Cairn Group redeploys hotel staff to help out at care homes

Hotel and hospitality operator Cairn Group is redeploying some of its hotel staff to help care homes support their residents amid the UK’s COVID-19 crisis.

Catering, laundry and domestic cleaning staff from the Group’s hotels will be giving a helping hand to the stretched care home sector.

The Group has 32 hotels UK-wide but also seven care homes in the North East.

Deploying its hospitality workforce in this way will provide a much-needed boost to care home’s catering and cleaning teams by placing hotel workers into back-of-house sales and freeing up care workers to deliver hands-on care to residents.

The hotel staff buddy scheme will enable care home workers to take additional precautions in terms of infection control and safeguarding in the event of a more widespread UK outbreak of coronavirus.

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.”

Steve Massey, operations manager at Solehawk which operates some of the care homes, added: “The Covid-19 outbreak has put increased pressure on the UK 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.”

Cairn Group is hoping to share its hotel buddy staff scheme with other care groups across the UK.