Archived: Fleetwood Hall

Fleetwood Hall is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 57 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 62 people. The home has two floors, with the first floor caring for people who live with dementia. The ground floor is a residential unit.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. However, we found that documentation was not always fully completed. We have made a recommendation about this.

People told us they felt safe with staff who supported them. Management had completed risk assessments to ensure people were protected from risks associated with their care. Systems were in place to show people's medicines were managed safely.

Staff recruitment remained safe. People told us, and we could see for ourselves there was enough staff available to meet people's needs and to keep them safe. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in relation to infection control.

People we spoke with expressed their confidence in the staff and felt they knew their needs. People’s needs for nutrition and fluids had been considered. People were supported by staff to live healthier lives. Staff received training to help them in their role.

We received positive feedback about care provided at Fleetwood Hall from people who lived at the home and their relatives. We saw staff speaking with people who lived at the home in a respectful and dignified manner. People we spoke with told us they were offered a variety of choices, which promoted their independence.

People told us they felt staff were responsive to their needs. We saw people and their relatives had been involved in the planning and review of their care. People told us they were encouraged to give their views and raise concerns or complaints.

Staff understood the importance of supporting people to have a good end of life as well as living life to the full whilst they were fit and able to do so. People told us that they were provided stimulation and opportunities to join in activities.

There was a positive staff culture. Systems were in place which continuously assessed and monitored the quality of the service. We found the management team receptive to feedback and keen to improve the home. The manager worked with us in a positive manner and provided all the information we requested.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 2 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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

This is a care home situated close to Fleetwood town centre and the promenade. The home has two floors, with the first floor caring for people who lived with dementia. The ground floor is a residential unit. The total occupancy is for 62 residents. There is lift access to the first floor with separate lounge and dining areas on both floors. All bedrooms have an en suite bathroom. The building has parking facilities and access for people who have mobility difficulties.

The management team had procedures in place to minimise the potential risk of abuse or unsafe care. Staff spoken with were able to identify the different types of abuse and had received training in safeguarding adults. Records we looked at confirmed this.

Staff had been recruited safely, appropriately trained and supported. This was confirmed by records looked at and discussions with staff. One staff member said, “The process was very good and was useful to me.”

The recommendation from the previous inspection in relation to staffing levels had been addressed. The management team now monitored and regularly assessed staffing levels to ensure sufficient care staff were available to provide support people needed. We observed there were plenty of staff around to meet people’s needs.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. Care records showed they were reviewed and any changes were implemented and plans updated.

We looked around the building and found it had been maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place for people to live.

The management team now ensured two trained carers supported the medication round so that people received their medication at the correct time. One of the management team said, “It is better now and people receive their medicines when they should do.” Medicines had been checked on receipt into the home, given as prescribed and stored and disposed of correctly.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

The lunch time meal was served in the two dining areas of the building. We observed there was nobody who needed help on the ground floor the staff were very pleasant with people. The first floor dining area supported people who lived with dementia. We observed sufficient staff supported people who required help in a sensitive manner. Comments about the food were positive one person who lived at the home said, “Very good I get a choice. If there is something we don’t like we just choose the other option.”

People who lived at Fleetwood Hall had access to healthcare professionals and appointments were documented with outcomes implemented in care plans. We found staff had responded promptly when people had experienced health problems.

Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support people who lived at the home. We found staff were knowledgeable about support needs of people in their care.

People who lived at the home and relatives knew how to raise a concern or to make a complaint. The complaints procedure was available on view and people said they were encouraged to raise concerns.

The management team used different ways to assess and monitor the quality of care at Fleetwood Hall and told us they were supported by the organisation. These included regular audits of medication, the environment and care records of people who lived at the home. In addition staff and ‘resident’ meetings to seek the views of people about the quality of care being provided took place on a regular basis. Any suggestions to improve the service were acted upon.

During the inspection we looked at care planning, food preparation and staff training records. We also observed care practices during the day and talked with residents and relatives about the home. Comments were positive and included, 'This is a lovely home run by good people.' Also from a relative, 'We have come to take mum out for the day, the place is wonderful mum has really settled here."

We spoke with people who lived at the home. They told us they could express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care. They told us they felt listened to when discussing their care needs.

We spoke individually with residents living at Fleetwood Hall about their diet and how their nutritional needs were being met. They told us they were satisfied with the meals. One resident said, 'The food is very good no one can complain. Lots of it and the quality is excellent.'

There were a range of audits and systems in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided.

Prior to our visit we contacted Lancashire contracts monitoring team. They told us they currently had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.

The home was divided into two units. The first floor was for people who had dementia. Conversation with most residents on this floor was limited due to their dementia conditions. We therefore spent much of the time in the lounge/dining area making observations of how people were being cared for. However we spoke with one resident and three relatives in this unit and responses were positive and included, "My dad has been here a while and all the staff have been fantastic with him."

In the residential unit on the ground floor people spoken with told us they could express their views and were involved in decision making about their care. They told us they felt listened to when discussing their care needs. Staff confirmed to us they also involved relatives where possible to ensure people received the right care and support. One resident told us, "I know we go through my ailments monthly and check what needs doing." A staff member spoken with said, " We try and involve all residents in planning their care, if not we contact relatives."