Archived: Manor Court Home

Is the service caring?

The people we spoke with were positive about the way they were cared for and supported. One person told us: "I'm very happy here". People were cared for by kind and attentive staff who showed patience when attending to people. We observed people asking staff to do things for them. Staff responded to their requests promptly and efficiently. Individual care plans and risk assessments had been developed and were reviewed regularly to ensure that staff had up to date guidance.

Is the service responsive?

When people who lived in the home made suggestions for changes these were actioned as far as practically possible. For example one person requested a different meal. The service worked well with external professionals such as community nurses, specialist doctors and GP's to make sure people received good standards of care. Specialist equipment was in use for people with limited mobility. We looked at the request made by staff and the process they had developed when a person required a detailed assessment by other professionals due to their changing mental health. This had resulted in changes of their prescribed medicines. We saw recordings that staff had made that evidenced they were monitoring the effect that the new medicine regime had upon the person.

Is the service safe?

People were treated with dignity and respect by staff. People told us they felt safe and we observed a relaxed atmosphere in the home. Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff had received training. We spoke with three staff who demonstrated a good knowledge of safeguarding and how to respond when concerns arose. There were risk management plans in place for people, health and safety, fire safety and safe moving and handling manoeuvres. Staff knew about risk management and we saw examples of where they had been followed.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs had been assessed and up to date care plans were in place. There was evidence of people and or their relatives being involved with the development and regular reviews of care plans. Other health needs had been assessed such as nutrition and skin care. We saw recordings that confirmed staff had repositioned people every two hours when they were unable to get up to prevent them from developing skin sores. Staff had recorded all food and fluid intake of people who had poor appetites as part of the monitoring process. Staff encouraged and supported people in leading interesting and enriched lifestyles. We spoke with some people who used the service. One person told us: "Staff are lovely".

Is the service well led?

The service had a quality assurance system in place that involved people who lived in the home, visitors and professionals. Records showed us that improvements had been made when they were identified through monitoring processes. Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had attended appropriate training and senior staff checked that they carried out their roles in the correct way. We found that there was effective staff line management and that staff worked well as a team to provide a good service.

Care was planned using comprehensive assessments which were reviewed regularly and ensured people's safety and welfare. One person told us 'I feel safe here.'

The home was warm and homely and people had personalised their rooms as they wished. There were sufficient staff to allow time for care and assistance to be provided in an unhurried manner and people were given choice regarding their food and drinks.

Regular activities were offered for people and interaction was encouraged by staff.

We found that there was a process in place for people to make a complaint about the service should the need arise. A relative we spoke with told us 'The staff are really good and I can always talk to them if I have any questions or worries.'

We found that medication was managed correctly and safely and that staff were adequately trained to provide safe administration of medicines.

We observed care staff supporting people with their daily routines and saw that people were treated with dignity and respect. People were offered care and support in the privacy of their own bedroom or bathroom and staff called people by the name they preferred.

We looked at records which stated how people liked and needed to be cared for. The care staff we spoke with demonstrated an understanding of people's needs and told us that care records were reviewed on a regular basis to make sure they remained relevant to people's changing needs.

We looked at training records and talked to staff about the training they had received to enable them to meet people's needs. A member of the care staff team told us, "The training is very good and helps me understand how to support people so that they have a better standard of living."

We saw that people expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and support. We looked at responses from surveys which asked people to comment on the standard of care and service they received at the home. We saw that responses were positive and that where there were minor concerns action had been taken to address them.