21 February 2017
During a routine inspection
Wolborough Court provides accommodation and care for up to 25 people. People living at the home are older people, some of whom were living with dementia or a physical disability. On the day of the inspection, 23 people were living at the home.
The home had a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us they were happy living at Wolborough Court. People at the home reacted positively to the registered manager and the culture within the home supported a warm and friendly atmosphere. People received support from staff that treated them well and prioritised their needs. People were relaxed and comfortable around staff and staff understood the need to maintain people's dignity. People were supported to maintain good relationships with people that were important to them.
People felt safe living at the home. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staffing levels ensured people received the support they required to keep them safe and recruitment procedures protected people from receiving unsafe care from care staff unsuited to the job.
Staff had the relevant knowledge and skills to support people. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal meetings to monitor their performance and professional development. Staff used feedback from these meetings to improve their practice. Staff received on-going training to enable them meet people's needs.
Care plans described the support people required and explained people's preferences and routines. People were given choices about how and where they spent their time and this was respected by staff. People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs.
People's care plans included risk assessments of activities associated with their personal care and support routines. The risk assessments provided information for staff that enabled them to support people safely but without restricting their independence.
The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2015. Staff had awareness of the MCA and understood they could provide care and support only if a person consented to it and if the proper safeguards were put in place to protect their rights. There were people at Wolborough Court who were being cared for under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
People enjoyed the food and were supported to maintain a healthy diet. They could choose what they ate and their preferences and requirements were known and met by staff.
People were supported to take their medicines in a safe and timely manner by competent staff. Medicines were stored, recorded and disposed of safely and appropriately.
There was a complaints procedure in place and people were supported and empowered to make a complaint if they wished to. Complaints were investigated and appropriate actions were taken.
The provider and registered manager had ensured there were effective systems for governance, quality assurance and ensuring safe care for people. They demonstrated good leadership, and there was a clear ethos for the service, which was understood and put into practice by the staff. Systems for quality assurance included seeking the views of people living at the home, their relatives and staff about what could be improved and what was working well for them. This was done through questionnaires and regular meetings. Information for people was displayed in the home and included leaflets about people's rights and standards people should expect.
People lived in a safe environment. Rooms were decorated to individual taste and people could choose what items to keep there.
Records were well maintained, and notifications had been sent to CQC or other agencies as required by law.