Ridgecourt Residential Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

There were sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment and staff were supported to follow current UK Government guidance.

Consideration had been given to creative ways of minimising the spread of infection should an outbreak occur. For example, disposable hoist slings were purchased in readiness, and disposable medication pots were used instead of reusable pots.

One member of staff was appointed as infection prevention and control champion. They attended external training and then disseminated this to the staff team.

Staff worked flexibly to ensure all roles were covered, including care and management staff performing cleaning tasks where necessary. We observed that the premises was clean, tidy and odour free.

Visiting arrangements were assessed on an individual basis and took account of the person's individual needs and the visitors' personal circumstances. Visits were supported both inside and outside of the service, and essential caregivers were supporting people where appropriate.

A family member told us, "staff have been brilliant." They had been supported to visit their loved one throughout the pandemic, progressing from window visits to regular indoor visits with the precautions of lateral flow tests and masks as the guidance allowed it. Communication with families in relation to visiting arrangements had been good.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found