Care management, whether residential or domiciliary, can be challenging enough without the added challenges of unexpected poor weather risking the safety or well-being of residents or staff.
From maintaining resident, client, and staff well-being, to decreasing the risk of literal or reputational damage, effective communication is crucial.
If they don’t have one already, individual care home managers should be looking at creating a business continuity strategy in case of emergency. This strategy should also outline how to communicate with key people through an incident.
First, let’s take a look at who to communicate with, then how, when and why.
Identifying key stakeholders
Before deciding how to communicate key messages, care leaders should first decide who should be communicated with during challenging situations.
Residents or clients should promptly be spoken to and any concerns should be acknowledged and addressed whenever possible. Reassuring them should be a high priority. This, of course, should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and according to the capacity of individual residents. It’s also worth identifying the most vulnerable of residents, should an evacuation need to take place.
Management should also identify key workers and organisations in case their assistance is required, including but not limited to; the emergency services, local authorities, food and medical suppliers and any local volunteers and community organisations.
Identifying the most appropriate communication channels
Tried and tested methods of communication will prevail in an emergency. Management must ensure that staff have a sure-fire way to communicate with key stakeholders that is reliable and easy to operate.
Establishing a tiered list of communication channels can help staff to prioritise and reduce decision-making while under pressure. Consider splitting channels into primary and secondary methods.
Primary channels might include:
Dedicated landline phones
Dedicated emergency mobile phones
Automated calling or text messaging systems
Management can then consider secondary channels for distributing information to wider audiences and for things such as reputation management.
Secondary channels could include:
Social media – updating Facebook and Instagram accounts is an easy way to update the local community
Contacting local newsrooms – including radio and TV
Community notice boards, such as Facebook pages or Subreddits
If updating social media or getting in touch with journalists or media outlets is something that feels intimidating or unachievable for care leaders, some communications agencies specialise in working with care organisations.
In addition to picking and maintaining the best channels for their organisations, care managers should ensure that messages are accessible to all stakeholders, including those with disabilities.
This does not only make messaging available to all but writing in an accessible manner – for example, using plain English, short sentences and wide spacing and formatting – makes key messaging easier to digest in a higher-pressure environment.
Pre-emergency planning and developing a plan
Care home managers or shift managers can start by assigning roles and responsibilities for communication.
They should consider things such as the best person to call the emergency services or who has the most knowledge or experience with the problem and can communicate it best to stakeholders. Those responsible for assigning roles should also take into account staff absences such as sickness and leave.
Clear protocols and escalation procedures should also be set. Staff must know who to inform, how to tell them and when.
Additionally, updating emergency contact information for stakeholders and running drills regularly will provide assurance and save valuable time when it’s crunch time.
Train staff on using communication tools effectively
Care staff ‘on the ground’ will be key in risky situations – Ensure they are trained and able to follow protocol while maintaining their regular level of empathy and care.
They will also need to be trained in what constitutes an emergency, and how and when to escalate a situation. Protocols should also be available for staff to refer to should they need to.
In addition to dealing with residents and stakeholders such as local media, staff should be prepared to have challenging conversations with anxious community or family members and might benefit from resources to help with this.
Post-emergency communication
Like any team exercise, results can only be benchmarked, maintained and improved upon with a debrief and evaluation. This is a prime opportunity to identify areas for improvement and update communication plans based on lessons learned.
This, however, is not where the communication ends. Stakeholders will also want to be updated on any recovery efforts and offering support to residents and their loved ones will help maintain trust and loyalty to organisations.
Conclusion
Effective communication is paramount in ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, staff, and the wider community during weather-related emergencies in care settings.
By identifying key stakeholders, establishing robust communication channels and conducting thorough pre-emergency planning, care leaders can proactively mitigate risks and effectively respond to unforeseen challenges.
With clear, consistent and accessible communication, care organisations can build trust, foster resilience and effectively navigate even the most challenging weather events.
With thanks to David Huckerby, Co-founder of Health & Social Care specialist creative communications agency Conteur for producing this insight for Care Sector Hub.
Beginning his career in health and social care over 20 years ago, David Huckerby has held many positions in the sector including Registered Manager for a Home Care Agency and Development Manager for a group of Learning Disability services. David’s expertise and passion for the health and social care industry was a driver in launching Conteur, a creative communications agency.
Specialising in health and social care, property and housing and hospitality, Conteur, now in its 12th year and led by Director David, has grown from providing just PR services to video and photography, marketing, digital marketing and graphic design.
David has a keen interest in agency life (recruitment, retention and culture) and full service creative communications. Providing multiple services under one roof has led to Conteur’s popular content creation packages, enabling clients to have access to multiple, cost effective communication services. He also has a passion to support organisations with a strong social purpose, which has certainly supported the growth and culture of Conteur.
Keen to share his knowledge of the health and social care sector and agency experience, David has the skills and experience to provide expert thought leadership across these areas. David’s current aspirations are to ensure Conteur produces outstanding written and visual content, telling powerful stories for the commercial benefit of clients and to create a working environment that people are proud to be a part of.
