Belsize Village, London, UK – On Freedom Day, Penrose Care is celebrating our users of services being COVID-19 free since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 and other acts of heroism of our organisation.
On this celebration, Penrose Care managing director Robert Stephenson-Padron said:
“There will be no changes to Penrose Care’s infection control procedures today. On ‘Freedom Day’, we are celebrating our clients being COVID-19 free since the start of the pandemic: 0 cases! This is a testament to the professionalism of our staff and the speed and foresight of our management. Penrose Care’s stability during the pandemic has given us the resources to help other health and social care providers and our wider community during the pandemic. During Lockdown 1, before the new NHS PPE supply system to health and social care was setup, we delivered PPE to Watford General Hospital and Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead.
As the primary managing organisation of the Belsize Village Business Association (BVBA), Penrose Care launched the Belsize Village Streatery on July 4, 2020. As the first event of its kind in the UK after Lockdown 1 of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Belsize Village Streatery is the pioneer of the UK’s alfresco experiment during the pandemic. The Belsize Village Streatery provided alfresco dining on Belsize Terrace, our village square, allowing the elderly and disabled the ability to dine socially after Lockdown 1. The Belsize Village Streatery not only sparked numerous other streateries across the UK – such as the beautiful streatery in Duke of York Square, Chelsea – it helped save over 100 hospitality jobs in Belsize Village, beautified our village square, saved the village from having any high street business losses during the pandemic and in fact led to the creation of two new businesses, helped transform our once scantily used village square into a vibrant community hub, led to our community’s first ministerial visit in modern history and coincided with our Clean Belsize Village program which eliminated the historic rubbish mound on our village square and drastically cut down on flytipping and littering.
Penrose Care’s work during the Coronavirus pandemic has saved lives and has brought joy to so many people by making Belsize Village greener, cleaner and more accessible. A huge congratulations to the Penrose Care family on a job well done – you are all heroes. A special thanks to Penrose Care’s co-founder Dr Matthew Knight MBE whose insights in early 2020 led us to invest in PPE and hand sanitiser before the nationwide shortages – surely saving lives. And a special thank you to our frontline manager Olga Garcia whose speed in isolating staff and replacing isolated staff meant no onward infections to our users and no missed visits – surely saving lives.
Penrose Care’s ability to remain COVID-19 free for so long is a badge of honour we will be able to look back on with pride, forever.”
During the celebration, Penrose Care manager Olga Garcia said:
“During the Coronavirus pandemic, six of our social care workers, including myself, had to self-isolate after been in contact with a Covid positive person, usually a member of our household. As soon as such cases were reported, I ensured that quick action was taken to prevent onward infections and maintain continuity of care. On each occasion, I also informed all the impacted users of services in contact with such workers and encouraged them to proceed with a PCR test – clients were always forthcoming. I want to thank my fellow management and frontline colleagues for their heroism during this terrible pandemic. We’re not out of the woods yet and we will continue serving through the remainder and after of the pandemic with humility and professionalism.”
One of our frontline heroes, senior social care worker Sara Albero, on Freedom Day commented:
“2020 and 2021 were very stressful for me. The pandemic was difficult for us and our clients, but I felt very safe at the same time. Penrose Care did an amazing job keeping all of us safe.”
On June 14, 2021, after our most recent staff member completed their self-isolation, a senior public health strategist at Camden and Islington Public Health praised Penrose Care’s infection control measures:
“Thank you for letting us know that your care worker has successfully completed her isolation and that there has been no onward transmission. This does indeed demonstrate the effectiveness of your infection control measures, and the enormous impact that this has on vulnerable clients.”
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Penrose Care has had 0 cases of COVID-19 among its clients since the Coronavirus pandemic started as of Freedom Day, July 19, 2021.
The opening night of the Belsize Village Streatery 2021 at Belsize Terrace, north London on April 12, 2021. The Belsize Village Streatery was launched on July 4, 2020, and in a 14-day consultation run by Camden Council concluding on June 29, 2021, on extending its licence until the end of September 2021, of 416 respondents, 91.6% voted to extend the licence.
Penrose Care’s therapy cat owned and managed by Olga Garcia spent 9 months with a client with dementia during the Coronavirus pandemic. This substantially improved the client’s quality of life. Thank you Pelusita, you’re a hero too! Photo from October 10, 2020.
Some of Penrose Care’s heroic staff enjoying some rest time at the Belsize Village Streatery which was set up by Penrose Care as the primary managing organisation of the Belsize Village Business Association. Photo from July 31, 2020.
The Belsize Village Streatery, set up by Penrose Care as the primary managing organisation of the Belsize Village Business Association, was the pioneer of the UK’s alfresco experiment during the Coronavirus pandemic. It, therefore, garnered Belsize Village its first ministerial visit in modern history on July 30, 2020. From left to right: Secretary of State Robert Jenrick, Belsize Village Business Association co-coordinators Aya Khazaal and Robert Stephenson-Padron (managing director, Penrose Care), and Cllr Oliver Cooper, Leader of the Opposition, Camden Council.
Penrose Care managing director Robert Stephenson-Padron delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) to Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead on April 29, 2020. Pictured with Siffat Rahman, Administration Team Leader, Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead.
Penrose Care managing director Robert Stephenson-Padron delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) to Watford General Hospital on April 9, 2020. Pictured with Dr Andrew Barlow, Consultant Chest Physician and Divisional Director of Medicine at West Herts Hospitals and Paddy Hennessy, Director of Environment at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Media Contact
Robert Stephenson-Padron – 020 7435 2644
About Penrose Care
Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services in London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities such as acquired brain injury and elderly persons including those with dementia. The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the United Kingdom to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter. Penrose Care was named the Living Wage Champion for the London region in 2016 and for Industry Leadership in 2018 by the Living Wage Foundation. In July 2019, Penrose Care was named as one of the first 16 private businesses accredited with the Mayor of London’s new Good Work Standard to promote decent work in London.
Penrose Care’s ethical social care framework has garnered international acclaim, resulting in Penrose Care receiving research delegations from Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Penrose Care is rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, the highest rating given by England’s health and social care regulator.
Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London – between Hampstead, Belsize Park and Swiss Cottage / Finchley Road – and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight MBE, a hospital physician.