Falmouth Court Care Home

Falmouth Court is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 66 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people using the service.

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

Falmouth Court is a newly built service which was not yet fully occupied. We were told this was due to challenges in recruiting new staff, especially senior carers. The registered manager told us, “We want to be sure we can provide the best care for people and don’t want to overstretch the staff we have. So, we are not admitting any more people until we have recruited the right staff.”

There were enough staff to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Staff knew people well. The service had some staff vacancies at this time. Processes in place helped ensure safe recruitment.

The provider had effective safeguarding systems in place and staff knew what actions to take to help ensure people were protected from harm or abuse.

People received their prescribed medicines in a safe way. Staff used paper Medicines Administration Records (MAR) to record all administrations. Regular medicine audits were taking place. However, we have made a recommendation in the Safe section of this report regarding the process in place when staff add handwritten entries on to the MAR. These entries were not always signed by two staff in line with services’ medicines policy.

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 worked within the principles of the MCA and sought people's consent before providing personal care and assistance. Guidance in care plans guided staff to help build independence wherever possible.

Identified risks were assessed and monitored. Care plans contained guidance and direction for staff on how to meet people’s needs and reduce risks.

The food looked appetising and there were staff available to support people where needed. The dining experience was enhanced by the pleasant ambiance in the dining areas. Hosts served people with their meals and wine if wished.

Care plans were paper based and contained current accurate guidance and direction for staff to meet people’s identified needs. Care plans were regularly updated and reviewed. Staff supported people well and people experienced good outcomes.

Staff felt supported by the management team. Their comments included, “We are well treated by the management. When we have been a bit short staffed over the weekend or evenings, the manager always calls us to check we are all ok. They will even come back in, if necessary,” “I love the managers they are the best people to work for, so easy to work with. They respect you and recognise you for what you do, not at all intimidating” and “It is a nice group of people to work with.”

Relatives’ were very positive about the service. Their comments included, “They are amazing here, absolutely amazing,” “We could not be more impressed with the care they get,” and “(Person’s name) has a lovely room, more activity than they can deal with, they want for nothing,” “They want for nothing” and “(Person’s name) wanted to have their own food so they put a fridge in her room, and we bring things in for them.”

There were activities provided seven days a week. People had asked for some activities to be provided later in the afternoon/early evening so that their visitors were not rushed. People were regularly provided with opportunities to go out into the local area on the service transport. There were many occasions where members of the local community came into Falmouth Court. Relatives told us, “There is so much going on in terms of social activity "and "They have lots of activities that (Person’s name) can get engaged in.”

One visiting healthcare professional told us, “People living here are often up and about and busy, often they are out. Sometimes it is difficult to find them as they are in different places in the home enjoying an activity or socialising.”

People were provided with learning opportunities by the activities team. Where some people found they could no longer carry out their hobbies due to healthcare conditions, staff supported them to learn new ways to enjoy their hobbies. We saw many examples of people learning new skills and improving the quality of their lives.

The registered manager and the provider had effective oversight of the service. There was a robust audit programme in place to help identify any areas of the service that may require improvement.

People, staff and relatives were asked for their views and experiences at meetings held by the registered manager. These events led to changes being made in the service in response to feedback. Comments about the registered manager were positive.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. Relatives were kept informed of any changes in people’s needs or incidents that occurred.

The registered manager and staff worked closely with local health and social care professionals to meet people’s needs.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

We registered this service on 14 January 2022 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.