Czajka Takes Extra Precautions To Protect Vulnerable Residents

YORKSHIRE based Czajka Care Group has joined forces with Alzheimer’s Society and West Yorkshire Police to become one of the UK’s first care providers to introduce new measures that help to keep vulnerable residents safe and protect them if they go missing.

The initiative, known as the Herbert Protocol, is designed to help the police and other relevant authorities to intervene and react as soon as a vulnerable resident is reported missing.  The procedures also include advice and guidelines to help prevent residents going missing in the first place.

Saltaire based Czajka Care Group is a family run business that operates five nursing and care homes in West Yorkshire, as well as offering home and domiciliary care to hundreds of people across the region.

Managing Director Konrad Czajka, says: “We always try to achieve a balance between offering an unrivalled level of care and maintaining our residents’ independence across all our homes and thankfully incidents of residents going missing are extremely rare.  However, it’s always good to be prepared for the worst case-scenario so it made sense to join this scheme.  There’s no doubt it will help to give vulnerable residents an additional layer of protection.”

Police Sergeant Vanessa Rolfe, from West Yorkshire Police, says: “The first few hours of any missing person search are critical, but even more so when a person has Alzheimer’s, dementia or another condition that can leave them confused or vulnerable.  Care providers signed up to the Herbert Protocol record details of any residents considered to be of particular risk.  Details kept on file include an up to date photograph of the resident, medical information and any information about when they may have gone missing in the past.

“A package of information is also put together for each care home containing information about local bus routes, nearby CCTV cameras and highlighting any hazards such as waterways and busy road networks.”

Vanessa adds: “By having the relevant information already compiled, it saves precious time and subsequently enables enquiries to be progressed immediately, tailored to the known details of that resident, with resources accurately targeted to particular areas.  We are delighted that Czajka Care Group are on board as we introduce this initiative in West Yorkshire.”