Enter and view: Excelcare Homes

Healthwatch Lambeth undertook Enter and View visits in September and October 2019 in three Excelcare homes: Queens Oak Care Centre, Windmill Lodge Care Centre and Lime Tree Care Centre. The purpose of the visits was to help assess the homes’ progress with their improvement plans following the council’s review in 2018.

In total, they heard from 30 residents, 19 family members and 21 care staff and recorded 43 episodes of staff and resident interactions. They explored the views of the respondents on the general care at the homes, as well as isolation, oral health, and advance care planning.

Healthwatch Lambeth found a culture of generally good care and a sense of commitment from staff and management across the three homes to provide satisfactory and safe experiences for residents. There also seems to be enthusiasm and a positive culture and most staff seem to feel supported.

Some good practices were also identified including activities to address isolation, introduction of better meals, and presence of advance care planning for some. However, they also found that the care and safety experience of residents vary which seems to be due to staff skills and capacity levels. Some family members also felt that they have not been engaged well or regularly updated about the residents.

Healthwatch Lambeth identified that:

• Tackling isolation in two of the thee homes is still an outstanding issue
• Oral health remains an issue for some residents and there were reports about residents losing their dentures or bridge
• Knowledge of advance care planning appears to also vary across the three homes.

The report contains 5 recommendations including finding ways to prevent residents’ personal possessions being lost; considering a volunteer recruitment process to support social activities; and reviewing oral health and advance care planning processes to ensure consistency and informing families of the actions taken.