The Manor House Whickham

We found the following examples of good practice.

The home had comprehensive policies and procedures to manage any risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This included the management of people with a COVID-19 positive diagnosis. They had enacted these to support them in delivering a safe service during an outbreak of COVID-19 and had actively mitigated any risks to keep residents and staff safe.

People living in the home and their relatives were supported via alternative forms of maintaining social contact when visiting had to be limited to manage an outbreak of COVID-19. This included video calls, use of a visiting pod and visiting in communal gardens.

A programme of regular COVID-19 testing for both people in the home, staff, essential carers and visitors to the home was implemented. All visitors, including professionals were subject to a range of screening procedures, including taking of temperature, showing evidence of vaccination and a negative lateral flow test before entry into the home was allowed.

There was an ample supply of PPE for staff and any visitors to use. Hand sanitiser was readily available throughout the service. Staff had received updated training on the use of PPE and we observed staff wearing it correctly during out inspection. Clear signage and information was in place throughout the home to remind staff of their responsibilities.

The home had implemented and maintained an enhanced outbreak cleaning regime since the start of the pandemic, irrespective of the infection status within the home.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found