Visits to Care Homes in Hertfordshire - Phase 1

The reports from 12 care homes we visited using our legal power to Enter and View.

Our reports are public documents and we share them with the commissioners and providers of the service we are visiting. We also share them with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Healthwatch England.

During 2014 to 2017 we ran a project to look at the quality of life of individuals living in care homes in respect of environment, leisure and services, digital inclusion and food and drink. We also wanted to see if NICE guidelines that recommend that older people in care homes are given support and opportunities to express themselves as individuals were being considered.

This is Phase 1 of a rolling programme of care home visits in order to review outcomes at defined intervals. We have consulted with the Clinical Commissioning Groups, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Care Providers Association and our local Care Quality Commission Compliance managers as well as looked at feedback from the community to choose the first 12 homes.

What we found

Residents told us they were able to choose how and what they wanted to be involved in and had choice over meal times. They felt well cared for and were treated with kindness and dignity by staff. However the environment in some homes was not ideal and needed refurbishment. Digital inclusion in most homes was poor but was something homes were beginning to prioritise.

We made recommendations for improvement in each of the homes we visited.

What changed as a result of our visits

  • Residents became more involved in planning activities at several of the homes we visited.
  • Increased awareness and use of local resources by homes to support physical and mental wellbeing.
  • Adaptations like grab rails, orientation clocks and signage installed in some care homes.
  • Improvements to the meal time experience for example through training to support residents and use of picture and large print menus.
  • Refurbishment plans of some care homes incorporating recommendations from our reports.

Visit Reports

Care Home Visits 2014 Summary Report
Alexandra Care Home, Hemel Hempstead visited on 12th June 2014
Beane River View Care Home, Hertford visited on 25th March 2014
Forest Care Village, Borehamwood visited on 31st October 2014
Foxholes Care Home, Hitchin visited on 1st September 2014
Foxholes Care Home, Hitchin follow-up visit on 20th March 2015
Heath Lodge Care Home, Welwyn visited on 12th June 2014
Heath Lodge Care Home, Welwyn follow-up visit on 26th May 2015
Houndswood House Care Home, Radlett visited on 10th June 2014
Jubilee Court Care Home, Stevenage visited on 1st October 2014
Prince Michael of Kent Court, Watford visited on 20th November 2014
River Court Residential and Nursing Home, Watford visited on 24th November 2014
St Anthony's Residential Home, Watford visited on 18th June 2014
St George's Nursing Home, Royston visited on 21st October 2014
Tara's Retreat Care Home, Sandridge visited on 27th March 2014

If you require any of these reports in another format, please get in touch.

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