Somerville House

We found the following areas of good practice.

Measures were place to prevent the spread of infection by visitors to the service. All visitors were required to complete a health questionnaire and their temperature was taken on arrival. Visitors were also offered lateral flow tests (LFT) for the Covid-19 virus on arrival.

The provider had invested in a COVID visiting pod, which was well designed and constructed to enable safe visits from family and friends. The visiting pod was accessed directly from the garden, to avoid visitors moving through the building. Visitors were required to book in advance to make sure their visits were spread out to avoid the potential risk of transmission to others and to allow the staff team to clean and sanitise the visiting area between appointments. There was clear and appropriate signage in place for staff, people and visitors.

People were grateful for the opportunity to see relatives and friends. One said, "The hut (visiting pod) is lovely, very private". Telephone and video calls also enabled people to keep in touch with loved ones.

The registered manager kept people and families up-to-date with the current situation through regular emails and phone calls. All of the people we spoke with understood the need for the extra precautions and said they felt safe at the service. Comments included, "These are strange times but they are looking after us very well" and "It is lovely here and I feel very safe. Staff are doing a very good job."

The service had appropriate infection control policies and procedures in place. They had kept up to date with current government guidance and communicated changes to staff promptly.

Regular COVID testing was carried out at the service for both staff and people living there. There was a clear and detailed action plan in place in the event of a positive Covid-19 test. Staff completed daily checks on people's current health status to quickly identify if someone was showing signs of being unwell.

There was a clear policy in place for new admissions to the service; this applied whether it was a new person from the community or a hospital stay. The registered manager ensured Covid-19 test results had been confirmed for new admissions coming from the hospital prior to any admission. New admissions were required to stay quarantined in their room for 14 days.

Staff had received additional training related to COVID infection prevention and control and how to use personal protective equipment (PPE) properly. There were sufficient stocks available including masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser. Staff were seen to be wearing PPE appropriately. Sanitisation and PPE

stations were placed around the building for easy access.

Infection prevention and control audits took place and action plans were developed to follow up on any required actions. This ensured the registered manager had effective oversight of infection control measures.

The service had contingency plans in place in the event of any outbreak of Covid-19 or other emergency.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found