Enter and view: St Mary's Care Centre

This is an Enter and View by Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire. Healthwatch representatives visited the St Mary's Care Centre (care home) to speak to patients and assess the care received.

Key findings:

• All staff trained to deliver end of life care to people of all ethnic origins.
• Cater for different diets and culturally appropriate meals Recognised veteran friendly care home.
• Caring, committed staff who have a clear understanding of how to deliver care in a person-centred way.
• Gold standard framework for end-of-life care (currently a pilot project).
• Plenty of notice boards displaying information throughout the home.
• Nurse stations on each side of the home
• Bereavement information displayed on noticeboard
• St Mary’s Care Home Vision & Values clearly displayed on notice board.

There are recommendations in this report

Social Engagement and Daily Activities

• Create structured social activities like a knit & Natter group, a reading group or a snooker/pool club for example, that residents can join outside of scheduled activities. These could be promoted within the home with posters on the activities board or by activities coordinators telling residents about them or asking residents what sort of clubs they might be interested in joining.
• Consider peer-to-peer activities, such as a "resident reading group," where residents can take turns reading aloud for those who may struggle with vision or reading.

Environmental Enhancements

• Personalise residents’ doors. Consider “front door” transfers, painting them different colours, using photos or symbols that are meaningful to the resident. This can improve navigation, especially for residents with dementia or sight difficulties.
• Ensure handrails clearly contrast with the wall colour to make them more easily visible to residents with dementia or sight difficulties.
• Paint all resident toilet doors one colour and use dementia friendly signage featuring words and images to help residents identify these facilities.
• Consider changing the inner automatic door to open only when button pressed, perhaps from over the top of reception desk, to keep the heat in and to deter residents with dementia from leaving the premises unnoticed, if reception should ever be left unattended.

Food and Nutrition

• Consider adding more herbs and seasoning to meals (where safe to do so). Ask residents specific questions about how they like their meals prepared.

Regular Health Screenings

• Routine check-ups: Expand yearly health assessments to include hearing, dental, and vision checks to ensure early intervention for potential issues and keeping on top of any deterioration of hearing.

Staffing Levels

• Evaluate current staffing protocols for covering staff absences to reduce pressure on care staff. Several staff members and relatives mentioned that care often feels rushed.

There are no follow up actions in this report.