The inspection took place on 23 February 2017 and it was unannounced.Boucherne Limited provides accommodation and personal care for up to 24 older people. On the day of our inspection there were 21 people living in the service.
The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and 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.
Improvements were needed to the services provided by Boucherne. We found that the administration and management of medicines were not safe. Medicines were not stored or administered appropriately or securely.
We recommend that the service look at current best practice in relation to helping to protect people’s best interests when assessing their capacity to make decisions.
A quality assurance system was in place. Audits were undertaken to ensure the service was safe and well managed but some record keeping needed attention. We recommend that the service look at current best practice in relation to the recording of information about the service.
People told us they felt safe and staff told us they carried out regular checks on people to make sure they remained safe. Care staff knew how to protect people against the risk of abuse and had completed training in safeguarding people so they knew how to recognise abuse and poor practice.
Our observations during the inspection confirmed that staffing levels in the home were appropriate to meet people's needs. Staff members did not start to work at the home until satisfactory employment checks had been completed.
People we spoke with told us they enjoyed living at Boucherne and were very complimentary about the staff who supported them. They told us they enjoyed the food and received good support with their health needs.
People had the freedom to make their own choices and decide how they wanted to live their life. People were relaxed in the company of staff. Staff interactions were friendly, respectful and caring.
There was clear leadership within the service. Effective communication existed between the management and staff and this showed in the atmosphere and the environment. People were confident to raise anything that concerned them and were satisfied that they would be listened to.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.