Enter and view: The Chocolate Works Care Home

Healthwatch York undertook an announced enter and view visit to The Chocolate Works Care Village on 20 January 2026. They spoke to 33 people.

Positives

• The Care Village was clean.
• It is in a beautiful heritage building with a lovely grand entrance and staircase. The interior still reflects its art deco origins throughout, including the second floor which was added when the building was converted to a care home.
• There were a lot of different spaces for people to sit out of their rooms with larger areas and smaller spaces.
• There seemed to be a lot of activities and residents from all floors seemed very engaged in one activity when Healthwatch visited.
• The staff seemed kind and caring for residents and Healthwatch saw some excellent interactions between staff and residents.
• Feedback suggested staff have a good understanding of dementia and provide good care for residents with dementia. There were some ‘fiddle toys’ available on Riverside, the dementia care floor.

Things to improve

• Review staffing levels to make sure residents are not kept waiting for help and can access the care they need.
• Make sure that staff supporting residents at meals know what the meals are for that day. • Always provide cups with the cold drinks and water.
• Make sure that spills in dining areas and residents’ rooms are cleared up quickly.
• Make sure any residents with sight loss are told about activities planned for the day and week so they can get involved and feel included in activities.
• If changes are discussed with residents or family members, check that these are implemented and provide feedback on what has happened.