Lynmere Nursing Home

About the service

Lynmere Nursing Home is a care home providing accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care to up to 24 people. The service provides support to older people, people with a physical disability and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people using the service. The home accommodates people in one single-storey building. People have their own bedrooms and can access communal areas including adapted bathrooms, lounges and dining areas.

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

Medicines were managed safely by trained staff and people received their medicines as prescribed. There was a safeguarding policy in place and staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. The home was clean and tidy. Staff had been recruited safely and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Care plans were informative to guide staff on people’s immediate care needs, how to manage risks and how people preferred to have their care delivered. Regular home safety and equipment checks were in place.

There was a mandatory training programme in place and staff completed the care certificate. Staff received supervision and ongoing support. Feedback about food and drink was positive and kitchen staff were aware of people’s preferences and individual risks around food and drink. People were supported to access healthcare and the service facilitated appropriate and timely referrals to other agencies and professionals.

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 were cared for by caring, respectful, and attentive staff who knew people well. We observed many kind and caring interactions. People were treated with dignity and kindness and were observed to be well cared for and had their independence respected. Feedback from people, relatives and visiting professionals was positive about the care provided at the home.

The service had a warm and homely environment and welcomed people's relatives, friends and pets, especially during activities and events. This helped people maintain important relationships. Group activities and entertainment were provided at the home and bespoke, one-to-one time was provided to those people who stayed in their room.

People, relatives and visiting professionals were very positive about the registered manager and staff team. The registered manager had built relationships with stakeholders and other professional teams.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 8 December 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

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

Follow up

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

At the last inspection on 17 and 18 November 2014, the service was rated 'Good'. At this inspection, we found the service remained 'Good'.

There was a registered manager 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.

There were sufficient staff to meet the needs of the people who used the service. However, one person’s family member felt the call bells were not always responded to in a timely manner.

The recruitment procedure was robust and measures were taken to help ensure employees were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

Systems for the management and administration of medicines were safe. It was clear that people had received their medicine as prescribed. Regular medicines audits were consistently identifying if errors occurred. However, guidelines for when people needed 'as required' medicines were not in place. The registered manager was keen to ensure this was put in place as soon as possible.

People received support that continued to be caring and respectful. People's privacy and dignity was respected by those providing assistance.

People had care and support plans that continued to reflect their personal needs and preferences. When changes occurred in people's personal and medical circumstances, these plans were reviewed to reflect the changes.

People had access to a wide range of meaningful activities. Two activity co-ordinators were in post who arranged regular activities for people. One to one activity was provided for people who were being cared for in their bedrooms.

Staff demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA). Staff gained people's consent before providing personal care. People were involved in the planning of their care which was person centred and updated regularly, however the provider needed to ensure care plans reviews were clearly evidenced.

Staff members knew people's likes and dislikes and supported them in the manner they preferred. People and their relatives were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints. The provider had systems in place to address any issues raised with them.

The service had an open culture which encouraged communication and learning. People, relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive continuous improvement.

The provider had quality assurance systems in place to review the quality of the service to help drive improvement.

The staff we spoke to were clear on how to maintain people's dignity and privacy and gave examples of how they achieved this. One member of staff told us; 'It's their home, it's important that we respect that.'

We saw that staff interacted well with people using the service and were kind and caring in the way that they delivered care to people.

Relatives we spoke to confirmed that they were happy with the food provided at the home, they told us; 'The meals are freshly cooked and they are very nice.'

Systems were in place to audit and monitor the quality of care provided to people using the service. This meant that people using the service were protected against unsafe care.

We asked the deputy manager what systems she had in place for dealing with complaints, she told us that there was a complaints policy and a folder for recording any investigations. We were able to confirm that a suitable policy and recording mechanism was in place.