Pressure on social workers to stop spread of coronavirus in Oxfordshire

Savvy workers have had to come up with various tricks to continue helping people during the pandemic.

This is the case of 32-year-old mother of two Amy Snell, who is a newly qualified social worker and is part of Oxfordshire County Council’s City Hospital team at the John Radcliffe.

Normally Ms Snell, who lives in Cholsey, near Wallingford, works on the wards with healthcare staff where she assesses patients and arranges any voluntary or care support that someone might need when they leave hospital.

Her day-to-day job involves solving problems to get people back to their own homes.

Occasionally, it may also involve supporting them to find somewhere safe to live where they will be able to recover.

But on top of that Ms Snell and her colleagues were forced to take further steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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Explaining how her daily routine has changed since the beginning of the pandemic Ms Snell commented: “Before the pandemic, we would usually see patients and their families face to face.

“But we have now had to look at other ways in which we could communicate effectively that would also keep everybody safe.

“We have been speaking to patients and their families over the phone, via WhatsApp, or on video calls.

“In some instances, we have even communicated with patients via handwritten messages, so they have been able to write back to us.

“These ways of working have allowed us to have a personal touch, continue to work as usual, while keeping us, and our service users protected.”

To meet service users face to face social workers have to wear full PPE, wash their hands regularly, and try to maintain social distancing as much as possible.

They also work with health professionals via virtual multi-disciplinary team’s and continue to work closely with health and social care professionals in the system to coordinate care.

The team have also implemented a vital rota so that they can continue to socially distance.

Ms Snell added: “As a team, we have been able to introduce an office rota, so we can safely socially distance.

“Along with PPE, this has meant we can go into the hospital to speak to one another, ward staff and see our service users on the wards.”

By bringing in these steps, the hospital team have also been largely able to avoid any coronavirus related illness, allowing them to continue their day-to-day work at full capacity.

Ms Snell revealed she has also found the team’s positivity has also helped them to succeed during these difficult times.

Talking about her colleagues she said: “There is a nice team vibe in the hospital team of coordinators and social workers.

“I am so lucky to work with some lovely people, who I know are always there to listen when things might get tough.”

However, this was not Ms Snell’s first choice for a career.

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Initially, she did an Access to Nursing course at college, but later decided to apply for a social work degree instead.

The 32-year-old was then accepted at Oxford Brookes University and three years later she qualified.

Currently, Ms Snell is in a supported year, which all social workers have to do when they first qualify.

Oxfordshire County Council that revealed its campaign #StopTheSpread earlier this year in July, pointed out that just like Ms Snell 'we all have a goal to play' in reducing the spread of coronavirus.

A spokesperson for the authority urged people to follow the council's guidance.

They commented: "We all have a vital role to play in keeping Oxfordshire safe and in preventing local outbreaks.

"Make sure you follow these simple steps to keep safe and stop the virus spreading.

"Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitiser if soap and water are not available.

"Wear a face covering or a mask on public transport, in all shops and in places where it is hard to stay away from people."

"Like Ms Snell, with your support, we all have a part to play in our goal to stop the spread of coronavirus in the county."