Enter and view: Harding House and Huguenot Place
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This Healthwatch Wandsworth Enter and View report (August 2015) examined Harding House and Huguenot Place, residential care homes for deaf adults with mental health problems and/or learning disabilities. The Enter and View team spoke with seven residents and found that both homes generally provided a positive, supportive environment that promoted independence and person-centred care.
Residents reported that they enjoyed living in the homes, had access to a wide range of activities, and were supported to lead largely self-sufficient lives, including shopping, cooking, managing their rooms and maintaining friendships. Staff were viewed as caring, approachable and respectful, and residents received good support to access healthcare services, including GPs, dentists and mental health services.
Healthwatch found that activities were generally well tailored to individual interests and that many residents were involved in the running of their homes. However, some residents had aspirations for greater independence, employment or different living arrangements, and it was not always clear how these ambitions were being actively supported.
The report also identified some operational improvements that could be made. Many residents were not aware of their key worker or care plan, care plans were only stored in office files rather than being easily accessible to residents, and medical information was spread across multiple files, creating the potential for confusion. Healthwatch also suggested improvements to the use of Huguenot Place's garden and welcomed plans to recruit an activities coordinator.
Overall, Healthwatch concluded that residents received good-quality, proportionate support and were able to live relatively independent lives. The report recommended a stronger focus on helping residents achieve greater autonomy, improving access to care plans, simplifying medical record systems and using the new activities coordinator role to support residents' personal goals and aspirations.