Enter and view: Ecclestone Residential Home

Healthwatch Salford carried out an Enter and View visit to Ecclestone Residential Home, a nursing and residential care home with places for up to 50 residents.

The home was evaluated against eight quality indicators: strong, visible management; staff with the time and skills to do their jobs; good knowledge of each individual resident and how their needs may be changing; a varied programme of activities; quality, choice and flexibility around food and mealtimes; ensuring residents can regularly see health professionals such as GPs, dentists, opticians or chiropodists; accommodating residents’ personal, cultural and lifestyle needs; and being an open environment where feedback is actively sought and used. 

findings

Authorised representatives conducted interviews with five members of staff at the care home. Topics such as quality of care, safety, dignity, respecting and acknowledging the resident’s and families’ wishes and staff training were explored. Authorised representatives also approached five residents at the care home to ask them about their experiences of the home and, where appropriate, other topics such as accessing health care services. Two family members were also spoken to as they were with residents at the time.

 A proportion of the visit was also observational, involving the authorised representatives walking around the public/communal areas and observing the surroundings to gain an understanding of how the home works and how the residents engaged with staff members and the facilities. There was an observation checklist prepared for this purpose.

This care home was well maintained with a welcoming atmosphere. Many of the staff had worked at the home for a number of years, including the manager and had been trained by the company. There was support for the manager to do their role from the wider company. Questions were asked of residents, relatives, staff and the manager around activities, food, care, staff, management, visiting health professionals and having a say in the home, with responses being that people were generally satisfied and content.

Recommendations

This home appeared to be running in an optimal fashion when the Enter and View Visit took place and the two recommendations should be taken as reminders rather than criticisms.

• Ensure that the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard are being put into place appropriately.
• Work with relatives and visitors to reassure them that their loved ones are able to participate as fully as possible in activities, despite increasing physical limitations.

No response was received from the care provider