Archived: Wickmeads

We therefore looked at two matters: how the care and welfare of people living in the home was managed and record keeping.

We found on this occasion people's care and welfare had been improved. This was because a system had been fully implemented for examining and recording the condition and integrity of a person's skin when they moved into the home.

We looked at the records the home kept about eight people in order to see whether their care plans and other records were accurate and up to date. We spoke with five of the people whose records we looked at in order to see whether they were getting the care and support as set out in their care plans

We also found that records used to show that plans of care were being followed had improved. These included turning charts and medication records.

We spoke with five people and they told us they received all the help they needed. They said they were helped with among other things, getting up, going to bed, washing, dressing and bathing or showering. People told us that the home arranged for them to see healthcare professionals such as GPs and district nurses. Two people also told us that on occasions staff had been so concerned for their health they had contacted emergency services. They said that subsequently they had both spend a period of time in hospital receiving treatment.

People told us they received help with managing their medication. Some people told us that staff turned and repositioned them in their beds at night to prevent them getting sore.

At the time of our inspection there were 34 people accommodated at the home. Although some people living at the home were too frail to talk to us we were able to speak with five people about their experiences of living at Wickmeads. We also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). It is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk with us.

We observed a small group of people in the home's main lounge for an hour during the afternoon of our inspection visit. We saw that staff engaged with people and interactions between staff and people living in the home were generally positive. We saw that people enjoyed each others company, talking and joking as well as taking part in an organised social activity for part of the time. We noted that staff anticipated the needs of people who were unable to communicate verbally by taking cues from their body language or behaviour.

People told us that staff were cheerful, polite and were respectful. They told us they received all the help they needed with their care, such as washing, dressing and support with managing their medication. They said that they were able to exercise choices about day to day life in the home, such as getting up, going to bed, joining in organised activities, going to religious services and what they had to eat.

People said they felt safe and they thought the staff received the training they needed to be able to meet their needs. They also told us that they knew about the home's complaints procedure and went to residents meetings at which they could make suggestions about how the service they received could be improved.

During our inspection we were able to speak with three visiting district nurses. They gave us their opinions about the quality of care the home provided.

We also spoke with seven care staff about the people living at the home they helped and supported. We also spoke with them about their recruitment, training they received and the protection of vulnerable adults.