Z & M Care Limited - 4-10 Lyndhurst Road

Z&M Care Limited, 4-10 Lyndhurst Road is a care home. It provides accommodation with personal care and support for up to 37 people, some of whom were living with varying stages of dementia, along with healthcare needs such as diabetes, sensory impairment or a learning disability. On the day of our inspection, there were 36 people living at the service.

The care home accommodates people in one adapted building, accommodation was arranged over three floors.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt cared for by staff, a person told us, “They are all nice people who work here. We’re well looked after.” We observed friendly interactions between staff and people. Genuine relationships had developed between people and staff, for example one person regularly went to football matches to support their local team with two members of staff of their choosing. People were treated with respect. People’s privacy was upheld, and their dignity was maintained.

Care plans described people's needs and preferences and they were encouraged to be as independent as possible. Care plans guided staff about people’s needs and how to meet them, for example communication, emotional wellbeing and health conditions such as diabetes. People chose how to spend their day and they took part in activities in the service and were supported to access the community, a person told us, “It’s all freedom here. If you want to go out, they’ll take you.”

We observed people were relaxed and comfortable in the presence of staff. People continued to feel safe and there were enough staff to support them, a person told us, “They (staff) do everything in their power to keep you safe.” Recruitment processes continued to be robust, checks were carried out and references were collected to ensure new staff were safe to work within the care sector. Staff were knowledgeable and trained in safeguarding and what action they should take if they suspected abuse was taking place. Accidents and incidents were recorded, and steps continued to be taken to minimise the risk of similar events happening in the future. Risks associated with the environment and equipment were managed. Staff knew how to keep people safe in an emergency such as a fire.

People were encouraged to maintain relationships that were important to them. This was recorded within people’s care plans. Family and friends were able to visit freely without restriction.

Medicines continued to be managed safely and in accordance with current regulations and guidance. There were systems in place to ensure that medicines had been stored, administered, audited and reviewed appropriately.

Staff continued to receive essential training and there were opportunities for additional training specific to the needs of people such as. Staff continued to tell us they felt supported, records showed they had regular supervision and annual appraisals.

People had enough to eat and drink and continued to have choice in what they ate and drank. Staff accommodated any specific dietary requirements, such as for diabetes, or preferences such as being vegetarian or religious requirements were met. Health and social care were accessible for people and appointments were made for regular check-ups as needed. External professionals we spoke with gave positive feedback about how staff liaised with them.

Staff and people told us they were able to give their views on the service. Staff told us they felt supported. The provider undertook quality assurance reviews to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement.

People were being supported to make decisions in their best interests and to be included in making decisions affecting their care such as developing their care plan with staff. The staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to access independent advocates. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People and relatives knew how to make a complaint and people felt confident that their feedback was listened to and acted upon.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 25 July 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Z&M Care Limited, 4-10 Lyndhurst Road on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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.

People were happy and relaxed with staff. They said they felt safe and there were sufficient staff to support them. One person told us, “I feel safe here because there is always someone around”. When staff were recruited, their employment history was checked and references obtained. Checks were also undertaken to ensure new staff were safe to work within the care sector. Staff were knowledgeable and trained in safeguarding adults and what action they should take if they suspected abuse was taking place.

Medicines were managed safely and in accordance with current regulations and guidance. There were systems in place to ensure that medicines had been stored, administered, audited and reviewed appropriately.

People were being supported to make decisions in their best interests. The registered manager and staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Accidents and incidents were recorded appropriately and steps taken to minimise the risk of similar events happening in the future. Risks associated with the environment and equipment had been identified and managed. Emergency procedures were in place in the event of a fire and people knew what to do, as did the staff.

Staff had received essential training and there were opportunities for additional training specific to the needs of people, which included diabetes management and the care of people with dementia. Staff had received both one-to-one and group supervision meetings with their manager, and formal personal development plans, such as annual appraisals were in place. One member of staff told us, “They support me and help me with my training. I am doing an NVQ (a diploma in health and social care) at the moment”.

People were encouraged and supported to eat and drink well. There was a varied daily choice of meals and people were able to give feedback and have choice in what they ate and drank. One person told us, “I like the food here [the chef] is very good to me”. Special dietary requirements were met, and people’s weight was monitored, with their permission. Health care was accessible for people and appointments were made for regular check-ups as needed.

People chose how to spend their day and they took part in activities in the service and the community. People told us they enjoyed the activities, which included singing, exercises, films, arts and crafts and themed events, such as reminiscence sessions. One person told us, “They have a lovely garden, with birds here and we have barbeques in nice weather”. People were also encouraged to stay in touch with their families and receive visitors.

People felt well looked after and supported. We observed friendly and genuine relationships had developed between people and staff. A relative told us, “My [relative] is very happy with her care. She is well looked after”. Care plans described people’s needs and preferences and they were encouraged to be as independent as possible.

People were encouraged to express their views and had completed surveys. Feedback received showed people were satisfied overall, and felt staff were friendly and helpful. People also said they felt listened to and any concerns or issues they raised were addressed.

Staff were asked for their opinions on the service and whether they were happy in their work. They felt supported within their roles, describing an ‘open door’ management approach, where managers were always available to discuss suggestions and address problems or concerns. The provider undertook quality assurance reviews to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement.

One person who uses the service told us 'I have a lovely room that is nice and warm with all my things around me'. Another person who uses the service told us 'It is very good here, I have no complaints they look after me well'.

Staff we spoke with felt supported in their roles and enjoyed working at 4-10 Lyndhurst Road. One member of staff told us 'I like working here as it feels homely and has a great community atmosphere'. Another member of staff told us 'I think we are a good team and communicate well with one another'.

We also looked a care and support plans, risk assessments, staff records and policies and procedures.

There were good relationships between staff and people who use the service. We saw people participating in activities in the lounge. We also saw that arrangements were in place for people to go to day care.

Staff told us that they enjoyed their work and felt supported. Some commented positively about the management team. One member of staff said, 'Everyone is very helpful here. Management is very good'.

We saw that the care planning process was structured and regular reviews took place. Staff said, 'It works very well. Care plans are easy to read and understand'. People and families told us they had the opportunity to be involved.

We saw that the environment was clean and comfortable. We heard about plans to landscape the garden during the spring to create more seating and sensory features.