We carried out this inspection on 08 January 2015 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
The service is registered to provide nursing or personal care for 17 elderly people. On the day of the inspection 15 people resided within the home.
We last inspected this service in January 2014 when the service met all the standards we inspected. This unannounced inspection took place on the 08 January 2015.
The service had 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People who used the service told us they felt safe and felt able to voice any concerns to the manager, staff or their families.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA 2005) sets out what must be done to make sure the human rights of people who may lack mental capacity to make decisions are protected. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) provides a legal framework to protect people who need to be deprived of their liberty to ensure they receive the care and treatment they need, where there is no less restrictive way of achieving this. Staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). We found action had been taken where necessary to ensure people’s capacity to make their own decisions had been assessed. Where any restrictions were in place we found these were legally authorised under the Mental Health Act 1983 or with people’s consent.
Staff were recruited using current guidelines to help minimise the risk of abuse to people who used the service.
People had signed their consent to agree to their care, treatment and the administration of medication. People also signed to say they had received key documents such as the statement of purpose, service user guide, terms and conditions and the complaints procedure. We have made a recommendation to record people’s permission before taking their photograph for identification purposes in documents such as care plans or medication sheets.
The environment was well maintained and people were able to help choose the décor or furnishings to make the environment more homely to them.
Staff told us they received a recognised induction, completed enough training to feel confident in their roles and were supervised. Staff felt supported at this care home.
People’s needs were regularly assessed and updated. Staff were updated at each shift at their handover sessions.
The administration of medication was safe, staff competencies were checked and the system audited for any errors by the registered manager and the local pharmacy.
People who used the service, staff and other agencies were asked for their views about how the service was performing. We saw that the registered manager had taken action to provide a better service from the views such as updating the décor and improving the laundry service.
The registered manager audited systems at the home, including infection control and the environment. Gas and electrical equipment was maintained to help keep people safe.
The service used external agencies such as age concern to try to improve activities. As a result 7 people attended a computer course to learn how to access social media to help them keep in touch with family and friends. Other activities were provided to help keep people stimulated.