The Grange and Elm Court

We found the following examples of good practice.

• At the time of our visit access to the home was restricted for non-essential visitors. As a result, visits from relatives and friends were taking place in the gardens which could be accessed without needing to enter the premises. The service has a large amount of outside space which has been used effectively to promote safe visits, such as the installation of a visiting pod and the erection of wooden shelters and tents. There were also socially distanced seating areas for people to socialise safely. Relatives and friends had been kept informed of any visiting restrictions and the guidelines they were expected to follow. • The premises were clean and well maintained. Additional cleaning schedules had been introduced, which included tasks such as sanitising key code panels and light switches every two hours. All staff had received recent training in infection control and prevention. • A number of initiatives had been introduced to ease the anxiety of both residents and staff during the coronavirus pandemic. For example, care workers watched TV news updates on the pandemic with people and had discussions afterwards. Managers gave regular updates to residents and staff in the garden. We were told people really appreciated this level of communication. • The provider had issued guidance on how to communicate with face coverings, i.e. speaking loudly and clearly, maintaining eye contact, not wearing any hats or anything that could conceal faces further and to wear clothing or their hair in a way that a person would recognise. Care staff also provided reassurance to visitors, reminding them people living with dementia might struggle at first to remember or recognise them. Care staff had guidance in place to prepare people for a visit. For example, by looking at photographs of the visitor and talking to them about their relationship.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found