The Firs Care Home with Nursing

The Firs Care Home with Nursing provides accommodation and personal care for up to 42 older people, including those living with dementia. The home has bedrooms across the ground and first floors, and operates a specialist extra care unit for 12 people with dementia. Staff have increased activities within the service to reduce isolation and support residents' wellbeing. The home maintains rigorous hygiene practices, monitoring and disinfecting communal areas after each use to protect residents and staff.

During the pandemic, the home implemented an appointment-based visiting system with temperature checks for all visitors and twice-daily temperature monitoring for residents. While this protected people from additional health risks, reduced visiting and social contact had affected some residents' wellbeing, with staff observing heightened confusion and some people losing independence skills. The increased activities programme has helped counteract these impacts and reduce residents' feelings of isolation.