Background to this inspection
Updated
30 March 2016
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
The inspection took place on 16 and 17 December 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
We reviewed the information we held about the service before the inspection, including notifications of incidents that the provider had sent us since the last inspection. These are events that the provider is required to tell us about in respect of certain types of incidents that may occur like serious injuries to people who live at the service. We considered this information when we planned our inspection.
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 could not talk with us.
We spoke with seven people who used the service, two visitors and two visiting health care professionals. We also spoke with the registered provider, registered manager, two senior carers, three carers and one cook. We observed how staff interacted with the people who used the service throughout the inspection.
We looked at six people’s care records to see if these records were accurate, up to date and supported what we were told and saw during the inspection. We looked at one staff recruitment records and records relating to the management of the service, that included, minutes of meetings with people and staff, service improvement plans complaints records, stakeholder survey records and the provider’s self-audit records.
Updated
30 March 2016
Our inspection took place on 16 and 17 December 2015 and was unannounced. We last inspected the service on 14 May 2014. At the last inspection on 14 May 2014 we identified the provider needed to take action to improve staffing levels and their systems for monitoring of quality and safety of the service. This included ensuring the records about people contained sufficient information about their needs. We found that the provider had made improvements in these areas.
Arden Manor provides personal care and accommodation for up to 21 older people, some who may live with dementia. There were 20 people living at the service when we carried out our inspection.
The service had a registered manager at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us, and we saw care and support was provided in a way that showed staff were kind and considerate. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care and support needs, and were supported with appropriate training. People were supported to make their own day to day decisions and choices by staff who understood and promoted people’s rights. However, where people lacked capacity to make specific decisions, key principles of the Mental Capacity Act had not been followed. People’s healthcare needs were promoted and regular appointments with healthcare professionals were maintained.
People told us that they felt safe and they were treated well by staff. People said that there was sufficient staff available to keep them safe. The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of how to keep people safe and escalate any concerns appropriately. People told us they were given their medicines when needed although there were some areas of medicines management where improvement could be made.
People told us they enjoyed the food and drink they were provided with. We saw staff provided appropriate assistance to people that needed help to eat and drink and there were systems in place to ensure people at risk of weight loss were monitored.
People told us the staff were kind to them. We saw people had developed positive working relationships with the staff who supported them. People told us that they were well cared for and staff understood what was important to them. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of what was important for people and what was recorded in their care records.
People's needs were assessed and their support plans provided staff with guidance about how they wanted their individual needs met. People participated in a range of activities and pastimes that reflected their individual interests and preferences. People knew who to speak with if they had any concerns and the provider had systems in place to address any concerns that may be raised.
The provider assessed and monitored the quality of the service. There were systems in place to gain people’s views on the service. There were also systems in place to monitor the quality of the service such as a range of management audits. People and staff told us they found the manager and other senior staff approachable and we saw the registered manager was visible within the service. Staff felt well supported by the provider and said they were able to share their views. The provider had not always formalised their plans for improvement of the service in a way that could be easily shared with stakeholders.