Ridgeway House

We found the following examples of good practice.

We were shown around the communal parts of the home and looked into people's bedrooms but did not enter them. The home was clean and tidy throughout. Additional cleaning tasks were included on the daily cleaning schedules to ensure all touch-points were sanitised. The manager and deputy manager completed frequent walk-arounds to ensure the home was clean and check that all staff were following good practice.

Staff entered the home via the front door, their temperature was checked and they put on their PPE. Health and Social Care visitors with a recent negative COVID-19 result entered the home in the same way. Other visitors were subject to a lateral flow test: in the back garden there was a waiting area set up for them until results were known.

There were strict procedures in place for any visitors to the home. The families and friends of people had been informed about visiting arrangements and the procedures that had to be adhered to. At the time of our visit there was only one person receiving face to face visits from their relative and this was because of special health care needs. Their visit times were pre-booked and controlled so that the staff could then sanitise areas and touch points after the visit was over. For the other people, the staff organised window visits, or used internet or social media to keep in touch. Activities away from the home were restricted but the manager told us one person was supported to go out for a walk during quieter times when they were anxious.

The home did not have any vacancies and therefore will not be admitting any new people to their service. After one person was admitted to hospital in June 2020 they were accepted back into their home after two negative COVID-19 results and then isolated for a further 14 days.

Staff had all completed refresher training in infection prevention and control and this included hand hygiene and the correct procedures for donning and doffing PPE. The staff took part in regular testing for COVID-19 each week, with the people who lived at Ridgeway House being tested monthly. If a person or a staff member presented with COVID-19 symptoms they would be re-tested and isolated until test results were known.

The staff team and each person had already received their first COVID-19 vaccination. The manager told us that in March 2020 at the beginning of the first lockdown, staff members had moved in to the home to keep the virus out. The manager has nominated these staff for a Care and Support West award because of their dedication.

The service had updated all their infection prevention and control policies and procedures and had a contingency plan in place to be followed if there was an outbreak and to prevent any further spread of infection.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found