The Firs Care Home with Nursing

We found the following examples of good practice.

The provider had restricted visiting to an appointment system to protect people living in the home and staff from additional risks to contracting the virus.

Everyone visiting the home had their temperature taken on arrival; people in the home had their temperature checked twice daily.

There had been a reduction in social contact and visiting due to the pandemic. This had impacted on people's wellbeing and staff had observed heightened confusion at sometimes. Some people had lost some independence skills due to the reduction in family contact. Activities within the service had been increased to counteract this which reduced people's feelings of isolation.

Staff monitored communal toilets and lounge / dining chairs and disinfected after each use.

Housekeeping staff were aware of the need for a clean hygienic environment. A cleaning schedule was in place to ensure equipment used to reduce the potential for infection was changed regularly.

The provider arranged for staff from other company homes and managers to cover when staff had time off due to the virus.

All staff could complete a 'health reflection form', a document produced by the company to gauge how staff felt about the emotional and physical impact of the pandemic.

The company had introduced a, 'be kind to yourself course'. This reflected on the positives that have come out of the pandemic.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found