Background to this inspection
Updated
10 April 2020
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
Tamar House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at on this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information from other agencies and statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We met with most people who used the service and spoke to ten people in more detail about the care they received. We spoke to ten visitors, six staff members, the registered manager and deputy manager. We also spoke with two visiting professionals. We reviewed the care records of three people, medicine records, records of accidents, incidents, compliments and complaints. We reviewed staff recruitment, training and support information as well as audits and quality assurance reports.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
10 April 2020
About the service
Tamar House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 28 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 27 people were receiving support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Some people were not able to tell us verbally about their experience of living at Tamar House. Therefore, we observed the interactions between people and the staff supporting them.
Other people and their relatives told us they were happy with the care they received and felt safe living there. One person said; “I’m very safe here” and “Very very happy here!” A relative said; “Can’t speak highly enough of them.” People looked very happy and comfortable with staff supporting them. Staff were caring and spent time chatting with people as they moved around the service.
People's needs were met in an individual and personalised way by staff who were exceptionally kind, caring and responsive to their changing needs. People felt listened to and knew how to raise concerns. The service was responsive and innovative in looking at ways of meeting people’s social needs.
Enough staff who had been recruited safely were available to meet people's needs and we observed staff respecting people's privacy and protecting their dignity.
People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. People received safe care and treatment from staff who had the knowledge and skills they needed. The environment was safe, with upgrades and redecoration ongoing. People had access to equipment where needed.
People were supported to take medicines safely. Good standards of hygiene were maintained, and people had been helped to receive prompt medical attention when necessary.
People enjoyed the meals and their dietary needs had been catered for. This information was detailed in people's care plans. Staff followed guidance provided to manage people's nutrition and pressure care.
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.
Staff had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. They received regular supervision to help develop their skills and support them in their role.
Effective governance systems were in place, ensuring people received consistent care.
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 23 August 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.