Enter and view: Heath Lodge (Best Practice)

This Healthwatch Warrington Enter and View report summarises a best practice visit to Heath Lodge, a residential care home for adults with learning disabilities and complex needs, conducted on 4 November 2016. The visit was requested by Warrington Council Adult Social Services because the home had been identified as demonstrating particularly good practice, especially in introducing and supporting new residents.

Heath Lodge provides accommodation for eight residents, each with their own en-suite room, and offers a homely environment with shared living, dining and kitchen facilities. The service was found to be fully occupied and staffed by a stable team of fourteen employees led by a manager and two senior support workers.

The visiting team found the home to be clean, welcoming and well maintained. Staff were friendly and approachable, and the atmosphere was described as positive and relaxed. The building, a converted former vicarage, was observed to feel more like a home than an institution.

Residents were encouraged to make choices about their daily lives and activities. Staff regularly consulted residents about leisure opportunities, menus and other aspects of life in the home. Activities included arts and crafts, games, holidays, trips and community outings. One resident had even travelled to Fuerteventura with support from the manager after expressing a wish to fly on an aeroplane. 

The report highlighted the home's strong commitment to person-centred care and independence. Residents were generally free to come and go as they wished, had access to private accommodation, could choose where to eat, and were supported to make decisions about their own lives. The small size of the service was seen as helping staff provide highly individualised support. 

Food and mealtimes were organised around residents' preferences. Menus were discussed and agreed with residents, meals were prepared on site, and snacks and drinks were available throughout the day. Residents were also able to eat in their own rooms if preferred. 

The management of medicines, cleanliness standards, staff training and safety procedures were all found to be satisfactory. Most staff were trained in medication management, all staff held at least NVQ Level 2 qualifications, and residents were supported appropriately according to their individual needs.

Healthwatch concluded that Heath Lodge was a very positive environment where residents' needs clearly came first. The report identified two main examples of best practice: the strong emphasis on residents' choice and independence, and the home's design and atmosphere, which successfully created a normal household environment rather than an institutional setting. 

The home's manager welcomed the findings and stated that creating an ordinary, comfortable home environment for residents was a key aim of the service.