16 May 2012
During a routine inspection
We observed staff respecting people's privacy and dignity and we saw people moving about the home making choices about where and how they wanted to spend their time.
One person who used the service described it as 'a wonderful place, everyone is looked after'. 'This place is first class and I couldn't ask for anything better'. Another person we spoke with described the home as 'a nice place'.
During our observations throughout the day we saw that people who used the service appeared comfortable and relaxed in their home. We saw staff supporting and spending time with people in meaningful engagement and regularly offering people drinks or taking time to chat to people in a relaxed and friendly manner.
When we spoke with staff on duty they told us that the afternoons were generally quiet and they had time available to spend with people. They said that some people like to sit and chat and others like to do activities of their choice.
People's rooms appeared homely and were personalised and we could see that people had been able to bring in personal items of their choosing.
The service had a designated dining room but people who used the service were able to choose where they wished to take their meals. During our visit we saw that some people chose to eat their meals in their rooms
We did not directly observe lunch but we heard some of the interactions between staff and people who used the service at lunchtime. People's dietary preferences had been taken into account and staff respected these. Staff were heard enabling people to make choices about what they wished to eat and drink throughout the day.
Where possible people who used the service or their representatives had been involved in planning their care and had agreed the content of their written care plan.
Some records we saw recorded when people had expressed a wish not to do something and this had been respected by staff.
We spoke to one member of staff who worked in the home on a temporary basis and they were very positive about the home. They said 'I love it here'. 'All the staff are wonderful'.
During our visit we spoke with three people who used the service. They spoke positively about the home and told us that they felt safe and that staff cared for them well. One person who used the service told us that they felt 'as safe as is possible'.
People told us that that if they did have any concerns they would feel comfortable raising these with staff and the registered manager.
We spoke with one member of staff and they told us that they did not feel they had received sufficient training to meet the needs of the people in their care and to ensure safe practices.
One person worked at the home frequently on a temporary basis. They said that although they were not employed at the home they were always encouraged to join in with any training sessions which take place and had been made to feel like part of the team.
During our visit we looked at range of records which included reviewing the care records for three people who used the service. Not all of the records we saw were up-to date and accurately reflected people's needs.