Archived: Highfield Resource Centre

This inspection was undertaken on 18 January 2016, and was unannounced. The service was last inspected on 7 July 2014 and found to be compliant with all of the regulations that we assessed.

There was a registered manager at the service at the time of our inspection. 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 who used the service were safe. Care workers had been trained to recognise the signs of potential abuse and knew what actions to take if they suspected abuse had occurred. Appropriate numbers of safely recruited staff were deployed to meet the assessed needs of the people who used the service. Systems were in place to manage medicines safely. Staff who administered medicines had completed relevant training to enable them to do so safely and people were supported to self-medicate when possible.

People’s needs were met by staff who had undertaken relevant training. Staff received effective levels of support, professional development and mentorship. People who used the service were supported to make decisions about the care and support they received. Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and understood the need to gain consent before care was provided. People’s nutritional needs were assessed and monitored; their preferences and dietary requirements were known and catered for. Advice from relevant health care professionals was provided as part of the multi-disciplinary approach utilised within the service.

People were supported by kind, caring and attentive staff who understood their preferences for how their care and support should be delivered. Staff understood the importance of respecting people’s privacy, supporting them to maintain their dignity and treating them as an individual.

A needs assessment had been completed for each person who used the service which was then used to develop an individual plan of care. People’s views were listened too, recorded and used to ensure they received care in line with their preferences. A range of equipment was available which helped to ensure people could maintain their independence and develop their independent living skills.

A quality assurance system was in place that consisted of audits, checks and feedback from people who used the service. When shortfalls were identified action was taken to improve the level of service. There was a registered manager in place who understood the requirement to report notifiable incidents that occurred within the service.

At this inspection we confirmed the way medication was stored and the arrangements in place to ensure its security were appropriate.

We reviewed the medication administration records (MARs) and found them to be accurate; we saw that when a person had refused their medication this had been recorded. This meant people received prescribed medicines as directed.

The senior care worker showed us a stock cupboard for medicines that would be transferred to the trolleys when required. We noted the MARs accurately recorded the transfer of stock from the cupboard to the trolley.

We saw the storage area for unwanted, unused and out of date medicines. We saw these were returned to the local pharmacy at least once a week. We reviewed records signed by the receiving pharmacy to confirm the safe transfer of individual medicines for destruction.

We looked in the small clinical storage area in an office downstairs used by district nurses who provided continuing care in the home. We saw this secure cupboard contained only one type of medication which was appropriate for the care of the people living at the home.

We spoke with one person's relatives who told us, 'My dad has been here for about seven years and we have never had to complain about a thing. The staff are absolutely wonderful; he enjoys really good banter with them.'

We were present whilst lunch was taken. People told us the food was appetising. One person told us, 'The food is excellent; can't fault it.'

We looked around the home and observed a good overall standard of cleanliness. We saw people's rooms were clean and communal areas were clean and tidy and the home was free from mal odour. One person's relatives told us, 'The home is spotless; excellent in fact.'

We found medicines were kept safely. They were stored appropriately and securely in a designated room. We found medicines were signed as received into the home and when they were administered to people.

We looked at staff records and saw processes were in place for formal supervision and appraisal.

We asked people at the home if they were able to make complaints and how these were managed. One person said, 'I've never needed to complain because I am happy but there are forms if I did need to.'