Red Court is a 39 bedded care home for older people including those who require dementia care. Accommodation is 38 single rooms and one double bedroom. There are four choices of lounges and a conservatory which opens out to a large secluded landscaped garden. The Grove is a newly built care home on the same site as Red Court. When open, the home will provide residential and dementia care for up to 63 people. Accommodation is situated over three floors with communal lounges and kitchenette areas. Rooms have ensuite facilities and there is a large enclosed courtyard area on the ground floor. At the time of the inspection, The Grove was not open to admissions. The provider had began to recruit a dedicated staff team and would then proceed to accepting admissions on a planned basis. However, due to repair work in Red Court, the registered manager was using the accommodation in The Grove to provide care for more frail service users.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
The registered manager had worked the service for many years and was experienced in their role. They were knowledgeable and passionate about their job and the people living at the home. Staff were friendly and warm towards people and understood their needs well. Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people from harm and how to keep people safe.
Without exception, all of the people we spoke with told us they were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They were able to give examples of how they felt valued and well cared for by staff. We observed positive and warm engagement from staff throughout the inspection and it was clear that people were very relaxed and comfortable in staff's company.
Relatives were all positive in their feedback about the home. They spoke highly of the registered manager and staff and stated they would not hesitate to recommend the home to others.
There were sufficient numbers of staff in place to meet people's needs. The provider's recruitment processes were sufficiently robust to ensure that staff went through appropriate pre-recruitment checks. Staff were supported in their role through training, induction and supervision, which helped them to remain motivated and effective in their role.
Staff encouraged people to remain as independent as possible sought consent from people before providing care and support. People's ability to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their rights were protected and their liberty was not restricted unlawfully.
People told us that they liked the food and there was a choice available for them. There were activities available for people to engage in which were meaningful for them.
People were supported to have their healthcare needs met and there were systems in place to safely mange people's medicines.
Risks to people were assessed and monitored to help keep people safe. Where incidents took place, the registered manager reflected and implemented learning in order to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. The registered manager ensured that CQC were informed about significant incidents which occurred in the home, this was in line with regulatory requirements.
The registered manager sought feedback from people, relatives and staff in order to make improvements to the service. The provider had a system of audits and checks in place which monitored the quality and safety of the service.