"In a Care Home"

Hello,

Thank you for taking time to give Westerlands feedback on your stay here. We value the information you have given us which will help us improve the standard of care we provide to all residents in the Care Home.

We are delighted that overall you are very happy in Westerlands but would like to take this opportunity to respond to a selection of cards which have been used by yourself;

1. Toilets- We have two ground floor toilets but also have toilets on the 1st floor which can be used when required. A member of staff is always on hand to show you the way to go. The manager will inform everyone of this again at the next Residents meeting.

2. Personal belongings- We encourage all residents to bring in personal belongings for their bedroom. Examples such as TV, small fridge, pictures, paintings, photos and ornaments. We unfortunately do not have storage space in the Care Home for personal items which cannot fit in your bedroom. Ornaments and furniture could be put in to one of the lounges if space permits. The manager would be more than happy to discuss this option with you. The manager will also raise this at the next Residents meeting at Westerlands.

3. Medication- Medication at Westerlands is dispensed through our medication trolley by qualified staff. We use a local chemist who completes regular medication audits and all GPs review their patients' medication on a 6 monthly basis.

4. Access to the outdoors- We have two activities co-ordinators who work 36 hours in total each week. Activities staff encourage residents to go out to either the garden or further afield on a daily basis. We are now looking to focus more on the specifics of the outing for each resident. Not only when and where the person would like to go but how they wish to get to their location, what member of staff they would like to go with and the opportunity to go out for longer periods of time to different locations in the one day. It's vital the outings are person centred to ensure the individual gets the most out of their trip.

5. Keeping in touch- We offer the use of our telephone to the residents of Westerlands and offer our upstairs office as a private space to enjoy telephone calls. We also do not have visiting times which means that visitors are welcome at Westerlands whenever they choose. We also have free WiFi in the Care Home which allows residents and their families the opportunity to use sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype to communicate.

Thank you once again for taking time to give us feedback and we hope you can see that we have taken steps to make changes in light of your cards.