Care home in early lockdown has zero cases of coronavirus
Ex-NHS infections control nurse saw Covid danger coming and imposed strict measures in February
AMID over 12,000 care home deaths due to Covid-19 across the UK, one manager’s insight to act five weeks before the Government’s official lockdown is likely to have saved many lives.
Alison Mulligan, boss of Harborne Lane Specialist Care Centre, in Selly Oak, imposed a lockdown of her own on February 16, imposing temperature checks on staff, a larger supply of PPE including face masks, increased deep cleaning, using separate lifts for clinical and kitchen staff, and strict controls on shoes, bags and incoming parcels to avoid the deadly bug infecting the home.
Visitors were also banned, but these hardline measures have paid dividends as the home has had a clean bill of health, with no coronavirus cases at all.
ABIRMINGHAM care home has recorded zero coronavirus cases after safety measures were introduced five weeks before the country officially went into lockdown.
Harborne Lane Specialist Care Centre, in Selly Oak, had its own mini lockdown from February 16 ahead of the Government’s shut down in a bid to contain Covid-19 on March 23.
No visitors were allowed, a larger supply of PPE, including face masks, were ordered early for staff, and cleaning increased, which may have saved the lives of residents at the private facility.
Temperatures of staff are taken every day, while shoes are removed and put their bags at reception to prevent the spread of spores across the home.
New admissions into the nursing home and anyone returning from hospital are held in a designated quarantined area for 14 days.
And two separate lifts are used one for clinical staff and the other for kitchen staff transporting meals.
Anything that is brought into the home such as parcels, clothing and toiletries is also sprayed with antibacterial spray and contained for 72 hours.
There have been over 12,000 deaths in care homes across the country, with almost 200 deaths in Birmingham care homes. Alison Mulligan, Harborne Lane’s registered manager, who is a former NHS infection control nurse, put her experience of treating swine flu cases into practice.
“I locked the home down early in the middle of February,” said Ms Mulligan, who is known as “The Rottweiler” for leaving no stone unturned. “The staff thought I’d gone mad.
“I understand viruses and they are very clever little devils these germs. And if they can get in they will get it.
“We’re talking people’s lives. We’ve got to protect those people – they are vulunerable.
“They need someone to be their advocate.”
All staff and residents have been swabbed for coronavirus and all results were negative.
Residents at the 68-bed home on Harborne Lane range from younger adults with brain injuries and learning disabilities to older people with dementia.
Ms Mulligan had even moved into the home for about a month with two other staff members. Her daughter is a nurse on a mother and baby unit – so made a decision not to be at her family home.
The housekeeping teams cleaned the home, including touch point areas such as handles, light switches, telephones, keyboards more regularly.
“The levels of anxiety across the staff team was so high. They were frightened,” she said.
“I was frightened and concerned, but I’m used to dealing with a crisis like this in a calm manner from working at an NHS Trust.
“There was a little of confusion to begin with and the guidelines weren’t clear.
“I’m a nurse and here to care for my resident’s health, but also I see myself as a guardian over their welfare. I didn’t want it in the home.” No annual leave was taken by any of the 66 members of staff, including carers, nurses, admin and housekeeping staff in another bid to keep the virus contained.
“It’s been quite difficult, but the team have been awesome. They haven’t objected to anything,” added Ms Mulligan.
“We’ve also always had PPE, but we had to source masks from all over the world early from China and America. A good team helped put some exceptional systems in place. We only have the same people coming here. There’s a combination of things and probably luck.”
I understand viruses and they are very clever little devils these germs.
Care home boss and former NHS infection control nurse Alison Mulligan