12, 13, 14 May 2014
During a routine inspection
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.
This is a summary of what we found:
Is the service safe?
People we spoke with told us that they felt their relatives were safe living at the home and their needs were met by staff that knew them. Staff also told us that they felt people were safe and their needs were met.
CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. While no applications have needed to be submitted, proper policies and procedures were in place. Relevant staff had been trained to understand when an application should be made and how to submit one.
We checked the medicines of people who lived at the home. We found that medicines were stored and administered safely.
Is the service effective?
We observed that people received appropriate care to meet their physical needs and maintain their comfort. All of the staff we spoke with told us about the individual needs of the people that lived there. At the last inspection it was found that not all the people that lived there had their needs met in a timely way. During this inspection we found that improvements had been made.
Is the service caring?
We observed that staff were kind and polite. We found that staff treated the people that lived there with dignity and respect. The people we spoke with were positive about how staff cared for them. All the staff we spoke with were able to tell us about people's individual likes and dislikes. People's wishes had been respected. For example we saw where one person indicated that they liked to wear a particular item of clothing. We saw that staff respected this.
Is the service responsive?
We found that the care records showed that people that lived at the home saw other professionals including speech and language therapists and doctors when their health needs changed. The provider had acted appropriately to guidance from other professionals when people's needs changed. People told us that they felt if their relative's needs changed the staff were always quick to respond and contact other professionals.
We found that the provider took action to address concerns that were raised during the inspection. This showed that the provider responded appropriately to ensure that people's needs continued to be met.
Is the service well led?
The previous inspection highlighted that the provider did not have a robust system in place to identify, assess and manage risks. During this inspection we found that improvements had been made. We found that the provider now had effective and robust systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Regular audits and analysing risks and incidents meant that the quality assurance systems now in place enabled the provider to highlight and address shortfalls in a timely manner. We found that where incidents that occurred, the provider had assessed the risk and actioned it appropriately.
At the time of inspection the provider had applied to register the six homes on the site separately. This will mean that in the future each home will be inspected separately. The provider had already appointed new managers to ensure that all of the six homes each had a dedicated manager. The provider told us that these managers were in the process of becoming registered with the CQC. We found that staff felt that the changes made to the management of the home were positive, and staff told us that they felt supported in their roles.