Southmead Rest Home

Southmead Rest Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 16 people. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

The property is set in a residential area and provides accommodation in a building that has been adapted to meet the physical needs of older people living at Southmead.

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

People told us they felt safe living at Southmead. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in recognising and reporting concerns of abuse or poor practice. People had their risks assessed, monitored and reviewed and staff understood the actions needed to mitigate risks of avoidable harm. Staff were recruited safely with checks ensuring candidates suitability to work with older people. Staffing levels meant that people had their care needs and lifestyle choices met. Infection, prevention and control practices were in line with best practice. People had their medicines administered safely.

People had assessments completed that identified their care and support needs and lifestyle choices. Staff had an induction, ongoing training and support that enabled them to carry out their role effectively. People’s eating and drinking needs were understood and met, including allergies and special dietary needs. The building was undergoing a refurbishment and people had been involved in choosing colour schemes, wallpapers and fabrics. People had access to healthcare both planned and in an emergency. 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.

People and their families described care as friendly and kind. Staff knew people well and provided both physical and emotional support when needed. People told us staff had time to sit and have a chat and felt they were in control of decisions about their day to day lives. Staff treated people with respect, ensured their dignity and privacy was maintained and understood the importance of confidentiality.

People received person centred care that reflected their individuality. Staff knew people well and supported them to maintain interests, hobbies and relationships with family and friends. This included activities that promoted physical health, celebrations of key social events and religious beliefs. A complaints policy was in place and people and their families told us they felt able to raise issues knowing they would be listened to and any action needed would be taken. People had their last wishes known and end of life care was tailored to the person and supported by community health teams.

The culture of Southmead was described as open and honest. The staff team were motivated, felt appreciated and that they had a voice. Regular meetings enabled people, families and the staff team to be involved in service development, share ideas and learning. Quality assurance processes were developing and feeding into a service improvement plan that was driving sustainable improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 1 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was undertaken as the service had not been rated. We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.