This inspection took place on 06 October 2014 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection no improvements were identified as needed.
Holy Cross care home provides accommodation with personal care and support to older people. It is registered to accommodate a maximum of 57 people.
The home had a registered manager in post who was present for our inspection. 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.
We found the provider needed to improve their system for recording medicines received from pharmacy. The recording process for medicines received from pharmacy meant there was no accurate information about the number of some medicines held in the home.
Staff knew how to protect people against the risk of abuse and discrimination and how to report concerns they may have. They understood how to help keep people safe and followed instructions to reduce risks that had been identified.
People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff. However, we found that the allocation of staff over lunchtime needed to be improved to ensure people received the same level of care other times during the day.
Staff’s understanding needed to be improved on how the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) affected their practice. The MCA sets out how to support people who do not have capacity to make a specific decision. DoLS are safeguards used to protect people where their liberty to undertake specific activities is restricted. The registered manager had made appropriate applications to the local authority in accordance with DoLS and was following legal requirements.
People living in the home were supported by health professionals such as district nurses and doctors, to ensure their needs were fully met. The provider ensured there was a joined up approach to meeting people’s care needs to allow them to stay at the home as long as they needed and wanted to.
Staff were caring in their approach with people. Although we found that in one dining room over lunchtime the allocation of staff meant people were not always given the time and support they needed to express themselves and make choices.
People were involved in their own care and in what was happening within the home. Staff understood people’s needs and preferences and respected their privacy and dignity when supporting them.
The registered manager actively asked for people’s and staff’s opinions and gave them opportunities to talk about any concerns or complaints they had. People, their relatives and staff felt listened to and told us any concerns they had were dealt with promptly by the manager. They also felt involved in what was happening within the home and in helping to make improvements.
The home’s positive values and culture were seen during our inspection. Staff created a homely environment and spoke about the people they supported with warmth and affection. People were happy living at Holy Cross and told us their views and preferences were listened to and respected.