Enter and view: Mount Vale Care Home

This is an enter and view report by Healthwatch North Yorkshire. Healthwatch representatives visited the Mount Vale Care home.

During the visit 38 people were spoken to, including 13 residents, 9 family or friends, 16 staff.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire found that at the time of our visit Mount Vale Care Home was operating to a good standard. The care home is well kept, and the environment meets the needs of the residents. Staff are kind and caring and generally seemed to enjoy their work environment. Residents appeared to be well cared for and generally reported being happy with the home. 

These findings were based on our observations, and reflect the general happiness of residents, family and friends of residents and staff members as described in their feedback.

However, there were a few issues highlighted and we have made suggestions for review and improvement. The main findings were to address perceived staff shortages, improve communication between staff and management, including adequate and timely access to the resident care plans, and ensure activities are accessible to all residents.

Additionally, based on findings from three Enter & View visits conducted in 2022 and 2023 to care homes managed by Barchester Health Care, where carpets are predominantly used as an approved flooring style, we recommend that the providers explore alternative cleaning methods, incorporate odour-neutralising products, and consider different or combined flooring options (or implement 

timely updates) to effectively address persistent concerns about urine odours in the network care homes.

There are recommendations in this report.

Recommended areas for improvement

• Activities. Ensure that activities are accessible to all residents with an interest in participation and look for opportunities for one-to-one interaction for those unable or unwilling to participate in group activities.

• Encourage socialisation. Encourage residents to socialise, particularly utilising mealtimes. Consider the use of external resources to facilitate socialising, including visitors and volunteers.

• Resident care plans resource. Ensure there is sufficient IT equipment (computer/laptop etc.) to cover all staff to access and update care plans.

• Staffing levels. Look at opportunities to improve resourcing around stress points like early mornings, mealtimes and overnight.

• Staff support. Staff would benefit from regular contact with management to feedback on changes in residents’ requirements and 

to review processes in a timely manner.

• Monitoring essential health checks. Proactively facilitate necessary health check-ups, reduce reliance on family involvement, and ensure timely access to the assessments. Recognition of the difficulties involved in accessing services, such as dental care, should be emphasised.

There are no follow up actions in this report.