Enter and View: Barchester Westgate
This was an announced Enter and View (E&V) visit, part of a planned strategy to assess the quality of supported living homes in the London Borough of Newham.
Summary
The aim is to consider how services may be improved and how good practice can be disseminated. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and omicron outbreaks, this E&V visit was carried out remotely via zoom and was the first E&V visit carried out by the Healthwatch Newham team since the start of the pandemic.
The home had 70 residents at the time of the visit with a capacity of 100 residents. The home had recently been reviewed by the CQC and rated Good. On the day of the visit we spoke with 2 members of the management team, 3 staff, 3 residents and 3 relatives.
Key findings
- Good positive relationships between staff and residents.
- As part of the WOW project, facilities in Westgate are being renovated, this includes increasing the capacity of the home and creating new amenities for residents.
- There are lots of training opportunities available to staff to support their learning and development within their role.
- Staff is fully trained in understanding safeguarding and is able to raise concern if need be.
- We were pleased to see the care home staff wearing regulatory PPE.
- Staff, residents and relatives are aware of the complaints and compliments procedure.
- Residents are happy with the snacks and drinks provided by the home throughout the day.
- Residents expressed a lack of mental stimulation during lockdown.
Based on our visit we recommend the following:
- We welcome the home’s effort to foster an open, collaborative, and safe culture where staff feel able to report their concerns without fear of repercussions from other staff or the management. This is closely linked to the review of the home’s approach to safeguarding training and support.
- Involve residents more, where possible, in the daily activities to ensure they are kept active and engaged, paying particular attention to residents who have the tendency to refuse to join group or one-to-one activities.
- We recognise that the pandemic has put a halt to outdoor recreational activities; once restrictions are lifted, we encourage the home to expand opportunities for residents to go outside, such as by organising day trips.
- Continue to provide more regular and in-depth safeguarding training to all staff so ensure a clear understanding of the subject, are aware of its importance and enable staff to respond appropriately to any concerns raised.
- Provide information about safeguarding to residents and promote awareness.
- Continue ensuring that staff wear appropriate PPE in line with government guidance.
