Sidney Gale House

Updated 19 June 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection was completed by one inspector, and an expert by experience, who is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses care services, and a specialist advisor who was a nurse.

Service and service type: Sidney Gale House is a 'care home.' People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. There were 35 people living or staying at the service during the inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: This inspection was unannounced. We visited the service on 30 April 2019.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection we reviewed all information we held about the home, such as details about incidents the provider must notify CQC about. The provider sent us a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We spoke with 14 people and three relatives to ask them about their experience of the care provided. We looked at three people’s care records and at their medicine records. We spent time in communal areas and observed staff interactions with people. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with the registered manager, and the provider’s service manager. We also spoke with eight members of staff which included the management team and care staff. We looked at quality monitoring records relating to the management of the service. The registered manager sent us information about staff training, additional evidence to support outcomes for people and the management of the service. We sought feedback health and social care professionals who worked with staff at the home. We also asked for additional feedback from relatives and staff via our website. We did not receive any additional feedback.

Updated 19 June 2019

About the service: Sidney Gale House is a residential care home that was providing personal care to 35 older people, some of whom were living with dementia, at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

There was a very homely and welcoming atmosphere where people were supported by staff who were exceptionally kind and caring. Feedback about the caring approach of staff was positive. People were treated with dignity and respect in a way that truly valued them as individuals. Sidney Gale House provided a friendly, welcoming and happy environment for people and visitors.

People received person centred care from staff who developed positive, meaningful relationships with them. Staff knew about people’s life history, personal circumstances, their preferences, interests and communication needs. People had opportunities to socialise and pursue their interests and hobbies. Care plans were detailed and up to date about people's individual needs and preferences.

People and relatives said the service was safe. Staff demonstrated an awareness of each person's safety and how to minimise risks for them. They were supported by staff with the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff had regular training and felt confident in their role.

Risks to people's health, safety and wellbeing were assessed. Risk management plans were put in place to make sure risks were reduced as much as possible whilst still promoting their independence.

People were supported in the least restrictive way possible; the policies, systems and culture in the service supported this practice.

There was strong leadership at the service and people and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. There was a positive culture at the service where staff felt listened to and supported. There was a strong drive to continuously improve the service for people.

The registered manager and provider had robust quality assurance systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. There was strong open culture that focused on learning lessons and finding different ways of making improvements for people.

Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement (report published on 31 May 2018)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating from the last inspection. The service has improved from ‘Requires Improvement’ and is now rated ‘Good’.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk