Enter and view: Swan House

Healthwatch Bucks carried out an Enter and View visit to Swan House, a residential care home for 25 people, some of whom live with dementia.

Feedback from a visitor included that they felt their loved one was very well looked after. The Enter and View Representatives observed an activity coordinator playing bingo and doing a crossword with three residents, but little social interaction between staff and residents other than this. Residents said that the food was good some days but not always, and the Enter and View Representatives observed that whilst residents were given a choice of food, there were no written or pictorial menus available. The home was nicely decorated with tactile and reminiscence items and memory boxes, however there were no drinks and snacks out in communal areas for residents to help themselves to, and some residents appeared to be sitting or wandering around without being engaged with anything. The home’s activity schedule showed activities on four days that week as well as exercise sessions, however these were either on one floor or the other and no residents were observed moving between floors.

Healthwatch Bucks made 14 recommendations around: encouraging staff interaction with residents; bringing together like-minded residents; ensuring there are enough staff available to assist residents at mealtimes; ensuring residents are offered a choice of main meals and snacks; ensuring drinks and snacks are always at hand for residents; making more activities visible to residents in the lounges; engaging with more residents who are interested in the everyday running of the home; encouraging more use of the garden; increasing the number and range of activities on offer; and continuing to review the activities to ensure that they can engage with as many residents as possible, based on their different interests. The report includes a response from the service provider.