Enter and View: Athenaeum Residential Care Home (safeguarding)
This announced E&V visit was part of a planned set of visits reviewing safeguarding at a range of care and nursing homes within Barnet.
In this visit we focussed on identifying any signs of abuse as described by the Social Care Institute for Excellence. This ‘at a glance’ briefing which aims to help people who come into contact with people with care and support needs to identify abuse and recognise possible indicators. Many types of abuse are also criminal offences and should be treated as such.
During our visit we asked about the staff safeguarding training done, activities provided, care plans, how the residents cultural and faith needs are met, and safeguarding procedures for residents.
Key findings and recommendations:
- It was a little difficult to get feedback from the residents as most of them suffered from some form of Dementia. Overall, they looked well cared for and looked after.
- The residents seemed happy with the staff, as they told us “everyone is very friendly”, “they are all angels”, “they’re very friendly and patient and we are all like a family”. None of the residents had anything negative to say about the care they received.
- The staff seemed well aware of how to raise any safeguarding concerns they have.
- Most of the residents and relatives seemed confident about the security of their personal belongings.
- We emphasised the importance of more specific training given to the staff on the latest developments in dementia and Alzheimer care.
- Although the Home offered a range of activities, we recommended a regular review of these activities to make sure they are stimulating and meet residents’ needs.
Athenaeum Residential Care Home provided us with a full response to all our recommendations. These are all detailed in our report.
