Archived: Crossways Residential Care Home

This care service is owned by CLS Care Services Limited. They are registered to provide personal and respite care for up to 39 adults. A passenger lift and staircases provide access to all levels. The home is purpose built and situated in the village of Lostock Gralam, about three miles from Northwich town centre. Parking is available to the side of the building.

At the time of this inspection visit there were 31 people living at Crossways. They were supported by a staff team of 36.

There was a registered manager employed to work at the service and they have been registered for 10 months. 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.

People told us that they felt safe at the home with the staff. Appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures were in place and staff told us they would raise any concerns they had with the management team.

People said the staff were kind, friendly and respectful towards them. Relatives said that the home was well run by the new registered manager and that significant improvements had been made since his employment. Staff said the registered manager was very supportive and good improvements had been made since his arrival.

Robust recruitment processes were in place and people could be confident that checks had been undertaken to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff had undertaken a range of training suitable to their role and had met with their line manager for supervision and annual appraisals to discuss their work and training needs. Staff told us that they also had the opportunity to attend relevant meetings.

People told us the food was good and that they had plenty of choice. Other comments included “The food is hot and tasty”. We saw that mealtimes were a pleasant and enjoyable experience and one where people enjoyed their meals.

There were enough staff working to meet the needs of people. People said that staff were available when they needed them. We noted that an activities coordinator was employed at the service.

We looked at how complaints were dealt with. People told us they would approach the staff on duty or the management team if they had any concerns. The registered provider had not received any complaints since the last inspection, however, processes were in place should a complaint be raised and these showed they would be dealt with in a timely manner.

People told us that Crossways was clean and hygienic and on a tour of the building we saw that staff worked hard to ensure that the home’s cleanliness was maintained.

A range of audits were completed as part of the quality assurance processes used within the service. This meant that there were systems in place to ensure that all areas of the service are regularly monitored.

People and their relatives told us that they were asked on a regular informal basis if they were happy with the care and service provided. Annual surveys, care plan reviews and meetings were held on a regular basis. This meant that people had the opportunity to discuss any issues and help inform future planning at the service. People who took part in the survey were happy living at Crossways and were satisfied with the overall standard of the home.

People who lived in the home said the staff were very kind and "I am well cared for by the staff."

The care records showed that assessments of people's health and social needs had been completed. There was evidence within them to show that care had been evaluated on a regular basis. This meant that the service could demonstrate they could meet people's needs and maintain their health and well being.

The expert by experience spoke to 12 people who lived at Crossways, six relatives and several staff together with general observation over a four hour period. They observed people who lived in the home being treated in a dignified manner and with good responses to requests.

The inspector observed the breakfast and people confirmed that they were very happy with the food and they had their preferred choice for breakfast. One person commented 'You can have a cooked breakfast if you want.'

We noted that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

We looked at three care records and all had an assessment of their health and social needs completed. There were individual life plans and risk assessments in place. There was evidence within them to show they were evaluated on a regular basis. This meant that the home could demonstrate they could meet people's needs and maintain their health and well being.

We found that the provider had effective systems in place in relation to the training of its employees. We spoke to five members of staff. They commented "The staff team get on well together", "I enjoy the training", "The staff team are very good and caring", "We get lots of training", "The manager is really good", "I like the variety of my job. No day is the same" and "I found the training good and informative."

We also spoke to one relative and a health care professional. They commented "The home is clean and odour free", "The staff are lovely", "The staff are good and welcoming" and "There is a nice atmosphere here."