Enter and view: Gallion's View Care Home

Healthwatch Greenwich undertook an Enter and View visit to Gallions View Care Home on 9 February 2018. Overall, the home was found to have caring and dedicated staff who were committed to residents' wellbeing. The service had recently changed provider, and Healthwatch recognised that the new management team was still addressing inherited challenges within the home.

Staff were observed treating residents with dignity, respect and patience, and appeared to know residents well. The home offered activities, beauty services and opportunities for social engagement, while staff were exploring additional wellbeing services and improvements for residents. 

The main issues related to the physical environment and layout of the home. The site was spread across several buildings, creating practical challenges around meal provision, activities and daily operations. Bedrooms were small, some facilities were heavily shared, and Healthwatch identified opportunities to improve dementia-friendly features, signage, memory boxes, housekeeping arrangements and information available to residents and families.

Overall, Healthwatch concluded that staff were working hard to provide good care despite significant environmental constraints. Recommendations focused on improving communication through newsletters, introducing more dementia-friendly features, ensuring cleaning schedules were clearly displayed and supporting the home's longer-term improvement programme.