Archived: Chase Nursing Home

We saw that people were dressed in individual styles appropriate to their age and gender, with well kept hair, nails and clothes. One person we talked with told us a barber had visited the home to cut their hair.

We saw that the dining room was also used for social activities like darts, bingo and table tennis. We saw people moved freely between the communal areas and their own rooms. In the dining room we saw photos of people on a day out and celebrating a special event. Most people spent the day of our visit at home choosing and listening to music, watching TV, playing bingo and chatting to each other.

We saw that some people's care plans included activities that would promote their independence, such as, "Can launder own clothing and clean own room", but staff we talked with told us that staff take care of the laundry. One member of staff told us that people's independence was promoted, by laying the tables at meal times, for example. We talked with the provider about this and they said they were currently considering how to further encourage and support people to develop everyday living skills.

We found that people had a choice of food at meal times and saw the cook asking people individually during the afternoon what they would like to eat on the following day. One person who lived at the home said, 'I am happy, the food is okay'. Another person told us that they could only have drinks at set times. We asked the provider about this. The provider told us that people could have drinks when they liked, but that some people's fluid intake did need to be managed because of their health needs. This meant that people's nutritional needs were assessed and managed appropriately.

We found that the provider did not protect people who lived at the home from unsafe management of medicines. We saw that staff had found that there were errors in recording the medication that people were given, but the errors had not been investigated or analysed by the provider. This meant that people could not be sure they always received the medication they needed.

We found that the provider actively monitored the quality of the service by checking that people's care plans were regularly reviewed. We saw that the provider conducted regular surveys and meetings with people who lived at the home. We saw that the provider analysed accidents and complaints and responded appropriately by reviewing and adapting the care given to people.