Keeping calm and carrying on through COVID-19

Updated 20 December 2022

Firstly, we would like to thank our amazing staff for their dedication, constant care and love towards our residents and their colleagues and their outstanding contribution to infection control measures. We are so proud of every one of them.

We are over 2 years into the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic and here at Milford Care we continue to risk assess and implement measures to manage the ongoing current pandemic.

Kara Gratton and Jim Watt continue to be the COVID-19 leads and they are continuing to follow the guidance issued by Public Health England, Infection Control Teams, CQC and GOV.UK. Milford Care has throughout the pandemic introduced additional measures outside of the government guidance to protect our residents, staff, visiting professionals and relatives in the best way possible. Here is the latest government guidance which our homes are following.

Face Masks

Staff and visitors to the care home will not need to wear a face mask at all times unless the following applies:

  • If a resident has a Covid-19 positive test result, or symptoms of Covid-19, then all staff and all visitors must wear a mask at all times until the resident tests negative.
  • If a member of staff is in a household or had overnight contact with someone who has a positive Covid-19 test result, only that staff member must wear a mask at all times for 10 days from the initial positive test.
  • If the care home setting is in outbreak, masks must be worn by all staff and all visitors as per outbreak management.
  • If the resident requests that a staff member or their visitor(s) wears a mask, this will be care planned and made known to the team. Any mask worn must be a Type IIR Mask, unless permission has been granted by the manager, or the person is exempt from wearing a mask.

When masks are worn, they must be well fitted to cover nose, mouth and chin and PPE should be worn as per the Infection Control procedures.

Testing

If a resident or staff member has symptoms of Covid-19 we will ensure they take an LFD test. 

If a staff member has symptoms of Covid, but have not yet tested positive, they will take 2 lateral flow tests 48 hours apart. If both are negative, the staff member will discuss with their manager whether they can return to work.

The policy remains the same for anyone testing positive with Covid-19.

Environmental Concerns

Please be assured that we are very mindful of good ventilation – windows will be opened and fresh air circulated when residents are happy for this to happen.

Air sterile units are on at all times and RensAir are on in all communal areas as per our policy. Regular cleaning, particularly of high-touch areas remains extremely important in our Infection Control methods.

Admissions of Care Home Residents

When a resident is admitted to a Milford Care home, we administer a PCR test within 72 hours prior to admission and a Lateral flow test on the day of admission.

If the person is coming from the community, the care home must provide the test. If the person is coming from the hospital, the hospital must do a PCR test for the resident within 48 hours of discharge. The hospital should share the result with the care home. If any individual resident is returning to the care home or being admitted with a positive Covid-19 result, they must be isolated from all other residents for 10 days.

Visiting Arrangements

We’re so happy we can continue to invite family and friends into our care homes once again. However, in the event of an outbreak of Covid-19, each resident will be allowed a minimum of one visitor and does not have to be the same visitor throughout the outbreak.

If there is an outbreak, all visitors would be required to wear masks. Children under the age of 11 are not required to wear masks, but can if their parent/guardian chooses for them to. Children under the age of 3 MUST NOT wear a mask for safety reasons.

If an outbreak is suspected, the manager alongside the Covid Leads or a Senior Manager, will undertake a Risk Assessment to determine if the situation is considered an outbreak and if outbreak measures are required.

If visiting is not an option (eg. the family member lives abroad) we still have the use of Skype/Zoom/WhatsApp and FaceTime as means of socialising. The staff are very happy to assist residents and relatives with regular use of the laptops and tablets. Each home also has Facebook. All residents are asked for consent for their picture to be shared on these sites. Relatives and friends are encouraged to like our page or follow, and they will be able to see how residents who live in a Milford Care home spend their day. It is a joy to see our residents and staff enjoying time together doing a wide range of activities.

Our staff have gone above and beyond to maximise our residents’ safety. 

For more updates, keep checking back in to www.milfordcare.co.uk and your care home’s Facebook page. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Registered Home Manager that your relative lives in.

We look forward to seeing you!

Kara Gratton