Life in a care home

Healthwatch Lincolnshire wanted to hear from residents and/or their family/relatives about life in a care home in 2021. They wanted to gather insights into care quality, satisfaction, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They heard from 59 people via an online and paper survey during November to December 2021.

Seven in ten felt that the care had stayed constant over the past 12 months and nearly a quarter felt it had improved.

Over four in five were informed about their care homes visiting policy. Access to information relating to visiting care homes and their at home COVID-19 testing requirements was, for 81%, easy to find. In March 2021 the ‘named visitor’ system was introduced. Again, the majority thought the system worked well.

The impact of Covid-19 on accessing other services was varied:

• 30% said that they had no access to dentistry
• A quarter had no access to hearing checks
• Over half always or mostly had access to chiropody
• One in ten couldn’t access a GP

The key themes in responses relating to the comparison of care now and prior to the pandemic included the following:

• Staff had done well to adapt to the circumstances
• No change in the level of care
• Lower staffing levels causing concerns over quality of care
• Increase in loneliness due to fewer visits and activities
• Poor communication regarding COVID visiting regulations
• There were difficulties in communication between residents and staff due to masks being worn.