Archived: Chamber Mount

We last inspected Chamber Mount in May 2014. At that inspection we found that the service was meeting the regulations we assessed.

Chamber Mount is a converted detached property situated in a residential area of Oldham, approximately one mile from Oldham Town centre. The service is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 23 older people, some of whom may have dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people living at Chamber Mount. There are three lounges, two dining rooms and a large conservatory. All bedrooms have vanity units and are fitted with a call system and have access to bathroom and toileting facilities. The property is surrounded by a small garden and there is an area containing garden furniture at the rear of the property. Chamber Mount is privately owned and the owners are both actively involved with supporting the registered manager in the day to day management of the home.

The home had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who was present for both days of 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. The registered manager had been in post for nearly thirteen years and was highly regarded by the owners, staff and residents. She had a positive and proactive approach to managing the home and maintaining high standards of care.

Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures, how to identify signs of abuse and what action they would take to protect people. People were kept safe, and risk assessments had been completed to show how people were supported with everyday risks. The building was well-maintained and environmental checks were up-to-date. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to care for residents and recruitment checks had been carried out on all staff to ensure they were suitable to work in a care setting. Medication was administered in a safe manner.

Staff had undertaken a variety of training to ensure that they had the skills and knowledge required for their role and received regular supervision from senior staff. All staff had undertaken training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA): The MCA provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interest and as least restrictive as possible. Staff we spoke to understood how to encourage people to make choices where they had the capacity to do so, and to seek consent before undertaking any care. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs and they told us the food was good.

People told us the staff were kind and caring and that their dignity and privacy were respected. Care plans were person-centred, reflecting the needs of each individual and were reviewed on a regular basis. The home had taken part in the ‘six steps end of life training programme’ in order to improve knowledge and understanding in this area.

People were supported to maintain good health and referrals to healthcare professionals, for example to District Nurses, or General Practitioners (GP) were made promptly. Families were kept informed of any changes to their relatives’ health and were invited to give feedback on the service through meetings and surveys. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people we spoke with knew how to raise a complaint if they needed to.

Staff received regular supervision and quality assurance processes were in place to ensure that the service delivered high quality care.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, their relatives, and the staff supporting them and looking at records. We also spoke by telephone with the Care Home Liaison Nurse.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

We were unable to speak to many of the people who used the service because they had conditions that meant they could not reliably give their verbal opinions on the service they received. However we observed during our visit that people were treated with respect. We were also able to understand from the people we spoke with that they were happy with the care provided. Four family members also said that they were pleased with the care their relative received. One person told us 'I visit regularly and I have never seen anything that would cause me concern in the way people are treated ".

Training was in place to protect the people who lived at Chamber Mount such as moving and handling, safeguarding adults and health and safety. The training was provided using BVS a professional training company who provide videos and work books. Other training was provided through Oldham College Skills for Care and the Care Home Liaison Nurse. This helped to ensure that the staff team had the qualifications and skills to meet people's needs. National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) had been undertaken by the staff team in Health and Social Care.

Training had been given to the staff team with regard to the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

We were able to see from the records we looked at that people who lacked capacity were fully protected when decisions were necessary regarding their health and personal care needs.

Chamber Mount was clean and free from unpleasant odours. Two family members told us that this was one of the reasons that they choose Chamber Mount for their relative.

Fire awareness training had been provided at the home for the members of staff. One person told us that they had also had training whilst attending their college course.

Is the service effective?

The family members we spoke with said that they were kept informed about their relative's care. They also told us that if they had any concerns they were comfortable with talking to the manager or the care workers. One family member told us "The owners of the home are there a lot and are involved which makes me feel better".

We saw from the care plans that people received the appropriate care to meet their needs. The home had been adapted from two semi-detached houses. A passenger lift and stair lift assisted people to reach the upper floors. There was equipment available such as hoists, assisted baths, pressure relieving mattress and cushions.

We spoke with the Care Home Liaison Nurse who had visited the home on a number of occasions to provide training and advice. The Care Home Liaison Nurse was part of a new team that had been put in place by Oldham Authority as part of their Dementia Care Strategy.

We also saw that advice from a member of the Mental Health team had been sought and acted upon.

Other healthcare professionals such as GP and district Nurse also visited the home as requested. Notes were made of the visits on the person's care plan.

The deputy manager told us that the staff team were efficient, that they all worked well together and that most of the staff had worked at the home for a few years.

Is the service caring?

No one we spoke with said that they had any concerns about the care provided. One family member said "We are 100% pleased with the care; brilliant, no qualms whatsoever, am more than pleased'. Another family member told us "The owner, manager and staff are very caring and they have a lovely way with the residents. When they talk to them they show respect and I have never heard them use a cross word". Other family members told us that they were always kept informed and that they were included in reviews of the persons care.

The three people who lived at Chamber Mount who we spoke with said that they had no complaints and that the staff were good. One person said the staff were 'All very nice'. They also told us that they had a newspaper provided by the home every day and had books from the library service.

Two family members we spoke with told us that from the homes they looked at and had experience of; Chamber Mount was the best. One of the reasons they both gave which had helped them make a decision was the lack of urine smells. One family member told us that their relative was always cleanly dressed.

The Care Home Liaison Nurse told us that the Chamber Mount staff were very receptive to the advice she provided. She also told us that she found the staff team very caring and that the care was 'person centred'.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people's needs were assessed before they were admitted to the home to ensure that their needs could be met. We saw that risk assessments and care plans were in place that reflected the person's care needs to ensure that they received appropriate care.

Care plans and medication records were audited regularly to make sure that people's changing needs were being met.

We were told by the provider and the manager that the staffing levels reflected the number of people who were living at the home and the level of their care needs. The people we spoke with said that they thought there was enough staff.

A family member told us that the GP was called as and when necessary and that they had no worries about their relative being given medication appropriately.

Is the service well-led?

Chamber Mount was owned by a husband and wife who were very involved with the day to day management of the home. There was also a Registered Manager who was responsible for the day to day care of the people who lived at Chamber Mount.

We were told by the provider and manager that questionnaires were distributed to the people who used the service in order to obtain their views and opinions about the service. The surveys were conducted annually and the results were analysed and displayed on the notice board for everyone to see.

The responses were also discussed at staff meetings in order to improve the service.

Training was provided in a number of formats including videos and work books and courses undertaken through Oldham College Skills for Care.

We were told by people and families who used the service and the staff team that they could talk to the managers if they had any concerns about the care being provided.

We also saw certificates from Oldham Environmental Health and Oldham Infection Control saying that the home had scored 5 (very good) and 100% respectively from both these department audits.

We saw that people's care and support needs were assessed and care workers followed care plans that were in place. These were regularly reviewed. We saw evidence that people were involved in planning their care, and they were given choices about their day to day routines.

New staff followed an induction programme and shadowed more experienced staff prior to providing care themselves. We saw that the Manager had regular supervision meetings with staff and training was updated appropriately.

The Manager carried out a programme of audits to monitor and assess the quality of the service. We saw that where improvements could be made the Manager recorded this and monitored the situation until the improvements were in place.

The comments we heard about the home were positive. They included 'The carers are really good, all kind and friendly', 'I love it here' and 'The owner and Manager are very good and always go that extra mile'.