Archived: Crabbe Street Residential Home

The inspection was carried out by a single adult social care inspector. Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection visit, discussions with people using the service and their relatives and talking to staff working on the unit and visiting professional staff.

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

Is the service safe?

People we talked to during our visit told us they were happy to be there and that their care was good. We spoke with four relatives who all expressed their satisfaction with the home, the care provided to their relatives and were extremely positive about staff who provided the care and support. The one area of concern expressed by relatives and staff related to the home closing and relocating to a new, larger purpose built unit.

Training systems had changed in the past 18 months and more e-learning was in place. Many of the current staff had completed NVQ qualifications, however, planned changes to relocate the home had resulted in staff leaving and changes in the overall skill mix and experience of staff.

Is the service effective?

People's health care needs were assessed and the care involved the input of other professional staff where needed. There were good referral mechanisms in place with health and social care colleagues, such as district nurses who attended regularly to provide insulin or dressings. We spoke with two professionals who informed us they were happy with the care provided and that staff knew when to contact them.

There was good signage around the building and it had a homely atmosphere with good interactions noted between people living there and staff.

Is the service caring?

We spoke to people who used the service, one person told us, ''I'd rather be at home but my doctor thought it best I come here. The food is lovely and the care is good. I have no complaints at all.'' We noted good natured interactions between staff and people living in the home and observed staff helping people with feeding in a caring manner during lunchtime.

We noted staff knocking at people's doors and asking before entering. We also observed staff using non verbal communication in a patient manner with some people who were less able to communicate.

Relatives we contacted expressed satisfaction with the care provided and were all very positive about the staff providing the care.

Is the service responsive?

Regular reviews of care plans were undertaken and changes made accordingly. Monthly reviews included a holistic approach to care and relatives told us they were informed quickly by staff if there were any issues with their relatives.

The manager had instituted changes to medication administration systems in response to issues arising regarding the signing of charts for creams and these were documented in meeting notes.

Staff were allocated on a regular basis to a specific unit so they could provide continuity of care and stability to people living there.

Is the service well led?

There had been many changes in the home following the transfer from the local authority to Care UK, however, the plans for the home to relocate to a new building had impacted on the staff team. Although staff expressed concerns about their future, staff morale remained high and the atmosphere in the home was homely and pleasant. The people living there appeared happy and contented to be there.

Staff were provided with training and supervision, although supervisions had not been carried out as regularly in recent months. Staff were supported to apply for formal care qualifications and plans were being put in place for yearly appraisals.

Visiting professionals were confident that staff would contact them when there were concerns or when advice was required.

We spoke with four visitors who were visiting their friends and/or relatives. One person's relative said, 'You will be hard pushed to beat here. The staff are wonderful, my (relative) feels the same, it is very good.' One person's friend said, '(Person) is wonderfully looked after, staff are all good, (person) always looks lovely.'

People told us that the staff treated them with respect and kindness. One person said, 'They (staff) are all very good.' Another person said, 'They (staff) are always kind.' This was confirmed in our observations during our inspection. We saw that staff interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner.

We looked at the care records of seven people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

Staff training records that were seen showed that they were trained to meet the needs of the people who used the service.