Brookvale - Prestwich

The care home closed to all visitors except health professionals who provided care and treatment that required contact with people who used the service, for example, district nurses. Other appointments such as advocacy and social work reviews were conducted by telephone or video calls.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was disposed of in clinical waste or designated PPE waste bins, as appropriate. The clinical waste bin was pressure washed and disinfected inside and out on a weekly basis after collection.

During the pandemic, the service switched from paper to electronic care records to reduce infection transmission. The provider purchased and installed tablets (and antibacterial screen wipes) throughout the home. Staff cleaned the tablets each time they used them.

The provider had made a number of changes to its staffing arrangements. Staff had been allocated to work in specific areas of the home. The same staff provided cover in the area when needed to minimise the use of staff from other areas, or bank or agency staff. Up to two staff could use the staff room at any time in order to maintain social distancing. The home had offered free drinks and food to staff to reduce the need for staff to go out to the shops. Arrangements had been made for staff to use taxis to limit the use of public transport.

Managers regularly asked key suppliers of food, medicines, cleaning materials and PPE about their risks and contingency plans.

The provider had a robust and effective governance structure in place comprised of a thorough quality assurance framework.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found