Grace Care Centre

Updated 21 February 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection was carried out by a lead inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type: Grace Care Centre is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The interim manager had a good knowledge of the service since its opening in February 2018 in a previous role. They had applied to become the permanent manager and subsequently to register with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

What we did: Before the inspection, we had asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they planned to make. We reviewed the information included in the PIR and used it to assist in our planning of the inspection. We also looked at information we had about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us by law.

During our visit we spent a period observing how people were spending their time and the interactions between them and the staff team. We did this to assess what the quality of care was for those people who could not describe this for themselves. This was because some people had a degree of cognitive impairment or were living with dementia.

We spoke individually with eight people. Five families were happy to speak with us and share their thoughts about the home. We spent time with the, area manager, manager, deputy, head of dementia and customer services manager. We spoke individually with 11 staff. We looked at four people's care records, together with other records relating to their care and the running of the service. This included three staff employment records, policies and procedures, audits and quality assurance reports.

Updated 21 February 2019

What life is like for people using this service: We were introduced to people throughout our visit and they welcomed us. They were relaxed, comfortable and confident in their home. The feedback we received from people and relatives was good. Staff we met and spoke with were happy and proud; they were loyal and fully committed and this was reflected in their attitudes and integrity during the inspection. All staff on duty were excited about the inspection and wanted to be part of it.

Satisfaction and views around feeling safe included, “The carers here are very good and I feel very well looked after. There is plenty of staff to look after you here”, “There is always plenty of staff around and I believe my wife is very safe here” and “I feel that all the staff here are great with my father and I feel he is very safe here”.

All staff understood their responsibility to keep people safe from harm. People were supported to take risks and promote their independence. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to keep people safe. There was enough staff to safely provide care and support. Checks were carried out on staff before they started work to assess their suitability to support people in a care setting. Medicines were well managed and people received their medicines as prescribed. People were protected by the homes infection control policy and procedures. One relative told us, “I visit every day, the place is very clean and tidy and the rooms are spotless”.

The service was effective in meeting people’s needs. One relative told us, “I have no concerns about training of staff who have demonstrated great empathy and are very good at building relationships with residents”. Staff received regular supervision and training. Arrangements were made for people to see a GP and other healthcare professionals when they needed to do so. People were 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 supported this practice.

People were provided a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet whilst promoting and respecting choice. One person told us, “The food here really is quite good, not bad at all. They serve nice casseroles which I enjoy and the desserts are things like trifles and fresh fruits”.

Everyone we spoke with agreed that staff were caring and kind. Comments included, “Staff make time to interact, even the non–caring staff such as the handyman and the reception staff. I really like the whole organisation’s approach to care”, “It is different to being in my own home but I like living here because they look after you like family” and “The home offers a good level of care to mum and all of the people here are lovely and look after mum very well”.

Staff had a good awareness of individuals' needs and treated people in a warm and respectful manner. They were knowledgeable about people's lives before they started using the service. There was some lovely work being undertaken by the activity co-ordinators to enhance this knowledge so that people’s life experiences remained meaningful. One person told us, “I particularly enjoy the flower arranging and the Scottish dancing but there are always lots of activities here”. One relative told us, “My father gets on well with the staff here and is always helping out where he can with meals, activities etc and that keeps him busy”. People who lived at Grace Care Centre had access to several lounges and dining areas, a café, a cinema, salon and a large activity room.

The service was responsive to people’s health and social needs. People received person-centred care and support. Regular monitoring and reviews meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals. Where necessary care and support had been changed to accurately reflect people's needs and improve their health and wellbeing. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes.

People benefitted from a service that was well led. One person told us, “The home is very well led I have had no occasion to question anything here”. Everyone demonstrated strong values and, a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service. Good quality assurance systems were in place and based upon regular, scheduled audits, which identified any action required to make improvements. This meant the quality of service people received was monitored on a regular basis and, where shortfalls were identified they were acted upon.

Rating at last inspection: This was the home’s first inspection since their registration in February 2018

About the service: Grace Care Centre is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 51 people. At the time of the inspection there were 23 people living at the service.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection. All services registered with CQC must have an inspection within the first year of their registration.