Regulation 50 of the Social Care Wales Act 2016 has re-enforced the aim of monitoring, reviewing, and improving the quality of our service. It is not only an exercise to appreciate feedback, but also a key importance in highlighting and developing our relationship with individuals, families and visiting professionals and how they perceive us as a care provider and for us to work on the things we could do better. Our aim is to continue to monitor our ideals daily and to formulate reports approximately every six months.
As we are still coping with a pandemic, the QA data has been collated using alternative methods. Working practices of those in healthcare has changed as has the way we currently run our care home and so our survey questions have been slimmed down and sent out to staff, relatives and professionals to complete on their phones or computers. We have had substantial feedback from all the relatives which has been very positive Thanks to everyone for the feedback and for taking the time to complete another survey. We have not conducted any resident surveys or questionnaires again this year, but we have undertaken more resident meetings to encourage chat and to discuss openly amongst everyone what their feelings are on their care or whether they have any concerns or ideas they wish to talk about. We have found this to be beneficial for residents to feel their voice is heard and to ensure that changes are made, or relevant ideas or concepts investigated. Families have been informed of the outcomes of the residents’ meetings on their own survey’s so that they are aware of what the outcomes have been.
Do people feel their voices are heard, they have a choice about their care and support and are opportunities made available to them?
What do we do well – and how do we evidence it?
From pre assessments to the completion of Individual Plans, individuals and their families are the primary source of information. They are very in depth and the Mental Health Capacity Act is the core to the process and whether the individual themselves assist with this formality, or the family or prime caregiver, the onus is very much on individual choice and consent is gained for all answers. We would usually include the following paperwork.
Choice and Control
Communication preferences
Personal Care
Nutritional and Hydration preferences – we are very in tune to this, it can be exceedingly difficult to push fluids in care, particularly in hot weather also where older adults do not feel the heat the same as staff. Our menus are continually monitored and adapted through the seasons as mealtimes in care are hugely important.
Social, Cultural and Leisure Activities
For our assessments pre-March 2021, we had to rely on gaining as much insight into a person as possible by utilising our healthcare professional’s knowledge of a person prior to them coming in, as we had been unable to undertake our pre assessments in the usual way. We have asked families to fill in the “All About Me” paperwork to also gather as much choice information as possible. Families have been amazing at adapting their skills with computers / Facetime / their phones and all the technology we can manage so that they are able to view rooms and the environment that their relative is interested in coming into. Post March 2021 we are steadily returning to completing our own paperwork and visual assessments by visiting houses and hospitals and rehab centres. We have had no further incidents with hospital discharge teams with regards to PCR testing evidence though we have had reluctance still for discharge letters to come out or information being sent out with a resident that informs care staff what treatment has been carried out and the plans thereafter, but as ever, we hope the system improves, it has been sometimes imperative to rely on the information that relatives inform us of and we have been lucky to have been greatly supported by families when there has been some general disagreements with care plan arrangements from discharge planning teams.
Do people feel their voices are heard, they have a choice about their care and support and are opportunities made available to them?
What do we do well – and how do we evidence it?
We have been fortunate enough since our last QA not to have been approached for a complaint’s form for any means. We do actively express however that our residents, as much as is possible for their capacity, choose what support and opportunities are made available to them to live here as comfortably and independently as possible. We ourselves have instigated one complaint towards the hospital and notified CIW of anything that has concerned us with regards to a resident’s care. Both instigated complaints were on behalf of our residents and for their wellbeing and both complaints have now been resolved.
