The inspection visit at Glenthorne Care Home took place on 4th November 2014 and was unannounced.
Glenthorne Care Home Ltd provides residential care for 18 older people. The home is situated within a residential area of central Blackpool and is close to Stanley Park and the town centre. Car parking is available at the front of the home on a private forecourt. Accommodation within the home is situated on the ground and first floors. There is a stair lift providing access to the first floor.
There was a registered manager in place. 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 who lived at the home told us they felt safe, protected and well cared for. Comments from people who lived at the home included, “It’s a lovely cosy home with good people around, I feel safe and secure.” Also, “It’s nice to have plenty of people around it makes you feel safe.” A relative said, “My [relative] looked after here. I go away feeling [relative] is well cared for and safe.”
Care staff prepared the meals daily. All had completed relevant food and hygiene courses which were up to date. One person who lived at the home said about the quality of meals, “The staff do an excellent job with the meals always plenty to eat and a choice.” We observed snacks and drinks served at regular intervals during the day.
Procedures and policies were in place to ensure staff were recruited with thorough checks completed. This reduced the risk of unsuitable staff being employed. One staff member said, “I was not allowed to start work until everything had been checked. It was a long process but definitely necessary.”
We observed medicines being administrated. We found that medicines were administered safely, at the right time and as prescribed. Only trained staff gave out medication and medication records were up to date and accurate.
People’s care and support needs had been assessed before they moved into the home. Care records we looked at contained details of people’s preferences, interests, likes and dislikes. Relatives we spoke with told us they had been consulted about their relatives care and were informed of any changes that occurred. People who lived at the home told us their views and choices were listened to by the staff and registered manager. One relative said, “They keep me well informed of [relatives] care.”
Health and social care professionals we spoke with were positive about the care and support the service provided for people. District nurses told us when they visited the home, care records were always up to date and accurate. They said the staff were caring and supportive and never had any issues with the service.
The registered manager was aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for people who lacked capacity to make a decision and the she had previously made an application under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) for authorisation in the case of one person whose liberty had been restricted.
There were sufficient skilled and experienced staff on duty to care for people. We looked at training records and found an ongoing programme of training, supervision and appraisal to support staff to meet people’s needs.
There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor and improve the care, support and running of the service. For example ,regular audits were carried out by the registered manager such as care records, the building and fire procedures. The registered manager told us any issues that were highlighted from the audits would be looked into and put into practice if it was to the benefit of the home.