Archived: Parkhaven

At the last inspection on 05 October 2015, the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection, we found the service remained ‘Good’.

During this inspection visit, people we spoke with said they felt safe and comfortable living at the home. Where incidents and near misses had occurred, we found the management team looked at patterns and themes, as well as any potential lessons learnt. Parkhaven had a bright, fresh interior and we saw the environment was clean and tidy. A person who lived at the home told us, “Our home is always clean. The staff encourage us to do some of the cleaning, so we all do it together.”

People were protected from potential harm or injury because staff completed risk assessments to support them. When we discussed safeguarding principles with staff, they confirmed they had relevant training and demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities.

We found fully trained staff managed medicines safely and securely. For instance, recordkeeping followed national guidelines, such as countersigning handwritten records to confirm their accuracy. The management team completed regular audits and staff competency testing to retain quality and safety of people’s medicines.

Records we reviewed evidenced there were sufficient numbers and skill mixes of staff to meet each person’s requirements. People we spoke with said they found staff to be well trained and knowledgeable about their responsibilities. A person who lived at Parkhaven commented, “The staff are very experienced, no concerns there.”

All of those we spoke with said meals were of a good standard. They said alternatives were available if they did not like what was on the menu. One person commented, “The meals are fantastic.” We found care records contained assessments to reduce the risks of malnutrition and other associated hazards, such as swallowing difficulties.

We found evidence of involvement of people in all aspects of their care. Staff documented their hopes, preferences, concerns for the future and their current thoughts and beliefs. People told us Parkhaven had a supportive, close-knit community in which they all worked well together. One person commented, “I have no relatives. These (pointing to others at the home) are my family.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

We discussed a recent death with people who lived at Parkhaven. They told us staff and the management team were highly supportive and enabled them to grieve and support each other. People said staff were consistently responsive to their needs. We saw care records were centred around the person’s expressed needs, preferences and ongoing requirements.

The registered manager conducted multiple audits to assess the quality of the service provided. For example, quarterly hand hygiene audits were completed to check staff and people who lived at Parkhaven followed good infection control standards. Everyone we spoke with told us they felt the management team were supportive and visible. One staff member commented, “[The registered manager and the provider] are the best managers I’ve ever worked for. They are very chilled, but they also manage us very well. I love it here because of that.”

During the inspection we looked at care, maintenance and staff training records. We also undertook a tour of the building. Residents we spoke with about the service told us the home was always clean and everybody helped out to ensure people lived in pleasant surroundings. One resident said, 'We all keep it tidy like one big family.' They also told us the staff were helpful, polite and supportive. Comments included, 'We all get on the staff are so nice to us all.'

The staff member on duty had an awareness of residents care needs. We discussed individual needs of the residents with staff. 'We know the ladies well, most of us have been here for years. If anyone is not feeling well it is picked up straight away.'

We spoke individually with four people living at Parkhaven. They told us they were happy living at the home and that they liked the staff team and felt cared for.

Staff told us they felt supported, had regular meetings with their manager, and their training was kept up to date.

Prior to our visit we contacted Blackpool contracts monitoring team. They currently had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.