Enter and view: Barnfield nursing residential care home

Healthwatch Derbyshire conducted an enter and view visit on Barnfield care home, a privately run residential home offering nursing and residential care for older people as well as more specialist care for those with long term health conditions including dementia and learning disabilities. At the time of the visit there were 39 residents. The home has 31 single rooms with 25 being occupied at the time of the visit.

The visit was arranged as Healthwatch Derbyshire invited local health and social care organisations to nominate services where an Enter & View was considered suitable and would benefit both the service and the provider and/or commissioner of that service, and Hardwick Clinical Commissioning Group nominated this service.

Observation by the Enter and View representatives reported that all the residents and visitors were very positive about the standard of care provided, and that the staff commented positively on recent developments at the home . Good practice observed included:

- Visitors are welcome at any time and are encouraged to have meals with their relative

- Relatives and visitors are involved in developments in the home

- The installation of artificial turf in the garden has made it wheelchair friendly

- The ‘Chatter Jar’ initiative to facilitate residents receiving 1:1 social interactional time with staff.

The report contains 9 recommendations, including;

- To attend to the décor such as walls and skirting boards which are worn and scuffed.

- To review the adequacy and location of areas where residents and visitors can suitably meet in comfort and privacy

- To consider re-painting of the corridors to enable them to be more dementia friendly

The report includes a response from the service provider.