Haydon View Residential Home is a care home located in Haydon Bridge which can accommodate up to 27 people. At the time of our inspection 12 people received care from the service, some of whom were living with dementia.
This inspection took place on 4 and 10 August 2015. The inspection was unannounced.
The last inspection we carried out at this service was in December 2013 when we found the provider was not meeting three of the regulations we inspected. These breaches related to safety and suitability of premises, assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision and records. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was meeting the legal requirements of these regulations.
A registered manager was in place. 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.
We saw that staff engaged with people positively, using their knowledge of people’s family lives, interests and the local area to encourage to people to take part in activities and interact with other people using the service. People, relatives and health professionals were overwhelmingly positive when talking about the care provided at the home.
Care was centred the individual person. Care plans records included photographs and detailed information about what was important to the person being supported. People gave us examples about how the choices about their care were respected, such as staff supporting them to get up late on a morning.
Staff had received training in end of life care, and those people who wished to, had considered and planned for how they would like to be cared for as they approached the end of their lives. Comments recorded in the compliments file included messages of thanks about how well relatives had been treated as they approached the end of their lives.
People we spoke with told us they felt safe and comfortable living at the home. Staff had been trained in how to respond to any safeguarding concerns. A social worker we spoke with told us staff shared any safeguarding issues with them promptly.
Risks related to care delivery and the environment had been assessed and information was available to staff on how to mitigate these risks. Accidents and incidents were analysed to determine where action should be taken to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. Medicines were well managed, and systems were in place to prevent the spread of infection.
The standard of accommodation had been improved since our last inspection, for example, a bathroom had been refurbished the décor within the home had been refreshed. Maintenance staff carried our regular checks to the premises and equipment to ensure these were safe to use and in good working order.
There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. We saw staff were able to complete their tasks in a calm unhurried manner and they had time to sit and talk with people. People, relatives and staff confirmed this. Staff personnel records showed recruitment policies were robust and procedures had been followed to confirm new employee’s identities and previous employment details.
Staff received appropriate training and this training was up to date. They had undertaken a range of care and safety related training, in addition to training based around the specific needs of people they supported. Staff met regularly with their supervisors to discuss their role and personal development.
Staff we spoke with, including the registered manager had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Where decisions had been made in peoples’ ‘best interests’, records were available to show MCA principles had been followed. Where people’s liberty had been restricted in their best interests, and for their own safety, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) had been applied for and approval granted.
People were happy with the food choices available to them. They told us they were given a choice at every meal, and snacks were available throughout the day. Adaptations had been made to the environment to enable people living with dementia to move around the home as independently as possible. People were supported to access health professionals and to have their healthcare needs met. A district nurse and general practitioner (GP) we spoke with told us referrals were made to them at appropriate times.
People told us their needs were met by staff at the home. Assessments of people’s needs were in place and reviewed regularly. Plans of people’s care were easy to follow and detailed. When we spoke with staff they were able to tell us how they supported people, and this information reflected information in their care records.
Activities were planned around people’s interests. An activities coordinator planned and arranged trips, entertainers and formal activities, whilst one to one activities were arranged by people’s key workers.
People were able to share their experiences of the service through regular meetings, and completion of satisfaction surveys. No complaints had been received in the 12 months prior to our visit.
People and relatives spoke highly of the registered manager. They told us she was approachable and that the service was well-led. Staff confirmed this, telling us that the manager’s door was ‘always open’.
Feedback from staff and visiting professionals were valued. Staff were asked to share their views on the home during regular staff meetings. Health professionals had been asked to provide feedback on the quality of the service provided. There was evidence that actions had been taken to make improvements where possible.
A range of audits were carried out to assess and monitor the quality of the service.
Improvements had been made to the standard of record keeping. Records were stored appropriately and on the whole well maintained.