Camelot House & Lodge

We found the following examples of good practice. Most people at this service were living with dementia and were unable to fully communicate verbally about their care. However, people were smiling when staff approached and appeared comfortable and relaxed in their environment.

People spoken with felt safe at the service and understood the need for additional protective measures. One person said, "I am absolutely safe. We are well looked after here" and "Staff are tremendous; never a cross word. Anything we want, they get".

Measures were place to prevent the spread of infection by visitors to the service. All visitors, including relatives; professionals and contractors had their temperature taken on arrival and were required to have a negative COVID-19 lateral flow test prior to entering the service. New admissions to the service were safely managed and followed current guidance.

The registered manager kept people and families up-to-date with the current situation through regular emails and phone calls. They facilitated visits for people living at the service in accordance with the current guidance.

Isolation, cohorting and zoning was used to manage the risk of infection spread. To reduce the risk of further spread, staff were allocated to work in certain areas of the service where people had tested positive for COVID-19.

The premises were clean and odour free throughout. Enhanced cleaning and disinfection of all areas of the service continued in order to reduce the risk of cross contamination. These were recorded daily by staff. High touch point areas were cleaned regularly throughout the day.

A regular programme of testing for COVID-19 was in place for staff and people who lived in the service. Daily monitoring of people's health neds was also undertaken. This meant swift action could be taken if anyone became poorly or received a positive test result. There was plenty of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser available. One member of staff had trouble keeping their mask in place. The registered manager said they would investigate whether a different type of mask would be more suitable. Used PPE was disposed of safely.

Staff felt well supported by the management team and their colleagues. Comments included, "We all pull together. We have a tremendous team" and "We have a really good manager".

The registered manager had oversight of infection prevention and control processes. Regular infection prevention and control audits were undertaken, as well as spot checks of staff to check hand hygiene.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found