Littlewood Manor Care Home

Littlewood Manor provides accommodation for up to 54 older people, including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 41 people lived at the home.

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

Recruitment systems were in place, however, systems for staff employment needed to be more robust to ensure all checks were completed. We have made a recommendation about this. The building was clean and hygienic, and staff were seen to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Sufficient care and domestic were deployed to meet people’s needs. A visiting professional said, “The place is kept very clean and well-maintained staff do a great job.” Safeguarding training was mandatory, and staff were aware of the processes to follow to enable people to keep safe. Risks were assessed and carefully monitored to ensure individuals safety. People received their medicines safely.

The aim of the management and staff team was to provide an emphasis on promoting dignity, respect and independence for people supported by the service. They told us they were treated as individuals and received the attention they required. A relative said, “They do treat [relative] with care and dignity. We observed staff spent time with people and comments found staff to be patient and caring. One person said, “They always have time to sit and chat, whenever you need a member of staff they are there.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's care and support had been planned proactively and in partnership with them. People felt consulted and listened to about how their care would be delivered. Care plans were organised and had identified the care and support people required. Mealtimes were relaxed and organised around people's individual daily routines. One person said, “The food is varied and lovely, home cooking which I like.” There was a programme of staff training and regular updates were documented for staff to attend courses on site with the in-house training staff.

People were supported to have access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs had been met. The service worked in partnership with other organisations to ensure they followed good practice and people in their care were safe. The services had a complaints procedure which was made available to people and their family when they commenced using the service. Activities were varied, staff had worked hard with people to provide meaningful social activities to provide stimulation and exercise.

The management team had auditing systems to maintain ongoing oversight of Littlewood Manor and make improvements where necessary. Surveys had been introduced for staff, people and their relatives. However more frequent methods of gathering people’s views formally were in the process of being introduced by the management team.

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 service was registered with us on 23 March 2022 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 02 September 2019.

Why we inspected

This was a planned first inspection based on their registration.

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.