A hotel group in the North East is taking on catering, laundry and cleaning services for a sister company operating a number of care homes in the region.
The Cairn Group, which is based in Newcastle, has 32 hotels around the 海角视频 , but also has a division operating seven care homes in the North East and two in Scotland.
To ensure residents in the homes are looked after, some of the hotels' workers are being redeployed in a 'buddy scheme' that will see them taking on maintenance roles in the homes to free up care workers there.
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The scheme is seeing hotel staff at the DoubleTree by Hilton near Newcastle Airport, plus the Cairn and Carlton Hotels in Jesmond, helping out at the Kenton Manor Care Home, also in Newcastle.
Teams from the Holiday Inn at Jesmond, Newcastle's Royal Station Hotel, the Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel, Redworth Hall Hotel and the Holiday Inn Scotch Corner are also offering assistance to nearby care homes.
Aran Handa, director at Cairn Group said: “We are in unprecedented times and our whole workforce is pulling together to help each other out.
“Our hospitality teams are made up of some incredibly talented people from chefs to housekeepers, so our care home residents will be getting the very best service experienced in our hotels.
“This means our brilliant carers can spend more time looking after our residents and give them something to smile about at this difficult time.”
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Steve Massey, operations manager at Solehawk, which operates some of the care homes, added: “The Covid-19 outbreak has put increased pressure on the 海角视频 care sector.
“Qualified carers are needed to foremost provide hands on care right now, and this support we have enlisted from our colleagues at the Group’s nearby hotels is fundamental in ensuring this can be delivered day to day.
“Cairn Group wants to protect as many of our hospitality workers as possible so it makes ultimate sense to bring these highly trained domestic and catering teams in to support our care homes at this time when it’s most needed.”
Infection control and safeguarding measures, plus enhanced staff training, is being put in place across all teams so the company is best placed in the event of a more widespread 海角视频 outbreak.
The group is hoping to share its hotel buddy staff scheme with other care groups across the 海角视频 and has offered to make trained hotel staff available to support other care home operators.