Care plans are centred around an individual and these are updated regularly by our senior support, given the vast increase in workload and administration surrounding our efforts with the pandemic, we are still amazed at the achievement of these still being carried out timely. They are a source of knowledge to everyone and every snippet of information that is helpful to formulate a plan is updated as soon as possible. We still do not print a copy off every time there is an update as we are continuing efforts of taking our carbon footprint seriously to help climate change. Should staff note a change or there be a development in someone’s care, this is put onto the white board in our staff office to be transferred over to the individual care plan. These are usually adaptations to mobility changes, by way of using new equipment, or medication changes, every update we make ensures that we are looking after the individual in the best way possible and that all relevant parties in care, be it doctors, mental health teams, social workers and families are all up to speed with this valued information should they require to have access to these details. ALL care plans are computerised our highly regarded system is managed by very competent staff and in the areas where elements require updating, the system makes these prompts. Our care system has also had many updates since March to help evidence any Covid19 testing/results and temperature scanning and oxygen saturation levels (these are done daily) and a recent update which is extremely handy has been the incorporation of the NEWS (National Early Warning Score) which will be extremely helpful in handing over vital signs to our GP’s, D/N’s and Ambulance Control or Paramedic professionals should we have a resident who falls unwell, it enables us to document more formerly vital sign results and is a welcomed addition to the care plan system.
We include the families and friends of those who live at Cantref as much as we can, with consent. Initially during the lockdown period, staff had more time to focus on Facetimes and regular correspondence with relatives. The general camaraderie with local people and relatives wishing to help with what they could spurred us on. With the second lockdown and with the introduction of more testing for staff (weekly) and residents, who were initially tested every three weeks, the administration and evidencing of this has taken up a good amount of time. That along with the steady relaxation of rules with visiting on care-homes and the heightened efforts to keep every surface sanitised and the regulations around the visits has limited what time we have left and so other jobs, that do not involve the care of the residents, have had to either be delayed or been actioned a bit later than anticipated. For the month of July 2021 – all staff supervisions had been completed and mandatory training for 90% staff, which is a high amount has still been achieved. The wellbeing of staff has always been important as a happy carer transfers their mood onto a resident and helps in many ways, whereas someone who is struggling is not achieving the job role as best they can, so it has been a difficult 18 months, but we would say more so following the second lockdown which we think knocked everyone a bit hard.
Families are kept in the loop, particularly with health and how we care for their relative or loved one. Any falls, changes in behaviour and any plans of action that we have in mind, as we often find that minor tweaks in medication or just the clarification from a doctor that someone has a UTI can reassure families that we are making the adjustments we need to ensure individuals are at their optimum health. We include family and, for many individuals who do have capacity, they prefer this involvement as it helps with them achieving a satisfactory outcome and understanding of their healthcare needs and why we are doing what we do. With a transparent relationship with the families, it helps our care teams and provides families with the reassurance that their loved ones are being looked after to the best of our ability. Families are also kept informed about any care home activities or news on our Facebook page and during the initial lockdown stage of Covid19, this proved a lifeline to those families who could not visit and kept them as informed as possible. Permission, as always, is requested from our families and individuals prior to any pictures being posted and illustrates to all those who access this platform how invested we are in keeping our ladies and gents entertained but also our stance on our own policies and procedures that we have developed through this time. The feedback we have had from families with regards to Facebook has been very supportive and we are thankful that we are able to keep them all up to date at the same time and any concerns or questions we are able to answer quickly.
Are people happy and supported to maintain their ongoing health, development and overall wellbeing?
What do we do well and what is the evidence for this?
We have had a few residents’ meetings throughout 2021, our activities coordinator Alli structures these and most of our residents join in. Relatives have been informed of the outcomes of our Spring residents meeting via their QA questionnaires and are therefore up to date on relative’s views on that one. There were no complaints other than one wishing not to have liver on the menu, however, broadly this meal is a favourite of many. As a compromise, those residents who do not fancy what is planned for their dinner, they can opt for an alternative favourite.
