The inspection took place on the 27 November 2014. It was unannounced. At the last inspection the service was fully compliant with the regulations we looked at.
Stoneleigh Care Home provides personal care and accommodation for up to 14 older people. There were eleven people living at the home on the day of our visit. The service is in the village of Bielby and all of the accommodation provided is on the ground floor. There is wheelchair access and the home has large grounds with a vegetable plot, a large duck pond and chickens.
The home has 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People unanimously told us they felt safe and cared for living at Stoneleigh Home. They told us that staff responded to them quickly and knew and understood their needs. The care we observed throughout our visit demonstrated a real person centred ethos.
The service had safeguarding vulnerable adult’s policies and procedures which were understood by staff. Staff received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and all those spoken with confirmed that they would tell someone should any aspect of poor care be observed.
Staff understood individual risks to people and worked with them to minimise these risks whilst also supporting them to remain as independent as possible.
All of the people living at Stoneleigh Home spoke highly of staff and we observed warm friendly relationships between people living and working at the home. It was a family environment which was very much evident throughout our visit. Recruitment systems were robust and appropriate checks were completed before people started work.
Medication systems were well managed and the provider agreed to implement competency checks (checks on their staff) as an additional measure.
People told us the service was effective at meeting their needs. They described it as ‘outstanding’ and said that the registered manager and staff regularly went the extra mile to ensure people had things which were important to them. People’s likes dislikes and personal preferences were very much catered for.
Training was provided for all staff and staff could suggest courses which were of interest or which would benefit people living at the home. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are part of the MCA (Mental Capacity Act 2005) legislation which is in place for people who are unable to make decisions for themselves. The legislation is designed to ensure that any decisions are made in people’s best interests.
People told us the food was excellent and all spoke highly of the meals provided.
People all expressed positive comments regarding the care they received. They told us they were treated with kindness and compassion and we saw this throughout our visit. They told us that staff respected their privacy and maintained their dignity at all times. Professionals also spoke highly of the service and the way in which people were cared for.
People told us that the registered manager and staff responded to their needs. Each person had individual care records which focused on them as a person. They told us that social opportunities were available and said they could choose how to spend their time.
The home had not received any complaints; however people told us that they could raise concerns if they needed to.
People unanimously told us that the service was well led. This included people living at the home, relatives, staff and other professionals. Everyone spoke highly of the registered manager and staff and there was a strong caring ethos which was evident from both feedback and observations.
There were a number of quality monitoring systems in place which focused on reviewing and improving the service on a continual basis. It was evident throughout our visit that people living there remained at the heart of everything staff did. The registered managers continual presence in the service demonstrated that they ‘led by example.’ This was also confirmed by staff during our visit. The home was well managed and run.