Latest Policy Updates

Keeping the wider Askham Community informed

Information correct as at 5th April 2024

Superheroes work here

Thank you to everyone who continues to work with us and support us. It is our goal to keep Askham a safe, comfortable, quality environment for all those who live and work there.

Update on policy regarding use of masks

Thank you to everyone that responded so promptly to the survey sent out earlier this week regarding mask usage.

The responses were fairly balanced with a small majority preferring to remove masks this week.

In favour of removing universal requirement for masks before Christmas:

● 13 Residents

● 38 Staff

● 11 Relatives

In favour of keeping universal requirement for masks until mid Jan:

● 9 residents

● 29 Staff

● 7 Relatives

There were a number of useful comments shared about balancing risks on all sides which we appreciate and have also taken into consideration here.

 

As a result, we propose that from Thursday 22nd of January masks to be worn in the following scenarios only:

● Attendance at training and at gatherings such as Christmas parties or other gatherings assessed as having a particularly high risk of transmission

● During an outbreak in the home

● When interacting with a resident suspected of or confirmed to have Coronavirus

● When you have had exposure to Coronavirus, including if a person in your household has the virus or you have had overnight exposure

● When undertaking Aerosol Generating Procedures

● When residents express a wish for mask usage to be continued when interacting with them

Askham Visiting policy

We keep our visitors policy under review to protect all residents and staff, as well as all visitors, from anything untoward happening.

All homes are open to visitors at present. Visits take place on the following basis:

  • Visits to be pre-booked with the relevant home
  • Lead Nurses retain discretion on the number of visits to the home per day, depending on what else is going on, other visiting professionals for example
  • Resident visits to be in reasonably sized groups; at least one person who has attended the Askham Induction
  • There is no fixed cap on the length of the visit, however we ask visitors to respect the wishes of the nurse on the shift who will manage visits according to the needs at the time and the schedule of other visits planned for the day

  • We prefer visitors to provide evidence of a negative LFT test taken within 48 hours of the visit. Evidence of the result can be via the email receipt of the registered test or a time stamped picture of the cassette. Visitors participating in group activities, or spending time in communal areas, are required to test negative prior to participation

  • Visitors will have their temperature checked on arrival to ensure no high fever is present
  • Visitors will be expected to wear PPE
  • Visitors are permitted to bring pets; please ensure pets remain in the room of your resident or outside in the grounds – communal areas are out of bounds
  • Refreshments will not be provided by the home unfortunately however the café is available for use and outdoor or well ventilated spaces available to sit
  • Visits will be unsupervised
  • Doors and windows should remain open as much as possible

Visitors who are critical to supporting the clinical needs of the resident will be required to undergo a testing regime akin to the staff, and will have greater access to the home. This will be discussed on a case by case basis.

 

Infection Control training:

This is no longer required for all visitors to Askham, however an Askham Orientation is available and strongly recommended. This can be booked with Michelle Barker (michelle.barker@askhamvillagecommunity.com).

Relatives meeting

These will continue to be held virtually and all notes made available by email and published on this website here. Our last relative meeting was held on 16th November 2022 (the notes are available here).

Café and Get-togethers

The café at Askham is open to the public, Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm.

Large gatherings / events at Askham will start to resume on a case by case basis. Please email office.admin@askhamvillagecommunity.com for more information and a discussion about if and how we can facilitate.

Concerns, Queries and Feedback

There are many ways you can share concerns, queries or feedback.

Ultimately if you are not satisfied with anything we have done or any responses we have given, you can also reach out to the CQC on 03000 616161 or through their website here.

We will continue to review our policies accordingly and will keep you updated. We continue to be grateful to every individual who we work with and who visits Askham for diligently following our polices.