26 February 2021
During an inspection looking at part of the service
We found the following examples of good practice.
At the time of our visit no one living in the home had contracted Covid-19 (since April 2020). All the people living in the home had received their first vaccine for Covid-19.
The home was clean and free from clutter. The home had cleaning schedules in place for day to day cleaning. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was available in the home’s main entrance in the vestibule. All residents’ bedrooms and bathrooms were equipped with PPE, there was also PPE in the home’s quiet lounge. Handwashing guidance was displayed throughout the home.
The home provided safe and effective ways for people to visit their relatives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Visiting arrangements were in accordance with Public Health England (PHE) guidance. Families and carers were contacted by the home’s staff about the home’s visiting and social distancing arrangements. The home provided window visits for families and carers. People living in the home and their relatives could see each other through a window whilst speaking to each other. Internally the home had built a plastic screened visitors’ hub in the quiet lounge. Families and carers could book visits to see their relatives in the quiet lounge hub.
Families and carers could book video calls with their relatives by appointment. Families and carers could telephone their relatives at any time without the need for booking.
The home had a contingency plan in the event of an outbreak of Covid-19 in the home. As a contingency plan, the home could isolate the ground from the first floor in the home. Specific staff would be designated to work on each floor to avoid staff moving around floors of the home.
The service participated in the whole home testing programme, this meant people living in the home were tested for Covid-19 every 28 days. The home’s staff were tested for Covid-19 every seven days, this was supplemented by twice weekly lateral flow testing, these are rapid tests used to detect Covid-19.
The home had systems in place to ensure staff isolated for the required period should they test positive for Covid-19. Staff breaks whilst at work were taken in the home’s garden and staggered for social distancing purposes.
To enable staff in providing care safely, staff had received additional infection prevention and control (IPC) and Covid-19 training to ensure they understood what actions to take in the event of people living in the home or themselves becoming symptomatic.
IPC audits were completed regularly and included extra measures the home had put in place due to Covid-19.