Archived: Ker Maria Care Home

We observed care on both floors of the building. We found there were enough staff on duty to support people. Staff were respectful and friendly towards people and their visitors. We saw people had been supported to look clean, smart and presentable, to promote their dignity and well-being.

We heard staff encouraged people to drink plenty, to keep them healthy and well. We observed staff helped to reposition someone. This was done according to guidance in the person's care plan and risk assessment. For example, with two staff and using the correct equipment. This ensured the person was helped safely.

We found people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. There was a care plan for each person, which outlined the support they required. Risk assessments had been written to help reduce or control the potential for people to experience harm.

The staff we met were knowledgeable about people's care and felt people were cared for well. They told us the staffing levels we observed were typical for the home and sufficient to meet people's needs.

We saw staff received supervision and appraisals, to discuss their work performance and identify any training needs. We found staff had not consistently completed training in accordance with the provider's requirements. This meant staff did not have the full range of skills and knowledge required for their roles. There was also no confirmation that agency workers supplied to the home had the necessary training to meet people's needs. This may have placed people at risk of harm if agency staff had not received appropriate training to enable them to deliver safe care.

We found people were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink. Comments from people included 'We have a lot of choices here, someone comes around tells us the options on the menu and I can always ask for something different if I want to.' A relative we spoke with told us '(X) loves the food here...her nutritional needs are being met.'

People we spoke with described staff as 'Polite' and 'Helpful.' One person told us 'The staff members are very caring and understanding.' Training records showed there was a system in place to ensure staff were appropriately trained for their roles and that there was an ongoing system of refresher training.

We found the provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. Comments from people included "The quality of the service is good, I'm very happy." A relative we spoke with told us "I am glad (X) came here...I could'nt fault them."

During our visit we saw six care plans that were detailed, up to date and signed by either people themselves or their relatives. We spoke with people who described the care as "wonderful", "I have choice and freedom here" and " I am very happy here".

During a tour of the home, we noted that all areas of the home were clean and tidy and the environment was pleasant for both staff and people using the service. We spoke with three people, they told us "my room is very clean", another person said "staff clean my room and the lounge area regularly, the home is very neat and tidy".

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place and appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. We reviewed six recruitment personnel files, which showed us the correct checks had been performed by the service prior to staff commencing work.

People were made aware of the complaints system. The people and relatives we spoke with did not express any concern about the care they had received.