Archived: Halcyon House

We saw that people appeared comfortable and happy in their surroundings. Staff were compassionate and attentive to people's requests and needs.

A relative we spoke to said 'X ( The registered manager) is fantastic' and ' I would give the keyworkers 110% for the care they provide'.

Staff had a good understanding of people's individual care needs and had the information they required to fulfil their role within the home.

The environment was clean and tidy. A range of specialised equipment was available to meet people's specific care needs, and systems were in place to ensure that this equipment was regularly checked and maintained. At the time of the visit improvements were being made to the garden area and we were told that this would include the addition of a sun room and jacuzzi pool to further meet people's needs.

Staff we spoke to said that they felt well supported by their colleagues and the management team.

We found that records were well maintained and safely stored. Information about people's support needs were clearly documented and included sufficient detail to enable staff to meet their needs in a way that was appropriate and safe.

We met all eight people who used services and spoke to six staff members on duty and checked the provider's records. We also spoke with three visiting relatives. We spoke to staff about the care given, looked at the care records of three people; we met them, looked at other records and observed staff working with them.

We saw that staff treated people with consideration and respect. For example, some people were very demanding of staff's time by asking a lot of questions about when and where they may be going that day, and one person being particularly excited. We observed that the staff responded to each person with patience and understanding at all times.

We saw and heard staff speak to people in a way that demonstrated a good understanding of people's choices and preferences. They demonstrated a good understanding of what kinds of things might constitute abuse, and knew where they should go to report any suspicions they may have.

One person when asked if they liked living at the home said, 'I do'. A relative said, 'X has always been happy here'.