We carried out a review of the data available to us about Southlawns 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 Southlawns, you can give feedback on this service.
Southlawns is a residential care home providing personal without nursing to 39 older people at the time of the inspection. One of these people was completing a short stay at the home. The service can support up to 40 people. Some people would come to the home during the day as a social opportunity. These people were not receiving a regulated activity.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they were happy living at the home and they felt safe. However, medicine was not always being managed safely. Medicines were administered safely. Most risks had been identified with ways to mitigate them in place. Although some training and guidance was not in place for people with specific health conditions.
The provider and management had completed a range of audits to identify concerns and issues at the service. They strove to be open and constantly develop and improve the support people were receiving. When audits had identified issues, actions were being taken to rectify them. When concerns were raised during the inspection the management found solutions. The registered manager was aware of their responsibility to notify the Care Quality Commission of certain events in line with their statutory obligations.
People were supported by enough staff to meet their needs. Although there were some mixed opinions from staff members. Staff had received a range of training including specialist in health and social care. People were comfortable in the presence of the staff.
People had care plans which were personalised and provided a range of information for staff to use to support their needs and wishes. The management had recognised further work was required to capture all the detail staff members knew about people. There were good links with other health and social care professionals and one health professional complemented the responsiveness of staff to their suggestions.
Staff were kind and caring and knew the people living at the home incredibly well. Staff respected privacy and dignity throughout the inspection. Links were being developed with the community to have a positive impact for people. Independence was promoted, as were the values of treating each person as an individual.
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.
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 23 February 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe section of this full report. We have made one recommendation about medicine management.
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.
There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
We inspected Southlawns on 11 and 12 January 2017. The inspection was unannounced. The service was last inspected in December 2013 when it was found to be meeting the requirements of the regulations.
People told us they felt safe at the service and with the staff who supported them. One relative told us: “Our first choice was Southlawns as they were the most friendly and welcoming, and we believed they would suit (my relatives) needs the best. (My relative) has been at the home since (last spring) and we have not been disappointed with our choice.” External professionals told us “Southlawns is safe and treatment received is effective. People appear very happy and staff have always been caring and supportive and know their clients well, ” “I feel Southlawns provides a safe and supportive service and the care assistants go over and above their normal duties,” and “I have only heard positive comments from people regarding the service at the home.”
People told us they received their medicines on time. Medicines administration records were kept appropriately and medicines were stored and managed to a good standard.
Staff had been suitably trained to recognise potential signs of abuse. Staff told us they would be confident to report concerns to management, and thought management would deal with any issues appropriately.
Staff training was delivered to a good standard, and staff received updates about important skills such as moving and handling at regular intervals. Staff also received training about the needs of people with dementia. An external professional commented “Staff seem knowledgable and well trained.”
Recruitment processes were satisfactory as pre-employment checks had been completed to help ensure people’s safety. This included written references and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, which helped find out if a person was suitable to work with vulnerable adults.
People had access to medical professionals such as a general practitioner, dentist, chiropodist and an optician. People said they received enough support from these professionals.
There were enough staff on duty and people said they received timely support from staff when it was needed. Most people said call bells were answered promptly and we observed staff being attentive to people’s needs. An external professional said, “Staff are very helpful and accommodating.”
Care was provided appropriately and staff were viewed as caring. Relatives said “They are very patient with (my relative). She is happy and settled. Staff are very good and kind,” and “They (the staff) treat them (people who live in the home) beautiful.” An external professional said “Both families and residents are very happy with care and support being received.”
The service had some activities organised. Activities were organised by three activities organisers. Activities included bingo, flower arranging, cooking, reminiscence and sing-alongs, a gardening club as well as a range of external entertainers. Some trips out were available. The library and local church visited. People had the opportunity to participate in one to one activities for example a game of Scrabble.
Care files contained information such as a care plan and these were regularly reviewed. The service had appropriate systems in place to assess people’s capacity in line with legislation and guidance, for example using the Mental Capacity Act (2005).
People were happy with their meals. Everyone said they always had enough to eat and drink. People said they were provided with a choice of meals. People said they received enough support when they needed help with eating or drinking.
People we spoke with said if they had any concerns or complaints they would feel confident discussing these with staff members or management, or they would ask their relative to resolve the problem. They were sure the correct action would be taken if they made a complaint.
People felt the service was well managed. For example, members of staff said the manager was “Approachable,” and “Professional.” An external professional said, “Management is very flexible in allowing people to come at very short notice and very professional and understanding in managing unpredictable behaviour.”
We saw that care and support was centred on people as individuals and considered all aspects of their circumstances.
We spoke with five people who use the service at Southlawns. One person told us 'the staff are very patient and kind, they help me when I need it', they also said 'we all have a keyworker who takes a special interest in us". Another person told us 'I never get bored here; I don't want to move at all'.
We observed staff interacting positively with people at meal times and at other times during the visit.
We saw that there were comprehensive case records which were reviewed regularly according to the changing needs of people using the service.
We saw that Southlawns was clean and tidy and that there were effective measures in place to reduce the risk of infection.
We saw that there were effective recruitment procedures in pace which ensured that people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.
We saw that there were clear procedures in place for receiving, handling, considering and responding to complaints.
People were very positive about the care they received. One person told us "I get all the help I need, you only have to ask, staff are very prompt in coming to help me". Care planning was comprehensive with people being supported by community based professionals to meet care needs. There were risk assessments in place which provided guidance to staff about how to respond and alleviate risks to people's health.
There were good arrangements for the management of medicines this ensured people's health and welfare were protected. There were arrangements in place to enable people to manage their own medicines if able to do so safely. The administration and storage of medicines was arranged through a computer based system. This provided electronic audits so that the manager was able to look at administering practice and address any identified concerns.
Staff told us they were well supported to undertake their role. There were good arrangements for staff to receive supervision and training.
There were good systems in place for the monitoring of the service and for people to comment on the quality of the service.
One visitor said they had always been welcomed in the home and staff members were always polite and caring. They told us the 'the staff are very good and understand people's ways'.
People we spoke with told us that they were happy and safe at Southlawns. One person told us, they had lived in the home for quite a while and felt very happy with the way the home was run. One person commenting on the staff who worked in the home told us, 'The staff are more than excellent'.
The staff we spoke with had a very clear understanding of the care needs of people who lived in the home. We saw actions that promoted the dignity of people using the service were included in the person centred plans.
Staff told us they were aware of the home's policies on recognising and reporting abuse and would not hesitate to report any concerns to the manager.
Regular audits of the premises, care practices and documentation were carried out to maintain the health safety and wellbeing of people at the home.
We observed the atmosphere and general ambiance of the home to be relaxed