Arden House Care Home Enter and View Report
Summary of findings
The unannounced Enter and View visit to Arden House Care Home, part of the Greensleeves Care network, provided valuable insights into the quality of care and overall environment at this care home. Arden House is a (Grade 2 listed) Regency building, located in North Leamington. The home is registered for thirty-three residents, but in practice can only accommodate twenty-seven due to the design of the building. On the day of our visit twenty-one people were living in the home.
Resident Care and Services: Arden House offers residential care for adults over 65 with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. It does not provide nursing care. The Registered Manager employs a structured approach to resident care, utilising a dependency tool to assess individual needs and determine staffing levels. Staff work in three shifts, ensuring continuous care, and efforts are made to retain staff through training and support. Agency staff are only used in emergencies, with a preference for familiar staff to maintain continuity.
During our visit, the lift was out of order, leading to residents mostly staying in their rooms. Staff adapted by delivering meals on trays and spending time with residents individually. This demonstrated their commitment to resident care and adaptability in managing unexpected issues.
Health and Medical Care: Residents are encouraged to register with a local GP practice that visits weekly along with a frailty nurse. For hospital appointments, family members are asked to attend, but staff will accompany residents’, when necessary, with hospital transport arranged as needed. Accessing dental care remains a challenge, due to the lack of domiciliary dental services for all residents in care homes, and limited availability of local dentists accepting new NHS patients. The Registered Manager highlighted the need for specialist dental care services to visit the home. Residents can continue to see their own dentist and there is a local dentist that residents use. Dentists can refer patients for domiciliary dental care.
Activities and Engagement: Arden House is in the process of recruiting a full-time Activities Coordinator, with an assistant currently covering the role. Activities include weekly chair exercise classes, by the external organisation Mobility, and entertainment by local singer Kenyon Walker. A walking group meets twice a week, allowing residents to enjoy the local area. The home is also piloting Famileo, a private media platform for family-resident communication, running alongside their Facebook page.
Training and Development: Staff training is considered a priority at Arden House. Every member of staff undertakes training in manual handling, the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and dementia care. Recent initiatives include skin care training for senior staff and first aiders. The home is transitioning to the Nourish electronic care records system, though they are temporarily using paper records due to limited Wi-Fi coverage.
Physical Environment The home is well-maintained, with a clean and welcoming reception area, an attractive enclosed garden, and a spacious dining room. Bedrooms are personalised and homely, with staff treating residents with dignity and respect. Despite the lift being out of order during our visit, the home demonstrated effective contingency planning and resident care.
Feedback and Observations: Residents and staff provided positive feedback, highlighting the supportive and professional environment. Residents appreciated the care and homely atmosphere, though some expressed a desire for more outings. Staff valued the training and support provided by the management, emphasising the team-oriented and family-like environment.
Overall, Arden House Care Home demonstrates a strong commitment to providing high-quality care through comprehensive staff training, resident engagement, and continuous improvement efforts. The Registered Manager's proactive approach and collaboration with healthcare professionals and other care home managers contributes to a supportive and caring environment for residents.
