Archived: Overdale

Overdale is a care home providing personal care for up to 25 people. The home is situated in the Nether Edge area of Sheffield, close to bus routes and local amenities. It is a detached villa set in pleasant gardens. Accommodation is on three floors, accessed by a lift. Bedrooms are single and some have en-suite facilities. Communal lounges and a dining room are provided.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

We saw risk assessments in place regarding risks associated with people’s care. However, some risks such around medication and weight loss had not been identified.

The service had policies in place to manage medicines, but they did not include medicines prescribed on an ‘as and when’ basis. We saw medicines were stored safely and temperatures were taken of the room and fridge where they were stored.

We looked at policies and procedures in place to safeguard people from abuse and found them to be informative and they offered guidance to staff.

We saw the service had a staff recruitment system in place which had been followed effectively.

We looked at training records and found staff attended training in mandatory subjects such as first aid, safeguarding, moving and handling and food hygiene. Staff told us told us that training was provided face to face with some practical sessions.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff had received training in this area and were knowledgeable about the subject. We observed staff assisting people throughout the day of our inspection and found staff offered choices and helped people to make a decision. We saw the person’s choice was respected.

People were offered a choice of a nutritious meal and we saw drinks and snacks were served at regular intervals throughout the day. Catering staff were aware of people’s individual diets and provided appropriate alternatives where required.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services as required. We looked at care plans and found evidence that other professionals were involved in people’s care.

We observed staff working with people and found they took time and were supportive. They ensured people’s privacy and dignity was maintained by knocking on bedroom doors before entering and checking if everything was alright.

We looked at care plans and observed staff supporting people and found that people received personalised care which was responsive to their individual needs.

There was a system in place to raise concerns and people felt they would be listened to if they had a problem and it would be rectified.

Leadership was evident at all levels and staff appeared committed to providing a high quality service. Staff knew what was expected of them and when they needed to raise something with the management team.

The service had a quality assurance policy in place to maintain and improve standards which included gathering feedback from people. People we spoke with confirmed that they had the opportunity to comment about the service via a questionnaire and in residents meetings.

People told us that they were happy with the way staff cared for them and felt their needs were being met by staff. One person said, "It is beautiful here, lovely place it could not be better in any way".

We spoke to four staff. They were knowledgeable about the importance of minimising the risk of infection. This included the importance of changing protective equipment when moving from room to room the appropriate colour of cloths to be used when cleaning general areas and toilet and bathrooms.

Staff spoken to told us about the mandatory training they had received, which included moving and handling, food hygiene, fire, infection control and safeguarding issues. We looked at staff training records and this provided evidence that staff had received appropriate and timely training.

The staff we spoke to demonstrated a good understanding of the formal complaints procedure. They told us that they would, if appropriate try to resolve a complaint on an informal basis but if required they would bring it to the attention of the manager.

People that we were unable to fully communicate with looked content and we observed positive interactions with staff and people living at the home.

Records checked showed that before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. Relatives we talked with told us, where people lacked capacity, they were also involved in these decisions.

We spoke with two relatives who were visiting the home and they confirmed that they were satisfied with the care provided.

We found that, where necessary, people were supported with the administration of their medicines, by staff that were trained in medication administration.

We found that a complaints policy and procedure was in place. People had been provided with information on how to make a complaint. All of the people and their relatives spoken with said they had no complaints or concerns about the home.