Forest View

We found the following examples of good practice.

People were isolated in accordance with government guidance. Staff understood the impact of isolation on people's wellbeing and thought of creative ways to address this. One-to-one time was utilised to talk to people or offer therapeutic activities such as hand massage or painting their nails in people's rooms. The registered manager purchased additional magazines and puzzle books for people to use. For those that wanted, radios were provided for people who did not have a television in their room and televisions were available to borrow.

We observed all staff within the home wearing face masks. Staff wore personal protective equipment (PPE) as required. Staff had undertaken refresher training in infection prevention and control, the correct use of PPE and their handwashing competence revisited. Staff told us they felt confident in the use of PPE and the processes in place for managing stock and PPE disposal during the outbreak.

People living with dementia who found it difficult to isolate were supported by staff who had done all they could to promote social distancing. People were supported to maintain good hand and personal hygiene. Staff increased observation of people to ensure communal spaces they had visited could be frequently cleaned to reduce the risk of cross contamination.

Staffing pressures as a result of the outbreak were managed effectively. The registered managers system for the booking and deployment of agency staff ensured that agency staff working across multiple homes during the outbreak was minimised and reduced the potential risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The home was clean and hygienic and there were cleaning schedules in place for people's rooms and communal spaces. We observed cleaning taking place during the inspection in line with best practice guidance. 'High touch' areas were regularly cleaned, and cleaning records reviewed daily to ensure schedules had been met and any concerns could be addressed. There were robust laundry systems in place to ensure contaminated laundry was kept separate from other laundry and was washed at a suitable temperature to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. During the outbreak the registered manager had adjusted the shift times of housekeeping staff to manage the increased amount of laundry and promote safe IPC practices.

All people living at the service had received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine and all but three had received their booster. For those that had not yet received their booster, dates for a health professional

home visit to administer these had been arranged.

The provider had a range of policies to support their working practices which were regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with current government guidance. Policies included a COVID-19 standard operating procedure, admissions and isolation policies, visiting and vaccination requirements and quality assurance / audit tools.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found