We’d like to share information with you all on our current response to coronavirus.

We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact this virus will have on our services, but, as you can imagine, this is an ever-changing situation and we will take our lead from guidance that the government and local authorities are providing for organisations like ours. The Senior Leadership Team are reviewing the situation daily and adapting our approach, as required.

We are currently in the ‘delay’ stage of the virus response and this post will give you information about what we are doing and the steps we are taking.

What does this mean for Autism Together?

For the people we support:

  • We know that routine is extremely important for many of the people we support and this virus is likely to interrupt some people’ routines.
  • We understand that this virus and the information in the news and on social media will cause heightened anxiety for some people.
  • We are also aware that some of the people we support would find self-isolating a very difficult concept to understand.
  • We understand that some of the people we support will be in the high-risk group due to underlying health conditions, therefore we must do all we can to minimise the impact of the virus on the people we support.

For Families:

  • We are asking families to support us to make sure that the virus impact is minimised.
  • We are asking families to consider if their visit to their loved one is absolutely necessary.
  • We are asking those who have the virus or who have come into contact with someone who has the virus to stay away from the services.
  • We are asking families to keep in touch and to let us know if they have any concerns or have contracted the virus and visited a person we support in the preceding 7 days.
  • We are asking families that have travelled abroad recently to consider any actions they need to take and contact their Registered Manager/Service Manager with any questions.
  • We will support families to keep in touch via phone and social media devices as best we can.

For Staff:

  • We have a very dedicated staff team and are briefing the staff regularly as to the actions we are taking, and how they can minimise the spread of any infection.
  • We are aware that some staff are likely to get the virus and be off work – and we have a number of measures we can take to minimise the effects this would have on the people we support – for example, reducing the training that we do.
  • We are telling staff to notify us immediately if they develop symptoms and to follow current government advice on self-isolation.

Good hygiene:

  • We have circulated to all staff guidance on good hygiene measures.
  • We have placed around the organisation hand sanitisers and soap and water, as appropriate.
  • We have given staff guidance around infection control.
  • We have increased our cleaning schedule to include regular sanitisation of hard surfaces such as door handles.

All of these measures are being carefully thought through by the Senior Leadership Team and we are keeping up-to-date with national and local advice.

As you can see, we are taking all the precautions we can and listening to the advice from central government and local authorities. We are in unprecedented times and will continue to update our response, as required.

We appreciate your support and patience at this time.

Thanks and take care.