We have had many themed activities that give a good few weeks’ preparation for our residents and give them something to work on concurrently. Our Fairground Day for example, our residents were painting and planning tin cans and milk bottles for our tin can alley, for Wimbledon and Olympic Games more recently, Olympic rings were going up and flags to show our support. Menus were also themed around these days, particularly Wimbledon when the strawberries and cream and Pimm’s go down very well. The residents have the sense of the work they are putting in for the result of our theme day, the repetition of these painting and craft events, for the chosen theme, helps memories and assists with excitement for when the finale comes together. The next themed day planned is Hawaiian Luau. This has been chosen in particularly because our residents need a day outside and we are therefore hoping for some nice weather to come back to us. Taking them to coffee shops, particularly in the school holidays has proven a bit of a risk for us and so we hope to ensure cocktails and some nice foods are on the itinerary. Michael from Musicare has visited a few times, he does a set that the ladies and gents really like, but weather dependent they want the windows closed because it is draughty – whereas Michael’s performance has been taking place outside on the patio, so it can be sometimes tricky to manage.
We have not renovated any rooms this year yet, we usually ask for the assistance of those whose room it is, but Covid made it a bit tricky initially with obtaining DIY and paint products, then other jobs became more pressing, such as the laundry and care station heating etc. We have started to look at individual rooms again as there are a few upgrades that need to be done. We need to fix some wallpaper damage in some from the beds being pulled out and general wear and tear of the home. Painting the dining areas again and laying flooring will be next on our list.
The “Coloured Walking Frame” scheme was a great success in 2019, but since then this seems to have also been overtaken by possibly other pressing challenges within the ABUHB. We hope that this resumes in the not to distance future when it is safe to do so.
We are keen for individuals to try and retain as much movement as possible. Physio input is much better now that professionals can visit (evidencing negative LFD tests) we also provide encouragement for those who have declined in this area through age, hip injury or contributing health factors. With the use of the equipment that we know well, like the handling belt, we have been able to encourage a fair few to attempt in walking with their mobility aids rather than for us to utilise the steady aid too much. It has provided some with a much-needed lift or confidence boost and our individuals enjoy trying again which is particularly good for their wellbeing.
Our hairdresser Linda has returned and is now esteemed in performing and evidencing negative tests prior to entry. She performs tests twice a week and continues to wear a mask and other PPE whilst attending to residents’ hair upkeep. The ladies generally have got used to Tuesday being their day for hair and our gentlemen are happy to have their hair cut when we advise that it is becoming a bit unmanageable.
Visitation has been a huge factor with our individual’s wellbeing. The Care Station outside has been useful to continue visits from family and friends in a safe manner. We regularly assess the situation with visits and read much into the science and what we know is happening in the area. We must look at things such as ambulance waiting times, which can often indicate a problem in the hospitals, and this is something we are keen to keep our residents from having to endure. Our priority now and has always been to carefully balance our decisions for hopefully the best outcome for residents’ health, it has been a very emotional journey for everyone involved with Cantref Care Home.
iPad’s have been supplied to us to help with the pandemic and for people to keep in touch with their families. The iPad’s have been a good source of contact; however, most staff have found that our ladies and gents are less confused with the telephone. Through the initial lockdown however, these were a great option to enable many of our individuals to see their relatives in real time. We initially would do weekly calls with families to reassure them. We think it made a great difference for families to be able to see some normality within the home as they were unable to come and visit in person.
Infection control has been incredibly enhanced. We took the decision early to wash our uniforms at work and keep our uniforms at work, changing at the beginning and end of shift. A new washing machine was ordered for staff uniforms only and our staff toilet turned into a makeshift laundry. It has placed more pressure on our night teams, but we believe it has been a paramount move in keeping cross contamination to a minimum level. Keys and phones are sanitised (everything that comes into the building is sanitised) and staff adhere to the two-metre ruling whilst wearing a face mask for the entire duration of shift as well as other PPE during personal care. This will not change for the foreseeable future.
Security has been an immense addition to Cantref, and it includes the Care Station more recently. It has been difficult to implement with only one sole maintenance representative and with the job of CCTV and building and putting in electrics for the Care Station it has been a full-on couple of months. The CCTV has provided staff with the security that they need, particularly at night-time. The CCTV is not used for constant monitoring of individuals more as back up reference should there be a requirement to have some insight into an incident of a fall for example. Whilst the CCTV is only in public areas, we are sure that our individuals and members of their families only feel more reassured now that it is there, and we now wonder what we would do without it.
