Enter and view: Oldfield Bank Residential Home

Healthwatch Trafford gather information on people’s experiences of health and social care services and there are times when it is appropriate for Healthwatch Trafford to see and hear for themselves how services are being delivered: these visits are called ‘Enter and View’, they are not inspections.

Healthwatch Trafford visited Oldfield Bank Residential Home on 8th June 2018.

The summary of findings highlighted areas in relation to patient feedback, staff feedback and observation. The findings inform Oldfield Bank Residential Home provides care for up to 28 older people, most of the residents are living with varying degrees of dementia. At the time of the visit there were 21 people living at the home. The home is a large detached house with accommodation provided over four floors. There are 27 single bedrooms and one double bedroom; some of the bedrooms are ensuite. There is an enclosed, well-maintained garden for residents to enjoy. Most of the residents at the home are self-funders. Costs are in the order of £700 per week. At the time of the visit the Manager had been employed at the home for four weeks. She expressed a keen enthusiasm to work with the home’s new owners to enhance the lives of the residents and staff at Oldfield Bank, and has a long list of improvements prioritised for improvement. The Manager kindly agreed to mail out 21 questionnaires to relatives of residents living at the home, 6 completed questionnaires were returned to us. Healthwatch Trafford observed notice boards showing the various activities that take place at the home, which included group and one-to-one activities. At the time of the visit we did observe several residents involved in a craft session in the activity room on the lower ground floor and staff engaged in exercise sessions with individual residents. Television sets were on in the communal lounge areas but did not dominate the rooms enabling those people who were able to hold a conversation to do so. On the day of the visit Healthwatch Trafford observed staff interacting with residents in a caring and friendly manner. Staff we spoke to told us that they were happy working at the home and enjoyed caring for the residents. Staff informed us that they felt supported by the Manager and the home’s owners.

The report includes 3 recommendations. These include consider the ratio of residents with and without dementia so that there is a better balance providing those without dementia with more opportunities to participate, communicate, and reduce potential isolation. Double check best practice policies to prevent any potential spread of infection and signage within the home.