PPE Guidelines

Throughout your work in care, you will become accustomed to using PPE on a daily basis to provide support with personal care.

PPE used routinely during care work is aprons, gloves, masks and visors or goggles - all of which is supplied by Nouveau Care free of charge to our carers.

PPE & Covid 19

During the pandemic, PPE required for personal care has been updated from gloves and aprons only to include masks and visors.

Government guidelines now require you to wear a mask at all times in enclosed spaces with others, so you should be wearing a mask throughout your visits which includes upon entry.

We also now require you to wear a visor upon entry to each property.

While it is our policy not to provide care to Covid positive service users, we do need to ensure that our staff do not need to self isolate merely for having encountered somebody with suspected symptoms; in line with other healthcare staff.

We therefore ask you to wear visors upon entry to safeguard yourselves against infection should symptoms be encountered. You are not required to wear visors for the duration of your visits - once you are satisfied there are no symptoms, visors can be used for personal care only.

Upon entering properties, we would ask you to immediately wash hands rather than donning gloves before entering. This is because you can then eliminate the possibility of transferring pathogens from doorhandles, etc. into the property.

It is good practice to use a hand gel after you have left a property - in addition to hand washing before leaving - to eliminate any pathogens picked up by touch as before.

If you would prefer, you can wear safety goggles as an alternative to a mask - these can also be supplied by us. These do less to prevent the spread of airborne particles, but since the primary purpose of these items of PPE is to protect the eyes their use is allowed.

Uniform

Uniform is required at all times throughout your working day - this important for both being instantly recognisable & company image and for infection control.

During personal care or similar, airborne particles can be trapped in the fibres of your clothing. It is therefore best practice to keep your work clothes seperate from personal items. For this reason, outside clothing should also be taken off during visits.