Archived: Hyne Town House

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at. If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

At the time of our visit there were 28 people living at the home. We spoke with four of the people who lived there and three representatives. We also spoke with three staff, the Registered Manager and one of the Registered Providers.

Is the service safe?

People living at the home spoke highly of the care received. One person said 'They (staff) have that wonderful gift of understanding us in our different ways and moods'.

We found care and treatment had been planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. For example, we saw a range of assessments of the person's needs and risk assessments had been completed. This included nutritional, pressure areas, and moving and handling risk assessments. We saw that where people had been assessed as being at risk from pressure sores, suitable equipment had been provided to minimise the risk.

We also saw that staff were friendly and patient in their approach. People appeared relaxed and comfortable in their interactions with staff. One person told us 'Oh yes, I feel safe'. Another said 'I don't know how they (staff) are chosen, but they are chosen well'.

We spoke with three staff and they told us they had received training in safeguarding adults. All staff were able to tell us about the different types of abuse and what they would do to raise a safeguarding alert.

Is the service effective?

We saw some evidence on people's care plans about how they liked their care to be delivered. People living at the home told us that staff always asked them what they wanted staff to do for them. One person said 'I have noticed that staff always do what people ask'. One member of staff told us how they always asked people if it was alright for them to help with personal care.

People living at the home spoke highly of the care received. One person told us 'Staff are very helpful, they are always in and out asking if I need anything'. Staff we spoke with were able to tell us what they did to support people and knew what to do for them if they needed any additional support.

Is the service caring?

One person told us 'Staff are very helpful, they are always in and out asking if I need anything'. Another told us 'They (staff) are wonderfully understanding'. People told us the food was always good one person said 'Food is delicious'. Another person said 'They go to a lot of trouble to get meals nicely served'. We saw people being helped to eat lunch in a relaxed and unhurried manner. We found that care plans reflected the needs of a person as an individual because we saw that each care plan specified how people communicated and detailed their preferences as to how their care should be delivered. For example, we saw that one person had details of a 'teeth cleaning regime' in their care plan.

We discussed people's care needs with staff and they told us about people's needs and how they liked their care to be delivered. Staff we spoke with were able to tell us what they did to support people and knew what to do for them if they needed any additional support. For example, staff told us how they managed the care of one person who could get distressed if their personal care was rushed.

Is the service responsive?

We saw evidence that people's care plans had been regularly reviewed and updated as people's needs changed.

People living at the home told us they 'Never had to complain about anything' and 'Never had to raise any concerns ' everything seems to run smoothly'. Some people told us that there had been a time when other people wandered into their bedrooms. They told us that this matter had been dealt with by the home and was no longer an issue.

The provider took note of reports prepared by the Commission following an inspection. We know this because following our inspection in January 2014 the Registered Provider had made the required improvements to the way in which records were maintained.

Is the service well-led?

We saw that there was an annual survey of people who lived at the home, their representatives, staff and health and social care professionals. We saw that the last report following a survey had been produced in February 2013. We saw that a representative had made the following comment 'My brother and I are very satisfied with the level of care mum is receiving'. We saw that an action plan had been produced following comments received. One of the action points was that activities and outings were to be reviewed. The Registered Manager told us they had advertised for the position of an activities organiser. We also saw that several cards and letters had been received, thanking the home for the care they provided. One comment was 'thank you for the outstanding care which you gave'. Another comment was 'You certainly put the care in care home'.

We saw people were asked to consent to their care and where they were not able to do so there were systems in place to see that care was delivered in people's best interests. People told us the care they received was good and met their needs. Staff received the training and support they needed to meet people's needs. People who lived at the home told us 'They never force you to do anything. They always respect you and knock on the door to your room. The staff are lovely and well trained'. A relative told us 'They seek our opinions. Her desires are always taken into consideration. They've always kept us informed.'

Systems for managing people's medication showed that people received their medication safely and at the right time.

We found that the home had taken action to remedy the concerns over record keeping we had identified at the last inspection. However we found some other records in relation to people's care still needed some attention to ensure they properly reflected the care being given to people.

People we spoke with told us that their care needs were well met. One person said 'It was not my decision to move here but I know it was the right one. I must say in doing so I feel safer and more confident.' Another person said 'You can't fault the staff. We are looked after very well' Relatives and visitors shared this view point.

We observed during our visit that call bells were answered promptly. People told us that food at the home was good and that there was enough of it. The home provided activities and people told us they were free to choose whether they took part in them. We observed that people were treated respectfully. People told us they were involved in decisions about their care.

Medications were managed well at the home.

People told us they thought the staff were 'wonderful', 'very kind' and 'suitable for the job they do.' We found that effective recruitment processes were in place.

People told us that they felt safe and knew who to speak with if they had any concerns. Staff knew what to do if they suspected poor practice.

The home was well maintained, furnished and equipped to a high standard throughout. The home was well managed and people were cared for well. However, records did not always reflect this level of service.