Background to this inspection
Updated
21 December 2016
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This comprehensive inspection took place on 20 November 2016. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.
Before the inspection we reviewed information held about the service and notifications of incidents we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.
During the inspection we spoke with five people who were able to express their views about living at Shalom and two visiting relatives. We spoke with four staff members.
We looked around the service and observed care and support being provided by staff. We looked at the care and support records for three people living at the service including medicine records. We looked at two records relating to staff recruitment, staff duty rosters, staff training records and records relating to the running of the service.
Updated
21 December 2016
We carried a comprehensive inspection of Shalom on 20 November 2016. This was the first inspection the service had been inspected under the current regulations.
Shalom provides residential care for up to 18 people. On the day of the inspection there were 14 people using the service. Shalom is situated in a residential area of Eastbourne. The service has three floors which are split level and served by stair lifts. People could move around freely without restriction.
The service had 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.
On the day of the inspection visit there was a calm and relaxed atmosphere in the service. We observed staff had a good relationship with people and supported them in a caring and respectful way. People were being cared for by competent and experienced staff. A family member told us, “We visit regularly and find the staff are very caring. They always make us feel welcome.”
People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff had received training to help them identify possible signs of abuse and knew what action they should take. Staff told us they supported people in a way that kept people safe.
People received their medicines when they needed them and staff knew how to administer and record medicines safely.
Staff received a thorough induction when they started working at the service. Training was regularly refreshed and staff told us it was effective. Recruitment processes were satisfactory; for example pre-employment checks had been completed to help ensure staff were suitable to work in the care sector.
Systems were in place to support staff. Staff were receiving regular supervision meetings with the deputy manager and annual appraisals to look at personal development and training. A staff member told us, “The manager is always there for us. It’s good to know that we are encouraged to do training and that the manager checks that we are doing things right.”
Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service people received. This included meetings with staff. Informal meetings with people using the service and their families. A relative told us, “I never leave without having a chat with the girls or the manager. I think we are kept up to date with what’s going on.” Regular surveys took place to gain the views of people using the service and their relatives. A relative told us, “I fill in the forms they give us to say what I think about the home. I think they use the information to make things better. It’s usually about what people like to eat, the choice of meals and if they get the care they need.”
Checks had been made and were in date for the maintenance and servicing of gas, electric and fire systems. All other equipment used by the service to support people were well maintained and regularly serviced as per equipment guidance.
Staff understood the needs of people they supported, so they could respond to them effectively. They told us they felt supported and had the resources they needed to carry out their role. Comments included, “The manager is very supportive to us (staff). They help us out if we need that extra support” and, “We get all the information we need especially when things change.”
Staff supported people to be involved in and make decisions about their daily lives. There were systems in place to help ensure staff acted in accordance with legal requirements under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This was to protect people and uphold people’s rights where they faced restrictions due to lack of mental capacity.
Most people chose to stay in their rooms. However there were a range of activities available to people and they had a choice as to whether they wanted to be involved or not. Entertainers visited the service. There were a range of books available in bookcases around the service. Staff said there were visits from a local organisation who brought a variety of pets and small animals into the service. They said this was well received by people. One person told us they always made the time to go downstairs when these visits occurred.
People told us they knew how to complain and would be happy to speak with the provider if they had any concerns. No concerns had been reported since the previous inspection.
People using the service and visitors all described the management of the service as open and approachable and thought people received good care and support. Relatives told us, “We chose this home because it’s local and when we visited we knew it was right for (Persons name)” and “I am always made to feel welcome. The manager and the staff tell me what’s going on with (Persons name).”