Archived: Felix Holme RCH

Updated 29 January 2016

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

This was an unannounced inspection on 7 and 8 December 2015. It was undertaken by an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information we held about the home, including previous inspection reports. We contacted the local authority to obtain their views about the care provided. We considered the information which had been shared with us by the local authority and other people, looked at safeguarding alerts which had been made and notifications which had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we reviewed the records of the home. These included staff training records staff files including staff recruitment, and supervision records, medicine records complaint records, accidents and incidents, quality audits and policies and procedures along with information in regards to the upkeep of the premises.

We also looked at four care plans and risk assessments along with other relevant documentation to support our findings. We also ‘pathway tracked’ people living at the home. This is when we looked at their care documentation in depth and obtained their views on their life at the home. It is an important part of our inspection, as it allowed us to capture information about a sample of people receiving care.

During the inspection, we spoke with nine people who lived at the home, three visiting relatives, and six staff members including the owner and trainee manager. We spoke with two visiting healthcare professionals. We observed the care which was delivered in communal areas to get a view of care and support provided across all areas. This included the lunchtime meal.

Updated 29 January 2016

Felix Holme care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 20 older people. There were 17 people living at the home at the time of the inspection. People required a range of care and support related to the frailty of old age, most people lived relatively independent lives and required for example prompting with personal care and supervision to mobilise safely. People were able to live at the home permanently or for periods of respite care. Staff can provide end of life care with support from the community health care professionals but usually care was provided for people who need prompting and minimal personal care support.

Felix Holme is a family run home, it is owned by Bree Associates Limited and has one other home within the group. Accommodation was provided over three floors with a passenger lift and stair lift that provided access to all parts of the home. People spoke well of the home and visiting relatives confirmed they felt confident leaving their loved ones in the care of staff at Felix Holme.

There is a registered manager at the home, is also the registered manager for the other home where she spends the majority of her time. The owner of Bree Associates Limited and a trainee manager were responsible for the day to day running of Felix Holme. However, the registered manager had general oversight, spends time at the home at least twice a week and is contactable on a daily basis. 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.

This was an unannounced inspection which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming. It took place on 7 and 8 December 2015.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and were committed to providing them with kind and compassionate care. Feedback received from people and their representatives through the inspection process was positive about the care, the approach of the staff and atmosphere in the home. People and staff had benefitted from an open and positive culture at the home.

Staff knew and understood people’s care needs well and there were systems in place for all staff to share information. The care documentation supported staff with some guidelines and provided information about people’s choices and preferences.

There was a system in place to assess the quality of the service provided however this had not identified some of the shortfalls we found in relation to care documentation and this needs to be improved.

Recruitment records showed there were systems in place to ensure staff were suitable to work at the home. Staff understood the procedures in place to safeguard people from abuse and were able to give us examples of how they had raised concerns in the past. Medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely by staff who were suitably trained.

Staff received with an induction and training programme which supported them to meet the needs of people. Staffing arrangements ensured staff worked in such numbers, with the appropriate skills that people’s needs could be met in a timely way.

The manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Relevant guidelines were available for staff to reference. Staff had an understanding how to look after people without imposing any restrictions.

People told us they enjoyed the food and were given plenty of choices. People had access to health care professionals when they needed them.

Visitors told us they were welcomed at the home and were able to visit when they chose. People were given information on how to make a complaint and said they were comfortable to raise a concern or complaint if they needed to.

Feedback was regularly sought from people, relatives and staff. Resident and staff meetings were being held on a regular basis. This enabled people and staff to be involved in decisions relating to the home. People were encouraged to share their views on a daily basis and satisfaction surveys were being used.