Autumna introduced the S.A.F.E badge during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way of helping people searching for elder care quickly identify care providers with good infection prevention and control policies.
Families and people searching for care needed to know which care settings, like care homes, nursing homes and retirement living communities, they could trust to control the spread of infectious diseases including Coronaviruses.
The problem was that with thousands of care providers throughout the UK, finding that information used to be a monumental task and it wasn’t always available.
Reading through pages of information from various providers is time-consuming and when you need to find care quickly, it can become stressful. To change that, we created the S.A.F.E badge.
S.A.F.E stands for safety assurance for everyone and is an indicator of quality care. When you see the green S.A.F.E badge on an Autumna profile, you know that the care provider has provided extensive information about their infection prevention and control (IPC) policies.
For example, a person searching for a care home could filter for providers in their area with the S.A.F.E badge and instantly see, in real-time, which ones could be a suitable choice for them.
S.A.F.E makes searching for care better by providing transparent information that can be used to make life-changing decisions.
All care providers in the UK should follow the latest government guidelines for care settings which are updated throughout the year.
Care providers should practise recommended techniques to control and prevent COVID-19 such as:
As well as following the government guidance that outlines COVID-19 infection prevention and control (IPC) measures for staff, service users and visitors in adult social care settings and services in England, some care providers have taken additional measures.
These measures are reflected by the green S.A.F.E badge stamped on their profile. Further details about the techniques and processes that the care staff engage in can be accessed by selecting the tab on their profile named “Infection Control: S.A.F.E”
If you’re unable to visit a care home physically, an Autumna profile marked as S.A.F.E should provide clear and transparent details about how the team prevents and controls the spread of infections such as Coronavirus.
Their profile may include information about whether they have:
You can search Autumna and filter for care providers with a S.A.F.E badge. You’ll see a list of care providers that go above and beyond the government guidelines for IPC.
During the pandemic, our team was sent countless questions from worried people who wanted to know if the care setting they were interested in had an outdoor area for visits.
When indoor visits were restricted or unavailable, outdoor gardens and patios became a place for socially distanced visits between residents and their families.
To help people find a care setting which could accommodate visits during COVID-19 waves, we adapted our search function so that people can select “Safe Visiting Space”.
You can also use the same Autumna search portal to search for care providers with outdoor space for visits. Here’s how:
Isolation, however necessary for the prevention and control of infection, is hard.
Staying connected with friends and family if there are positive cases within the care home you or your loved one live in, is important for mental well-being and the prevention of cognitive decline. Being able to talk, express feelings and share stories when you’re ill or isolated can have a huge impact on clarity of thought, mood, appetite and sleep.
During the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020, another new question that repeatedly cropped up was “Does this care home have good WIFI and phone signal”.
It was really important to potential residents and their families to know that they could keep in touch if physical visits weren’t possible.
It made complete sense to us, so we changed the Autumna search functionality to include a filter for “WIFI” and “telephone point”.
You’re welcome to contact us, so please do.
In the future, we aim to monitor infection control on a real-time basis through AI technology and industry collaboration.
If you’re the supplier of infection control products and services who wants to engage with Autumna as we move forward, or if you’re a care provider who wants to display the S.A.F.E badge then please email Kate Awcock or call 01892 33 53 30.
S.A.F.E. is not about whether a care setting is COVID-free or has, or has not had the Coronavirus. The green badge on an Autumna profile indicates that the staff in the care setting have gone above and beyond what’s necessary to prevent infection.
Autumna is here to give you transparent information about care providers so that you can make an informed decision. Trusting a care provider to care for a loved one is an emotional decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly and it can help to seek advice from elder care experts, family and people who have been in the same position.
The S.A.F.E badge is there to help you identify which care providers in your area have infection prevention and control processes that go above the government guidelines for care settings.
Yes, the Autumna care home search portal just needs your postcode to find nursing homes near you.
You can then apply filters to your search, including whether a nursing home has the S.A.F.E badge. This badge lets you know that a care provider goes above and beyond the government’s guidelines on infection prevention and control for adult social care.
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Autumna is the UK's largest and most comprehensive later-life living & elderly care directory. Our detailed search facility and team of expert advisors can help you find the best care homes, nursing homes, retirement homes, retirement villages, home care, and live-in care services for you or your loved one's needs. Our website is free to use, we are proudly independent, and we never take referral fees.