Enter and view: Farcroft Care Home

On 25th January 2019, Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin conducted an Enter and View visit to Farcroft Care Home. 

After arrival, Healthwatch spoke to the deputy manager on duty. They took advice on whether any residents should not be approached due to safety or medical reasons, or any issues regarding ability to give informed consent. They were then allowed to wander round the home and interact with residents, visitors and staff. They spoke with residents in the home who were willing to talk to us and any visitors and relatives present. They spoke to 8 residents, 2 relatives or visitors, and 5 staff members, one feedback card was returned to our office, and one feedback card left in the Healthwatch box at the home.

The home is not a recent build and the floor plan is complex. The dementia unit is on the ground floor and has a small kitchen-diner-lounge. There is a lift giving access to rooms on the first floor. None of the rooms have en-suite bathrooms. Residents can personalise their rooms with photos and, if they wish, with appropriate furniture. The rooms that we could see were all clean and looked welcoming. There is very limited parking on-site, and visitors may have to use nearby on-street parking.

All residents and visitors that Healthwatch spoke to, praised the home very highly. Residents observed looked well, clean and comfortably dressed. Specific resident needs around meals are accommodated, including vegetarian, religious requirements, and soft-options. If a resident does not like any of the meal options an alternative is provided. The home has had some success with ‘animal therapy’ with relatives and staff bringing in their dogs etc. We were told that residents are encouraged to undertake daily tasks to support their independence, such as folding up their clothes, and some get involved in baking /decorating cakes for tea.

Healthwatch made the following recommendations to investigate working with other care homes in the borough to share successess and ideas to improve, and to continue to encourage activities and tasks that support individual residents to maintain independence where possible. This report contains a service provider response.