Healthwatch Tameside - Enter & View Report, Auden House Care Home
Healthwatch Tameside is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Tameside. We listen to local people and gather information about their experiences of using health and social care services, and feed these back to commissioners and providers to help influence change.
Healthwatch Tameside has the legal power to visit health and social care services and see them in action. This power to Enter and View services offers a way for Healthwatch Tameside to meet some of our statutory functions and allows us to identify what is working well with services and where they could be improved.
As part of our statutory functions, our board have agreed to conduct a series of Enter and View visits to care providers within Tameside. The first scheduled announced visit took place on the 24th of October 2024 at Auden House Care Home.
During this visit, we explored topics such as quality of care, safety, dignity, respecting and acknowledging the resident’s and families’ wishes and staff training.
Following our visit, we compiled our findings and included a set of recommendations for the service provider's review. The report includes a response from the service provider. The report was also issued to TMBC's Adult Social Care and the CQC.
We followed up with the care home to request an update on the recommendations made following our Enter & View visit. In February 2026, the provider shared the following progress against the six recommendations.
Recommendations to Auden House Care Home
1. Repairs required: Repairs were required to a handrail and stair gate. This was flagged up with the provider on the day.
The stair gate was completely replaced, and the handrail re-affixed within 7-days of the visit taking place.
2. Keep corridors / fire exits clear and clutter free: Move the clothes rail and dispose of walking sticks in the corridor of the fire exit.
A metal binding system has been employed to enable the portable clothes rail to be compressed thus ensuring freedom of moment on the corridor.
3. Consider a suggestions and comments box: An annual satisfaction survey with residents, relatives and staff is undertaken however the home may wish to consider having a ‘suggestions and comments box’ in the reception area. This will help provide more regular, anonymous feedback.
After due consideration, it must be stated we have previously implemented a suggestion box, but no anonymous feedback was forthcoming. The home has an open door policy, and most issues are are resolved face to face. This policy is also extended to staff.
4. Undertake a review of the home’s webpage: Prior to our visit we undertook a review of the website. The previous managers name was still showing in the contact page and the ‘upcoming events’ page was empty.
The previous managers name has been removed from the website, however due to huge increases in paperwork it has not been possible to update the website as we had planned. We will rectify this as soon as we are able.
5. Communication with family/ friends/ carers: Care home to consider and explore options to keeping families updated with regular updates, for example more regular newsletters and encourage more family involvement in open days, events and outings.
We do have a regular program of events after the Healthwatch visit, a Christmas party was held on the 7th December, this was open to residents’ families, and was well attended. We had one trip to a brass band concert, enjoyed by four of our residents, plus two separate Christmas meals out for residents and family members. We had two visits from local schools/nurseries to Auden House all singing carols in our lounges, that was greatly enjoyed by our residents. All these events were advertised on our notice board.
6. Have an accessible complaints policy: Care home to publish their own complaints policy on the website and displayed in the home.
The complaints policy was missing on the notice board at the time of the visit. This has now been rectified.
Downloads
You can access the Auden House care home report by clicking the download button below
