Enter and view: 167 Lodge Hill Care Home

Healthwatch Greenwich carried out an Enter and View visit to 167 Lodge Hill, a six-bed residential care home supporting adults with severe learning disabilities and additional needs including autism, dementia and cerebral palsy. The home was rated Good by the Care Quality Commission and was found to provide a comfortable, homely and well-maintained environment. Staff demonstrated enthusiasm for improving the service and appeared committed to supporting residents' individual needs and wellbeing. 

The home offered pleasant communal spaces, including a large garden, open-plan kitchen and living areas, and personalised bedrooms. Healthwatch was particularly interested in the development of a new sensory room, intended to provide residents with a calming and stimulating environment. Staff were also working to improve the range and structure of activities available, including introducing activity evaluations, picture-based choice systems and more personalised activity planning for residents with limited verbal communication. 

Residents attended day services where appropriate and took part in a variety of in-house and external activities including arts and crafts, music sessions, aromatherapy, visits to local attractions and animal-based sensory experiences. Staff described strong relationships with residents and families and used a combination of verbal, non-verbal and pictorial communication methods to support resident involvement. However, Healthwatch identified opportunities to strengthen activity monitoring, improve family engagement mechanisms and make better use of the home's feedback and compliments systems. 

While the overall impression was positive, several areas for improvement were identified. These included refreshing décor and signage, addressing maintenance issues such as worn flooring and a damaged radiator cover, keeping information boards updated, and developing a long-term plan for the sensory room. Healthwatch also raised broader concerns about whether some residents' increasingly complex needs remained appropriate for a residential care setting and suggested Greenwich Living Options review referral processes and the delivery of some staff training. Overall, the service was viewed as caring, person-centred and committed to continual improvement.