Archived: The Laurels Residential Home - Draycott

The Laurels Residential Home can accommodate up to 20 older people who require personal ¿care. There were 17 people living at the home during our inspection.¿

A registered manager was responsible for the service. This 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.¿

On both days of our inspection there was a homely, calm and relaxed atmosphere. Staff ¿interacted with people in a friendly and respectful way. People were encouraged and supported ¿to maintain their independence and to pursue their interests and hobbies. They made choices ¿about their day to day lives which were respected by staff. One person said, ““I am quite capable ¿of making my own decisions. Staff always respect the decisions I make.”¿

People and their relatives said the home was a safe place to live. People spoke very highly of the ¿care they received. One person said, “All of the staff are lovely to me. There’s such a lovely, ¿homely atmosphere.” People were involved in planning and reviewing their own care. Staff ¿respected people’s privacy and were aware of issues of confidentiality.¿

People told us staff took the time to really get to know them; staff asked them about their life ¿history, their interests, hobbies and preferred routines. There was a varied programme of activities ¿and outings in line with people’s interests. People were involved in the local community. They ¿had a choice of nutritious, home cooked food. Each person we spoke with said they were happy ¿with the food and drinks served in the home. One person said, “The food is delicious here. You ¿get a choice; they ask you every day.”¿

People had developed friendships with others who lived in the home; they kept in touch with their ¿other friends and relations. Friends and relatives could visit at any time. One relative told us, “I ¿usually pop in every day. Never a problem. Always welcome; you can pop in whenever you like.” ¿

There was a stable staff team at the home. Staff were kind and caring. They had an excellent ¿knowledge of people’s care needs. Staff received a thorough induction and ongoing training and ¿support. ¿

People were involved in decisions about the running of the home as well as their own care. ¿People knew how to make a formal complaint if they needed to but no one had needed to. One ¿person said, “This is the best home you could find. It’s excellent here, it really is.”¿

The management structure in the home provided clear lines of responsibility and accountability. ¿The provider had recently changed ownership. A new system of audits and checks had recently ¿been introduced by the new owners to monitor people’s safety and the quality of care in a more ¿effective and consistent way. The registered manager was also being provided with improved ¿support.¿

We found a breach of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations ¿¿2014.This was because people’s care plans did not always reflect the care people needed and ¿the care being provided. The informal systems previously used to monitor the quality of the ¿service and ensure necessary improvements were carried out had not been fully effective. You ¿can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.¿

We saw the interaction between the staff and people living at the home to be friendly, supportive and respectful, with one exception, which was discussed with the deputy at the time of our visit. Staff commented that, "it's a lovely atmosphere here and a pleasure to come to work".

The care records showed us that people's needs had been assessed before admission and continued to be assessed during their stay at the home. These records included information from health and social care professionals which helped ensure people got the care and treatment they needed.

We saw records that showed us that the care provided was person centred and that the assessment and care plans were comprehensive.

We observed that the premises were comfortable and well maintained. We saw records that showed us that risk assessments and servicing contract were up to date which meant that the people who lived at the Laurels were protected from risks of unsafe premises.

We saw the complaints procedure was up to date and accessible to people who lived at the home. People we spoke with told us that the management were approachable and people were confident that if they raised a concern it would be dealt with appropriately.