We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who may be unable to communicate verbally due to their cognitive ability. We carried out these observations in both lounges of the home during the afternoon.We saw that people were provided with care in a supportive and caring manner. This included support given with drinks and snacks. However, we saw that some people had to wait for assistance during lunch, which meant that their lunch could have been cold by the time they were supported to eat it.
We heard one member of staff say "Come on get your dinner"; we heard no response from the individual. This was then followed by "Oh don't then". When making this response the staff member was heard to speak in an abrupt manner and their approach did not follow best practice for supporting people with dementia care needs. We shared this with the owners during feedback.
We could see that some people were asked to join in a game of bingo and we observed one lady being asked to read a book, however not all people we observed were offered the same level of social stimulation and we did not see many sensory items such as pictures or books, which limited the range of meaningful activity for people.
We found that almost all of the interactions between staff and people living at the home were positive. However some people experienced more interactions than others.