Enter and View: Helena Road
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
Helena Road Care home is a residential care home made up of two Bungalow units 2C and 2D. The residents have varied needs which include Dementia, Nursing, Complex conditions, and Learning Disabilities). None the staff are medically trained. Medical support is sought via the GP, Hospital or NHS 111. The home had 9 residents at the time of the visit with a capacity of 10 residents. The home was reviewed on 5 April 2023 and was graded Good. On the day of our visits, we spoke with 1 members of the management team, 2 support workers, 2 residents. We were not able to speak with friends or family.
key Finding
- There are good positive relationships between staff and residents.
- There are lots of training opportunities available to staff to support their learning and development within their role.
- Staff are fully trained in understanding safeguarding and are able to raise concerns.
- Staff and Residents are aware of the complaints and compliments procedure.
- Residents are happy with the snacks and drinks provided by the home throughout the day.
Based on our visit we recommend the following:
- Encourage the home to continue 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 should be closely linked to the review of the home’s approach to safeguarding training and support.
- The home should make sure that security cameras are installed in communal areas and outside the home. This will provide security for both staffs and residents as well as help safeguard everyone else within the home.
- 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.
- Increase additional opportunities for residents to leave the care home with the assistance of a support worker.
- The home should invest in hiring more permanent staff and put in measure to retain staff to ensure adequate care is provided and staff are not overwhelmed with workload.
- Portable telephone landlines and an extra computer should be provided to sure ensure staff are able to communicate with others regardless of their location within the home as well as provide them with effective record keeping.
- Continue to provide more regular and in-depth safeguarding training to all staff so ensure a clear understanding of the subject, so that they are aware of its importance and enable staff to respond appropriately to any concerns raised.
