Pippins Residential Care Home

Pippins Residential Home, referred to as ‘Pippins’ in this report is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 21 people. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people living in the service. Most people in the home were older people with some physical health needs, some people were in the early stages of dementia.

Pippins is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service accommodates people in one large adapted house. The building is over two floors and has a lift, dining areas, library and quiet space, a sun room and lounge. There are well tended gardens surrounding the property. There are shops and the seafront nearby.

The service requires as part of its registration a registered manager. There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

Care staff were motivated to provide a kind, caring service so people would feel appreciated and happy in their home. People told us staff were patient and gentle, but also fun when it was needed.

People were treated as equals in the creating of their care plans, and exercised choice and control over how they spent their days, what they wore, what they ate and where they went. Family members visited when they liked and told us they were always made to feel welcome and kept up to date.

The food was of a high quality, thoughtfully prepared so it looked and tasted delicious with healthy options available. There were a range of flavours of drinks available at any time of the day and people always had a drink within reach.

The service was organised, efficient and effective. It met people’s health needs and noticed any small changes that might indicate the onset of an infection or worsening of a medical condition. Recent training had been provided in end of life care and diabetes to better equip the care staff with the knowledge to support people.

People were safeguarded from harm and abuse through training, risk management documents, robust systems and excellent communication.

Care staff responded quickly and with enthusiasm to support people's changing moods throughout the day and tailored their responses with thought and compassion.

The management team were passionate about providing outstanding individualised care to people, and had made several changes to improve the running of the service. People were placed at the centre of the service and they told us they felt happy and loved by care staff.

The service was extremely person centred, it captured people’s preferences in detail and was innovative in how to meet people’s needs. The registered manager and provider recognised people had a range of unique social, physical and emotional needs and supported staff to go out of their way to meet these individual needs.

People felt valued as people that had led and were leading rich and fulfilling lives and were more than people paying for a service. People were celebrated as special in the service and key aspects of their histories explored with them. An interesting and varied range of activities were planned for people in groups or as individuals, based on their unique 'wish list.'

The quality of the service was closely monitored through regular audits, a wide range of feedback mechanisms and continuous communication between the registered manager and provider.