Archived: Gracewell of Sutton Coldfield

Gracewell of Sutton Coldfield is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 65 people aged 65 some of who are living with dementia. At the time of inspection 63 people lived at the service. The accommodation is organised into three floors, each with its own communal areas. One of the floors is a memory care floor, specialising in providing care to people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt safe and received their medicines as prescribed. The provider had a robust recruitment process in place and there were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs. Accidents and incidents were recorded and followed through with appropriate action to minimise the risk of re-occurrence.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs and referred to healthcare professionals when required. People were involved in choosing their meals and mealtimes were a pleasant social event. The home was decorated to a high standard with some excellent facilities. The memory care floor had been carefully designed to support and engage people living with dementia.

Staff were caring. The registered manager and staff had a strong ethos of person-centred care and placed

people's wellbeing at the heart of their work. There was a positive caring culture and staff were patient and kind. People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected by staff. Relatives and friends were

made to feel welcome in the home and people were involved in decisions about their care.

Support was individualised and staff knew people’s life histories and preferences very well. People were supported to take part in many different activities which were tailored towards their preferences and individual needs. End of life care wishes were discussed with people and their relatives. The provider had a complaint process which people and their relatives were aware of to share any concerns.

Oversight of safeguarding systems and practices were in place, however there were two incidents which had not been referred to the local authority at the time of occurrence. People and staff were happy with the way the service was led and the registered manager made themselves available to people. People and relatives were involved in decisions about the service and there was good involvement from the local community. Audits were carried out to ensure the quality of the service was

maintained.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (Published 27 December 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Gracewell of Sutton Coldfield is a care home that is registered to provide accommodation for up to 65 people who require nursing and/or personal care. At the time of our inspection, there were 45 people living at the home.

There was a registered manager in post; however, the provider had recently appointed a new manager who was in the process of registering with us. In the meantime, the current registered manager continued to provide support and oversight to the new manager as part of the ‘hand-over’ process. 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.

People living at the home were very happy with the service they received because they felt safe, comfortable and respected by the staff that supported them. People felt valued by the staff and were involved in all aspects of their care. Care was personalised and staff treated people as individuals with the utpmost respect; they were kind, caring and compassionate, making all interactions count. People were supported to maintain their hobbies and interests because staff took the time to get to know them and encouraged people to engage in activities that were meaningful to them. Relationships with families and friends were also cherished and developed to enable people to maintain valued contact with people who were important to them. Staff built trusting and supportive relationships with people’s relatives and extended this to engaging with people in need from the wider community, through their fortnightly open days and ‘reach-out’ cafes. All of which contributed to ensuring people received an excellent caring service.

Meal times at the home mirrored a sophisticated social event where people were supported to eat food that was freshly prepared, well-presented and that met their dietary requirements; this was accompanied by a choice of beverages such as wine all in accordance with people’s likes, dislikes and preferences. People received the right level of support to both maintain their independence but also to meet their needs discreetly whilst eating. There was a relaxed, calm and social ambience within the home which promoted peoples comfort and well-being.

People felt safe living at the home and enjoyed the security of the staffs’ presence as well as the building without feeling unduly restricted in any way; people were supported to feel at home. Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risks associated with their health and care needs and the provider had ensured that there were enough members of staff available, who had been safely recruited to meet people’s needs. This meant that people received the care they required when they required it, including their prescribed medicines.

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm because staff had received training and had the knowledge and skills they required to do their job effectively. Risk assessments and management plans were also in place to promote people’s safety within the home.

People’s abilities to make decisions were assessed and care and support was provided with their consent, where possible. Where people lacked the mental capacity to consent to their care, people’s rights were protected because the provider ensured that key processes had been followed so that people were not unlawfully restricted and that decisions were made within their best interest. These decisions were made in consultation with other professionals involved in their care as well as with friends and relatives, making sure that all relevant persons were involved in meeting people’s needs safely and effectively. People were supported to maintain good health because staff worked closely with other health and social care professionals when necessary.

The service was responsive because people felt involved in the planning and review of their care and were encouraged to offer feedback on the quality of the service; people knew how to and felt comfortable raising a complaint and felt that they would be listened to.

The provider had staff appreciation initiatives to recognise staffs commitment, dedication and contribution to the delivery of a high quality and safe service. Staff felt supported and appreciated in their work and reported the management team to be approachable. The management team had effective systems in place to assess, monitor and proactively promote the quality and safety of the service and were compliant with the requirements of their registration.