Northcroft

There were clear procedures for all staff and visitors on entry to the service. Everybody had their temperature checked, were asked to sanitise their hands and wear a mask. The provider had developed a visitor's code of conduct and had told everybody's' families about the infection control procedures at the service.

The provider had hired a suitable venue for visits to take place during the winter. This venue was for their sole use and facilitated social distancing. Family members were requested to bring their own food and drink and people from the service did the same.

Staff working at services across the Orchard Vale Trust had developed online activities on Zoom, called 'The Hive'. This offered Zumba, yoga and music. People's families were able to join in.

Staff at Northcroft facilitated a holiday at home as people could not go away due to risks. People were supported to camp out if they wished and had a barbecue, camp fire and bar.

Staff members wore masks at all times and other personal protective equipment (PPE) as needed. Where possible staff maintained social distance from people. Staff arranged to have their breaks separately from people, so they could eat without increasing people's risk of exposure.

The provider had developed policies and procedures to promote and maintain safe infection control procedures across all their services. The operations manager was in charge of sourcing all PPE. The chief executive liaised with Public Health England (PHE) and kept updated with all guidance; this was disseminated to staff.

Northcroft did not have any vacancies and had not admitted anybody since the start of the pandemic but had access to the Orchard Vale Trust policy and procedure on admission.

Staff were tested for Covid-19 weekly and people living at the service monthly. Staff had all received training in infection control. The provider had carried out an audit of infection control and implemented any identified actions. There was a regular schedule of cleaning at the service and we noted that the premises were clean, well-aired and smelt fresh.

The provider had a contingency plan in place for any outbreak or suspected outbreak of Covid-19 and had plans in place should people need to isolate.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found