Claremont Residential Home provides care for up to 34 people. Some people live permanently at the service whilst others are receiving respite care. On the day of the inspection there were 32 people living at the service.The inspection took place on 12 and 13 April 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors. At our last inspection in August 2013, we did not identify any concerns.
A registered manager was employed by the service. 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 we spoke to were positive about the care they received and praised the quality of the staff and management. People’s relatives spoke highly about the care and support for them or their relative and freely praised staff.
The registered manager and staff at all levels of the service we spoke with were passionate about providing care which was tailored to people’s needs and choices. Throughout our visit we saw people were treated in a kind and caring way and staff were friendly, polite and respectful when providing care and support to people.
People told us they felt safe when receiving care. Individual risk assessments were in place and staff we spoke with knew what to do if they were concerned about the safety and well-being of any of the people using the service.
People were actively involved in developing their care plans and these contained information on their preferred routines, likes, dislikes and medical histories. Staff used these care plans to guide them in supporting people’s needs.
Staff had the knowledge and training to support people and had received a thorough induction when they started working for the service. They told us that as part of the induction process they had read all the care plans for people and spent time being introduced to people and shadowed experienced staff. They demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities as well as the values of the service. Staff were also supported to carry out their role through regular supervisions and training.
Staff recruitment records showed relevant checks had been completed before staff worked unsupervised. These included employment references and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. The DBS helps employers to make safer recruitment decisions by providing information about a person’s criminal record and whether they are barred from working with vulnerable adults.
People who lived at the home and staff were encouraged to be involved in regular meetings to share their views and concerns about the quality of the service. The registered manager also sought the views of relatives and professionals. The provider and registered manager had systems in place to monitor how the service was provided, to improve the quality of care provided.
People were offered appropriate food and fluids to maintain their nutrition. People had a varied diet and were offered choices in terms of food and drink and spoke positively about the food.
Medicines were managed safely and administered by trained staff. People were also supported to access health care services.
People were able to make specific choices and decisions about their daily life. Staff had put in place support for people when needed to ensure decisions were made in their best interest within the legal framework.
Quality assurance systems were in place to regularly monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager worked with external services and organisations to share best practice and support.