Chatsworth Residential Home

Chatsworth Residential Home provides care and accommodation for up to 26 older people and people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 26 people living in the service. Accommodation is provided over three floors with stair lifts providing access to the first floor and lower ground floor. Communal lounge and dining rooms are situated on the ground floor.

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

People and relatives praised the home. People told us they felt safe and well cared for. People were supported to make decisions and choices about their care and their preferences were respected.

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 were seen to be kind, caring and friendly and it was clear staff knew people. For those people who were unable to share their views with us, we observed them to be comfortable in staff’s company, smiling and making eye contact.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to ensure people’s needs were met and recruitment practices were safe. Staff were well-trained and aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people.

Some documentation required minor amendment to ensure it contained information to support people’s independence and to mitigate risks to their health.

People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Medicine management practices were safe.

The environment was safe and equipment was regularly serviced to ensure it remained in safe working order.

Consideration was given to providing a variety of leisure and social activities for people to enjoy. The home maintained links with the local community by providing trips to local places of interest. People enjoyed regular visits from a local nursery school as well as making monthly visits to a local primary school.

The home was well managed. Quality assurance processes undertaken by the registered manager ensured people received high quality care that met their needs and respected their preferences.

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

Rating at last inspection and update: The last rating for this service was good. (published 18 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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good overall.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good in all areas.

Why the service is rated good.

One person said; “They are helpful and caring. They make me feel safe by understanding me.” Another person said; “They are very very caring” and a relative said; “You would be hard pushed to find a better home in Plymouth” while another said; “I’m 100% happy with dad’s care here.”

People remained safe at Chatsworth Residential Home because they received their medicines safely. People, relatives and staff told us there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Risk assessments had been completed to help people to retain as much independence as possible and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others.

People continued to receive care from staff who had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support them. Staff had regular training and were competent. People were supported to have as much choice and control of their lives as possible. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff and people had access to healthcare professionals according to their individual needs.

People said the staff were kind and very caring. One relative said; “Dad’s care is second to none!” There was a calm atmosphere in the service with staff supporting people with their care needs discreetly. People's privacy was respected. People where possible, or their representatives, were involved in decisions about the care and support people received.

The service remained responsive to people's individual needs. Care and support was personalised to each individuals which helped ensure people were able to make choices about their day to day lives. Complaints were fully investigated and responded to. A relative said; “Never needed to make a complaint but I know they would listen and sort it.”

People were assisted to take part in a wide range of activities according to their individual interests. Entertainers visited the service and trips out were also planned for people.

The service continued to be well led. People, relatives and staff told us the registered manager was always very approachable. The registered manager and provider sought people's views to make sure people were at the heart of any changes within the home. The registered manager and provider had monitoring systems which enabled them to identify good practices and areas of improvement.

We saw people's privacy and dignity being respected at all times. We saw and heard staff speak to people in a way that demonstrated a good understanding by staff of people's choices and preferences. One person said, 'I like to get up early and they never mind'.

Staff we spoke with were clear about the actions they would take should they have any concerns about people's welfare.

We looked at care records for three people. We spoke to staff about the care given, looked at records relating to them, met with them and observed staff working with them.

We saw that people's care records described their needs and how those needs were met. This meant that people's care and welfare needs were being met.

During our visit to the home we saw sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of people living in the home. We spoke with most of the staff working during our visit and all agreed that the home had sufficient staff.

We saw that Chatsworth Residential Home held all records securely to protect people's confidentiality.

We saw people's privacy and dignity being respected at all times. We saw and heard staff speak to people in a way that demonstrated a good understanding by staff of people's choices and preferences. People said, 'The staff are excellent, always friendly' and a relative said, 'Mum is happy as Larry'.

Staff were clear about the actions they would take should they have any concerns about people's safety.

We pathway tracked four people who use the service. Pathway tracking means we looked in detail at the care four people received. We spoke to staff about the care given, looked at records related to them, met with them and observed staff working with them. We spoke with two visiting health professional who confirmed that the staff at the home were helpful.

We saw that people's care records described their needs and how those needs were met. We saw that people's mental capacity was assessed to determine if they were able to make particular decisions.

As part of the quality monitoring system, people who live in the home, and their relatives, were sent surveys to complete, that asked their views of the home.