Alnwick care home praised for response to Covid pandemic

Alnwick Rotary Club has presented the home with a certificate of appreciation for the efforts of staff over the past 21 months.

The certificate coincides with the results of a survey taken by staff, families and residents which showed that 100 percent were happy their loved ones had been well cared for during the pandemic and every resident said they had felt safe and protected.

Heather Dixon, general manager, explained: “Like a lot of care homes, we did have a Covid outbreak, but we were able to control the spread quickly and minimised the number of residents affected.

"We had previously done a lot of pre-planning so that we had everything in place to deal with any outbreak. Specialist cleansing was carried out by a contractor, and we carried out more regular cleaning regime to minimise the spread.

“I’m very proud of our staff who have done a marvellous job in very challenging circumstances to ensure our residents were looked after as best as we could in line with the constantly changing regulations.”

Alnwick Rotary Club President, Joy Palmer Cooper, who presented the certificate added: “Abbeyfield has been part of the Alnwick community for many years, and we know most of the residents who have previously lived in the town.

"The residents are part of our heritage and we wanted to say thank you to the staff for looking after them under the most difficult circumstances during the pandemic.

"We hope that the certificate will remind everyone of the care that they took and what a great and safe place it is to live and work.”

Abbeyfield House chairman Jim Thompson believes that part of the solution to keeping residents safe is the commitment of his staff.

“We are very proud to receive the certificate and it is already displayed on our wall,” he said. “Our team here are very diligent and their roles are more than simply jobs.

“Due to promotions and normal turnover, we now have staff vacancies for suitably qualified care, activities, and cleaning staff. We also have one senior carer vacancy, and we would welcome enquiries from people looking for a new role.”

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