Albert House Nursing Home is a care home that provides personal and nursing care for up to 38 people, including people living with dementia. At the time of inspection, 30 people were using the service. Accommodation was arranged over two floors. All bedrooms were for single occupancy and equipped with wheelchair accessible en-suite toilets and showers. Three bedrooms were currently used for other purposes, one as a COVID 19 testing room, one for PPE storage, and one as a dedicated visitors room.We found the following examples of good practice.
Safe practices were in place to support visits to the care home. Visitors were greeted on arrival. Visitors were required to undertake a COVID 19 lateral flow test (LFT) and wait for the result, before they entered the care home. When they entered the home, their temperature was checked and they were asked to confirm their current health status. They were asked to clean their hands and supported to put on the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided. This included aprons, masks and gloves.
Prominent signage and guidance was displayed throughout the home. Visitors were directed to the area of the home they were visiting, to ensure they had no contact with other people living in the home, and minimal contact with staff.
The director and the registered manager communicated changes and provided updates for relatives on a regular basis, using an electronic communication system. They provided clear guidance and set out the care home expectations. This meant relatives would know clearly how any changes would be implemented, and what it would mean for them.
People were also supported to keep in touch with relatives by phone and video calls. They were provided with group and individual activities, facilitated by the two activity coordinators. The recent activity and engagement programme had focussed on the provision of one to one support. This was because, until the day before the inspection, people had all been isolating in their rooms.
Isolating and cohorting was used to manage the spread of infection. This meant people could be safely isolated, with a dedicated and consistent small team of staff to support them. New admissions were planned for the week following the inspection. People would be tested for COVID 19 prior to admission and when they were admitted. In addition, they would also be isolated in their rooms for 14 days.
The registered manager told us they also tried to mitigate the risks of the spread of infection, with enhanced cleaning of frequently used surfaces. Cleaning schedules and records were completed by the housekeeping team. The home was clean and tidy and free from unnecessary clutter.
A regular programme of testing for staff and people who used the service, was in place. This meant prompt actions could be taken if positive results were received. In addition, 29 people who used the service and 19 members of staff had received at least one dose of the COVID 19 vaccine.
The clinical manager spoke positively about the support and guidance they had received from the Local Authority and CCG support teams and the GP practice. They also told us they felt, 'very proud' of their staff team. They said they had worked incredibly well as a team, since the onset of the pandemic. They had not used agency staff for approximately 12 months. Staff had worked flexibly, often changing or working additional shifts if needed. This was because they wanted to ensure people received care and support from staff who knew them well.
Staff had received Infection Prevention and Control training and were provided with workbooks and regular updates. There were sufficient supplies of PPE, that included gloves, aprons, masks, face visors and hand sanitisers. Regular detailed audits and checks were completed by the management team. We saw evidence of actions taken when shortfalls were identified. Policies, procedures and risk assessments related to COVID 19 were detailed and up to date. This all supported staff to keep people safe.