Visiting at Avondale

Delphside Ltd takes seriously the responsibility placed on it to provide a safe, well managed environment in which the residents it cares for live, staff work and others are allowed to visit in. We also appreciate fully the needs and wishes of those in our care and visitors surrounding visiting and maintain contact with loved ones.

COVID-19 and other seasonal viruses such as Flu, continue to provide unique and at times difficult to manage problem which can lead frustrations surrounding visiting. Guidance continues to change for care homes and we continue to assess risks as changes are made. In overview the following is in effect at the service:

• Visits remain permitted at the service both face to face or via alternative routes.
• The service asks that whenever possible visits are pre-arranged and booked to allow support of all.
• Pre-booking visits allows the service to assist with staff support for the visitor and resident it also allows the service to confirm with the individual being visited if the time is suitable for them. We have lots of activities taking place at the service, community visits, appointments etc. so we try our hardest to accommodate visits to suit everybody, but at times we cannot do so.
• We respectfully request that visitors are mindful to avoid medication administration and meal times, also for the comfort and dignity of others at the service that late evening appointments are avoided. Ad-hoc visits may suit you as the visitor, but may not suit your loved one at our Service, they may have other things planned, be out or just feel a visit at that time is not wanted. So please if you can, contact the service or your loved one in advance to check to avoid disappointment, also if you have a planned visit and cannot attend please do the same if at all possible, as this will also help avoid potential disappointment for your loved one in our care.
• We also kindly ask that visits take place in resident’s personal rooms or other designated visiting areas away from communal activity and lounge areas, so others not being visited may relax in comfort, without any anxiety and so risks re transmission of viruses etc. are minimised.

To allow visiting to continue to proceed safely, we ask the following of visiting friends and relatives so that COVID-19 and other virus transmission risks are minimised, whilst visiting is allowed to proceed safely.

We no longer need an individual risk assessment to be completed, but we may ask you if you are free from virus symptoms and we will need you to sign in and out of the visitors book.

If you are symptomatic with and respiratory illness, cold, flu or stomach upset type illness we respectfully request you do not visit. We can support you at these times with assessment that may look at potential use of masks/PPE, visits in other areas such as the visitors pod, use of technology on Teams etc. or to rearrange a visit; in certain circumstances you will always be able to enter with a mask in place, such as for end of life care or if the service is in outbreak.

You will not need to test with a swab at any time unless guidance changes.

We may ask that all visitors wear masks in times of suspected or actual outbreak or if further guidance changes are made as a precaution to protect all the residents in our care as well as staffing.

• Should there be any symptomatic residents, visitors or staff, then visiting may be in some circumstances halted, advice from IPC teams will be sought on this matter and they will direct us on this matter. However, visiting in the Visitors Pod may continue in any circumstance, end of life visits may proceed at any time and residents confirmed as Covid positive will still be able to receive visits should they wish with precautions in place.

As a mental health care service we may have individuals in our care who at times present as unsettled or with behaviours and actions that may not be accepted as “the norm” by others, this may on a very rare occasion, direct visiting to be changed to protect individuals privacy and dignity.

The service and the manager reserve the right at any time to terminate any visit whereby measures to protect visitors own, resident or staffs safety are not complied with or when actions of those attending cause distress or disruption to those living at the service; further the service may suspend further visits by that individual to the home if risks posed or safeguards direct it.

Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions in this area and we look forward to seeing you soon.