Healthwatch Rochdale publishes findings and recommendations after Enter and View visit at Millfield Care Home
The objective of the Enter and View visit is to understand the experience of residents, their family members, speak with staff and management and make recommendations for change and improvement. Recommendations are made based on what we are told and observe on the day of the visit as well as good practice we have observed in other homes.
During the visit we observed residents were treated with respect and dignity and staff members were friendly and chatty to residents. The home appeared to encourage feedback from residents, having a suggestions box and a you said we did board. The home also published the minutes from the last resident’s meetings on the notice board which included comments from residents and the intended action plan.
In addition, the home had a beautifully well-maintained garden with bright flowers and plants, as well as an outdoor table and chairs in dementia friendly colours and a chicken coop as part of The Social Hens Project.
Following the visit recommendations were made which included:
- Developing reminiscence activities to stimulate memories for dementia patients
- To begin to implement suggested menu alternatives made by residents at a resident’s meeting
- Providing a nutrition and hydration station with drinks, fruit and snacks to allow residents to drink and snack as they wish whilst maintaining their independence
Millfield is the first home we have visited where we have seen comments from a resident’s meeting displayed on the notice board. This transparency was great to see and points to the home being an open environment where residents are encouraged to share their comments, concerns or compliments. The main issue for residents seemed to be the lack of variety in the menu which we noted was an issue that had already been identified by the home. At the time of our visit these changes were yet to be implemented and we encourage Millfield to make these changes as soon as possible