Avalon Residential Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

People were receiving visitors. Staff were following current national guidance for care homes. Arrangements were in place for this to happen in a way which reduced the risk of infection being introduced and spreading. People were also supported to remain in contact with those who mattered to them by telephone or using other technology.

People had been shielded if they had received a formal letter from their GP, although, everyone had been recognised as being at high risk to COVID-19 infection and appropriate measures were in place to protect them. People had been supported to self-isolate when they had symptoms of COVID-19. People and staff were socially distancing as much as was practicable.

People were admitted to the service safely. People were only accepted following a negative COVID-19 test result and then supported to self-isolate for 14 days following admission. One person told us they had been required to remain in their bedroom following their arrival at the home.

All staff wore PPE correctly (in line with national guidance for care homes). Staff had been provided with training on how to put PPE on and how to remove and dispose of it safely. Staff reminded people, when it was needed, why PPE was being worn and reassured people if they had any fears related to the use of PPE. Visitors were supported to use PPE correctly.

A testing regime was in place (in line with national guidance for care homes) to test people who lived in the service (with their consent), as well as staff and people's designated visitors. The registered manager was aware of how to record and register these tests.

The environment was kept clean and laundry and waste managed safely. Staff followed cleaning schedules and used the appropriate products to clean and disinfect. Changes had been made to support enhanced infection, prevention and control, for example, additional wall mounted PPE storage and frequent cleaning of high touch surfaces such as door handles, rails and light switches.

The use of the building had been altered to support COVID-19 IPC arrangements, for example, one bedroom had been kept empty and was used as a staff room to support individual staff breaks and provide a place for staff to change their clothing before and after work.

Staff had received training on COVID-19 and on the additional IPC measures the service had introduced. They had also been trained to use additional heath assessment tools and equipment so they could identify

quickly, those who may require medical support when poorly. Staff had worked together to ensure the service was staffed adequately, when the service experienced a COVID-19 outbreak. Staff had been supported to self-isolate as required and the use of the same agency staff had been limited.

The service's policies and procedures had been updated to reflect current COVID-19 guidelines. A more detailed outbreak management plan was to be developed, using the knowledge now gained by the staff, of what went well and what practices they have altered and adapted as the pandemic has gone on. The registered manager had developed a detailed COVID-19 self-assessment tool, which they used to ensure they remained in line with national guidance and best practice. Infection control audits had been adapted to cover current pandemic practices and guidance.

The registered manager had used their COVID-19 outbreak experience to improve the service's COVID-19 arrangements further and to provide support to a similar service during their outbreak.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found