Castle Court Care Home

Updated 16 January 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal

requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The service had been identified for use by the Local Authority as a designated care setting in response to the Winter Plan for people discharged from hospital with a positive Covid-19 status. This inspection was to ensure that the service was compliant with infection control and prevention measures.

This inspection took place on 16 December 2020 and was announced.

Updated 16 January 2021

Castle Court care home was purpose built to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 41 people. The service had applied to become a designated scheme to provide up to ten beds offering care and support to people with confirmed COVID-19 when they are discharged from hospital. The ten beds were in a wing which was able to be accessed and used separately from the main building. There were 25 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

We found the following examples of good practice.

¿ Castle Court was a detached building. The entrance to the designated setting was separate to the main entrance of the home.

¿ Each bedroom had adapted en-suite facilities and a television with independent access to outside space.

¿ There was a large communal room for dining and relaxing, allowing space for social distancing.

¿ There were catering facilities available to support people's dietary needs, including access to snacks and drinks. The provision of food from the kitchen in the main building had been risk assessed to ensure safe practices were followed to reduce cross infection and ensure food hygiene standards were met.

¿ Staff were employed by the service to work solely in the designated setting. This meant the risk of cross infection was reduced.

¿ The provider had plentiful supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff had received training in the appropriate use of PPE.

¿ Staff had access to a changing area on entry to the building where they were able to put on their uniform and PPE, store their personal belongings and shower and change at the end of their shift.

¿ Laundry facilities in the main building were used. There were risk assessments in place to ensure laundry was transported and processed safely to reduce the risk of cross infection.

¿ Visitors to the setting were restricted to essential or relatives supporting a person on end of life care. For these visitors robust arrangements were in place to ensure their safety, including temperature checks and PPE use.

¿ Enhanced cleaning schedules including regular cleaning of touch areas such as handrails and door handles were in place with detailed compliance recording sheets. This reduced the risk of cross infection.

¿ Staff accessed regular testing for Covid-19. This meant action could be taken swiftly in the event anyone developed symptoms of the virus or had a positive test result.

¿ Electronic devices were used by the management team to support virtual handovers and compliance checks in the service, offering support and guidance to the staff team in the scheme.