We carried out a review of the data available to us about Golden Gorse Residential Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Golden Gorse Residential Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Golden Gorse Residential Care Home is a care home providing accommodation and personal care. The home is registered to provide care to up to 8 people. The home specialises in the care of people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were 7 people using the service.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support:
People lived together in a family type setting which was in the centre of Minehead. It was within easy walking distance of the town centre and local amenities.
People told us they were able to make choices about their day to day lives. People said they were able to follow their own routines and interests.
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 looked very at home and relaxed. They had unrestricted access to their personal rooms and all communal areas of the home.
The service gave people care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their needs.
Right Care:
People were treated as individuals and staff respected each person’s routines and needs. However, there was limited information about how people and/or their representatives were involved in planning their care and setting goals for themselves. The registered manager gave assurances they would address this issue.
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.
Staff supported people to stay in touch with friends and family. People told us their family visited and they enjoyed trips out with them.
People told us they felt safe at the home and staff were always kind.
Right Culture:
There was a very happy atmosphere in the home. Some people had lived together for a number of years and had formed strong friendships with each other. People had a sense of belonging and felt included.
Staff continually interacted with people and included them in conversations and activities. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting them to follow their own routines.
Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well.
People spent time with community access workers who were independent of the home.
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 August 2019)
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about how staff respected people as adults and how people were assisted to be fully involved in their care and support. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring and well-led only.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from the concerns raised with us. However, we identified that there was limited evidence that people and/or their representatives were involved in planning their care. The registered manager told us they would address this issue.
Please see the well led and caring section of the full report.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Golden Gorse Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
The overall rating for the service has not changed from good based on the findings of this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Golden Gorse Residential Care Home is a care home providing personal and accommodation to 8 people who have a learning disability.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service had been opened some years ago and therefore had not been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. However, the staff worked with the provider to embed these principles into people’s day to day lives. The principles include; promotion of choice and control, independence and inclusion. For example, people’s support focussed on them having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and become more independent.
People lived in a happy home where they felt safe and well cared for. During the inspection there was a warm atmosphere with lots of laughter and good-humoured banter.
People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and competent in their roles. Staff monitored people’s health and well being and worked with other professionals to make sure people received the treatment they required.
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 able to make choices about what they did each day and how they spent their time.
People had close relationships with other people who lived at the home and were encouraged to keep in touch with friends and family.
People were able to take part in activities and follow their interests. People enjoyed a variety of social activities and work opportunities. These included in house activities, trips out, social events, day services attendance and voluntary jobs.
People lived in a home which was well managed and had systems to monitor standards of care and ensure on-going improvements. People told us the registered manager was open and approachable and they could raise any issues with them.
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 (Report published 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, the service was rated Good.
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
Why the service is rated good:
People told us they felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them, one person said “Of course I feel safe here. It’s my home.” There were enough staff to meet people’s physical needs and support them with activities and trips out. People received their medicines safely.
People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and competent. People were happy with the food served in the home and one person said “We always have nice food.” 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.
The service was very caring and people had built strong relationships with each other and staff. There was a very happy atmosphere in the home and people told us staff were always kind. People’s privacy was respected.
The staff provided care and support which was responsive to people’s individual needs. People had the information they needed to assist them to make a complaint. One person told us “They would listen and help me.” People were assisted to take part in a variety of activities and trips out and showed us photographs of some of these.
The service was well led by a manager and provider who were open and approachable. People chatted happily with the manager and had lots of opportunities to share their views.
This was an unannounced inspection carried out by one inspector on 16 October 2014.
Golden Gorse Residential Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people. The home provides care and support to people who have a learning disability.
There was no registered manager in post at the time 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The last registered manager de-registered with the CQC in September 2014. A new manager has been appointed and told us they had begun the process to be registered.
People told us they found the manager open and approachable. We saw everyone who lived and worked at the home was comfortable and relaxed with them.
There were systems in place to make sure people were safe. These included a robust recruitment procedure and staff training in recognising and reporting abuse. Risk assessments had been completed to enable people to take part in activities with minimum risk to themselves and others.
Staff received appropriate training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to support people. People who lived at the home spoke very fondly about the staff. One person said “I love all the staff.” Another person said “The staff are nice and they care about me.”
Everyone had a care plan which was personal to them and people were involved in reviews of their care. Care plans gave information about people’s needs, wishes and preferred routines. This meant staff had enough information to provide appropriate support to each individual. People had access to a range of health care professionals to make sure their needs were assessed and they received appropriate treatment.
People were able to make decisions about their day to day lives. Where people lacked the mental capacity to make a decision, the staff knew about guidance and legislation about making a decision in a person’s best interests. Throughout the inspection we saw people were offered choices about all aspects of their lives. One person told us “I choose what I do. The staff have to explain things to me sometimes to help me.”
People were able to personalise their bedrooms which gave them a homely feel. People had keys to their bedroom doors and staff respected people’s privacy. Staff supported people to keep in touch with friends and family and visitors were always made welcome at the home.
We saw people had good relationships with staff and there was a friendly sociable atmosphere in the home. People told us about their holidays they had been on with staff or relatives and what they had been doing that day.
We found the provider operated an effective recruitment and employment process. This meant appropriate checks were carried out before staff were employed in the home and which met with current employment law. We saw information to show staff were suitably supervised and managed to work with the people living in the home.
We met all of the five people living in the home, three staff on duty and a volunteer visiting the home to provide activities with people. We spoke with people and we observed how staff supported people. We looked at records relating to the provision of care and support for all five people and for the administration and management of the home.
