A Renfrewshire firm has completed the installation of Covid-safe cabins at three local care homes.
Set up by City Gate Construction (CGC), the facilities were hailed as an ‘innovative solution which provides that vital link for families’ by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership.
CGC explained that the cabins will allow visitors the opportunity to spend time alone with a resident whilst still complying with Covid-19 regulations. Each of the cabins is heated to ensure they can be used all year round and, importantly, have the required airflow to minimise the risk of infection.
A spokesperson from Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership said, “Across the winter, we have implemented temporary options for visitors in line with national guidance.
“However, there was an aspiration to find a long-term solution that would provide outdoor spaces for each care home – away from the main care home buildings – where residents could meet with their families and friends, in a more comfortable environment.
“The cabins will be used in the medium term to facilitate visiting arrangements in the garden spaces, with a longer-term aspiration to use the cabins as part of the outdoor spaces for residents to enjoy as one of their outdoor options.”
The cabins all have electricity points, while new landscaping, improved pathways and raised beds have also been incorporated to make the areas attractive and accessible all year round.
CGC’s contracts manager Andy Watson, who oversaw the installations, commented, “We feel very privileged to have undertaken this work on behalf of the social care partnership given the difference it will make to people’s lives. It was a construction project we found particularly rewarding to undertake.”
CGC MD, Leo Reilly, added, “The many months of lockdown and restrictions – especially at the beginning of pandemic – have been impossibly difficult for families with loved ones in care homes. We recognise the importance of human interaction for residents and we know the staff have been doing a magnificent job. We applaud Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership for coming up with such an innovative solution which will make a big difference in reuniting families.”
