Enter and View Report: Wavertree Bungalow

In December 2024, we visited Wavertree Bungalow, a small 5 bed specialist respite care service for adults with a learning disability and accompanying personal care and support needs. Residents must not be in receipt of any other care home support, be registered with a Liverpool GP and have a home to return to so they can access the service. There are staff onsite 24/7 when residents are present including nursing staff.

Summary

During our Enter and View visit we observed that Wavertree Bungalow was an accessible and inviting care home. Although an older building staff have clearly thought of how to make it accessible for residents and worked around the buildings existing design. Features such as bariatric beds, ceiling hoists and epilepsy alarms mean that people with complex needs can access the care home safely and comfortably. The wider hallways and ground level bungalow design mean people with mobility aids and wheelchairs can move freely around the home.

Staff are realistic that the home has to be clinical to a certain extent to provide the specialist care needed. This is also further complicated by the shorter stay respite offered reducing the opportunity for individual personalisation of rooms for residents. They have however made many touches to the care home that do give it a homely feel. This is especially evident in the living room which looks and feels like an area in someone’s own home.

The commitment to training and development is impressive as is the wrap support offered to staff. Wavertree Bungalows is one of the few places across the country that is set up and staffed to provide the respite service they offer. From what management advise staff always have the training they need to provide this pioneering care. Training also allows staff to progress and provides an incentive for staff to stay long term. The staff retention described by management seems to speak to the success of this approach as does the positive feedback we got from staff.

The expertise on offer in Wavertree Bungalow is impressive and staff can provide care and support for residents that other nursing homes could not. The support from other allied health professionals is welcome and will allow for residents to receive excellent medical care. This relationship further strengthens the training and knowledge available to staff.

Recommendations

We make the following recommendations for Wavertree Bungalow:

Display Easy read equivalents for safeguarding and other policies
We noticed that the safeguarding procedures displayed in the hallway were very text heavy. It may be more accessible to have easy read versions on display for residents and families. Easy read displays were generally good throughout the home although one sign was covered by a clock.

Keys in cabinets
We did notice one set of keys left in a cabinet which staff advised contained nothing of value or anything that could cause harm. We discussed this with staff on site and they removed the keys there and then and advised they would rectify the situation and make staff aware in future.

Positives and good practice

We found during our visit to Wavertree Bungalow examples of positives and good practice which included but were not limited to:

• Staff training and expertise seems to be at an impressive level and staff should be proud of their commitment to learning and best practice.
• Residents are encouraged to keep to their day-to-day routines even during a respite break. This means residents can continue to enjoy their normal routine and are not out of sorts when they return home. This will make it easier for them and their support network upon return home.
• The Lounge set up and decoration was open and very inviting. It is a difficult job making a complex care needs environment homely, but they have done an excellent job in this room where residents will spend a lot of time.