We have a few new flower boxes that have been created and sent down to us via our maintenance employee KB. The aesthetic surroundings of the building have had to be reassessed to ensure our individuals have plenty to look at. We had even managed to attract some starlings and blackbirds to our bird feeders which was nice, and the birds became quite friendly with staff on their breaks, particularly with any crumbs. But with this came a vermin issue from our neighbours who are also fond of the birds. Given that we have storage areas we have taken the decision not to put food out, which is a shame, but hygiene must take precedence and so we have ceased to put out supplementary food to do our part.
Some of the comments that we have had on our QA forms 2021
“When we arrived, we were given a warm and friendly welcome, all our questions were answered honestly and thoroughly, and a lot of advice was given to us which was appreciated. We came away feeling reassured that we had made the right decision”
“I think everyone is working hard and doing brilliantly, its lovely to see all the pictures and the activities on FB and knowing that our relatives are enjoying themselves”
“You were always ahead of the game and the results of how you dealt with the pandemic is now obvious. You foresaw lockdown before we were in lockdown and management since has been such that the care home has been free of the pandemic. All down to great care and attention.”
“My father seems happy and contented at Cantref, he has confusion and has told me he is at the Angel Hotel eating chocolate cake, so if he feels he is in a very nice hotel then….!”
“My brother is always smiling when I see him” “We would like to thank everybody concerned in helping look after my brother”
“I have found my Dad is better in health since being at Cantref and he also has a better outlook on life”
What specific action do we need to take to make the improvements / OR developments successful and how will this be measured?
What are our action plans for the specific outcomes and the focussed actions that are needed to improve and the timescales?
Indoor work has resumed and those jobs that had to be pushed back are resuming. Perspex is being ordered and implemented to save any detriment to wallpaper / walls in resident rooms, snagging has also begun and finishing those rooms that needed smaller jobs to be completed. New lights have been put up in the upstairs corridor so that it is brighter. The bathrooms will begin, and they will be retiled completely. Building work will ensue downstairs in order for the doors to the bathrooms to be that much easier by sliding them across. Guttering and outdoor areas have been looked at and orders made to assist with those areas. A storage facility for PPE and wheelchairs has also been built and modified.
We have ordered new chairs of a better height for the lounge areas and bedrooms. The colours of these chairs will complement each area. We have ordered two new chairs with wheels for our higher dependent residents, and they should be delivered in October. We have new shower chairs and battery pack wheelchairs all to help with the mobility of residents and to protect our staff further with moving and handling.
Lockers have been put in for staff and although it took away a “staff room” that is indoors – with the current situation it was felt better not to have a staff room anyway. Staff have adapted remarkably well to outdoor pods and the addition of fleece jackets to our uniform.
Heading into Autumn it is unlikely that this year again we will be able to host the Curry and Carol evening with the Baptist Church, however our team of staff will be looking to organise what they can do to keep everyone suitably entertained.
Heating for the Care Station has been carried out and tweaks to ensure safety – concrete ramps implemented, a newer sound system, have been a welcome addition. We have created an LFD testing area that is outside also and is an area that is suitably protected from the elements.
Identify areas of improvement or suggestions that we have discussed as teams…
As teams we have discussions almost daily, particularly with regards to the wellbeing of our individuals. Visiting has been at times tricky to manage and with the Government reducing the tier level it left us exposed to smaller infection outbreaks from relatives taking out their relatives. It is interesting as last year when we had no visits or no resident going off site, we had no D & V and no chest infections for the entire time. Our GP has recently remarked the same as we have many this year who have battled some coughs and awful colds.
Menus are an area as a team we discuss and amend or improve areas that we feel we are able. We did have a very warm spell we have had the ice cream van attend and purchased, particularly for those who independent drinking was very important even though they struggle with grip, some interesting bottles that attach to a chair or a bed with a long straw that clips to a suitable area. Independent drinking then when thirst arises has been very good and sometimes bottles filled up two or three times, whereas before it would be very difficult to encourage drinking with the task appearing more daunting due to health issues.
