This inspection was unannounced and took place over two days; 25 and 29 April 2016. The service was previously inspected in October 2013,they were meeting all of the requirements in the areas we looked at.There is a registered manager in place who has worked at the service for several years. 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,their families and visitors were extremely positive about the care and support provided by staff at Golden Sands. Comments included ‘‘Staff are all very helpful and very caring.’’ One relative said ‘‘We couldn’t believe how caring the staff are here. It’s like a family.’’
There were enough staff with the right skills, training and support to meet the number and needs of people living at the service. Staff said they felt valued and were encouraged to contribute to how the service was run and how care and support was being delivered. Staff understood people’s needs and knew what their preferred routines and wishes were. This helped them to plan care in a person centred way.
Staff understood how to ensure people’s human rights were protected and people were continually offered choice throughout their day. They worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act to ensure people’s capacity was assessed and monitored. Where people lacked capacity, any decisions were considered with people who were important to the person as part of a best interest decision. Staff were able to describe how they gained people’s consent and how they worked in a way to ensure people were offered choice in their everyday lives.
The home was cleaned and decorated to a high standard and homely features made it welcoming. Systems were used to ensure the environment was kept clean and safe with audits being completed on all aspects of the building and equipment.
There was an activities person who strived hard to ensure people were engaged in meaningful activities throughout the weekdays. This included sing-alongs, quizzes, flower arranging, visits from various animals including Exmoor Zoo as well as regular paid entertainers and visits form community groups such as local school children and local choirs.
Medicines were well managed and kept secure. People received their medicines in a timely way and where errors were noted, staff acted quickly to ensure people were not at risk. People were offered pain relief and received their medicines on time.
Care and support was planned to ensure that risks were assessed and monitored. People’s choices and preferences were included within care plans to ensure staff understood how to assist people in way they preferred and wishes met. People were protected from harm because staff were only recruited once they had all the checks in place to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff understood what may constitute abuse and how and to whom they should report any concerns.
People were offered a variety of meals and snacks to ensure good health. Where people were at risk of losing weight due to their health condition, staff monitored what people ate closely. Some people were on supplementary drinks prescribed by the GP. Additional snacks and higher calorie foods were also offered.
People, visitors and staff were all able to voice any concerns or suggestions to help improve the quality of the service provide at Golden Sands. The registered provider worked hands on within the home and spent time talking with people, their visitors and with staff to ensure their views were heard. Quality assurance systems included audits on the environment and documentation relating to people’s daily care and support.