This inspection took place on 28 April 2016 and was unannounced. There were no concerns at the last inspection of July 2013. Gwendoline House provides accommodation for up to 18 older people. At the time of our visit there were 16 people living at the service. There was a registered manager in post. 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. The deputy manager was currently completing a level five qualification in management and preparing them to take over the full management of Gwendoline House in the future.
People were ‘very happy’ living at the home and we received positive comments about their views and experiences throughout our visit. Healthwatch wrote in their recent enter and view report, “We found a warm, friendly home with a very strong family atmosphere. There was much to commend. All comments from residents were positive and staff were friendly and very professional in their manner. Residents appeared relaxed and happy. There appeared to be a lot of mutual respect between staff and residents”.
There were no visitors present during our visit. However we read some recent written compliments the home had received from family members. Comments included, “Gwendoline House has been part of our lives, we have always enjoyed our visits and you make us feel so welcome”, “Your carers are so kind and caring to the residents, everyone always seem so happy” and “Thank you very much for your loving care you all do a wonderful job”.
Staff wanted to keep people safe and protect them from avoidable harm. The registered manager listened to people and staff to ensure there were enough staff to meet people's needs. They demonstrated their responsibilities in recognising changing circumstances within the service to help ensure that staffing levels and skill mix was effective.
Staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles effectively. They enjoyed attending training sessions and sharing what they had learnt with colleagues. The provider, registered manager and deputy supported staff at all times.
The registered manager and deputy understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
People were supported to enjoy a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet whilst promoting and respecting choice. Staff had a good awareness of people’s needs and treated them in a warm and respectful manner. The registered manager and staff were knowledgeable about people's lives before they started using the service. Every effort was made to enhance this knowledge so that their life experiences remained meaningful.
People received appropriate care and support because there were effective systems in place to assess, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate people's needs. People were involved throughout these processes. This ensured their needs were clearly identified and the support they received was meaningful and personalised. Regular monitoring and reviews meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals. People experienced a lifestyle which met their individual expectations, capacity and preferences.
Peoples, relatives and staff feedback was a vital part of the quality assurance system either through annual surveys, ‘residents’ meetings and care reviews. They were listened to and action was taken to make improvements to their quality of life. The registered manager monitored and audited the quality of care provided striving to meet the ever changing needs of people living in the home.