Stafford House Residential Care Home

Updated 6 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 scheduled comprehensive inspection took place on 05 and 22 of October 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered provider 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location was a small care home. We needed to be sure that someone would be in to assist us with the inspection.

This comprehensive inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

All the information gathered before our inspection went into completing a planning document that guides the inspection. The planning document allows key lines of enquiry to be investigated, focusing on any current concerns, areas of risk and good or outstanding practice.

Throughout the inspection process we gathered information from a variety of sources to help us understand the experiences of people who lived in the home. We spoke with three people who lived at the home and two relatives to seek their views on how the service was managed. We spoke with the registered manager and two members staff responsible for providing direct care.

We did not, on this occasion, conduct a SOFI. SOFI (Short Observational Framework for Inspection) is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who are unable to talk to us. This was due to the size of the home. We used the principles of SOFI when conducting our observations around the home .

We activated the call bell once during our visit to assess staff availability and response times. We spent time watching day to day activities, communication, relationships and care practices taking place. We did this to assess the quality of interactions that took place between people living in the home and the staff who supported them.

To gather further information, we looked at a variety of records. This included care plan files related to three people who lived at the home. We looked at administration and recording forms related to the management and administration of medicines and topical creams. We viewed training records of five staff and the recruitment records of three staff. We also looked at other information which was related to the service. This included health and safety certification, team meeting minutes, policies and procedures, complaint and concerns records and maintenance procedures.

We used all the information gathered to inform our judgements about the fundamental standards of quality and safety at Stafford House Residential Care Home.

Updated 6 November 2018

Stafford House provides accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care for up to 12 people. The home is situated on Cleveleys promenade close to the town centre. It comprises of three floors with lift access. There is a lounge and separate dining area. Bathroom and toilet facilities are situated on all floors. There were six people living at Stafford House at the time of our inspection.

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. At this inspection we found the service Good. We found the registered provider continued to provide a good standard of care to people who lived at the home.

Why the service is rated Good

At this inspection we found the registered provider had systems to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and took action as required.

The service carefully monitored and analysed such events to learn from them and improve the service.

Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices. The registered provider had reported incidents to the Care Quality Commission when required.

People told us staff were caring and respectful towards them. Staff we spoke with understood the importance of providing high standards of care and enabled people to lead meaningful lives.

We found there were sufficient numbers of staff during our inspection visit. They were effectively deployed, trained and able to deliver care in a compassionate and patient manner. One relative commented, “There is always staff available.”

Staff we spoke with confirmed they did not commence in post until the management team completed relevant checks. We checked staff records and noted employees received induction and training appropriate to their roles.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. Care records showed they were reviewed and any changes had been recorded.

We looked around the building and saw evidence of ongoing refurbishment. The home was clean and a safe place for people to live. We found equipment had been serviced and maintained as required. Staff wore protective clothing such as gloves and aprons when needed. This reduced the risk of cross infection.

Medication records provided staff with a good understanding about specific support needs of each person who lived at Stafford House Residential Care Home.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us they had plenty of food and drink with the option of additional snacks and drinks between meals.

We observed only positive interactions between staff and people who lived Stafford House Residential Care Home. We observed humour used to foster positive relationships. There was a culture of promoting dignity and respect towards people. We saw staff spent time with people as they completed routine tasks.

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people and visible within the home. People we spoke with, and visiting relatives, told us they were happy and had no complaints.

The management team used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits, staff meetings and daily discussions with people who lived at the home to seek their views about the service provided.

People were supported with activities and social interaction but the registered provider also respected people’s right to not participate and engage in valued activities independently.

The registered provider offered people dignified end of life support that extended after their passing. People preferences related to end of life care were recorded and respected.

Further information is in the detailed findings below .