Enter and view: Newstead Nursing Home

Healthwatch Herefordshire gather information on people’s experiences of health and social care services and there are times when it is appropriate for Healthwatch Herefordshire to see and hear for themselves how services are being delivered: these visits are called ‘Enter and View’, they are not inspections.

Healthwatch Herefordshire visited Newstead Nursing Home on Wednesday 30th September 2015.

The key findings highlighted areas in relation to patient feedback, staff feedback and observation. 9 participants took part in Healthwatch Herefordshire’s Enter and View Visit to Newstead House. 2 were carers, the other 7 were residents who all had physical and/or sensory disabilities. Included in the cohort was a carer of a much younger resident. Out of the 9 people HWH engaged with, it was found that it was predominantly individuals and their families who had chosen to live at Newstead; only two of those engaged with said it was their GP who had driven that decision. All respondents said they like the staff, 8 said they like the food, 6 respondents said they interacted with other residents in a way which engendered friendships and 6 said that their room felt like their own space. In accordance with the residents’ views of the service they were receiving, and recognising that our Enter and View visit was a snapshot representation of what the people we engaged with said on the day of the visit, we would like to recommend that there is a concerted effort to initiate more activities for the residents.

The positive responses from the residents and their relatives led to a positive Enter and View visit out of which Healthwatch Herefordshire would like to recommend that there is a concerted effort to initiate more activities for the residents.