Pennefather Court

We found the following examples of good practice.

Visitors were asked to provide evidence of completing a lateral flow (rapid result) swab test on the day of the visit, or they could have one carried out on arrival. There was a testing area in a separate part of the building where this could be done. Visitors were also asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status.

There had not been any admissions during the pandemic. A person was due to visit the service the day after this inspection, to look around. The registered manager described appropriate measures to make sure the person and other people at the home were kept safe, such as lateral flow testing and observing social distancing.

Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves and others from the risk of infection. PPE was available around the building. Training had been undertaken on correct use and disposal of PPE. The home had not experienced any issues in obtaining supplies of PPE during the pandemic.

There had been regular testing of staff and people living at the home.

The home had not experienced any positive cases of coronavirus during the pandemic. People were able to isolate in their rooms, if necessary.

The registered manager told us risk assessments had been carried out at the start of the pandemic, to protect staff who may be clinically vulnerable and at higher risk if they contracted COVID-19. There had not been any disruption to people's care as a result of staff needing to shield from work.

There were policies and procedures to provide guidance on safe infection prevention and control practice. Audits were carried out to check standards were being maintained.

The home was kept clean and there was good ventilation. We found some minor hygiene issues which were attended to straight away. These were providing a dispenser for paper towels in one of the bathrooms and removing mugs and drinking water from the laundry.

The provider had put measures in place to promote well-being of staff. This included access to an employee assistance programme and access to mental health workshops for all staff.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found