This inspection visit took place on 12 December 2016 and was unannounced. We last inspected this service in October 2015 and found the service to be compliant with the regulations.
The Yews Residential Care Home is a residential care service providing personal care for up to 27 older people, many of whom are living with dementia. The property is set in its own grounds in a quiet part of Alvaston, Derby. At the time of our visit, there were 21 people using the service.
The service has a registered manager. 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 using the service told us they felt safe and relatives felt their family members were safe. Staff understood their role in protecting people from potential harm and knew what to do if they had any concerns about the well-being of people. Potential risks to people had been assessed and were reviewed and updated to reflect people's current needs.
There were enough staff on duty to keep people safe and meet their needs. Staff had time to interact and socialise with people as well as providing personal care. Staff were safely recruited to ensure they were suitable to work in the service.
There were processes in place to ensure people received the medicines prescribed for them in a safe manner.
Staff received training and support that provided them with the knowledge and skills they required in their roles. We observed staff were confident and skilful in their interactions with people and talked with people as they supported them and put them at their ease.
People were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink and maintain a balanced diet. People had a choice as to what they ate and where. Where people had specific nutritional needs, these were assessed, monitored and reviewed on a regular basis in order to maintain their health.
We found the requirements to protect people under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards had been followed. Records showed that the service monitored and reviewed authorisation to ensure people were not unlawfully deprived of their freedom. Staff understood the needs for people to consent to their care and respected people right to decline care and treatment.
Staff were kind and compassionate to people using the service and supported them to maintain their dignity and privacy. People and, where appropriate, relatives were involved in developing their care.
Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and provided care that was personalised. Care plans had been developed to focus on individuals and described their choices, decisions and preferences as to how they wanted their care to be provided. Care plans were reviewed regularly and in response to changes in people's needs and wishes.
Activities were available on a one-to-one and group basis. People and their relatives told us they could choose to participate in activities if they wished to.
There was a complaints procedure in place and people we spoke with felt confident their concerns would be listened to and acted upon.
People, their relatives and staff were afforded opportunities to be consulted and involved in the running of the service. The registered manager oversaw all aspects of the service. People and staff had confidence in both the registered manager and the provider.
The provider had systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. This included audits, checks and regular surveys which gave people and their relatives the opportunity to comment on the quality of the service. The provider, registered manager and staff were committed to ensuring people were provided with quality care and we saw on-going improvements had been made as a result of this.