A MOREDON care home has been given the all-clear of coronavirus.

All 36 of the residents and staff at Bluebells Care Home were tested.

Stringent safety measures at the home in Moredon Road include constant hand washing and wearing PPE. Family members are also not allowed to come inside the care home or be within two feet of residents when outside.

Manager Julie Atherton said: “I can’t be any prouder of the staff here. It shows they’re all doing the correct PPE, that they’re looking after the residents, it’s amazing.

“I’d like to scream it from the rooftops.”

On the testing, Julie added: “It was quite regimental. I had given everyone a time slot and they all had 15 minutes.

“They got here, got tested and got out. We were still minimising the risks from people coming outside. It worked perfectly.”

To make sure the virus doesn’t make it to the home, Julie has put in place a number of measures.

“We have quite a stringent process,” she said. “If any professional comes to the house, they have to wash their hands first, put on some hand gel, PPE up with gloves, masks and aprons before they even get past the door.

“They avoid touching anything in the home if can be. If someone is coming to a room at the other end of the building then we’ll take them out the back and take them through the garden first to reduce the risk.

“All the staff are covered anyway and when they go home they try to keep as separate as possible but obviously it’s difficult for them all to do that, especially if they have a family. But they do try and minimise it as much as they can.”

If a resident becomes infected, Julie says there is a strict procedure in place.

She explained: “It will be isolation. We will have specific staff going to that person. We’ve got a routine all set in place if it’s needed.”

To help residents cope without seeing their families, the home helps with Skype and Zoom calls.