Archived: Island Court

Updated 9 September 2015

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.

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 June 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

We reviewed information we held about the home. We looked at any notifications that had been received from the provider about deaths, accidents and incidents and any safeguarding alerts which they are required to send us by law.

We spoke with seven people who lived at the home, the registered manager, the clinical lead, the unit manager, the area manager, the administrator, the cook, the activities co-ordinator, four members of care staff, three relatives and two visiting professionals. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with representatives from the local CCG and Local Authority.

We looked at the care records of six people living at the home, two staff files, training records, complaints, accident and incident recordings, safeguarding records, policies and procedures, medication records, home rotas, staff supervision records, quality audits and surveys.

Updated 9 September 2015

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 June 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors. We last inspected this home on 6 December 2013. There were no breaches of legal requirements at that inspection.

Island Court provides care and accommodation for up to 55 older people. On the day of the inspection there were 54 people living at the home. The home is arranged on two floors with mainly residential care on the upper floor and nursing care on the ground floor.

There was 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 living in the home told us that they felt safe and that they were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff had been trained to recognise different types of abuse and were confident that that if they raised any issues then the appropriate action would be taken.

Staff ensured they knew where people were at all times and provided them with the support they required. We saw that both the registered manager and the staff group knew the needs of the people living at the home and how to support them.

Prior to people moving into the home, efforts were made to ensure staff had all the information and equipment they required in order to care for people safely and effectively.

Medicines were stored and secured appropriately. People told us that they received their medication on time and that staff responded to their needs in a timely manner.

People and their families spoke positively about the care and support they received in the home. The staff group, many of whom had worked at the home for a number of years, spoke positively about the support they received from both the registered manager and the management team. They told us they felt supported and listened to.

The registered manager had supported staff to achieve a number of vocational qualifications and had given a number of staff the opportunity to become ‘champions’ in specialist areas of training in order to support colleagues.

Staff obtained consent from people before they provided care. The registered manager and staff all had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) but assessments of people’s capacity offered little or no explanation as to how the person making that judgement had come to that particular decision.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to keep them healthy and were offered choices at mealtimes. Staff were aware of people’s individual dietary needs and provided discreet assistance at mealtimes, where required. People were supported to access a variety of healthcare professionals to ensure their health care needs were met and were assisted to see their GP as and when required.

People living at the home and their relatives told us that they felt they staff were very supportive and caring. Relatives told us they found the provider, registered manager and the staff group very welcoming and approachable.

Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and how people liked to spend their day and what was important to them. There were a number of activities planned during each week which were reviewed on a regular basis following discussions at resident’s meetings.

People and their relatives told us that they had not had to raise any concerns or complaints but if they did, they knew who to speak to and were confident that they would be dealt with satisfactorily.

People living at the home, their relatives and staff alike, all thought that the home was well-led. They all spoke positively about the provider, the registered manager and the staff group. Visitors to the home felt welcomed and always listened to.