Care homes thanked as councillors pay special visit

L-R Councillor Pat Dale, assistant cabinet member for adult care; Sharon Whitbread, manager Lakeside Care Home; Donna Tucker, deputy manager Lakeside Care Home; Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed, cabinet member for adult care

The council has praised local care homes for their continued work to protect residents from Covid-19.

The council’s cabinet member for adult care, Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed, and his assistant, Councillor Pat Dale, recently paid a special visit to Lakeside Residential Care Home at Littleborough to see first-hand how local homes have been fighting the spread of the disease.

The councillors met with staff outside the home to hear about the care and support they have been delivering.

None of the home’s 37 residents have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

A recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection gave the home a good rating and said it provided a caring and safe environment.

Councillor Ahmed said: “Care homes across the borough have done an incredible job in very difficult circumstances. I can’t thank them enough. As a council we took strong, proactive and robust action from day one of the crisis to support the local care sector. This included upfront cash payments, supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), regular briefings and visits from our quality assurance teams.”

He added: “There is a lot of hard work still to do but, thanks to the hard work of so many people working in the care sector, we are heading in the right direction."

Sharon Whitbread, manager of Lakeside Care Home, said: “I have been delighted with the support our home as received from the council, families and local businesses from day one. Everything we have asked for has been provided including the supply of PPE and help with cashflows. It has been a challenging few months, so we have been grateful for the support, advice and information we have received. I am very proud to be working alongside a fantastic care team, that have worked endlessly to keep residents safe.”