Observation is a noticeably big role of our care staff and the relevance of understanding someone’s characteristics plays a huge part in us being able to detect any problems or concerns we have with our individuals. Team handovers, our care system, and our appreciation of conversing as a group about each lady and gentleman helps in identifying possible ailments that we can discuss with our healthcare professionals to obtain a review. We risk assess bedrooms, as we are able as a team also to prioritise those who need more input with their care needs. It may be that an individual may be best looked after by being brought downstairs or to be transferred to a room that houses specialist equipment to continue their care to the best capacity. We have been mindful during the pandemic to test temperatures and oxygen saturation levels of our residents twice daily. If Covid19 infiltrates our home, we are constantly adapting ways at how best to manage our care home in accordance with infection prevention. It is an action plan that we hope not to put into place, however we have the capacity to “zone” off areas of the home should it be necessary, and have the required PPE, at this time, to assist staff with dealing with the issue.
We already have a steadfast protocol of how our policies and procedures are reviewed. These are done six monthly and any relevant changes or additional requirements are passed on to staff as part of the course.
Manager Joanne Pritchard carries out the extensive work on keeping our policies and procedures to a high standard six monthly
Our aim is for all staff to be competently trained in all relevant areas of their job role. Clearly all infection control has been updated with staff understanding the processes of the prevention of contamination within the building. All our staff all have access to Redcrier training portal which they can access through their phone, laptops, or iPads to refresh and complete any training we ask them to. We have yet to assess competency following training being done as staff are proving competent with their role daily and our focus has been to prevent covid19.
With our training, we currently stand at more than 80% of our staff having completed training to their fullest capacity and 80% of our staff have either a QCF level II or QCF level III in Health and Social Care. Our newest members of staff are currently at the beginning of the process, some have come from other healthcare settings, but certificates may not be transferable and so are beginning the process again with our systems.
Supervisions are currently up to date and are done quarterly. Any observations are implemented on the Caredocs system by managers and we tend to discuss when it is time for reviews.
Dining pods are used by staff and socially distancing is still key
Staff speak with managers daily and if there is a concerns with visits or an emergency situation, then protocol to manage this is deployed
Are people happy and supported to maintain their ongoing health, development and overall well being?
What do we do well and what is the evidence for this?
The appearance of our home is very important. We always look forward to enhancing the décor in accordance with the seasons and will be ensuring that our activities cupboards are stocked with plenty of creative pursuits for our ladies and gents to take part in. Cantref bases its environment on being bright, airy, practical but with modern elements. We have local pictures painted by local artists, rooms are as light and bright as they can be, handrails have been painted to be more visible. We have a feature at the top of the stairs with a wall decal and words of encouragement to keep moving. Our dining crockery is all brightly coloured to ensure visibility to those who are impaired visually.
Individuals who have capacity, can make decisions on their health and whether they require a GP or to see their Mental Health and other Healthcare professionals. We have quite a few individuals who are able to talk about their worries and decide whether they wish to see a professional and the reasons behind them. Individuals are taken to a private area for discussion and all updates and observations are put onto our Caredocs system.
From our QA responses, our individuals are happy with the activities. These responses are particularly important to us and a testament to the relatives that we have in trusting us with their loved one’s care. It has not been an ideal 18 months, but it has been incredible to receive such support and so many supportive comments on our FB page with regards to the activities we have undertaken. Alli and all the care staff team have worked so hard in creating themes and activities around those themes. I hear the next planning effort is to start practicing for this year’s pantomime – Cinderella.
End of life is an area we feel is as important as the life prior to becoming poorly. We have a robust advanced individual care planning system that promotes and enables us to ask the sometimes-difficult questions regarding end stage care. We try in all circumstances to look after our individuals in the environment that has become their home if we are able to do so and we cannot do that without the experience of staff and the incredible service of our district nurses and GP’s and the massive support we receive from the St David’s Palliative Care Team. We are always overwhelmed by the incredible support families provide us with and with the passing of some of our residents, it provides us with great positivity that we stay in contact with many families.
