Braemar Lodge

On the day of the inspection the provider's visiting policy was not in line with current Government guidance. Visits were time restricted and visitors under the age of 18 and those who had not been fully vaccinated and received the booster vaccination were unable to enter the home. We spoke with two people using the service and five relatives about their views on the visiting policy. Everybody we spoke with said they did not feel the policy was having a negative impact on them and they were able to maintain contact with friends and relatives. Following our visit, we had further contact with the manager regarding visiting arrangements. The manager informed us the provider was making changes to their visiting policy, which we were provided with. The latest policy was in line with government visiting guidance for care homes.

We found the following examples of good practice.

The service had introduced measures to prevent visitors from catching and spreading infections. Visitors were screened for COVID-19 and were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE).

Staff had received training on infection prevention and control measures and how to use PPE safely. PPE was available to staff throughout the service and staff were seen using it effectively.

Additional cleaning measures had been introduced in the home. All areas of the home were clean.

COVID-19 testing was being carried out for people using the service and staff in line with the latest guidance.

The provider had effective systems in place to check staff and professional visitors were vaccinated against COVID-19.

The provider had updated their infection prevention and control policy to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic and additional measures that had been introduced.

Rooms had been repurposed to enable staff to have a designated changing room space. The service laundered staff uniforms on site.

When people needed to isolate in their bedrooms, they were provided with a daily newspaper and a tablet device to enable them to video call their families. Staff provided support for people to use this technology when needed.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found