Enter and view: The Old Rectory Residential Care Home

Healthwatch Wigan conducted an unannounced visit to The Old Rectory Residential Care Home, a privately owned 10 bed residential care home, on 12 January 2015. The visit was partly prompted by a discussion with the Wigan Council Quality Assurance Team, to assess the services provided to residents around mealtime at the home.

While the purpose of the visit was to explore the mealtime experience for residents, the mealtime advertised was not correct so the team arrived at 5pm to find that the meal was already finished. Residents reported being happy with the variety of meal options available but the visiting team felt that 4:30pm was too early for an evening meal.

The findings of the Authorised representatives was that relationships between management, staff and residents seemed to be very healthy and there was a good atmosphere in the home. They reported that the office space and main entrance gave an impression of a somewhat chaotic environment which is not conducive to a well organised home and that the rooms themselves looked rather dated. The provision of a single TV suggests that residents could not watch alternative programmes either with others or privately. Given the relative sizes of the lounge and the dining room and the apparent lack of use of the dining room we wondered if the two rooms should be swapped around and a TV provided in both.

The recommendations made in the report were: The 2015 refurbishment programme should include the kitchen; fresh fruit should be available at every mealtime and throughout the day as part of a balanced diet; a cooked option should be included in the breakfast menu as well as a wider range of drinks; the timing of the evening meal should be reviewed with a view to putting it back by at least 30 minutes; All 'clutter' that might create a risk should be cleared; the sloping floors should be assessed in relation to safe use of hoists and other safety issues; and that an activity area should be created.

The Local Authority Provider Management Team who carry out contract monitoring duties have provided a thorough response expressing their thanks for the report and outline how they will be encouraging the provider to action the recommendations, and have offered alternative suggestions where the recommendations may be problematic to implement.

The provider has responded to each of the recommendations, however, have offered justification for the current practice and give no indication that they will action any of the recommendations made within the report.