'Outstanding' care centre highlights importance of creative activities and hen-keeping in care homes

The benefits of creativity and hen-keeping in care settings have been highlighted in a Gateshead care home's 'Outstanding' report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

A resident at Shadon House taking part in a hen-themed craft session

The dementia assessment centre, , run by Gateshead Council, has become one of the latest care homes to be inspected and rated Outstanding.

Shadon House is one of fewer than 80 registered care homes that have been rated 'Outstanding' under the CQC new rating system and is well known for its pioneering involvement in the Equal Arts initiative HenPower.

Unlike other recently inspected homes, Shadon House was specifically praised for its involvement with creative charity Equal Arts and for providing a ‘stimulating environment’ where people were able to ‘engage in meaningful activity and express their creativity on a daily basis’.

The manager at Shadon House, Joanne Mathewson, said: “We have worked hand in hand with Equal Arts for the past five years and we understand and actively support meaningful activities for people who use our service.

“One of the five key lines of enquiry for the CQC was “Is the service responsive?”. And in this we were rated as outstanding, documenting that we have an innovative range of social activities on offer to prevent the risk of social isolation.

’Increasing people’s wellbeing and sense of worth’

“Inspectors described how we work closely with Equal Arts, which delivers stimulating, creative projects to older people with communication difficulties.

'Hensioners' at Shadon meet one of the hens

“People who used the service enjoyed visiting musicians, storytellers, poets, writers, drama presentations and guided reminiscence sessions.

“Many people who come to stay take part in the ‘hands-on’ keeping of the hens collecting eggs and can join in with the arts and crafts sessions hosted by Equal Arts, which are often themed around the hens and can include activities such as painting murals around the home, taking photos and drawing.

“Even family members and grandchildren benefit from the hens when they visit. It can seem quite daunting coming into a care setting to visit a loved one but visitors really look forward to coming in to see their loved ones and the hens.

“We have weekly sessions facilitated by Equal Arts, which provide arts and crafts sessions, gardening groups, time slips - sessions that work on people’s imaginations - and they create stories from photographs. We have had a book published with the stories created in these exercises.

“The service users who either stay with us or come in for day care look forward to time and activities at Shadon House, as do the staff, which is the key to ‘person centred practice’ being actively undertaken and not just being a phrase that is talked about. We are all very proud of achieving an overall ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission.”

’A stimulating environment and meaningful activity’

The home received an unannounced inspection in January this year and in a report, published in June, inspectors found the service to be Outstanding in its level of care, well-led and responsive to the needs of residents. Inspectors also praised the home as Good at being effective and safe.

CQC inspectors praised the home for their role as a pioneer of the Equal Arts initiative, HenPower, which has provided a positive impact on residents and service users at Shadon House and their quality of life.

Residents at Shadon House participate in a range of arts and crafts activities

The report noted that the centre responded to residents’ needs, specifically by working with Equal Arts, providing people with stimulating creative projects that encouraged them to build relationships and socialise with a wide range of people.

Inspectors said: “People enjoyed a very stimulating environment and were able to engage in meaningful activity and express their creativity on a daily basis. The service worked closely with the local charity Equal Arts, which delivers stimulating creative projects to older people with communication difficulties. Musicians, story tellers, poets, writers, drama and guided reminiscence sessions featured prominently in the activities programme. The therapeutic benefits of caring for animals were recognised and the service had pioneered the involvement of people in keeping hens.

“The building had been customised to meet the needs of people living with dementia, in line with current research, and provided plenty of sensory and tactile stimulation. Areas were decorated with ‘themes’ to help people orientate around the home. Bedroom doors were personalised to assist people to locate their own rooms. Strong colours and large signs helped people focus on important aids such as handrails and to find toilets and bathrooms.”

At least 10 care settings in North East England, are already taking part in HenPower or Equal Arts creative activities.

Shadon House is a short-stay setting, providing a place where service users can stay for around six weeks at a time while they undergo an assessment about their care needs.

’Fantastic achievement’

For over 30 years, the Gateshead-based charity Equal Arts has been providing innovative and creative opportunities for older people in care and those with dementia before launching the HenPower in 2012 after securing Big Lottery funding.

Residents living at Shadon House piloted the charity’s £1m project in 2009, which has since seen the initiative be rolled out at more than 30 care settings across the UK and in settings in Australia.

Residents and service users meet and stroke hens at Shadon House

Equal Arts currently provide artist-led creative activities in more than 50 care homes across the country.

Douglas Hunter, Equal Arts co-director, said: “To secure an Outstanding rating is a fantastic achievement for service users and staff at Shadon House and something we are all very proud of.

“For too long a person’s wellbeing has focused on things such as medication and physical care, with little credence being given to quality of life.

“To have the importance and value of creativity on a person’s wellbeing recognised in this report is a huge step forwards in the development of relationship-centred care.”

Andrea Sutcliffe, CQC’s Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, recently stated: “Creativity and innovation are key ingredients in Outstanding care homes.”

Shadon House was named as one of the top 20 recommended care home’s in North East England in the carehome.co.uk awards during 2015 and 2016 and was also a finalist in the ‘Dignity and Respect Care Home of the Year Award’ in 2015.

Councillor Michael McNestry, and cabinet member for adult social care at Gateshead Council, commented: “We are absolutely delighted that the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the staff at Shadon House has been recognised and that this excellent service has received the ‘Outstanding’ rating it thoroughly deserves.

“Gateshead residents can be even more assured that their relatives with mental health or dementia related conditions are receiving a service which is second to none.”

More than half of activities in care homes rated 'Excellent'

Staff at Shadon House get involved with the activities

The comments made by CQC inspectors support some of the latest figures from carehome.co.uk, the UK’s leading care home reviews website, which suggest that more than half (52 per cent) of residents and relatives rate ‘Activities’ in care homes ‘Excellent’ and more than one third (37 per cent) consider them to be ‘Good’.

Of 24,500 reviews, 82 per cent of reviewers rated both Dignity and Staff ‘Excellent’ which was closely followed by Care and Support which 79 per cent of people rated ‘Excellent’. 76 per cent of people considered Management ‘Excellent’ and 64 per cent though the Food and Drink available was also ‘Excellent’.

Ms Mathewson added: “HenPower is still going strong and our hens are enjoyed by staff, service users, family members and visitors to the centre. We have shared our approach to supporting and enabling people with many other care settings and would actively encourage them to create links with Equal Arts and embrace their support."