What are S.A.F.E. care providers and how can I find them?

The aim of S.A.F.E. is to give families looking for elderly care the assurances they need that the care providers they are considering are putting infection control uppermost in their thinking.

During the COVID crisis, when the ability to physically visit care providers was severely restricted, searchable online information became paramount. And when the most frequently asked question on the Autumna advice line was, “How do I know if this care home safe?” then we knew we had to be proactive about providing the answer.  

So, we introduced the S.A.F.E. badge. The S.A.F.E. badge is displayed on a care provider’s profile, when they choose to provide the infection control information that families need to help them make their elderly care decisions.

Phase 1 of S.A.F.E.

The S.A.F.E. initiative began in June 2020 when Autumna provided a platform that allowed care providers to publish their CQC (Care Quality Commission) ESF (Emergency Support Framework) report. This report summarised what measures the care provider was taking during the Coronavirus pandemic and how infection control was being managed based on the answers it gave to 15 questions from the Government’s regulatory body.

Phase 2 of S.A.F.E.

Autumna has now gone further and enabled care providers to publish details of the procedures and policies they have put in place that go over and above Government guidelines. These include such things as air filtration and purification equipment, sterilisation and disinfection devices, and infection screening and monitoring technology.

Some care providers have had their own independent assessments carried out and Autumna allows them to evidence that. Virus testing and contact tracing are also measures that are covered in the S.A.F.E. initiative.

‘Mystery shoppers’ are employed by Autumna to maintain the integrity of the information supplied.

Phase 3 of S.A.F.E.

The ‘moonshot’ element of the S.A.F.E. initiative is to be doing ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ – providing ‘Symptom Assessments For Everyone.’

With the help of new artificial intelligence and assistive technologies, this has the potential to happen on an hour-by-hour or even minute-by-minute basis.

For some this might sound far-fetched, but progress is being made all the time.

Autumna’s aim is to keep an open mind to new ideas, to collaborate with other industry sectors, and to continue to provide proactive strategies to give the public the information they need to make their elderly care choices.

Get involved

If you would like to know more about the S.A.F.E. infection control initiative, or you are a care provider who wants to display the S.A.F.E. badge or a supplier of infection control products and services who wants to collaborate with us as we move forward, then please email Debbie Harris or call her on: 01892 33 53 30.