The safety of our treasured residents and team is our absolute priority. At present, our care home regulator, The Care Quality Commission, are continuing to monitor and engage with care providers to maintain standards and promote the delivery of best practice.
CARE QUALITY COMMISSION ASSESSMENT OF CARE DURING COVID-19
We are pleased to share the positive findings of two recent reports into the safety and effectiveness of care at Heathfield Court. The reports, dated 9th June and 7th September 2020 respectively, evaluated four aspects of infection prevention and control following a telephone interview and subsequent inspection visit on 20th August 2020:
• Safe Care and Treatment
• Staffing arrangements
• Protection from Abuse
• Assurance Processes, Monitoring and Risk Management
CONSISTENT AND EFFECTIVE INFECTION CONTROL AND PREVENTION
The Care Quality Commission was assured that Heathfield Court was:
• preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections
• meeting shielding and social distancing rules
• admitting people safely to our service
• using PPE effectively and safely
• promoting safety through the layout and hygiene practices of the premises
• and had an up-to-date infection prevention and control policy.
THEY FOUND THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE:
• All visitors were required to wash their hands, apply hand sanitizer, wear masks and were screened for symptoms of acute respiratory infection when they entered the home.
• People were supported to maintain links with family and friends. Pre-booked visits were taking place in a designated area [visiting room], or in a well-kept garden with suitable furniture.
• Domestic staff that had been trained on infection control. There was an enhanced cleaning schedule in place and the home was observed to be very clean and well kept.
• Mandatory infection control training for all staff had been updated to include Covid-19 and PPE. Staff received appropriate training and support to manage Covid-19.
• There was a designated team of trained staff that carried out all testing on people using the service and staff. Black, Asian and minority ethnic Covid-19 risk assessments were being carried out with people using the service and staff to ensure they could live and work safely at the home.
The Engagement and Support call further assessed our infection control practices, concluding that: “The service was managed well during the current Covid-19 pandemic. The registered manager and staff team have shown continuous commitment and dedication to ensure people were protected and safely shielded from the virus.”
The Call Summary Record stated that:
• There were systems to assess and respond to risks regarding infection prevention and control, including those associated with COVID-19.
• Essential equipment, such as personal protective equipment, was available in sufficient quantities to help us manage the impact of COVID-19.
• We had taken steps to ensure the environment was as effective as possible in containing an outbreak of COVID-19.
• There were enough suitably skilled staff to provide people with safe care in a respectful and dignified way during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• People were being safeguarded from abuse, harassment and discrimination.
• There were effective systems to monitor the overall quality and safety of care being provided at the service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The full Inspection Report and the Call Summary Record are available to download.
