information provided to staff members has enabled the team to monitor and raise any concerns with health and social work colleagues also to sign post the service users to supports.

A key worker attended an emergency case conference online which they had not done before which contributed to a new support plan for the service user. Day Service staff members have supported a service user in their own home due to a crisis which provided additional support at a time of stress for the family.

As the service closed staff members in Day Services were deployed and through discussions and meeting  with their management over the course of the last few months many staff have spoken of new skills and experiences they have learned from and getting to know new colleagues and the work they do in their roles has changed their perspective. Staff members and the management team worked closely together with other colleagues to achieve this work prior to the full lockdown.