Argyles Care Home

Updated 20 February 2021

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.

As part of the Care Quality Commission's response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 10 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 20 February 2021

About the service

Argyles Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to a maximum of 50 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection the service were supporting 30 people. Needs varied, with some people living with dementia, whilst others required nursing support.

The home offers bedrooms across two floors, with communal dining areas, living rooms, bathrooms and quiet rooms available on each floor. The service has an in-house chef who prepares a menu based on people’s preferences, offering three course meals in the dining rooms or in people’s bedrooms. Activity co-ordinators work closely with all departments to focus on how the premises can be more “user friendly”. Signage is used to highlight where different areas are within the home to enable people to maintain independence.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were treated with compassion, care and kindness. People, their relatives and visiting professionals commented on the staff approach and thoughtfulness to go beyond the call of duty for people. Staff often came in on days off, spending large amounts of time engaging with people. The management team and staff had created lasting and meaningful relationships with people. These relationships enabled the service to provide good care, which achieved positive outcomes for people. The provider’s ethos was embedded in the culture of the home and demonstrated a caring approach. People were treated with respect and their dignity was continually upheld. This was confirmed by people and their relatives who provided positive feedback about the service. People's diverse needs were identified and met and their right to confidentiality was always protected.

The staff and management team showed great skill and thinking when looking for ways to reduce risks for people, whilst encouraging and enabling their independence. People were protected from the risks of abuse and reported feeling safe living at the service. Staff recruitment and staffing levels supported people to stay safe. Medicines were managed correctly and safely. People were fully involved in all elements of their care, and the provider was open and transparent when things went wrong.

People received effective care and support from staff who knew them well and were well trained. People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. Staff worked well together for the benefit of people and were completely focused on meeting the personal, health and social care needs of people living at the service. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The company policies and procedures supported this practice.

People received person-centred care which promoted positive outcomes for them and which included supporting their independence and having control over their lives. People received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. Staff worked well together for the benefit of people practising the ethos of the service: to focus on the needs of the people and their wellbeing.

People benefitted from staff who were happy in their work and felt well managed and supported. The management team and staff were highly motivated and proud of the service they delivered to people. One member of staff said, “There’s a buzz here, we’re all just happy to be at work.” There were consistently high levels of engagement with people, families and professionals. There was a strong commitment to ensure the service was inclusive and that people had the opportunity to extend their lives including community engagement.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 29 January 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk