One question that gets asked all the time is how we keep COVID out, so we thought we would give a quick summary of what we do as it is absolutely a whole team effort, though having a luxury building which is also designed around care and infection control as a priority, does help as well.
Whilst you can never say never, we continually try to ensure we do our utmost to keep our care home COVID-free.
Residents
Protecting our residents is at the heart of everything we do, as well as providing them with companionship, care, and activities, though we cannot do as many of the activities within the community or the home as we would normally do. For example, coffee mornings, dances, talks or your family dropping in for lunch or a cup of tea. We also ensure we test for COVID and have a protective bubble around new residents that come into the home to be doubly sure.
Management of Teams
Since infection is spread by people, we split all our teams, both so that cross-infection is avoided, but also so that we replace teams if there were to be a COVID case within a team. We have no agency staff or anyone who works in another care environment, which also reduces risk.
PPE
The term that everyone now knows – complete adherence to sanitising hands and correct wearing of quality PPE. We also wash all the staff uniforms separately to avoid them being removed from the home. We always used to complain about the use of plastics, but unfortunately, we do now get through a lot of masks, aprons, gloves and visors.
Entry into Building
Apart from minimising entry into the building, we test absolutely everyone whether it be staff or any necessary contractors, unless they are from the NHS who undertake their own rigorous testing regime. We do PCR laboratory tests and lateral flow device tests. This latter provides a more immediate result for staff before entering our care home.
Staff Training
Besides training on care, we train extensively on infection control and behaviour to minimise infection, as well as keeping up to date with all the guidelines, which we invariably go above and beyond. We continually re-emphasise the safety messages for both within the home and when the team member is out of the home so that they protect our residents and each other even when not in the home.
Continual Cleaning and Equipment
We have cleaning schedules that cover everything, from door handles to furniture, to chess pieces to TV remotes – you go in the lift, it is sanitised and the air sprayed by our specialised equipment.
We ventilate all the time and the building additionally is designed to have fresh air flow through it as well. We have equipment that also sanitises the air within a room for prevention of airborne infection.
All our catering equipment is washed in commercial dishwashers at high temperatures. We spend a fortune on cleaning equipment, chemicals and steam cleaners.
The Building
The building has numerous aspects that minimise infection risk, from preventing the entry of infection and the harbouring of any infection, to minimising the risk of infection between people, with en-suite wetrooms, wide corridors, underfloor heating rather than radiators, airflow design, numerous communal areas and the splitting of the residents areas into different zones.
We also have safe visiting areas for you to meet your loved ones.
If you think the building is great, you should meet the team – come and visit our wonderful new care home in Salisbury!
