We visited the service on Monday 13th August 2012. We spoke with nine people, one health care professional, four members of staff, the manager, one provider and the area manager for the organisation.Not everyone was able to tell us what it was like living at the home as some people had dementia type illnesses. Therefore, we used our SOFI (Short Observational Framework for Inspection) tool to help us see what people's experiences were. The SOFI tool allows us to spend time watching what is going on in a service and helps us to record how people spend their time and whether they have positive experiences. This includes looking at the support that is given to them by the staff. We spent 40 minutes watching in the communal lounge and found that overall people had positive experiences. The staff supporting them knew what support they needed and they respected their wishes if they wanted to manage on their own. The support that we saw being given to people matched what their care plan said they needed.
People told us they were happy with the care they received and were able to make choices about their lifestyle. We were told that people were able to get up and go to bed when they chose to and that the staff listened to requests and responded accordingly.
During our inspection we saw that staff always knocked on bedroom doors. However, we also witnessed that staff did not always wait for a response before entering.
We found that people's physical health care needs were planned and delivered in a way that helped to ensure their safety, welfare and wellbeing.
People appreciated the help and care staff provided and they told us they thought staff were well trained and qualified. We saw that people appeared well cared for. People being nursed in bed appeared clean, comfortable and pain free. They had call bells and drinks within reach.
There were many thank you cards on display. These thanked staff for their 'Kindness', 'Compassion' and 'Loving care.' People told us they were happy with the care they received.
People told us that the call bell response time was generally within 5 minutes both day and night.
The care staff we spoke with had a good knowledge of what people's needs were and how to meet those needs.
People said that a doctor would be called if the need arose. People said they access NHS services where necessary.
We saw that risk assessments were in place at the home to help identify people who may be at risk including falls, malnutrition or the development of pressure sores. We saw that appropriate action had been taken where risk had been identified.
People spoken with said they felt safe living at the home and said that they had no concerns for either themselves or their possessions. People also said that they knew how to raise any concerns with the home. Only one person said they had made a complaint to the manager and said that they had been satisfied with the outcome.
People told us they enjoyed the food provided at the home. People told us the food was, 'Alright', 'Excellent', and 'Very good'. Lunch was served in the dining room which was light and presented with table cloths and flowers for decoration. People had a choice of eating in the dining room, the lounge or their bedroom.
People have access to a variety of organised activities. These included seasonal craftwork and making decorations for various celebrations. People also told us they had enjoyed recent visits from several musical activity leaders and a magician. We saw that fetes and garden parties are organised each year to raise funds for activities. We also saw that community groups visit the home. An example included visits from children from local schools.
People told us they had been asked about their religious beliefs and that there was a Christian based Communion service held in the home each week.
The building was clean, tidy and well maintained. There were systems in place to formally and informally monitor the quality of the service provided. However, people could not remember being asked about their opinions of the service.