The people we spoke with during the visit were very happy and were enjoying the activities and social life they had.
We met all of the people living in the home and the three staff on duty. We spoke with those people who were able to verbally communicate and we observed how staff supported people. We looked at records relating to the provision of care and support for three people and for the administration and management of the home.
One person told us that staff supported them to be part of local community activities. We were told that people really liked living in the home and were able to do the things they wanted to. We saw that staff had a good knowledge of people's needs such as their daily routines, preferences for activities and the level of support they needed to be as independent as possible. The people we spoke with were happy with the staff and they were confident that they would be helped and supported by them. We saw that the home was maintained well and there was a programme of regular redecoration and refurbishment.
People told us they are encouraged to express their views of the home through regular meetings and talking to staff. Examples of topics covered at meetings were meal planning, activities, concerns, holidays, staffing and accommodation.
People told us about the activities they enjoy within the community. Examples were, woodwork, dancing, story telling, drumming, skittles, gardening, church, pub outings, pampering, walks, 'keeping in touch club', drama and many more. People told us how they are involved in menu planning and how they all take turns at a choosing a meal each week. People said they do the shopping for their chosen meal and are supported to cook it. People told us that staff knew their likes and dislikes and always offered them an alternative if they didn't like or want something. Some people are helped to make drinks; those unable to make drinks for themselves were offered them regularly.
Some of the people living in the home have limited verbal communication skills. Staff were observed communicating in ways that ensured each person could understand. It was clear that staff had an excellent knowledge of people's communication needs by the way they interacted with people and the responses they received.
A relative told us that she was very happy with the care her sister received. We were told that her sister was very happy at the home and the staff were 'excellent'. We were told that the home keeps her up to date with events going on in the home and any changes to her sister's needs or care.
People said their Individual support and care is discussed with them. They are able to attend reviews of their care if they wish. They said if they do not attend staff always explain the outcome of the review. The manager told us they are in the process of changing people's records to become more person centred care plans. Some people's records were read. The records were found to contain basic information about someone's needs and risks. However, some of the information did not provide enough detail for a new staff member to fully understand their needs and risks by just reading the documents. The home has a small staff team who work together regularly. A newly appointed member of staff said that the communication between staff was very good. A full handover of people is carried out every day. We were told that regular staff are able to explain people's needs and risks to new staff. A new staff said that working alongside regular staff and observing practices helps them learn very quickly. It was clear from the visit that people's needs and risks are fully understood by staff. Regular reviews take place with the funding authorities with clear records kept. However, the records require more detailed information to ensure that any new member of staff could understand a person's needs and risks through reading people's records. The records do not currently reflect people's goals and if they are achieving them. This means that reviews are carried out by staffs' knowledge alone and not by reviewing any records.
Some people showed us their bedrooms and said they were involved in its design and decorations. Bedrooms were seen to be comfortable, bright and personalised. The home is one storey building making all areas accessible to people with all levels of mobility. Some bedrooms have bath aids to help those with mobility problems getting in and out of the bath. The home has a large homely lounge and a kitchen with a dining area. People were observed accessing all areas freely and with the support of staff. Some people told us they enjoy using the courtyard garden area in the summer.
People told us that there was always enough staff available take them to their activities, including shopping, going out to lunch, going to the pub, visiting friends, as well as their normal activities at the 'Sea Horse Centre'.
People told us staff always have time to help them with personal care needs and with tasks in the house where they need support.
Staff were observed spending time talking and listening to people tell them about their day. Staff spoken with felt the levels of staff were appropriate for the need and support required by the people in the home.
A relative said that the staff are always friendly and welcoming and seem to be able to give the time necessary to meet their relative's needs.
The manager showed us a matrix she maintains to identify training needs and updates for mandatory training. Training included examples such as health and safety topics, fire safety, duty of care and National Vocational Training. We were told that additional training is provided when staff require a better understanding of people's specific needs. An example of this was when the home required training from a speech and language therapist to help staff understand and meet the needs of someone in the home. The manager said the outcome was positive for the person and the staff.
Staff confirmed that they receive regular supervision and support from the manager. Staff also said that the provider was very supportive and was always available on the telephone for advice and guidance.
The provider visits the home regularly to carry out an audit on the quality of services. We were told that the provider is always available by telephone for advice and guidance to staff, relatives and the people living in the home.
The manager produces a monthly newsletter that details activities and relevant information for relatives and people living in the home.
The home has systems in place to regularly audit the health and safety of the home including environmental, equipment, fire safety, records, electrical, gas and water checks.
The home keeps records securely and confidentiality is maintained. People's records are reviewed regularly and updated as soon as possible. Records, including people's records are kept in a secure cupboards and filing cabinets in the office. The manager told us this is locked at night. The manager said that she takes the keys home each night. This means that people's records and policies are not available to night staff. The manager said herself or the senior member of staff are on call at night so would come in should records be required. However, it was agreed that there needs to be a system that makes records available to night staff that maintains security and confidentiality.
People's finances are managed by the manager with and on people's behalf. The financial records were found to be well maintained, accurate with receipts for spending. However where financial records are kept means that other records necessary for staff are not always available to them. The manager said she would now store financial records separately from other records. The handover system in the home does not include the checking of people's finances held on their behalf. This leaves staff that check finances vulnerable and the current system does not fully protect people from the risk of financial abuse.