Archived: Boisdale House

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe. Systems were in place to help the manager and staff team learn from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This reduced the risks to people and helped the service to continually improve. Staff showed a good understanding of the care needs of the people they supported.

Boisdale alerted the local authority and the Care Quality Commission when notifiable events occurred or they had any concerns regarding people who used the service. Boisdale had policies and procedures in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS). This helped to ensure that people's needs were met.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed with them, although people were not involved in writing their plans of care. During our inspection it was clear from our observations and from speaking with staff, that staff had a good understanding of people's needs.

Specialist dietary needs had been identified where required. Care plans were up-to-date.

We saw that there was good liaison and communication with other professionals and agencies to ensure people's care needs were met.

The quality of recording seen was seen to have improved enabling care staff to use the information correctly.

Is the service caring?

When speaking with staff it was clear that they genuinely cared for the people they supported.

People's preferences and interests had been recorded and some life histories were evident.

Boisdale had regular support from the GPs from the local GP practices and other visiting health professionals. This ensured people received appropriate care in a timely way.

Is the service responsive?

The care records showed evidence of the lifestyle of the people who lived at Boisdale and we observed that staff spent one-to-one time with people throughout the day.

The service worked well with other agencies and services to make sure people received care in a coherent way.

Is the service well-led?

We met with the new manager who is not yet registered with the Care Quality Commission. We were told that he was in the process of applying for registered status. We saw minutes of regular meetings held with the staff. This showed the management consulted with staff regularly to gain their views and experiences and improve support for people who lived at the service.

The service had a quality assurance system, and staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home and quality assurance processes that were in place. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.

There were suitable safe storage facilities for medication and we observed staff administering medicines competently and safely.

There were suitable numbers of experienced staff to look after people and their varying needs.

We found that people had signed their care files, however they were not up to date or a true reflection of their care and support needs.

During our inspection on 11 July 2013 we found the provider had not accurately maintained people's care records. The Nominated Individual identified how they would address the shortfalls in record keeping.

We found that people had signed their care files, however they were not up to date and a true reflection of their care and support needs.

People were positive about the service they received. People told us that 'staff are nice to me' Another person told us ' it's alright I can basically do what I want.' They told us that they felt safe and looked after.

We found that people's care records did not contain information to ensure that people living in the home received the care and support they should.

We found that people were cared for by staff that were appropriately trained and knowledgeable about the care people required although there was not always sufficient numbers to carry out their tasks.

Everybody who we met looked well cared for. One person who used the service told us "I get all they help I need".

The registered manager told us that staff were trained to recognise and report abuse and were told about the local procedures for reporting any suspected abuse.

The registered manager and one care worker that we spoke to said they thought the staffing levels were sufficient to meet the needs of the people who lived at Boisdale House. We saw staff knew the people who used the service well and had time to spend with them.

We saw that there were opportunities for people who used the service to be involved in monitoring the quality of the service. We were told that a variety of audits took place regularly. The providers visited the home each week and met with staff and people who used the service to review the service people received.