Archived: Morrell House

We inspected this service on 5 and 6 May 2016. This inspection was unannounced. At the time of our inspection there were 26 people using this service.

The service was last inspected in November 2013 at which time it was compliant with all the regulations we assessed.

The registered provider is required to have a registered manager in post and on the day of the inspection there was a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

During this inspection we found that people’s needs were assessed, risks identified and risk assessments put in place to keep people safe.

Appropriate checks were completed to ensure that only people considered suitable to work with vulnerable adults had been employed. There were sufficient staff employed to meet people’s needs.

Staff we spoke with showed a good understanding of how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.

People were supported to take their prescribed medications, but there were discrepancies in records of medicines in stock. We have made a recommendation about this in our report.

Staff received effective training and supervision to support them in their role. The registered provider and registered manager were proactive in developing staff knowledge and implementing changes to provide effective dementia care.

People were supported to make decisions in line with relevant legislation.

People were supported to eat and drink enough and access healthcare services where necessary.

Staff were observed to be, and described by people using the service as, kind and caring. We observed that staff had developed meaningful caring relationships with the people they supported.

People told us that staff listened to them, respected their decisions and treated them with dignity and respect.

Care plans were person centred, reviewed and updated regularly and information was effectively communicated to enable staff to provide person centred care responsive to people’s needs.

People using the service told us there was not always a lot to do at Morrell House, but we saw that the registered manager and registered provider were developing the range of activities on offer to support and encourage people to engage in meaningful activities. We have made a recommendation about this in our report.

The service was well-led. We received positive feedback about the registered manager and the service provided. The registered manager and registered provider were proactive in developing the service, introducing numerous pilots and projects to improve the quality of the care and support provided and to improve the outcomes for people using the service.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and information regarding improvements or changes needed were communicate with staff.

We spoke with four visitors. Whilst three people spoke highly of the service, the fourth was less complimentary and we discussed their comments with the manager.

We saw people looked well cared for and were comfortable and relaxed in the presence of staff. We noted staff interactions were positive and respectful.

People's care needs were well met by a staff team that understood the needs of people with dementia, and who sought healthcare advice promptly, when necessary.

People's nutritional needs were regularly monitored. People were supported to have adequate nutrition and hydration.

People lived in a clean, hygienic environment although some infection prevention processes could be improved.

There were sufficient staff with appropriate skills to meet the care needs of the people living there.

People's care records were detailed, accurate and well-maintained.

We spoke to three relatives who were visiting the home who told us 'The staff are very good my wife is well looked after.' And 'People seem to be happy here." Another relative said 'The staff are always helpful.'

The staff told us that they had regular training and support from the management team at the home. Staff comments included, 'The training here is good. We get good support from the managers.'

We found that people, where they were able to understand had good information and support to make decisions, about their care or air their views about the home. We also found that good systems were in place to support people living at the home and the staff to raise concerns or complaints. Everyone we spoke with said that if they were upset or had a complaint they would either speak to a member of staff or the manager of the home.