VISITS to care homes have been restricted in a bid to stave off the threat of coronavirus.
And HC-One, which operates Millbrook Care Home and The Beeches, Dukinfield, has been explaining the measures they put in place which include telephone and video calls by residents so they can keep in touch with loved ones.
A spokesperson for the two homes said: “HC-One has always had robust policies in place to both prepare for and prevent the spread of any infection, and we are employing these policies to deal with coronavirus.
“In response to the growing UK coronavirus outbreak, we have a number of measures in place and have created a dedicated action group. Led by our clinical director, this group is comprised of senior leaders from across the business who meet regularly to review and further develop our plans, reflecting the evolving situation.
“The most current and comprehensive advice on how to prevent the spread of the infection is regularly issued to all HC-One homes, including Millbrook and The Beeches. We have taken steps to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and infection control, and all staff have completed additional training to ensure they know what our effective protocols and processes are.
“To further minimise the risk to residents, since March 12 we have restricted all non-essential visitors from visiting our homes. This decision was not been taken lightly, but we felt it was in the best interests of keeping our residents safe.
“Our team is now helping residents hold telephone or video calls with their families, so they can keep in touch, and a new activities plan is helping keep residents engage and entertained during this ‘shielding’ period.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and the latest advice from the UK and devolved Governments, the NHS and Public Health bodies in relation to COVID-19. We are taking all reasonable steps to mitigate risk to residents and colleagues, and we have robust contingency plans in place should outbreaks in our homes occur.”
And at Oakwood Care Centre, Millbrook, they also have restricted visiting in line with Government guidelines,
- Inspections of homes by Care Quality Commission have been suspended.