Enter and view: Riverside Care Complex

This is an Enter and View report by Healthwatch York. Healthwatch representatives visited the Riverside Care Complex to speak to residents and assess the care delivered there.

Represenatives spoke to 10 Riverside Care Complex residents, four in Derwent House and six in Riverview Lodge. Seven staff members responded to a survey with their views.

Key findings:

• The staff members seemed to enjoy their roles and interacted very well with residents.
• The staff showed very good care for residents, knew their names and supported them effectively.
• The environment was good. It was clean, spacious and communal areas had a good variety of seating.
• Corridors were wide and generally there was signage. The use of words and images in Riverview Lodge was very positive.
• The weekly newsletter was very good and worked for residents who could read the information, including about forthcoming activities.
• Staff ensured that residents who could not access the newsletter know what is happening.
• The activities coordinator (working two days a week) has arranged a variety of activities within the home, including those for people with mobility issues.

There are recommendations in this report:

• Revise the signage in Derwent House to make sure it has a combination of words and images (for lounge, toilets etc.) and to make sure it is at an appropriate height to be easily seen by wheelchair users.
• Rearrange seating in communal areas, where possible, to enable small groups to interact.
• Continue to ask residents about activities they would like to see, including chair-based exercise and art/crafts to see if it is possible to introduce these and utilise some of the residents’ skills to run them.
• Make sure that all residents are treated the same with regards to meals. This would mean that everyone who changes their mind about their choice of meal, when the food is being served, will be offered an alternative if possible.