This inspection took place on 13 and 14 January 2016 and was unannounced.The provider of The Lawns is registered for accommodation and personal care for up to 40 people some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 32 people lived at the home.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
There was a very positive atmosphere within the home and people were very much at the heart of the service. People and their relatives were enabled to be involved in the care and staff were highly motivated in ensuring people were treated as individuals and had an enjoyable life. People were able to see their friends and families when they wanted. There were no restrictions on when people could visit and they were made welcome by staff.
Staff had developed positive, respectful relationships with people and were extremely kind and caring in their approach. People’s privacy and dignity were respected by staff who worked to a set of values around providing care centred on each person. People were supported and encouraged to be as independent as possible in all aspects of their lives. Extensive work had been undertaken to make the home environment both interesting and stimulating with helpful pictorial clues to support people with dementia.
People told us that staff concentrated on what was most important to them and made sure they received the care they needed and preferred. People were supported to take part in planned and spontaneous activities which they found fulfilling. People told us that they valued how staff had thought of ways to make sure they could continue with daily routines they liked. Staff anticipated people’s care needs and responded to people swiftly, respectfully and with warmth.
People, who lived at the home, and or their representatives, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Staff were aware of people’s individual communication needs and used these to support people to give their own consent to their care and make everyday choices about the care provided where possible.
People had been helped to eat and drink enough to stay well. We saw people were provided with their meals in serving dishes to actively support people in making their own choices and promote people’s dining experiences. When necessary, people were given extra help to make sure that they had enough to eat and drink.
People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff with the right skills to meet their needs and reduce risks to their safety. Staff knew people well and used every opportunity to continue to enhance their skills and knowledge in order to effectively meet people’s needs. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals when they required specialist help.
Staff practices around the administration and management of people’s medicines reduced the risks of people not receiving their medicines as prescribed to meet their health needs. This included making sure all people’s ‘as required’ medicines was consistently available to them should they choose to have these.
Staff knew how to protect people and reduce accidents and incidents from happening by ensuring people’s needs were met in a safe way. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns so people were kept safe from harm and abuse. Recruitment checks had been completed before new staff were appointed to make sure they were suitable to work with people who lived at the home.
Staff supported people who lived at the home and their relatives to raise any complaints they had. The registered provider had a complaints procedure which included investigating and taking action when complaints were received.
The registered manager and provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure national and local standards were met and maintained. Continual improvements to services provided were made which showed the registered manager and provider were committed to delivering high quality care.