Nova House provides accommodation and support for up to 25 older people living with a dementia type illness. Some people are independent and require little assistance, while others require assistance with personal care, daily living and moving around the home. There were people living at the home during the inspection. The home is a converted older building that has been extended in the past to include a bungalow to the rear. Bedrooms are on three floors, there was a passenger lift and a chair lift to enable people to access all parts of the home and a secure garden to the side and rear of the building.
The registered manager was present during the inspection. 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.
This inspection took place on the 13 and 20 April 2016 and was unannounced.
The quality and monitoring system was not effective in all areas and had not identified some issues, such as the improvements needed in the management of medicines. The registered manager started to address these during the inspection and audits had been completed for other areas.
There were enough staff working in the home to meet people’s needs and appropriate recruitment procedures were in place to ensure only suitable people worked at the home. However, the allocation of staff did not ensure people were safe at all times.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The management and staff had attended training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and were aware of current guidance to ensure people were protected.
People were assessed before they moved into the home to ensure staff could meet their needs, and care plans, including risk assessments to ensure their safety, were developed from this information. Care plans were reviewed and people and their relatives were involved in discussions about the care and support provided. Staff showed they understood people’s needs and provided the support and care people wanted.
People said they felt safe and relatives told us the staff ensured their family members were safe and well looked after. Staff had attended safeguarding training and demonstrated a good understanding of how to protect people from abuse and what action they would take if they had any concerns.
People told us the food was good. Choices were available and staff asked people what they wanted to eat and assisted them with their meals if required.
People had access to health professionals as and when they required it. The visits were recorded in the care plans with details of any changes to support provided as guidance for staff to follow when planning care.
A complaints procedure was in place. This was displayed on the notice board near the entrance to the building, and given to people, and relatives, when they moved into the home. People, relatives and visitors said they knew how to complain, but they did not have anything to complain about.
There were are range of activities for people to participate in if they wished, these were very flexible and depended on what people wanted to do each day. Some people had their preferences, one person liked doing jigsaws, and other people preferred not to take part in group activities and remained in their rooms.
Feedback was sought from people, their relatives and other visitors to the home through satisfaction questionnaires. People, relatives and staff said they management were very approachable and were available at any time to discuss the support and care provided.