Archived: Balcombe Place Care Home

We spoke with the manager, three members of care staff, five people who lived at the home and one visiting relative. People were generally positive about the care and support they received. Comments included "I can do what I want", "Staff are very friendly", "They look after you, although agency staff are not as good", "I'm fed well" and "They look after you properly".

We found that care plans had been improved since our last inspection. Care records were well organised and kept up to date. Records and feedback from staff and the people at the home showed that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. We found that call bells were answered in a timely manner and were regularly monitored by the manager.

Policies and procedures for safeguarding had been updated and most staff had received recent training in safeguarding vulnerable adults. We saw that action was taken where risks to people had been identified.

We found that people's personal records including medical records were accurate and fit for purpose. The system for record keeping had been improved since our previous inspection. Records were kept up to date and completed as necessary. Care plans had been reorganised and information was easy to find and understand.

We found that people were treated with respect and were encouraged to make choices and decisions. There were regular resident meetings where people could express their views.

People told us they were "Cared for" and "Looked after". We saw that people were supported at an appropriate pace. Care plans were reviewed regularly but information was not always clear about the care to be provided. There were delays in answering call bells which meant that people were not always protected in the event of an emergency.

We found that there was a lack of training and up to date information for staff on how to safeguard people.

Rotas and feedback from people and staff confirmed that there were sufficient numbers of qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs.

We found that there were systems in place to maintain the quality of the service and that action was taken if needed. However, it was not always clear if action taken was effective.

People's personal records were stored securely. However, care planning records were sometimes confusing and poorly organised meaning that important information could get overlooked. This meant people were at risk of receiving inappropriate care.

A family member that we spoke to told us that they were, "very impressed with staff". A visiting clinician told us that they believed that the home had a good relationship with the local doctors' surgery and that staff contacted it for advice.

We looked at care records and found that people had individualised care plans. We read people's daily records, which confirmed to us that the care plans were being carried out.

We saw that the home had a procedure for safeguarding people and had used it when there were concerns. Staff had received training in safeguarding people from abuse and refresher staff training was provided regularly.

We saw sufficient numbers of staff and suitably trained staff on duty. We saw staff files and training records that showed staff had received suitable training.

Records showed the home had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service people received. We saw that when people made complaints, they were responded to appropriately and changes were made by the service.