Roast dinner off the menu as care home keeps cool

Extreme heat is expected to continue into the weekend, but how are some of the most vulnerable - and those who care for them - coping?

Westhill Care Home in Kettering said it had taken a range of measures to ensure the wellbeing of its residents, with the Met Office warning of temperatures of up to 38C.

The care home, which provides residential and dementia support for up to 66 people, says a revised menu has been among the changes.

Manager Sharmaine Hall said: "As much as our residents do want Sunday roasts, we will weigh up whether we use an oven - we need to keep it [the heat] from being catastrophic for our staff".

She added that the forecast saw the home's management prepare an "extensive risk assessment" to ensure both residents and staff - especially those working in its kitchens - are not at risk of heatstroke or heat exhaustion.

"We have a heatwave menu that we change, so it's more water-rich foods," Hall explained.

"It gives residents more opportunities to get fluids into their bodies. The ovens within Westhill are not on as much as they could be [during a heatwave]."

She said residents, many of whom were monitored closely, had visual observations "every couple of hours", and staff were trained to spot symptoms including headaches, excess sweating and lethargy.

Grace, a resident at Westhill, said that despite overnight temperatures she had "slept really well" thanks to additional fans in her room.

"It's hard for the staff... I'm lucky because I don't have to move about", she said.

Temperature tests are being carried out in rooms and communal areas every four hours so that staff can support residents into cooler parts of the building as required.

Hall said: "We've also had to change our job tasks around, so while we don't put our laundry services on hold, we do change those to tasks that are carried out at night when its cooler."

Staff have also been permitted to wear a more relaxed uniform and take additional breaks to cope with their working conditions.

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