Enter and view: What is it like to live in a care home for older people in Stockton-on-Tees?

Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees conducted Enter and View visits to 28 care homes, to look at the quality of life provided to older people living in residential and nursing care.

Key findings included: people were generally happy with the management of services from both staff members and relatives, although some managers were less visible to residents around the homes; most staff spoken to believed they did have the skills needed to do their job, but time pressures were a problem, mainly due to the amount of paperwork they had to complete; both residents and relatives said that staff were kind and caring, but often seemed to not have enough time. Family members generally felt they were kept well-informed by the service; residents generally felt that staff were aware of their particular needs and did their best to meet them; some staff did not feel that a sufficiently stimulating activity programme was in place for residents, and in many services residents being engaged in activity did not seem to be a priority – relatives and residents also commented on a lack of stimulation and activities for residents. Residents and relatives were generally happy with the choice and quality of food and drinks available, and staff reported accessing a full range of other health care professionals when needed.

The report made 15 recommendations around: improving activities for residents; all care staff engaging with residents on a daily basis; ensuring all services provide accessible transport for residents; ensuring all staff receive equality and diversity training; giving greater priority to resident and relative meetings; making the best use of dementia-friendly features; supporting all residents to enjoy their dining room experience; supporting staff training; service provider support for care home managers; exploring the use of technology to help reduce paperwork; making wifi available throughout homes; ensuring everyone is aware of the procedure for dealing with complaints; and regulators and commissioners of services working more collaboratively with care providers to make the process of assessing care better.