“Thank you so much for all you and your colleagues have done for Mum, we want you all to know how incredibly happy she was at Cantref, and we are so glad that she came to you to be looked after, she loved the staff and particularly the laughs you provided for her over the months when her health was failing, but her mind was not”
Do people feel safe and protected from abuse and neglect?
What we do well and how we evidence it?
At our recent residents meeting, when residents have been asked if everyone feels safe and well, the response was they did feel safe, and all were happy. Some reported they would inform us if they were not. Overall, no concerning issues were raised via residents.
It is part of our duty as a care provider to act on any hint of an issue immediately for the safety and protection of our individuals. We, as a home, have instigated a complaint to the hospital regarding a resident and received an apology months later. Our duty to report filed was in relation to that episode. We have filled in three further notifications with regards to off site visit infringement of protocol with resident and two for healthcare professional inability to provide LFD evidence and refusal to have this carried out so that continued care could be carried out with residents who required (1) insulin and (2) catheter check. We will continue to work with all those involved to encourage and keep working relationships in high regards as much as we can, but invariably there are times when frustration can prevail with lack of simple support.
For the protection of those who may come to harm outside of this environment and do not have the capacity to see themselves “at risk” if they were to leave, we are able to refer to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding Team. At present any DoLS that we had applied for have come to an end. We must work within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and do everything possible to empower people to make as many decisions for themselves as much as they can.
All staff are compliant in Safeguarding and complete this module yearly. The Redcrier system prompts individuals to refresh their training at the time required. Staff are observed daily, and supervision is carried out quarterly. One of the key topics we talk about at each supervision is abuse and whether they have or have ever had a concern they wish to talk about.
GDPR and confidentiality is our professional responsibility, and all current protocols and procedures are up to date.
All residents are part of the ABHUB Oral Health Scheme, and we have an Oral Health Champion(s) as part of our staffing teams. The oral care champion(s) are responsible for putting systems and processes into place so that oral health care plans are followed and that residents have access to preventive and treatment services when required. This area of health has continued thanks to the hard efforts of our staff and although our community dentists were not able to assist initially, we are hoping that waiting times do get better and any further issues we have that require their input then our residents will be seen as soon as possible.
We have a strict NON-ACTION IS NOT AN OPTION rule on matters of Safeguarding. The Social Services and Wellbeing Act 2014 illustrated changes that impacted changes for adult safeguarding in Wales and all staff are currently compliant. Cantref and local authorities and all parties involved in safeguarding have the aim of stopping abuse or neglect wherever possible, preventing harm and reducing the risk of abuse or neglect with any adult who requires care and support needs and to safeguard them. We always support them in making choices and ensure awareness that they have control about how they want to live. Staff are aware, from the policy, of their responsibility to report a suspicion of a safeguarding concern, who they report to, and are supported throughout the process. We do have a robust policy on discrimination which is contained in the ground floor office.
We do have an admission protocol and currently only admit relevant healthcare professionals who need to perform medical intervention to enhance wellbeing. We are looking into a signing in format that is digital currently. Any visitor may be asked to identify themselves by the staff and should not feel upset if this happens, it is our way of keeping the home as secure as it can be. Lateral Flow Device testing evidence must be shown prior to entry to our home currently by ANY healthcare professional.
Our care station has strict guidelines also which are always under review and updated to ensure the safety of our individuals.
Do the individuals who live at Cantref feel that it is a place that supports their wellbeing and can they achieve their personal outcomes?
What do we do well and can we evidence it?
Independence is our main priority and ensuring someone maintains their abilities to help themselves as much as possible. Our library lady still attends the home but uses our drop off box for books and items that have been requested. Papers are delivered daily and are given to our residents. Dining times and meals are so important to everyone, it is the time associated with chat and provides some level of normality much the same as going to a café. We will be enhancing the dining area over the next few weeks to always keep that area fresh and a hub that encourages conversation.
