Enter and View: Blue Water care Home, Portsmouth

Healthwatch Portsmouth conducted an Enter and View on Blue WaterCare Home, Portsmouth, a privately owned nursing home. The visit was conducted on 21stMarch 2017.

The visit was arranged as part of Healthwatch Portsmouth's enter and view schedule.

Blue Water is registered to provide care for up to 60 service users but at the time of the visit there were only 19 residents and 2 dayservice users. The enter and view team looked at the following areas and findings were mainly positive under each heading:

Environment

Dignity & Independence

Recreational activities and methods of reducing social isolation

View of relatives

Staff behaviours & attitudes

Foodand Drink.

The following recommendations were made:

1. The management team to encourage community groups coming into the home to extend invitations to come out of the home and be in the community on their doorstep.

2. The environment is assessed by a “dementia friend” to consider a balance between an interesting home and a confusingenvironment and recommend changes as needed.

3. The technology used to record key tasks and wellbeing is developed beyond being a management tool intoa more person centred approach.

4 .Staff narrative and feedback on residentsemotional wellbeing is encouraged.

5. Staff focus on their communication with residents and allow time for interaction.

6. The use of music as background noise in communal areas is reduced or built into residents choice as a therapeutic approach.

7. The TV in the dining room could be turned off during mealtimes to encourage more interaction between residents.

Blue Water has not responded to the recommendations in this report