Enter and view: Marine View Rest Home

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove conducted an announced Enter and View visit to Marine View Rest Home on 26th February 2015. This was part of Healthwatch Brighton and Hove decision to conduct six Enter and View visits between October 2014 and March 2015 to social care services including day centres and care homes.

The majority of residents reported that staff were friendly towards them and knew them well personally. Volunteers observed that, in general, the relationship between staff and residents appeared warm and friendly. It appeared that some residents and staff members had been at the care home for a number of years, allowing relationships to form over time.

Residents talked about previous activities, which had included visits from musicians and poetry writing. Resident’s birthdays were celebrated with cakes and at Christmas decorations were put up, and festive events arranged; such as choirs coming in to sing Christmas songs.

In general the volunteers felt that residents and staff appeared to be unmotivated about the idea of doing activities at the home. It was felt that a clear and structured plan of activities would be beneficial, particularly for those residents who are less independent or do not have regular visits from their family.

Recommendations made by Healthwatch:

To review all activities and social occupation with residents, to find out what they enjoy doing, what they would like to do, and how often they would like things to take place.

To put together a large print activities plan, and encourage staff to refer to this and encourage participation.

To consider how to review residents’ engagement with activities in a timely and proportionate way, when they have previously expressed that they are uninterested in taking part.

A number of residents reported that they enjoyed reading. Consider asking residents if they would like to form a small book group to encourage conversation and activity amongst residents.

Consider trips outside the home which can take place in winter as well as summer, for example to indoor venues such as local museums and garden centres.

Providers response:

For the benefit of the residents, the assistant manager and activities coordinator are going to design and plan a diary for the board weekly. We do take our residents out for day trips in the summer months but during the winter our residents decline to do this as they say it is too cold and they are happy stay at home in the warm.