Blyth Country House Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice The service had implemented effective measures to prevent relatives, professionals and others visiting from spreading infection on entering the service. Visitors were asked to complete Lateral Flow Device test and were provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

During the outbreak of COVID-19 regular visits were postponed, however visits were encouraged for relatives of people who were coming towards the end of their life. Alternative forms of maintaining social contact were used during the outbreak for friends and relatives to stay in touch with their family members, which included video calls, window visits and phone calls.

Staff were provided with ample supply of PPE and had received appropriate training on donning and doffing their PPE. We saw staff wearing PPE in line with the latest guidance.

People and staff were taking part in in regular testing scheme.

Cleaning staff had cleaning schedules, which included frequency of cleaning of frequently touched areas such as light switches, door handles and handrails. The registered manager completed regular infection prevention and control (IPC) audits and any shortfalls were actioned without delay.

The provider had up to date IPC policies and procedures which reflected current government advice and guidance.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found