Enter and View: Tickford Abbey care home

The purpose of this Enter and View programme was to engage with residents, their relatives, or carers, to explore their overall experience of living in Tickford Abbey care home. As well as building a picture of their general experience, we asked about experiences in relation to social isolation and physical activity.

Summary

Tickford Abbey Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 32 people requiring nursing or personal care. On the day of our visit there were 29 residents at the home, with a waiting list of potential new residents. The majority of residents at Tickford Abbey have a diagnosis of dementia.

What we found

Family members told us they felt their loved ones were well cared for and safe, that they could now relax, sleep better themselves and not worry about their loved ones. We were told that staff are always at hand for a chat if needed, and that they spend time with family members whenever family feel the need to talk.

Staff engagement with residents was seen to be positive, knowing all residents by name, understanding their body language.

There are regular visits for chiropody, eye tests are organised at the home, dentist visits have been arranged for residents, and one resident is awaiting an update for a hearing test. There is a hairdresser on site fortnightly that most of the residents enjoy visiting

What people told us:

"Staff are just lovely, so gentle.” 

“You feel they really do love you.”

“I like to eat in the dining room, the meals are nice here."

Our recommendations include:

• Explore ways of improving access to the conservatory, the existing level change could be considered a hazard.
• Consider improving dementia friendly signage in bathrooms and communal areas of the home to aid navigation for the newer residents and those whose condition is progressing.

We found these examples of best practice:

• ‘Familio’ keeping families connected: this is an online tool used by families to send a personalised ‘newspaper’ to their loved ones.
• Tickford Abbey staff work hard to encourage as many residents as possible out of their rooms during the day. Whether residents join activities, spend time in one of the day rooms, partake in some gentle exercise or just have meals and tea/coffee away from their room. Movement is positively encouraged.