Halcyon House

Updated 22 November 2018

We carried out this inspection 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 is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 30 & 31 October 2018 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included the statutory notifications sent to us by the provider about incidents and events that had occurred at the service and other intelligence the Care Quality Commission had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to us by law. We also received feedback from the local authority commissioning team. We used all of this information to plan how the inspection should be conducted.

Due to technical problems at CQC, the provider was not able to have their Provider Information Return uploaded onto the system. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This meant that the document was not available prior to the inspection.

We looked at the care records for five people, four staff personnel files, staff training records, staff duty rosters and records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service. We looked round the home, including people's bedrooms, the kitchen and dining room.

During the inspection we spoke with a total of eight staff, including the registered manager, the Business Support Manager and cook. We also sought feedback about the service and spoke with six people who lived in the home and two relatives.

Updated 22 November 2018

The inspection took place on 30 & 31 October 2018 and was unannounced.

Halcyon House provides residential and nursing care for 31 people in single en-suite rooms.

Halcyon House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Halcyon House accommodates 31 people in one single storey adapted building.

There is a registered manager in post. 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.

Everyone who lived in the home said they felt safe. There were robust measures in place to ensure people were safe. Risk assessments were in place for areas such as pressure care, safe environment, falls and mobility, and nutrition and hydration.

There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people's needs. Staff rotas showed a consistent number of staff were on duty each day. People told us call bells were answered within a reasonable time.

Staff had been appropriately recruited to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. We found that staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people effectively and safely. Staff were supported by the manager through regular supervisions, annual appraisal and regular training. Staff had attended training in subjects such as first aid, fire safety, food safety, safeguarding and medication. New staff were required to complete an induction. Staff meetings were held regularly.

Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff had been trained to administer medicines to ensure errors were kept to a minimum.

The home was very clean and there were no odours. The home was well maintained and in good decorative order. People's bedrooms were personalised and were decorated and furnished to a high standard.

Regular checks and tests, such as gas, electricity, water safety, fire drills, fire alarm tests and external checks of firefighting equipment, were completed to maintain safety in the home.

People's needs were assessed and reviewed regularly to reflect their current health and support needs. People were supported to maintain healthy lives.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. Mental capacity assessments had been completed to demonstrate people’s ability to understand and consent to care.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet and meet their dietary requirements. Drinks were offered at various times throughout the day to ensure people's hydration needs were met. Staff understood people's individual nutrition and hydration needs and we saw that meals were provided accordingly.

Everyone living in the home was very complementary about the attitude of the staff and the way they were treated. We observed staff speaking to people respectfully and in a caring way.

Staff knew people and understood their different communication needs. Staff supported people to make decisions about their care, support and treatment as far as possible. Records showed people's preferred routines, likes and dislikes.

People and their family members were involved in the planning of their care and family members kept up to date with matters relating to their relative's health and welfare.

People we spoke with told us they could get up and retire to bed at times which suited them. This information was recorded in their care records.

There was a complaints policy in place, which was displayed in the home. People living in the home told us they did not have anything to complain about.

There were activity coordinators in post. They provided a programme of different activities which included board games, quizzes, exercises, crafts and musical entertainers.

Quality assurance audits were completed by the registered manager, senior nurse and business manager which included, medication and health and safety.

People in the home had the opportunity to voice their opinions about the service at monthly residents’ meetings.

The registered manager and provider met their legal requirements with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Further information is in the detailed findings below.