Midhurst Road Residential Home

There was a manager at the service who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our last inspection at Midhurst Road took place 26 May 2015. The service was found to be meeting the requirements of the regulations we inspected at that time and overall we rated the service Good.

This inspection took place on 19 September 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the people who lived at Midhurst Road and the staff who worked there did not know we were coming. On the day of our inspection there were 41 people living at Midhurst Road.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe living at Midhurst Road and spoke very positively about the staff.

Staff were aware of safeguarding procedures and knew what to do if an allegation was made or they suspected abuse.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely.

Staff recruitment procedures ensured people’s safety was promoted.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs safely and effectively.

Staff underwent an induction and shadowed experienced staff prior to commencing work. Staff had regular updates to their training and were provided with relevant supervision and appraisal so they had the skills and support they needed to undertake their role.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of practice and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The registered provider’s policies and systems supported this practice.

People had access to a range of health care professionals to help maintain their health.

A varied diet was provided to people which took into account dietary needs and preferences so their health was promoted and choices could be respected. People’s fluid and diet intake was monitored by staff where a risk of dehydration or malnutrition had been identified.

We found the home was clean and well maintained. Bedrooms had been personalised and communal areas were comfortably furnished.

People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was protected. All the people, relatives and visiting health professionals we spoke with made positive comments about the care provided by staff.

We found people’s care plans and risk assessments were reviewed regularly and in response to any change in needs.

We saw people participated in a range of daily activities both in and outside of the home which were meaningful and promoted independence.

People said they could speak with staff if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to.

Staff told us they felt they had a very good team. Staff, people and relatives said the registered manager was approachable and communication was good within the service.

During the inspection we were able to observe people's experiences of living in the home. The interactions between people living at the home and staff appeared positive. Staff spoken with knew the people living at the home well. We found that support was offered appropriately to people.

We found that before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

We found that people's care and welfare needs were assessed and each person had a written plan of care that set out their identified needs and the actions required of staff to meet these.

We found that medicines were being obtained, recorded, handled, dispensed and disposed of in a safe way.

The provider had a satisfactory recruitment and selection procedure in place to ensure that staff were appropriately employed.

The provider had an effective complaints system available.