Working at Wimbledon Common Care Home

The provider promoted an open and inclusive culture which sought the views of people living at the care home, their relatives, community health and social care professionals and staff working there. Staff were encouraged to contribute their ideas about what the service did well and what they could do better during regular individual and group meetings.

We received mixed feedback about staffing levels at the care home from some people living there, relatives, and staff. Most people told us the service was usually adequately staffed however, a third of people we spoke with expressed being concerned about the new provider recently reducing the number of care staff working across the day on the dementia community unit.

Staff told us the training they received was a mixture of electronic learning and in-person practical training courses that were refreshed at regular intervals. This ensured staff knowledge and skills remained relevant. A member of staff said, 'My induction was very thorough and we have lots of days set aside to refresh our training. I thought the dementia awareness training we had recently was very good.'

Staff also told us the care home was well-managed. They said they received all the support they needed from their line managers. For example, a member of staff remarked, 'All the managers here are easy to approach and always accessible.'

Activity coordinators and the rest of the staff team all helped plan and deliver appropriate activities and events... Weekly activity calendars indicated people could choose to take part in a variety of meaningful activities every day if they wished. On both days of the inspection we observed external musicians and a choir perform recitals... daily exercise classes, the quizzes, and particularly likes listening to the excellent live music.