The Moorings

Updated 15 February 2019

The Inspection ¿ 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.

The inspection team ¿ Consisted of an adult social care inspector, a specialist advisor (SPA) and an expert by experience. The SPA had clinical experience of supporting people with nursing needs. In addition, the expert-by-experience was a person who had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type ¿ The Moorings is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, both of which we looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection ¿ This comprehensive inspection visit took place on 22 January 2019 and was unannounced.

What we did preparing for and carrying out this inspection ¿ Before our inspection we completed our planning; tool and reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people supported by the service and previous inspection reports.

We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people supported by the service had been received. We contacted the commissioning departments who used The Moorings. We also contacted other health and social care organisations such as Healthwatch Lancashire. Healthwatch Lancashire is an independent consumer champion for health and social care. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at The Moorings.

As part of the inspection we used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection visit we spoke with a range of people about The Moorings. They included seven people who lived at the home, three relatives/friends, the registered manager, two senior staff members, and six care staff. In addition, we spoke with the cook, kitchen assistant and activity co-ordinator.

We looked at records relating to the management of the service. We did this to ensure the management team had oversight of the service and they could respond to any concerns highlighted or lead The Moorings in ongoing improvements. We also looked at staffing levels, recruitment procedures and the environment. We checked care records of four people who lived at the home and documents related to the safety of people who lived at The Moorings.

Updated 15 February 2019

What life is like for people using this service:

People who lived at The Moorings and relatives we spoke with only had positive comments about the management team and how the service operated. They told us good staffing levels afforded people responsive and dignified support.

It was evident through discussions with people and general observations staff morale was good. Everyone was committed to ensuring people received care and support based on their preferences and life choices. People told us they enjoyed the range of activities and felt well cared for. Comments included, “We have such a great activity person, [name] is unbelievable she is so enthusiastic and it is a joy to join in activities here.”

We observed staff administered medication with a skilled and secure approach, which the registered manager strengthened through training. They continued to have good oversight of relevant procedures through monitoring and auditing to ensure people who lived at the home received medication safely.

Staff files we looked at evidenced the registered manager used the same safe recruitment procedures we found at our last inspection. Staff records showed personnel received training to enhance their skills. Staff we spoke with confirmed this. In addition, in-house trainers provided courses throughout the organisation on the premises.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

Care plan information focused on a person-centred method of supporting people. Also, information contained what support was required and consent to care forms had been signed by people who lived at The Moorings or their representative.

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

Staff supported people with their meals sensitively and respected their privacy. Staff checked they had enough to eat and comments were positive in relation to quality of meals and choices available to them. The cook had a good knowledge of different cultural needs of people and offered alternative menus if required. One person who lived at The Moorings said, “Great cook and lots of choice the meals are excellent.”

People who lived at The Moorings were very positive about how they were cared for and treated by staff and the management team. One person who lived at the home said, “I could not get a more caring bunch of people anywhere else.”

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people and their family when they commenced using the service. People we spoke with told us they were happy with the support they received.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included staff and ‘resident’ meetings and satisfaction surveys to seek their views about the service provided. Recent surveys only produced positive comments about the home.

More information is in Detailed Findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 09 November 2016).

About the service:

Lakeview Rest Homes Limited provides care and support to people who lived at The Moorings. The home is a registered care home situated in Lytham St Annes. It is located close to public transport links, leisure and shopping facilities. It is registered to provide accommodation for up to 78 older people. The building is a five-storey property with two courtyard areas for people to enjoy.

At the time of the inspection visit there were 52 people who lived at the home.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated good overall.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme or if any issues or concerns are identified.