Archived: Southfields House Residential Care Home

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There are two registered managers at the home who are also the home owners. 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 received care and support from staff who were kind and patient. They knew people well as individuals and understood their choices, likes and dislikes and were committed to ensuring people received good quality care. People’s care plans reflected their individual needs and supported staff to provide good person-centred care. These were reviewed regularly and people were involved in planning their care. People were given the opportunity to take part in social activity if they wished to.

People were supported to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet of their choice. However, we received mixed feedback about food and meal choices. The registered managers were aware of this and working with people to resolve their individual concerns.

Staff received ongoing training and supervision and had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. Staff told us they were well supported. There were enough staff to meet the needs of people who lived at the home. There was a safe recruitment system to ensure staff employed were suitable to work at the home.

There were a range of risk assessments in place. These helped people stay safe and to retain their independence.

People’s medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely by staff who had received appropriate training. Some people had been prescribed ‘as required’ medicines. Information about why and when these should be given were in people’s care plans.

Staff had a clear understanding of the procedures to safeguard people from abuse. They knew what actions to take if they believed people were at risk of harm or abuse.

The registered managers and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff sought people’s consent before offering any support.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to external healthcare professionals such as their GP when they needed it.

People had access to the complaints procedure and complaints were handled appropriately.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Staff we spoke with were familiar with their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and understood what might constitute abuse. They told us they had received recent training in safeguarding including the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

We found that the home was clean and hygienic to a high standard and there were processes in place to ensure this.

The home had efficient processes in place for the safe procurement, storage and administration of medication. We spoke to staff and examined Medication Administration Record (MAR) sheets and found that the systems used ensured the correct medication regimes were being offered safely to people.

We spoke with staff and examined four staff files and found that robust processes were used to ensure that the home employed suitable staff to support people living at the home keep them safe.

We found that the home had a transparent and well-advertised complaints system. People we spoke with felt confident that if they needed to complaint they would be listened to and their complaint dealt with quickly.

The people we spoke with told us they enjoyed living at Southfields. One person said 'It's very good here and the food is lovely.' Another person said 'The staff look after me very well and the food choice is excellent. There's something different every day.'

The staff we spoke with were properly trained and qualified. They were familiar with the needs and level of support required by people at the home and fully aware of procedures relating to safeguarding vulnerable adults.

We inspected training and audit records that showed the service ensured that staff were properly supported to deliver care and treatment. There were assurance systems in place to monitor and maintain the quality of the service provided. This included surveys to gain the views of the people who lived there and their relatives.