Enter and view: Widnes Hall Care Home

Healthwatch Halton carried out an Enter and View visit to Widnes Hall Care Home in January 2020. At the time of the visit, Widnes Hall was registered for up to 68 residents, with 64 people living there. Prior to the visit, a short online questionnaire was sent to the Manager, as well as a questionnaire for staff and one for residents' friends and family to share their views.

The Enter and View representatives found Widnes Hall to have a welcoming and friendly environment. The home was spolit into four living areas, two for dementia care and two for residential living. The Manager had only been in place for about six months and was introducing several improvements to the home, including a relaxation area, bar and sensory garden. The home was decorated in a warm and homely manner and residents could change their en-suite bedrooms to suit their tastes. The staff at the home were visible and interacted well with residents during the visit. The Activity Coordinator was very enthusiastic and had a full programme of sessions and trips out on offer. One resident spoken to said that staff at the home were "really lovely".

Based on these findings, Healthwatch Halton made five suggestions for Widnes Hall Care Home:

1. To contact St Helens & Knowsley Hospitals Trust and NHS Halton CCG to highlight concerns over inappropriate hospital discharge and issues around the Red Bag scheme.
2. To continue with the improvement programme and excellent activity work and highlight this work to the wider community.
3. To remove the bathroom sign from the now storage room.
4. To highlight any issues with local services to Healthwatch Halton.
5. To display Healthwatch posters and leaflets in the home to encourage residents and families to feedback their views.