This was an unannounced inspection, carried out on 03 December 2014.
Colliers Croft Care Home provides accommodation, care and support for up to 60 people. The home is newly built and designed for use as a care home. Local shops and other amenities are a short distance away from the home and there are good public transport links close by. At the time of our inspection there were 59 people living at the home.
The service has 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.
The last inspection of Colliers Croft was carried out in May 2014 and we found that the service was not meeting all the essential standards that we assessed. During this inspection we found the required improvements had been made.
People told us they felt safe living at the home and family members told us they had no concerns about their relative’s safety. Procedures for reporting abuse were in place and staff knew how to report any concerns they had about people’s safety. Staff had a good understanding of the different types of abuse and were confident about reporting abuse.
People told us that the staff were polite, kind and caring and during our visit we saw that staff were respectful towards people. Family members told us that staff were caring, patient and attentive. Staff told us they would not hesitate to raise concerns and were confident that their concerns would be dealt with quickly.
We found that staff met people’s needs. People were offered regular drinks and a choice of food. Staff had good knowledge of people’s dietary needs and they ensured people received the support they needed to eat and drink.
An assessment of people’s care and support needs was carried out prior to their admission to the home and care plans were in place for their identified needs. The plans provided staff with instructions about how people’s needs were to be met and how to keep people safe.
People who used the service and their family members told us they thought that the service was well managed and that the manager was approachable and supportive. Systems were in place to check on the quality of the service and ensure improvements were made. These included obtaining the views of people about the quality of the service and carrying out regular audits on areas of practice and the environment.
Recruitment processes were thorough and ensured staff were suitable to work in a care setting. There were sufficient qualified, skilled and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs.
Staff worked well with health and social care professionals to make sure people received the care and support they needed. People were referred onto to the appropriate service when concerns about their health or wellbeing were noted. Medication was managed safely and people received their prescribed medication on time. Staff had information about how to support people with their medicines.
Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager and staff had knowledge and an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their roles and responsibilities linked to this. They were able to tell us how they ensured decisions were made in people’s best interests.
The premises was accessible, clean, safe and well maintained and staff were aware of their responsibilities for ensuring people were protected against any environmental hazards. Staff were familiar with the procedures which were in place for responding to emergencies and they were confident about dealing with an emergency situation.