Archived: Adeline House Care Home

Adeline House provides accommodation and nursing care and is registered for up to 40 older people including those living with dementia. On the day of the inspection 30 people were receiving care services from the provider. The home had an experienced manager who had been registered with CQC for several years. 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.

At this inspection we found that people who used this service were safe. The care staff knew how to identify if a person may be at risk of harm and the action to take if

they had concerns about a person’s safety.

The care staff knew the people they were supporting and the choices they had made about their care and their lives. People who used the service, and those who were

important to them, were included in planning and agreeing to the care provided.

The decisions people made were respected. People were supported to maintain their independence and control over their lives. People received care from a team of staff who they knew and who knew them.

People were treated with kindness and respect. One person who used the service told us, "The staff are very nice and never rush me."

The registered manager used safe recruitment systems to ensure that new staff were only employed if they were suitable to work with vulnerable people The staff

employed by the service were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse. They told us they would be confident reporting any concerns to a senior person in the service or to the local authority or CQC.

There were sufficient staff, with appropriate experience, training and skills to meet people’s needs. The service was well managed and took appropriate action if expected standards were not met. This ensured people received a safe service that promoted their rights and independence.

Staff were well supported through a system of induction, training, supervision, appraisal and professional development. There was a positive culture within the service. This was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff when we spoke with them and their approach to supporting people to maintain their independence.

The service was well-led. There was a formal quality assurance process in place. This meant that aspects of the service were formally monitored to ensure good care

was provided and planned improvements were implemented in a timely manner.

There were good systems in place for care staff or others to raise any concerns with the registered manager.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations, speaking with staff who were supporting people who used the service and looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary, please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learn from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This reduces the risks to people and helps the service to continually improve.

The home had policies and procedures in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Relevant staff had been trained to understand when an application should be made, and in how to submit one. This means that people will be safeguarded as required.

The provider had systems in place to ensure the service was safely run. Audits were carried out by the registered manager.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed and care plans were designed to meet the needs of people who used the service. People told us they liked living at Adeline House and enjoyed joining in activities such as quizzes and games.

Is the service caring?

We observed staff interacting with people who used the service and saw that they were patient and gave time for people to respond. We found staff to be caring and supportive.

We spoke with relatives of people who used the service who told us that they felt their relative was cared for appropriately. One relative said, 'I have no concerns about the care provided to my relative.' However another relative told us that they were concerned about staffing levels as sometimes they found staff did not have time to meet people's needs.

Is the service responsive?

The service had activity co-ordinators who planned social events and daily activities for people who used the service. We observed people taking part in activities that were suitable. For example there was a quiz and some people had their nails painted.

People received appropriate support to ensure there nutritional needs were met. Care plans told us that staff responded appropriately to issues such as weight loss and difficulties in swallowing. Dieticians and speech and language therapists were consulted where needed.

Is the service well-led?

The manager was registered with the Care Quality Commission in April 2014. We spoke with staff that were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They felt able to speak with the nurses or the manager if they needed to. Staff saw the importance of involving people and their relatives to improve the service.

There was a quality assurance system in place which was completed throughout the year. The manager acted on suggestions made and discussed the outcome of the survey with people who used the service and their relatives.

There were arrangements in place for obtaining and acting in accordance with the consent of people using the service in relation to their care and treatment.

People were protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. Several people praised the food.

People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.

There were effective recruitment procedures and selection processes in place and appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. One member of care staff told the Expert by Experience they were very happy working at the home and if they had any cause for concern, they would not hesitate to report the matter.

There was an effective complaints system available. Comments and complaints people made were responded to appropriately.

The Expert by Experience told us that they found a very relaxed, but professional atmosphere in the home. They told us that they came away from Adeline House feeling very positive about the care that people received.