Ashbourne House given new lease of life to become Hopwood Lodge

Hopwood Lodge

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 Ashbourne House, a nursing home in Middleton at the centre of a ‘dementia doll’ row, is being given a new lease of life as ‘Hopwood Lodge’.

Ashbourne House was put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission in July 2016, to protect people who lived at the service after the service was rated ‘Inadequate’ following a June inspection.

However, the building has had a full makeover for the new Hopwood Lodge service, registered for 29 people to cater towards the elderly living with dementia and nursing needs. It was set up and opened by new manager, David Lees, who is a registered mental health nurse with 20 years’ experience working within different fields of both general and mental health care environments.

Mr Lees spent many of these years in residential care settings looking after those with dementia and has undertaken many relevant courses to maintain his knowledge and up to date relevant practice. He is also currently completing his level 5 management NVQ after recently completing a course in moving and handling, and safe handling to enable him to deliver training in-house to staff on a regular basis.

To ensure all care and nursing staff are competent within their job roles, time has been allocated for both practical and written training. External trainers will be brought in for any other training needed when required and all online training will be done through ‘Psittacus’, who offer health care training courses and programs.

Speaking about the refurbishment, Mr Lees said: “We have used primary colours as research has shown us that older people with or without dementia will perceive their surroundings differently to others. Good design can help enormously in making it easier to interpret and navigate around the home safely. We also understand primary colours help to engage the brain, especially for people living with dementia, so this can be a means of mental stimulation.

“The dining area has also had a fresh coat of paint with some feature walls in a warm aloe colour to finish things. Block colours have been used and patterns avoided to ensure the correct environment for those living with dementia as research shows patterned designs can easily confuse and lead to problems with perception for people suffering with dementia.

All of the bedrooms have had a fresh coat of paint and all-new soft furnishings to give the bedrooms a cosy ‘home’ feel. New carpets will be installed in some of the bedrooms by a professional fitter, provided by the service provider.
The dado rail and skirting boards have also been freshened up with a gloss finish and the flooring replaced to brighten things up.

Mr Lees continued: “Research shows it is important for people with dementia to be in a bright well-lit environment, and the flooring non-slip to reduce the likelihood of any falls.

“The provider has been researching and networking with various dementia friendly organisations to make plans to completely change the environment, making it more appropriate for the service users. The plans include ‘dementia friendly doors’ where the work has already started to make all the doors colourful and memorable for our service users. A 3D effect on the decals has given a more realistic look and enhance the visual effect.”

He added: “These have been seen recently by the lead CQC inspector and her colleagues at another service of ours with positive feedback.”

There are plans to enhance the garden area over summer. At present, the flower beds have been classed as a trip hazard so plans are in place to build the beds to wheelchair accessible height. There are also plans to include ambient lighting, wind chimes and colourful, scented floral beds with the ultimate aim of creating an appealing sensory garden that service users can enjoy and be actively involved in.

Mr Lees commented: “Research has proven that having access to an enjoyable outdoor space can meet many needs for people with dementia also the people that care for them. We will be putting together a carefully planned garden design, incorporating ideas from the service users and their loved ones. This can be a huge part of a treatment plan for people with dementia who are experiencing restlessness or agitation as it gives them somewhere to go for a walk to relieve tension, frustration and aggression. It promotes their senses by using colourful flowers for them to look at and with the different scents for them to smell. Different sounds of wind chimes and wildlife can instantly relax a person who is feeling stressed or unsettled.”

Other exterior work has also started to make the front of the building more appealing. The provider has brought in experienced work men to level out the exterior window ledges, with plans to add cladding for an aesthetic finish.

Provider Silverdale Care Homes Ltd has assigned Dan Morgan has been signed as the independent consultant to assist the new management team and oversee the service.

In December 2016, CQC Inspectors rated Healey Lodge in Burnley, which is also provided by Silverdale Care Homes, as ‘Good’ in each of the five outcomes. In March 2017, Silverdale’s third service, Silverdale Nursing Home in Newcastle-under-Lyme was rated as ‘requiring improvement’.

Hopwood Lodge has not yet been subject to an inspection, and so still carries the rating given to Ashbourne House in June last year.

The CQC website says: “We are carrying out checks at Hopwood Lodge (MCR) using our new way of inspecting services. We will publish a report when our check is complete.”