Enter and View - Azaela Court Care and Nursing Home
Healthwatch Enfield has the authority to carry out Enter & View visits in health and social care premises to observe the nature and quality of services. This is set out in Section 225 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
The visit to Azalea Court was an announced Enter and View visit as part of Healthwatch Enfield’s planned strategy to look at a range of care and nursing homes within the London Borough of Enfield,to assess the quality of care provided. We were particularly interested in understanding whether residents are receiving personalised care that meets their individual needs and whether the care setting “feels like home” to them. In addition, we wanted to find out whether residents are receiving a good service from local health providers.
During our review, we heard from 12 relatives, 14 residents and 9 staff and managers. The management team and staff we engaged with were open, welcoming and demonstrated a good understanding of meeting the needs of their residents. Through our discussions, both residents and relatives felt much of the care provided at Azalea Court is of a good standard, and particularly on the Willows. Many relatives had chosen their loved one to reside at these establishments over other Homes. Based on feedback, many staff appeared approachable and responsive and were appreciated by residents and their relatives for their friendly and caring attitude. However, with regards to Azalea Court, there were a number of comments received that continuity of care was often a challenge due to high staff turnover and high use of agency staff.
In particular, we were concerned as to whether agency staff were adequately trained and familiar with the significant needs of the residents at Azalea Court.
It is important there is an increased focus to retain, as well as recruit good staff and reduce the need for ad hoc agency staff. It is important to ensure those staff are properly trained, in order to ensure the care provided is of the highest quality. In addition, greater attention should be focused on personalised activities where all residents, including those who are bed-bound, can join in meaningful daily activity, as well as providing tastier and more nutritious menu choices.
Based on our findings, we provided Azaela court with 9 recommendations.
