19 June 2014
During a routine inspection
We considered the evidence collected under the outcomes and addressed the following questions: Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well led?
Below is a summary of what we found. Please read the full report for the evidence supporting our summary.
Is the service safe?
The visiting relatives and staff we spoke with told us that people living at Peel Moat were safe. One visiting relative told us 'If I had any complaints, he [their relative] wouldn't be here'.
We saw that there were effective safeguarding processes in place and staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the action they would take if they witnessed or suspected abuse.
Robust recruitment practices were not in place because sufficient steps were not being taken to ensure employees were of good character and physically and mentally fit for work, before they commenced employment.
Is the service effective?
The people we spoke with made positive comments about the staff and the care people received. One relative told us 'I can't praise staff enough, they're amazing'. A second relative we spoke with told us 'I've got no complaints, when staff approach, he [their relative]smiles'. People told us people received the care they needed, when they needed it, including medical treatment and advice.
Is the service caring?
We spent some time observing the care people received. We saw warm interactions between care staff, people living at the home and visiting relatives. The care we observed was provided in a kind, patient and sensitive way. There was a relaxed and calm atmosphere in the home, and staff and residents appeared to know each other well.
Is the service responsive?
We saw that assessments of people's needs and risks to their health and well-being were completed. People's care plans were written in a person centred way, putting an emphasis on what people could do for themselves and their personal preferences.
Peel Moat staff told us they had a good relationship with local medical professionals and felt confident in referring people to them for advice and treatment. We spoke with a local district nurse who also told us there was a 'good relationship' between the home and the district nurses team and that the home was 'good at communicating' and referred people to them when required.
Is the service well led?
Care staff told us they were provided with adequate information and guidance on how to meet people's needs. People we spoke with told us people received the care they needed and people felt able to raise concerns should they need to.
Although there was an audit system in place to monitor the quality of care people received, there was not a robust system in place to monitor the quality of people's care records and staff records. We also found that there was not an effective system in place to obtain the views of people who used the service.