Archived: Homestead Care Home (Brownhills) Limited

Homestead Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 30 people with dementia or mental health issues who require personal care and support. On the day of the inspection there were 25 people living at the home. There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 told us they felt safe. Staff knew how to identify and report the risk of potential abuse. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. People were kept safe by staff who supported them to manage risks. People told us they received their medicines at the right time and systems used to store and manage medicines were safe.

People received support from staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their care and support needs. Staff received training relevant to their role and felt supported by the registered manager. People were asked for their consent before care was provided. Where appropriate, people’s capacity had been assessed and decisions made in people’s best interests. People were happy with the food and drink provided and had access to healthcare when required.

People were supported by staff who were friendly and kind. People and their relatives were involved in decisions about their care and support and staff had a good understanding of people’s personal preferences. People were supported by staff in a way that promoted their independence and maintained their privacy and dignity.

People and their relatives contributed to the planning of their care and support. A programme of activities was available and people were encouraged to follow their interests. People knew who to contact if they were unhappy about any aspect of the care and support. There was a system in place to manage complaints and the registered manager ensured learning took place from people’s experiences.

People told us they liked living at the home and felt it was well managed. Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and provider and felt supported in their role. The provider was involved in the management of the home. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided which were used to drive improvement.

We spoke with three visiting relatives, five members of staff the registered manager and the provider.

We found that care plans were person centred and individualised. People's preferences and interests were recorded. There were a wide range of suitable activities for people to join in with.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

There was an effective system in place to reduce the risk of and control the spread of infection. Cleaning audits and schedules effectively identified areas of the home that required attention.

The provider had taken suitable steps to ensure that staff were of good character and for the work required. There were effective recruitment procedures in place at the service.

Quality of care provided and the monitoring of the home was effective. The service had sufficient audit and monitoring measures in place to be able to identify what further training or action could be required.

People were consulted about their care and we observed that they received the care they needed. We saw that people had a choice in relation to how and where they spent their day. One person was able to confirm that they got up and went to bed when they chose. We saw that visitors were able to visit and visitors we spoke with all agreed that they were always made welcome.

People all told us that staff were kind and caring and that staff assisted them or their relative when they needed it. We observed staff to be reassuring and caring and dealt professionally with outbursts of aggression. One relative said, "They are all marvellous".

Medication storage was appropriate and records had been appropriately completed. Safeguards were in place to try to eliminate the risk of medication errors from occurring.

People were asked for their views about the service and the care they received there. Appropriate systems were in place to monitor and ensure the quality of the service provided.