5 February 2020
During a routine inspection
Ivydene Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 17 people with mental health needs; it was full at the time of our inspection. Accommodation is over two floors with several communal areas and people had access to gardens.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service had made improvements since our last inspection and were no longer in breach of regulations however we have made two recommendations to continue to drive improvements. These are about risk management and MCA. A registered manager had been employed in April 2019 and had introduced systems to drive improvement. Whilst these had been mostly successful, further development was required regarding ensuring accurate and complete records were maintained. In addition, more regular analysis of the quality of the service was required to be assured any issues would be quickly identified and rectified.
People received individualised care and support that had positively impacted on their lives. Their relatives agreed with one telling us, “We could hardly get anything out of [family member], now they’re engaged.” The stable staff team knew people especially well and supported them with discretion, sensitivity and compassion. People felt involved and listened to. Independent living skills were encouraged, and the service used advocates as required to assist with this.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s nutritional and healthcare needs were met in collaboration with other health professionals and their medicines were administered safely. Risks were managed and mitigated although not always recorded. Processes were in place to help reduce the risk of abuse.
People benefitted from receiving care and support from staff who had been trained and felt supported. There was a positive culture within the service and staff demonstrated good team working abilities. People engaged with each other and the staff and relatives told us the home was consistently welcoming. One relative said, “It feels like a family home.” People were supported in their relationships and interests.
Communication was effective and no one we spoke with had any concerns about the service. A complaints policy was in place should people wish to raise concerns. However, the open and transparent culture within the home ensured people felt comfortable in raising issues or worries. Feedback on the service was sought and listened to and people felt involved in not only their care but changes within the home.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (report published 6 March 2019) and there were two breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.