Archived: Alderbank Community Care Centre

We looked at a sample of three care plans and saw that the information contained within them was factual and accurate. Records were up to date and there was evidence of good partnership working and the responsibilities of each member of the multi-disciplinary team were clear.

We spoke with three people who used the service and two visitors. One person who used the service said 'The staff are lovely, I couldn't ask for better." Another person told us 'Everything is good' whilst a third said 'The care is spot on. Staff are very friendly, you can ask them anything'. A visitor told us 'You feel involved, they (the staff) keep you in the loop'.

People's nutritional needs were recorded on admission and dietary needs were adhered to. Weight and nutritional intake charts were completed and referrals to appropriate professionals were made.

There were adequate numbers of staff on duty at the time of our visit and contingency plans in place to address any staffing issues. Agency staff were used appropriately to cover any absences.

The home had a complaints procedure in place and we saw evidence that complaints were taken seriously and followed up appropriately. The home undertook regular audits to ensure consistency in the quality of service delivery.

We looked at a sample of five care plans and saw that the information contained within them was factual and accurate. Records were up to date and there was evidence of good partnership working and the responsibilities of each member of the multi-disciplinary team were clear.

We spoke with three people who used the service and one visitor. One person told us 'they treat you as a person', another said 'if I ask for it, it's there and the food is excellent'. A third person told us 'I am involved with my care and progress'.

We looked at policies and procedures and noted that all appropriate policies were in place and accessible to staff. We spoke with three staff members who demonstrated an understanding of safeguarding issues and were aware of how to report and record any issues that may arise.

We saw evidence of a formal complaints procedure and looked at the complaints log, which showed that any issues had been followed up appropriately. We were told by the people with whom we spoke that the staff and the manager were approachable and would try to sort out any issues immediately they were brought to their attention.