Our activities coordinator has an exceedingly difficult job, however somewhat rewarding when you know you have helped enhance an otherwise routine day. Birthday cards are made by our residents to give to other residents and birthdays now are very much a feature for a great day. One of our staff members recently organised a Fire Engine to come along for one of our residents as they adore the Fire Service and watches programmes on the television. It is something they talk about daily, and they were so happy when one of the engines and crew came along to speak with them.
It has worked the other way with residents doing something for their relatives for their birthday and we ensure that cards are on hand to personalise, and we are available to pick up a gift ready for our residents to give.
At our recent Hawaiian day, we had a singer come along who had tailored her whole set because she knew we had themed it; this was thoroughly appreciated by all staff and especially the residents who enjoyed the who day. All our evidence is currently on FB and those who have given permission to take pictures of them are featured.
What has been the feedback, and do we feel could there could be improvements?
Feedback from the professionals
For the year 2020/21 we have not had any recommendations from the professionals so far.
“We are very pleased to say that all residents appear well cared for and happy in their environment”
“One of the best homes I have had the pleasure to work with, Gold standard”
From our questionnaires to healthcare professionals, we scored a high percentage of praise and great scores of “far above average” with our questions put forward such as: “How well do you feel that we carry out instructions in relation to your patients” or “How friendly, professional and respectful do you feel we are at Cantref”.
We were delighted with the feedback from our healthcare colleagues which included our district nursing team and GP practices.
Feedback from the staff
For the year 2020/21 we have continued to work as a team. We have been proactive with organising residents’ entertainment, and we have enjoyed that part also even though it is hard to fit everything in. Residents care needs have increased, many of our residents now that either come in or have been with us a long time have care needs that are different and sometimes more challenging. That mixed with the emotional side of ensuring family interaction has sometimes been difficult to balance, but we feel we achieve as much as we can and try to take the pressure off each other when we can also. Every day is different and sometimes more difficult but without a good team to work with it would be so much worse. We have had to have laughter and fun where we can and our main objective throughout has been to keep our residents as clean and tidy as they possibly can be and as independent and healthy as we possibly can. Staff have all faltered at some point, we have cried with pressures, we have wanted to cry at facetimes and phone calls with families, we have found we initially struggled with even going to the supermarket or to complete simple days out with our families because of fear of bringing covid into the home, but these anxieties have slowly eased, and we know we can only concentrate on what we can control and do our best in the meantime.
From my own perspective
Staffing levels has not been as concerning this year due to the changes in protocols with secondary vaccinations and the more that we got to know about the virus. We never stopped wearing masks at Cantref and testing has been carried on throughout with very little argument from staff, we have been very lucky that testing has become part of their routine as much as ours and it has been a very good to have the tools now more than we did in the beginning of the pandemic. Staff have been incredible to rally around and organise the rota themselves should there be issues or short notice sickness or those staff being cautious. We will continue to encourage cautiousness and staff are able to speak to management to alert us to any issues or to ask for advice.
We lost three colleagues who transferred to different care homes or to the new hospital in the area due to there being alternative hours, it was difficult for the teams and very difficult to replace them. Recruitment has always been difficult; however, the care field is now up against it in terms of finding good candidates – we are losing good ones who reassess their lives and care is currently not an area of work that is looking particularly appealing and more needs to be done about that.
To reassure our relatives
We have not been contacted by our CIW inspector for some time. We still notify CIW of any incidents that we are obliged to. We are in regular contact with our colleagues at Monmouthshire Council Commissioning Team and they telephone weekly, sometimes more to find out how we are and if there are any changes. We have met with one of the representatives recently and they have stated that if our home had any worrying concerns then we would be inspected sooner than planned.
To date, through the QA questionnaires there have not been any concerns voiced by residents, however, our aim is to always improve, and we have adapted our procedures through the pandemic so far and will work as a team together to always ensure we achieve the highest standard of care for our individuals and provide safety and confidence for our staff.
Thanks to each and every one of our relatives for helping morale, being patient, and as ever your continued support.
Mr A E Bailey - Responsible Individual