Our visits to local care homes
Purpose of the visits
When Healthwatch was established in 2012 we were given the power to ‘Enter and View’ health and social care premises as a way of engaging with people and gathering feedback.
In 2022 as part of our work to increase public understanding of care homes, we produced a guide of simple things to be done to help people settle into care home life.
We want to build on this to explain the day-to-day experiences of care home residents and their families. Our aim is to identify and showcase good practice as well as suggested areas, which might enhance how the service is delivered, exploring what is working well and areas that may be improved, so key themes may be shared and to give useful insights to potential residents and their relatives.
In summer 2024 we visited three of the four care homes owned and run by HC-One in Northumberland. These were Acomb Court in Hexham, Ashington Grange, and Foxton Court in Morpeth.
These were planned and announced visits to observe and obtain information. The reports relate only to the Healthwatch Northumberland teams’ observations during the time of the visit and is not a representative or comprehensive portrayal of the experiences of all service users and staff. It is an account of what was observed and contributed at the time.
Healthwatch Enter and View visits are not intended to specifically identify safeguarding issues but in the event such concerns should arise, they would be reported in accordance with Healthwatch safeguarding policies. Any concerns would be reported to the team lead and the service manager informed, concluding the visit.
Planning and preparation
Derry Nugent, the Project Lead for Healthwatch Northumberland, produced and discussed a brief for the visit with the care home managers and Graeme McConnell HC-One’s Area Director.
To prepare for the visits all Healthwatch Authorised Representatives attended Enter and View training and briefings to ensure they understood Healthwatch Northumberland’s remit, the purpose and context of the visit, guidelines for how to proceed in a care setting and had the skills to effectively engage with residents and family members.
We sent letters to the home in advance for residents and relatives of residents to explain the purpose of the visit, date and time of the visit and links to an online survey. We provided posters to display in the home. Residents and relatives had access to an online survey or paper version if they were unable to be present or preferred to give feedback this way.
Thank you to all of the staff, residents and relatives who helped us with this piece of work. You can read our findings and recommendations, plus the care homes’ responses, below.
Acomb Court care home Enter and View visit August 2024
Ashington View care home Enter and View visit August 2024
Foxton Court care home report to follow shortly.
