Archived: Waxham House

Waxham House is registered to provide accommodation for up to 20 older people with personal care needs, including people living with a cognitive impairment. There were 20 people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were supported by staff who were kind, caring and who understood their likes, dislikes and preferences. People were happy living at Waxham House and told us they felt safe.

Recruitment practices were effective and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs. People were protected from avoidable harm, received their medicines as prescribed and infection control risks were managed appropriately.

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

People were supported to access health and social care professionals if needed, received enough to eat and drink and were happy with the food provided. Staff had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. They received regular supervision to help develop their skills and support them in their role.

The service had a positive person-centred culture. Both people and staff told us the manager was approachable. The service worked in partnership with others and engaged people and staff. There was a positive staff culture, and this reflected in a happy and friendly atmosphere.

People and their relatives felt the management team were open, approachable and supportive. Everyone was confident the provider would take actions to address any concerns promptly. The providers had effective governance systems in place to identify concerns in the service and drive improvement.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 9 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

At the last inspection on 17 & 24 November 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager in place at the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the home. 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 home is run.

People and their families told us they felt the home was safe. Staff and the registered manager had received safeguarding training and were able to demonstrate an understanding of the provider’s safeguarding policy and explain the action they would take if they identified any concerns.

The risks relating to people’s health and welfare were assessed and these were recorded along with actions identified to reduce those risks in the least restrictive way. They were personalised and provided sufficient information to allow staff to protect people whilst promoting their independence.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to support people with their assessed needs and provide care to people in a relaxed and unhurried manner.

The registered provider and registered manager followed safe and robust recruitment procedures. Staff were appropriately trained to meet the needs of the people using the service. Staff were supervised in their roles and received an annual appraisal to aide their personal development.

There were suitable systems in place to ensure the safe storage and administration of medicines. Medicines were administered by staff who had received appropriate training and assessments. Healthcare professionals, such as chiropodists, opticians, GPs and dentists were involved in people’s care when necessary.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. Mealtimes were a social event and staff supported people, when necessary in a patient and friendly manner.

Staff followed legislation designed to protect people’s rights and ensure decisions were the least restrictive and made in their best interests.

Staff developed caring and positive relationships with people, were sensitive to their individual choices and treated them with dignity and respect. People were encouraged to maintain relationships that were important to them.

Care plans were individualised and person centred. Plans were reviewed regularly to ensure planned care was current and up to date. People and when appropriate their families were involved in discussions about their care planning, which reflected their assessed needs.

There was an opportunity for families to become involved in developing the service and they were encouraged to provide feedback on the service provided both informally and through questionnaires. They were also supported to raise complaints should they wish to.

People’s families told us they felt the home was well-led and were positive about the registered manager and provider who understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff were aware of the provider’s vision and values, how they related to their work and spoke positively about the culture and management of the home.

There were systems in place to monitor quality and safety of the home provided. Accidents and incidents were monitored, analysed and remedial actions identified to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

Infection control procedures were in place. Staff knew what measures to take to ensure people were protected from the risk of infection.

Quality assurance systems were in place. Audits were carried out frequently, and issues identified were addressed. Staff received supervision regularly and areas of concern were identified and acted on. Measures were in place to ensure standards of care were maintained.

We observed that staff communicated well with people. Staff promoted a friendly and caring environment. Effective recruitment procedures were in place to ensure staff had undergone the relevant checks before commencing their employment.

The building was fit for purpose and well maintained. We saw that a complaints policy was in place and that complaints received were handled in line with the policy.