COVID-19

July 2022 update

Balkerne Gardens Trust takes the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents, customers, tenants, staff and visitors seriously. We have a COVID-19 Response Procedure and other policies and procedures supported by specific risk assessments. These documents are reviewed regularly and updated to ensure adherence to government guidance.

All staff undertake regular COVID-19 tests in line with government guidance. The Trust continues to welcome new admissions from the community, other care settings and hospitals. We have a robust admissions policy and transparent procedures to enable safe admissions into the Homes, including testing for COVID-19 in advance.

We were delighted that residents and staff were prioritised to have the COVID-19 vaccination doses. We do all we can to ensure new residents are vaccinated before moving into the Home.

It has been delightful to see ‘old and new faces’ as we have welcomed many of you into the Homes following the easing of visiting restrictions.

For further comprehensive information about Coronavirus, please visit www.gov.uk or the NHS website.

Visiting guidance for the homes

The Trust has followed the guidance the government and our regulators issued to inform our decisions about how we support visiting in our services. There are currently no restrictions on visiting our Homes.

We have installed a new digital signing-in system, which is intuitive and accessed via an iPad in the reception areas. Staff will be happy to assist you with signing in if needed.

We hope that all visitors, especially those who visit indoors, will be vaccinated but recognise that this may not have been possible; please be assured that this will not stop you from being able to see if you are not vaccinated.

When visiting one of the Homes, you must do so safely to minimise the risk of infection to our residents and staff. Therefore, please do not visit if you are currently self-isolating, have tested positive or experienced symptoms of COVID-19 in the previous 14 days.

You must try to maintain social distance from staff and other visitors whilst in the Home and clean your hands thoroughly on arrival, during your visit and on leaving the Home. You must ensure you wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds, using either hot water and soap or 60% alcohol sanitiser gel. Please ensure that any personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn at all times, and staff will advise you on how to put on and remove this safely.

If you are unsure whether you should visit, please speak to the Home Manager before arriving at the Home. In the case of an outbreak, visits will have to stop for all but essential caregivers, and we will follow the advice of the local public health authorities.

If you would like to arrange a visit out of the Home, please speak to the Home Manager, who will be happy to help you.

Visiting sheltered housing tenants

Tenants are advised to follow the latest government guidance and best practice. Tenants and their visitors should maintain social distance, practice good hand hygiene, and consider wearing a face-covering in crowded indoor venues.

Vaccinations

The success of the vaccination programme has allowed us to see our loved ones more and enjoy many of the things we have missed. We will continue to encourage all residents and staff to have the vaccination.

PPE

All staff wear the appropriate PPE in line with government guidance and have received trained in correct putting on and removal. We have good stock levels of all PPE and are confident we can maintain supplies.

Resident wellbeing

Our resident’s well-being remains of utmost importance to us. We have various activities, events, and entertainment for individuals and smaller group sessions to help people stay connected and active.

Compliments

We are proud to have a committed, skilled and professional workforce who have worked tirelessly to keep your loved ones safe. Many of you have contacted us to pass on your thanks to the staff.  It means a great deal to them to be recognised by you for their hard work, so please continue to do this if you wish and know that your kind words are shared with the teams. You can also leave a review on www.carehome.co.uk or email us at admin@bgtrust.org.

Monitoring standards of care

To ensure that high-quality care continues, all essential support staff can enter the services and resume on-site visits.

Keeping you informed

Changes to Coronavirus guidance have kept us on our toes for the last year, and we have tried to keep everyone up to date as best we can. If you would like to receive email updates from us, please contact the relevant Home Manager of where your loved one lives or email admin@bgtrust.org.

Excellent care

Dying with dignity

Our nursing home recently received the Gold Standards Framework for End Of Life care.

Experienced, friendly, approachable

Our Team

Balkerne Gardens Trust is led by a senior team who want to see the highest standards of care and support delivered throughout the Trust.

Making a difference

What Friends and Family Say

  • "Well beyond anything one could set out as a requirement"

    “The fact that so many people showed a real and consistent interest in her welfare is well beyond anything one could set out as a requirement”

  • "You are all wonderful"

    “All the staff at Cheviot – the nurses, carers, domestic staff, kitchen and dining room staff, people in the laundry and anyone else I have forgotten! You are all wonderful. The care was kind, loving and considerate – we could not have been better encouraged and looked after”

We are a not-for-profit organisation

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Balkerne Gardens is an exempt charity and a not for profit organisation. To help us maintain our services for the benefit of the growing population of older people in Colchester and the surrounding area, we are often fortunate to recieve the assisstance of local businesses, charitable organisations and individual volunteers.

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