Lower St Helens

We found the following examples of good practice. For the duration of the pandemic, no staff or people using the service had a positive COVID-19 test.

The provider had robust entry requirements for visitors to the service. All had to produce either a clear LFD or take one on arrival waiting outside until the results were visible. They had to complete health and contact questionnaires, have their temperature recorded and be fully vaccinated. There was also sanitising hand gel available for use at the entry.

The premises were very clean, there were thorough cleaning schedules completed. Frequently touched areas including door handles, bannisters, taps and toilet flushers were all sanitised three times each day which records evidenced.

People had been accepting of staff wearing face masks and had all been willing to wear then when accessing the community. There had been no issues around communication as a result of wearing face masks. People had been supported to understand why additional infection prevention and control measures such as wearing face masks and cleaning more than usual through use of easy read materials.

Though there had been no cases of COVID-19 in the service, contingency plans were in place to safeguard people should there be an outbreak. At the start of the pandemic, staff ensured there was sufficient social distance within the communal areas of the service, for example, the dining table was measured to ensure adequate distance between people and they were encouraged to use the same seat at the table to minimise cross infection.

A person attended day services twice per week and staff ensured they sanitised their hands and wore a mask when they went. On return, their clothing was laundered, masks disposed of and their bag sanitised to minimise the risk of contaminants.

In the event of an outbreak, staffing could be increased through use of both bank staff and agency staff. If needed, the provider would block book staff to ensure continuity. Staff had been trained in using personal protective equipment, PPE and infection prevention and control (IPC). There were also arrangements for staff to access the premises through the front door and sanitise and add a face masks and then go directly to the laundry where they could don and doff any other necessary PPE.

The provider had supported staff throughout the pandemic. There was a staff held phone line where they

could get advice or services such as counselling and the provider asked staff who were off sick to contact them at intervals in order to stay in touch and updated about their well-being.

To enhance people's well-being during the pandemic, the provider researched and used different therapies including aromatherapy and light therapy. For example, at breakfast time each day, light therapy lamps were used for 15 minutes. Usually used to prevent seasonal affective disorder, this was used to improve mood and wellness usually found from exposure to the sun. Aromatherapy was used to stimulate and relax people.

The provider had ensured ample PPE was available to services. There had been no shortfalls throughout the pandemic and sufficient stock was held should an outbreak happen.

We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found