Archived: Pax Care Home

Updated 15 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection visit took place on 13 June 2017. It was a comprehensive, announced inspection and was undertaken by one inspector.

We reviewed the information we held about the service and we looked at the statutory notifications the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law.

We reviewed the information in the provider’s information return (PIR). This is a form we asked the provider to send to us before we visited. The PIR asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We were able to review the information as part of our evidence when conducting our inspection, and found it reflected what we saw.

To help us understand people’s experiences of the service, we spent time during the inspection visit talking with people in the communal areas. This was to see how people spent their time, how staff involved them, how staff provided their care and what they personally thought about the service.

We spoke briefly with two people who lived in the home. People were not always able to understand what we were speaking with them about, and did not always communicate verbally. So, we also spoke with a relative over the telephone. We spoke with the provider, the registered manager, and two care staff.

We looked at two people’s care records and other records including, training records, medicines, nutritional charts and incident and accident records.

Updated 15 July 2017

The inspection visit took place on 13 June 2017 and it was announced.

Pax Care Home provides care for up to two people and on the day of our inspection there were two people living there.

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

There was a registered manager at the home. 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 and relatives were complimentary and satisfied with the quality of care they received. People received care that enabled them to live their lives as they wanted and were able to make choices about keeping their independence. People were encouraged to make their own decisions about the care they received and care was given in line with their expressed wishes. People were supported to maintain relationships with people who were important to them.

Care plans contained accurate and detailed relevant information for staff to help them provide the individual care people required. People and relatives were involved in making care decisions and reviewing their care to ensure it continued to meet their needs.

For people assessed as being at risk, care records included information for staff so risks to people’s health and welfare were minimised. Staff had a good knowledge of people’s needs and abilities which meant they provided safe and effective care. Staff received essential training to meet people’s individual needs, and effectively used their skills, knowledge and experience to support people and develop trusting relationships.

People’s care and support was provided by a caring staff team and there were enough trained and experienced staff to meet people’s needs. People told us they felt safe living at the home and a relative supported this. Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse. Staff and the registered manager understood what actions they needed to take if they had any concerns for people's wellbeing or safety.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the home support this practice.

People received a choice of meals and drinks that met their individual dietary requirements at times they wanted them. People received support from staff when they required it, and anyone at risk of malnutrition or dehydration, were monitored and if concerns were identified, medical advice was sought and followed.

People and relatives knew how to voice their complaints and felt confident to do so.

Systems to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided were not in place or not always recorded. This meant the registered manager could not demonstrate how they ensured the staff and service worked in line with their expectations and the essential standards of care.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.