The Firs Residential Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

● A visiting pod was used for relatives to visit their family members. Visiting was operated on a pre-booked basis only. Relatives could access the pod from the outside so there was little risk of them spreading infection into the home. ● The service provides care to people with varying levels of dementia. The staff described the difficulty in getting people to social distance as some understanding was low. Zoning in relation to communal areas (lounges and dining areas) was practiced to help prevent infection transmission. ● Guidance had been followed to ensure safe admissions took place. This included the need for the person moving into the home to have a negative COVID-19 test result and a self-isolation period of 10 days. ●Stocks of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were plentiful. Staff wore face coverings, disposable aprons and gloves when delivering people's personal care. In communal areas they also wore PPE. ●Adequate stocks of COVID-19 test kits were available. Staff were tested three times a week and people every 28 days. Records were maintained of test results. Where a positive test was identified a period of self- isolation for staff and people was adhered to. ● All bedrooms were single occupancy. The majority of bedrooms were provided with en-suite facilities. These bedrooms and facilities enabled social distancing and meant self-isolation could be achieved if required. ● Large floor areas of the premises had laminate type flooring which was easier to clean. Staff frequently maintained touch point (for example, grab rails and door handles) cleaning throughout the day to prevent the transmission of infection. ●Staff had received Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training and the provider's IPC policy was current and regularly reviewed.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found