Flowers House is registered to provide support for older people who require personal care, and have a diagnosis of dementia, in their own homes. On the day of our visit, there were 31 people receiving care and support.
The inspection was announced and took place on 10 July 2015.
The service had a registered manager. 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 were protected from abuse and felt safe. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and knew how to respond appropriately to any concerns to keep people safe.
Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and were detailed clearly within people’s care plans. Staff used these to assist people to remain as independent as possible
There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed.
Systems were in place to ensure that medicines were administered and handled safely.
Staff received on-going training. They were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities and had the skills and experience required to support people with their care needs.
We found that, where people lacked capacity to make their own decisions, consent had been obtained in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.
People’s nutritional needs had been assessed and they were supported to make choices about their food and drink if this was an assessed part of their package of care.
People were supported to attend health appointments when required and to see health and social care professionals as and when required. Prompt action was taken in response to illness or changes in people’s physical and mental health.
Staff treated people with kindness, respect and compassion and cared for them according to their individual needs.
Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care.
People told us their needs were met and they were supported to take part in meaningful activities and pursue hobbies and interests.
Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and preferences and we received positive feedback from relatives about the service provided by staff.
People knew how to make a complaint if they needed to, and were confident that the service would listen to them. The registered manager investigated and responded to people’s complaints in accordance with the provider’s complaints procedure.
We saw that people were encouraged to have their say about how the quality of services could be improved and were positive about the leadership provided by the manager. We found that a system of audits, and reviews were also used to good effect in monitoring performance and managing risks.
The service benefitted from good leadership and staff were positive in their desire to provide good quality care for people. The registered manager demonstrated a clear vision and set of values based on person centred care and independence.