Being a key worker during the coronavirus pandemic is a daunting prospect; working in fear of the risk to your own and your family’s health, whilst needing to provide vital services to those who need it most. Our key workers really are our nations heroes.

For the 4 million plus disabled workers in the UK, this situation is exacerbated, especially if you are a key worker. Having to stop working and shield, experiencing increased anxiety and stress, as well as understanding the ever-changing advice that has been conflicting and confusing at the best of times.

Nearly 9 in 10 disabled adults (86.3%) said they are very worried or somewhat worried about the effect that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is having on their life.

For many people with a disability, work is more than just a job. It provides purpose, community, and reassurance. That support network being taken away by not working can pose a huge risk to health, which is why staying in work, despite coronavirus, really is a lifeline.

With a near 100-year-old promise to support disabled people to live, work and enjoy life, helping disabled people to work is something true to our core. But coronavirus really shook things up, balancing individuals’ safety with their desire to work.

One such team this affected is our Domestics Team who are vital to our care service, keeping the living environments of over 50 disabled people safe and clean. They have been central to our coronavirus effort, which has been a huge success with 0 reported cases of coronavirus so far.

We caught up with a few of them to find out what it is like working during a pandemic...

 

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Martin has worked at Enham for over 7 years and has progressed from our supported employment programme to an unsupported role – growing in confidence daily and making his mark as an integral member of the team.

For Martin, his independence is so important. He gets to work everyday by public transport, which he has said is ‘quite nerve racking now due to coronavirus’. Martin is complying with guidance and wearing face coverings which helps him feel safe and to protect others.

 

 

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For Matthew who has autism, his top priority during this difficult time has been keeping our care workers safe whilst they work. He has been working extra hard to keep surfaces clean so that our care workers can focus on providing care – safely!

Matthew loves the community feel of working at Enham Trust, and the people he works with. That is why it has been so important for him to keep working during this time and to have some normality and routine.

 

 

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Christine has a passion for community work, so her role means so much to her especially during this difficult time. Her 4 years’ experience and qualifications under her belt has helped her manage the challenges coronavirus brings, along with lots of help from her team.

Christine has a vibrant personality and is super helpful. We’re very lucky to have her aboard, keeping our staff and residents safe, happy and healthy!

 

 

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Malcolm is relatively new to our supported employment programme and has been working in the domestic’s team since 2019.

Coronavirus has certainly put him to the test, but as ever Malcolm takes his role very seriously. Malcolm has spent a lot of his time ensuring our office space is clean and virus free for the small group of people who work there each day. His friendly face and chats has certainly lifted moods and provided a lot of reassurance to those that can’t work from home!

 

 

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The efforts of key workers just like Martin, Matthew, Christine and Malcolm at #TeamEnham are what keeps our work in check. If it weren't for these individuals and our supported employment programme, Enham Trust's vital work could not continue to be delivered amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For that, we say thank you and job well done!

 

If you'd like to support Enham Trust's vital work to support disabled people to live, work and enjoy life, donate today!

#EmpDay2020 #DisabilityConfident

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