Following the recent government announcement about the next phase of Covid-19 measures, I wanted to personally let you know what this means for CKH and the services we provide to you.

My number one priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our residents, customers, employees and contractors. These are unprecedented times, and whilst I will ensure the team at CKH continues to help support everyone as best we can during this pandemic, I will continue to make sure we do so as safely and as carefully as possible - adhering to government guidance.

There will be no significant changes in the short term to the way we will be delivering our services for the majority of our residents and customers. We’re very fortunate that at CKH we have all the technology and tools required to work just as effectively from home as we do in the office, in the main. We will continue to do so in the weeks ahead whilst we review all of our working practices to evaluate how we can safely reintroduce services that require face-to-face contact when the time comes. That said, we have many of our colleagues who continue to provide front-line services, equipped with the necessary PPE as you would expect.

As my previous messages referred to (you can read my previous messages below), we have continued to make great progress in helping those most in need. My intention is clear – CKH is here to help in any way that we can.

To date we have:

• Provided over 2,000 welfare calls to our residents.
• Continued to make regular contact with over 1,200 older residents living in our Retirement Housing schemes to ensure their wellbeing.
• Delivered over 1,270 hot meals thanks to City College Peterborough.
• Provided over 330 foodbank deliveries.
• Carried out 25 food shops and 11 medication deliveries.
• Provided over 60 foodbank vouchers.
• Identified that 617 of our residents are shielding and are offering them support, tailored to their needs.
• And have helped over 120 residents access items they really need thanks to our Be Kind fund.

Our £1million Be Kind welfare fund was set up a few weeks back specifically to offer help to those residents who have been impacted financially, socially or physically by the coronavirus crisis. To date, we have spent nearly £45,000 in supporting residents who are experiencing difficulties with the impact of Covid-19 by providing a wide range of items that they desperately need during this time but are struggling to afford. So if you are reading this and feel that you need our support, please don’t hesitate to get in contact. Simply complete our online Be Kind form .

Please remember to keep checking our latest coronavirus update as we will be updating this page regularly with the changes we need to make to keep our essential services running for you.

You can also follow us on Facebook  and Twitter to keep up to date with all our latest news.

Please continue to stay safe everyone and follow government guidance at all times.

We will continue to monitor the situation and will keep you informed as things begin to become clearer as the weeks and months progress.

Take care and keep well.

Best wishes

Chief Executive, Cross Keys Homes

 

A personal note from Claire Higgins, CEO published 11th April 2020:

As we enter the fourth week of national lockdown, I wanted to write personally to let you know what we are doing to help support everyone during the outbreak of Covid-19.

Since I last wrote (you can read my previous message below), the team at CKH has been working around the clock to put additional safety measures in place, as well as bringing you the support and help you need during this very difficult time.

Our number one priority has always been the safety and wellbeing of our residents and customers, particularly older people and those who are most vulnerable, as well as our employees.

We have contacted over 900 residents who live in our general needs housing and are over 70 years of age to make sure that they have support from family or friends. At their request, we are making welfare calls every week to 150 of them. In our Retirement Housing we have over 1,200 residents who receive a daily call from our managers and are being supported with food shopping and medication. We have also identified a number of vulnerable residents who need support so we are working with a range of partners, like City College Peterborough, to provide hot meals to those most in need; we are constantly reviewing the services we can support and bring to you without the need for physical contact.

It is really important that we also keep our homes safe and we continue to do our very best to do just that. We are still providing an emergency repairs service and appreciate that some residents may have concerns about providing access during this time. I can assure you that we are following all government guidelines at all times and have implemented additional safety measures to protect residents and their family members, as well as our contractors, so that we can continue to carry out any emergency repairs and safety checks when required. For those who are self-isolating or have received a shielding letter, if you need help or support then please let us know when you make contact with us.

At our extra care schemes, we continue to maintain daily contact with residents and our care teams based on site are there to support those who need personal care support. Our community care service, Cross Keys Care, continues to support people in their own homes in the community with our carers wearing full PPE whilst making visits. Our LifeLine service is also still operating as normal to provide this vital service which I know is literally a lifeline to so many.

We have also ramped up our online services to help provide even more ways in which you can reach out and contact us from the safety of your home, including our really fast and responsive Live Chat facility available on our website. Don’t forget you can even manage your account online simply by registering for a MyCKH  account.

You are in safe hands with CKH and we will get through these challenges together!

This pandemic is all about adjustment – industry adjustment and people having to make adjustments to their daily lives from home-schooling to dealing with job losses or the loneliness caused by isolation – things may be very different but I want you to know that we are here to help in any way that we can. Whether that be financial worries, access to services, help with food shopping or getting medical supplies, retraining opportunities, or your own mental health and wellbeing. Whatever the concern, please reach out and contact us if you are experiencing difficulty in any way. No one should have to face this worrying time alone. Email us at customerservices@crosskeyshomes.co.uk with your name, address and contact details to see how we can help support you.

If you have received a letter advising you to follow shielding measures, it is really important that you make us aware as soon as possible so that we can put the additional support in place for you.

Please take the time to keep checking our latest coronavirus update as we will be updating this page regularly with the changes we need to make to keep our essential services running for you.

You can also follow us on Facebook  and Twitter to keep up to date with all our latest news.

Continue to stay safe everyone and follow government guidance at all times.

Best wishes

Chief Executive, Cross Keys Homes

 

 

A personal note from Claire Higgins, CEO published 20th March 2020:

I know many of you are very anxious and concerned at present and I wanted to take the time to personally let you know that CKH will be here for you through it all.

We are all in the same position not knowing from one day to the next what is likely to happen, but what I do know is that the team at CKH is going above and beyond to make sure we keep all our critical services going as best we can throughout this pandemic. We are busy training employees from across the business in our critical service areas so that we can continue to support you through these challenging times, and keep providing the services I know you rely on. We are here to help, so please make sure you talk to us if you have any worries or concerns.

The team at CKH is amongst the very best and I’m so pleased and proud of what they are doing to help, now more than ever, when they too are experiencing the same worries and concerns.

We may not be able to predict what is going to happen tomorrow, but we can plan to the best of our ability and knowledge – and that is what we are doing here at CKH.

Thank you too for your patience and understanding at this difficult time, and the kind words you have shared with us to date – they really do make a difference and help to lift spirits.

Make sure you keep checking our latest coronavirus update as we will be updating this regularly with the changes we need to make to keep our essential services running. And remember you can manage your account online easily by registering for MyCKH if you haven’t already – it only takes a couple of minutes to do.

Please stay safe everyone and keep following the latest government guidance wherever possible.

Best wishes

Chief Executive, Cross Keys Homes