Drake Nursing Home

Drake Nursing Home (hereafter referred to as Drake) is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to 30 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 32 people and specialises in providing dementia care. The service is in a listed building in the Stoke area of Plymouth, set over three floors with lift access. There is a large accessible garden, lounge and dining area and quiet reminiscing area for people to sit and listen to music.

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

People were protected from abuse and said they felt safe living in the service. Staff understood how to support people to minimise the risks they faced.

Staff were kind and caring and spoke with fondness of people. Families told us there was a homely atmosphere in the service and they were very happy their relative lived there.

There were enough staff to meet the needs of people and support them to feel less isolated. Staff had completed training to support them to meet the complex needs of people. The service was exploring ways to further staff understanding of delivering great dementia care.

Staff felt supported by each other and the management team. Sharing of information regarding people’s needs was open and prompt, and where additional support or advice was needed outside of the service this was sought in a timely way.

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. Staff asked for consent from people before delivering care and gave people choices around what to wear, where to sit and what activity they would like to do.

There was a range of appropriate activities to meet the needs of people. Families were engaged with people’s care and informed if their loved one became unwell. Relatives told us they would be listened to if they needed to complain.

Quality assurance systems were robust and there was a clear action plan that identified areas for development within the service.

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 19 July 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, the service was rated Good overall. At this inspection we found the service remained Good in all areas.

People remained safe at the service. Relatives said they trusted their loved ones were well cared for and kept safe. People were protected by staff who understood how to recognise and report any signs of risk or abuse. Risk assessments were completed in relation to people’s needs and the environment. Plans were in place to minimise risks where they had been identified. Staff were available in sufficient numbers to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe. Medicines were administered, stored and disposed of safely.

People continued to receive care from staff who had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support them. Staff were well trained, competent and received the support they needed to effectively carry out their role. 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 service supported this practice. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff and people had access to healthcare professionals according to their individual needs.

People and relatives said the staff were very caring. We observed staff being patient and kind. There was a calm atmosphere in the service. People's privacy was respected. People where possible, or their representatives, were involved in decisions about the care and support people received.

The service remained responsive to people's individual needs. Care arrangements were personalised and took into account the way people preferred and wanted their support to be delivered. Information had been documented about people’s backgrounds and interests and opportunities were available for people to occupy their time and to stimulate memory and discussion. An activities coordinator worked in the home five days each week and organised a range of group and individual activities. The provider and registered manager listened to people’s views about the service and any complaints or concerns were addressed and used to drive improvement across the service.

The service continued to be well led. Staff told us the registered manager and management team were very approachable. The registered manager and provider sought the views of people and their relatives to make sure people were at the heart of any changes within the home. The registered manager and provider had monitoring systems which enabled them to identify good practices and areas of improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.