Findings from Healthwatch Rochdale Enter and View Programme finds variations between care homes on the quality and range of activities offered

A report detailing the findings of Healthwatch Rochdale’s Enter and View Summary Programme 2018/19 has been published this month.

Key findings from the independent consumer champion for health and social care's programme found that there were variations between homes regarding the quality and range of activities offered, that homes were not always effective in demonstrating how providing feedback can influence change and that care home staff did not always have a good overall knowledge to provide comprehensive information.

The Enter and View programme was implemented following a public consultation in 2018 and was based on the following care quality indicators developed by Independent Age.

According to the indicators, a good care home should:

• Have strong and visible management
• Have staff with the time and skills to do their job
• Have good knowledge of each resident and how their needs may be changing
• Offer a varied programme of activities
• Offer quality, choice and flexibility around food and mealtimes
• Ensure residents can regularly see health professionals such as GPs, dentists, opticians and chiropodists
• Accommodate residents, personal, cultural and lifestyle needs
• Be an open environment where feedback is actively sought and used

The programme saw Healthwatch Rochdale visiting nine local care homes and speaking with 33 residents, 16 family members, 39 staff members and nine managers.

Throughout the programme there was a total of 47 recommendations made with the largest amount of recommendations being made around staff time and skills, programme of activities and encouraging feedback.

Kate Jones, Healthwatch Rochdale Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Enter and View programme was an opportunity for us to talk to people who don’t always have their voice heard and for us to observe the delivery of care.

“Disappointingly, only four of the homes we visited responded to our recommendations, and so we have developed an action plan for future visits and will be using our statutory powers to ensure that responses are provided.”

Following on from the 2019 public consultation Healthwatch Rochdale will continue their Enter and View Programme in local care homes for 2019/20.

You can download the full Enter and View Summary Report in pdf format via the link below.

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