Inspectors have urged staff at a Birnam care home to do all they can to keep the risk of infection at a minimum after visiting the home in the midst of an outbreak of COVID-19 earlier this month.
The Care Inspectorate made a requirement that management at Rivendell House ensure cleaning and infection control practices are being carried out “effectively” by mid-March after noting concerns staff had failed to complete cleaning schedules and audits on some occasions.
The government agency also recommended staff come up with ways of communicating better with each other after being made aware of instances where workers had not passed information about people’s health and wellbeing needs onto their colleagues.
Inspectors visited the home unannounced on February 7 and found the service being provided by Rivendell Care Services to be operating at a “good level” despite being in the middle of dealing with an outbreak.
They said in their report: “The service was following the current visiting guidance for adult care homes with a COVID-19 outbreak.
“People were encouraged to maintain contact with family and friends via telephone calls and Facetime/video calls and people had received essential visits.
“Staff were knowledgeable about the possible symptoms of COVID-19. The home had implemented regular testing for COVID-19 in line with guidance and had been proactive in participating in the vaccination programme.
“This followed best practice and assisted with the continued protection of people from harm.
“We were advised of some instances where care staff had not passed information on to their colleagues. We have made this an area for improvement.”
The inspectors added: “We found the performance of the service in relation to infection prevention and control (IPC) to be adequate.
“Staff had a designated changing area and changed in to their uniform when they arrived for their shift and out of their uniform before leaving. This helped reduce the risk of transmission.
“Whilst the service had systems in place to support good practice in relation to IPC, we found that in recent months the completion of cleaning schedules and audits had lapsed.
“Whilst it was evident that this had coincided with a shortage of staff, quality assurance measures are important in ensuring the required standards and regulations are met.
“We discussed the importance of robust quality assurance processes and recording in order to monitor standards and ensure people are protected from infection.”
