Care home celebrates being ‘in the clear’
RESIDENTS, staff and family and friends joined to celebrate a care home which remains free of coronavirus.
Hillcroft Care Home in Aughton has recorded no infections since the start of the outbreak, thanks in part to early intervention from its management.
The home shut to visitors 10 days before the Government enforced such action around the country, while staff had made clear early on that they would be willing to live-in at work if Covid-19 did hit.
During the final Clap for Carers event in May, the home marked the achievement by inviting loved ones for a socially distanced celebration.
Neighbours also joined in from their driveways, with some offering Prosecco to those at the home.
Margaret Sutcliffe, registered care manager at Hillcroft, said that preparation and planning has been key to the home staying clear of Covid-19.
She said: “We acted before anyone else back in February when it first started coming to light.
“We started putting signs up and asking everyone if they had been to places where the virus was at that point.
“Then we started taking temperatures of staff and visitors to check for any signs of illness.”
Risk assessments and plans have been made throughout the pandemic, including designating one area of the home which could be used exclusively by any residents who did catch the virus, including a direct entrance for staff to avoid contamination with the rest of the building.
Staff also volunteered to move into the home if needed and Hillcroft closed to visitors more than a week before it became mandatory.
Ms Sutcliffe said: “I’ve been in care for more than 30 years and it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make to stop people seeing their loved ones, it’s a hard thing to ask.”
“We’re looking all the time at changes and statistics, at what could come. To date, we’ve stayed clear of it.”
She added: “One of my big concerns when we decided to lock down early, my biggest concern was the mental health impact and what effect it would have.
“We’ve been watching closely for any change of mood, anxiety, feeling low. One lady was feeling down, so her daughter came to the window and that cheered her up.”
All deliveries to the home are sprayed and cleaned before being brought in and staff have recently completed training on how to use PPE needed to help prevent the spread.
Those working at Hillcroft have been finding creative ways to keep spirits up, including having food delivered from a nearby pub and a visit from an ice cream van.
“It’s a case of being over-prepared,” Ms Sutcliffe said. “Just to think we’ve done everything we can to keep those vulnerable people safe.
“We’ve got lovely staff who help keep them cheery. We usually go out twice a week and have entertainment in, so we’ve been trying to replace that.”