Archived: Thorndene Residential Home

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 6 January 2015. We last inspected the service in October 2013 and found they were meeting the Regulations we looked at.

Thorndene Residential Home is situated on the outskirts of Doncaster, and is in easy reach of local shops and amenities. The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 22 older people. Accommodation is located on both the ground and first floor. There is a small car park at the front and enclosed gardens at the side and rear of the home. At the time of this inspection there were 19 people who used the service living at the home.

The service has a registered manager who has been registered with the Care Quality Commission since January 2014. 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 told us they felt safe living in Thorndene. One person said, “I have lived here for a while and it’s ‘easy’ we are all very relaxed and I don’t think there is anything for us to worry about.” Another person told us they felt safe because there was always someone there or they would come straight away if they pulled their alarm chord. The person said, “I had a fall in my room the day before and staff came straight away and checked me out”.

There were procedures to follow if staff had any concerns about the safety of people they supported. The requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were in place to protect people who may not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) sets out what must be done to make sure that the human rights of people who may lack mental capacity to make decisions are protected, including balancing autonomy and protection in relation to consent or refusal of care or treatment.

People’s physical health was monitored as required. This included the monitoring of people’s health conditions and symptoms so appropriate referrals to health professionals could be made. For example we saw from records that people had received intervention from a speech and language therapist (SALT). This meant people with swallowing difficulties received food and fluids appropriate to their needs. One person said, “If I needed a doctor I’d tell them (staff) and they’d arrange it. If a doctor can’t come they’d take you.” This was confirmed by the person’s relative who added, “Even when I was here and he needed to go to the doctors staff went with me because of his wheelchair, staff are very good.”

There were sufficient staff with the right skills and competencies to meet the assessed needs of people living in the home. People told us they did not have to wait to receive personal care. We saw that staff answered call bells quickly.

Staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs and made sure they supported people to have a healthy diet, with choices of a good variety of food and drink. People we spoke with told us they enjoyed the meals and there was always something on the menu they liked. One person said, “Food’s great, chef is very good, gives us a list of what we can have in the morning but she always says if there’s nothing you like, she asks us what we would like.”

People were able to access a few activities like a motivation class. However, these sessions were only available once every two weeks. People told us they particularly enjoyed the planned activities but found at other times there was nothing organised. The registered manager told us that this was an area that she plans to develop in the near future.

We found the home had a friendly relaxed atmosphere which felt homely. Staff approached people in a kind and caring way which encouraged people to express how and when they needed support. One person said, “It feels like home living here.” Another person said, “Staff are always there when you need help.”

Staff told us they felt supported and they could raise any concerns with the registered manager, and felt that they were listened to. People told us they were aware of the complaints procedure and said staff would assist them if they needed to use it. We noted from the records that no formal complaints had been received in the last 12 months. The registered manager told us that she was going to commence a log that will capture ‘niggles and concerns’.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw copies of reports produced by the registered manager and the provider. The reports included any actions required and these were checked each month to determine progress.