Arbour Walk

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

People and their relatives told us staff were kind and had the skills needed to provide safe and effective care. People felt safe with the staff who supported them with their care needs. One person told us, “ I feel safe because I know I have got someone to talk to when I am feeling low, I talk to staff when I am not feeling well, I like speaking to the manager, he sorts things out .” Another person said, “ I feel safe, I have always got carers around, we are looked after.”

Staff were guided in how to support people safely by current risk assessments showing how to reduce risks for each person they supported. The staff had an up to date understanding of safeguarding. This meant they were aware of what to do to keep people safe, if they thought they were vulnerable to abuse.

There was a system to monitor and learn after accidents and incidents had taken place. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff knew how to reduce the spread of infection.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe staff. This was because recruitment and selection processes were in place to employ suitable staff. There were enough staff deployed to provide care and support to people that was safe and met their needs.

Regular training for staff was in place. This meant staff were effectively trained to ensure they were fully competent in their work. New staff undertook an induction when they started. Staff spoke positively about the ongoing training they received. They said it helped them to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Staff attended meetings and met frequently with a senior staff member to discuss and reflect on their practice.

People were assisted to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service assisted this practice.

People enjoyed the food options and their dietary needs were well catered for. Staff were skilled at encouraging people to eat and drink enough.

People were able to see health professionals when needed. The environment was very dementia friendly and supported people's needs. For example, there was easily readable signage throughout the home to help people find their around.

People spoke very highly of the registered manager and staff team. One person said, “Management is beyond comparison, the care and the trouble they go to, of course I would recommend it, it is the people, we are family now.” Another person told us, “The atmosphere is light-hearted, staff seem to mix well with one another, with the virus they coped very well, they learnt to adjust, they have a calling.”

Quality monitoring systems and processes were in place and were effective at improving the service even further. These were used to review feedback and to check care delivery, staff performance and training.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was the first comprehensive inspection of the service since it was registered with us on 6 March 2020. We carried out a focused inspection of the service on 12 February 2021 where we looked at the safe and well led domains. There were no concerns identified at that time.

Why we inspected

The inspection was undertaken to provide a rating for the service.

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.

You can read the report from our last inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Arbour Walk on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

There was a registered manager for the service. 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.

Relatives told us that they felt family members were safe and secure at the home and they confirmed for us that staff were kind and treated them in a respectful way. When risks to people were identified suitable actions were implemented to aim to keep people safe.

Relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and staff. However, some relatives told us they had found communication with the home sometimes a challenge. For example, when they rang the home out of office core hours it could take a very long time for the phone to be answered.

People’s needs were met in a timely manner. This was because people were supported by enough staff to meet their needs.

Staff recruitment procedures were safe. There were systems in place to reduce the likelihood of unsafe and unsuitable staff being taken on at the home. There were effective quality checking systems being used to monitor the service and overall experiences for people who lived at the home. This helped ensure people received care that was personalised to their needs. Quality audits picked up where improvements were needed, and actions were then implemented to address the areas concerned.

Care plans showed what actions staff needed to do to meet people’s range of care and nursing needs. Staff understood what was written in each person’s care records and they knew how to provide care that was flexible to each individual and met their needs.

The provider worked to ensure the views of people and their families were sought. Suggestions and feedback were taken seriously and were acted upon. Changes were made to the service where possible.

Staff spoke positively of the registered manager. Staff felt they provided supportive, as well as effective, management and leadership. The staff team told us they were well supported by the registered manager who spoke positively about their role. Staff said they saw them often and they were always there when they needed support and advice.

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with us in March 2020.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection control and falls risks. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. Our visit gave us assurance that the provider had learnt from recent occurrences and clear actions had been taken.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.