Hill House Care Home

• The provider made good provision for people using the service to maintain links with family members, relatives and friends. People were supported to have visits from their relatives and friends in sheltered areas of the garden where two metre social distancing was observed. Visits were staggered and restricted to twenty minutes and these areas were cleaned between visits.

• So as to enable relatives and families to visit people receiving end of life care without having to enter the home, the provider has made ground floor 'ensuite' rooms available with doors directly accessing the garden.

• The provider was one of the first participants in the 'whole home testing' research commissioned by the Department of Health and NHS Digital. The findings of which were used to inform the national picture on testing in care and nursing homes.

• The provider had appropriate arrangements to test people and staff for Covid 19 and was following government guidance on testing. This ensured that people and staff were tested for Covid 19 so that appropriate action could be taken if any cases were identified.

• The provider ensured that all their staff received appropriate training and support to understand and to manage Covid 19. This included best practice for infection control and the use of PPE.

• Staff also received appropriate guidance on how to support people with dementia to understand the pandemic and Covid 19. Staff were grouped to work in specified areas of the home including domestic and housekeeping staff.

• The provider made appropriate support services available to staff in order to support their mental wellbeing through the pandemic and if they became unwell and when they returned to work.

• The provider recognised the disproportionate impact of the virus on health and social care workers from

black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. In response they have put in place a risk assessment process in line with guidance from the Workforce Race Equality Standard. This has enabled BAME colleagues to raise concerns and be heard.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found