Netley care home celebrates being Covid free for nearly two years

The Gables care home in St Mary's Road is celebrating that all 24 residents have been kept safe from the virus almost two years since the first national lockdown was imposed.

Manager Heather Cardy said this is down to preparation and staff responsibility.

She said: "We feel really proud that we managed to keep Covid out.

"We don’t know if it may come in, but we feel that this is an achievement to be Covid free for this long and keeping our residents safe.

The Gables care home in Netley

"We went into lockdown weeks before we were advised to by the government. The families were really good and accepted it was the right thing to do.

"We decided to put an action plan together and take daily temperatures of staff and tried to keep all the visitor numbers to a minimum. Staff members took on more responsibility.

"We wanted to minimise the number of people coming in and out of the home.

"As Covid settled down a bit, we set up a designated area for visitors where they could meet their loved ones from behind a screen.

"Staff were really careful with their ‘outside lives’ and were taking their responsibility really seriously. They made sure they did all they could to make sure Covid didn’t get into the home."

Resident Pat Gibbons, 94, said that despite the challenging circumstances, the care home staff made it a fun time for all.

She said: "I have dealt with this very well, possibly due to being evacuated during the war. I have learnt that you have to accept things in life.

"I felt fine within the home as I have the freedom to come and go as I please. In my opinion, I think most of the other residents were not aware of the situation.

"The staff made it a fun time by doing extra activities and keeping our spirits up and we were able to speak with our families whenever we wanted too. We were very lucky to have lots of support from the local community, including deliveries of fish and chips, pizza and biscuits."

The support received from residents in the area also included deliveries of handmade masks.

Heather added: "We are not family, but they are our family.

"The residents adapted well. We are a dementia home so some of the residents weren’t always aware their families wouldn’t come in, but we tried to fill the gap where we could.

"Visitors are starting to come back in now, but we’re doing it very, very slowly but the families understand.

"We are very aware that the virus is still there and it hasn’t gone away, so we want to keep as safe as possible."