Archived: Sandhurst Residential Care Home

This inspection was carried by one inspector in one day. During the inspection, the inspector worked to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Yes, we judged the service was safe.

People told us they felt safe and well cared for The people we spoke with were very positive about the staff who worked with them. People told us staff were caring and supportive. For example, one person said 'It is lovely here, it is very, very good, the food is beautiful; what more do you want?.' Similarly visitors and staff we spoke with, were all very positive about care practice in the home.

We saw that the home was well maintained, comfortable, and decorations and furnishings were well maintained. Records showed equipment was regularly serviced. Improvements had been made to the bathrooms and laundry areas since we last visited.

On the day of the inspection the home was clean and on the whole there were no unpleasant odours. The people who used the service all said they were happy with the standard of cleanliness. People said the laundry service was run to a good standard.

People said call bells were always answered promptly. People said staff were unrushed and patient with them.

Records were to a satisfactory standard. For example everyone had a care plan and there was evidence these were regularly reviewed. There was however limited evidence of visits from some medical professionals. Health and safety records were comprehensive and showed appropriate checks were completed to ensure the building and equipment were safe.

Is the service effective?

Yes, we judged the service was effective.

People all had an individual care plan, which set out their care needs. Care plans contained satisfactory information and were accessible to staff.

People said staff met their needs and responded promptly when they needed assistance.

People had access to doctors, district nurses, chiropodists and opticians.

People were positive about the meals provided and people said they were given a choice regarding what they had to eat.

Staff training and supervision records demonstrated staff received suitable support to carry out their roles.

Is the service caring?

Yes we judged the service was caring.

Our observations of the care provided, discussions with people and records we assessed, enabled us to conclude individual wishes and needs were taken into account and respected. People had the opportunity to participate in some activities.

People who used the service said they were supported by caring and professional staff and we were positive about the care practices we observed. Comments from people who lived at the home included 'The care is very good. The staff are very nice, kind and polite'. Nobody ever rushes me around,' and 'It is very good. The staff are first class.' The relatives we spoke with were happy with the care received by people living in the home.

Is the service responsive?

Yes we judged the service was responsive.

The people we spoke with all said the staff treated them with respect and dignity. The care practice we observed was professional and supportive. Relatives told us staff would keep them informed if they had any concerns about for example their mother or father who lived in the home.

The home had good links with local health services. We spoke with a district nurse who said standards of care were good, and staff would work constructively with the district nurse service to ensure good care for the people who lived at the home.

Is the service well-led?

Yes we judged the service was well led.

People told us the staff and management were approachable, and would resolve any problems if they voiced any concerns.

The home had a satisfactory quality assurance system to monitor the quality of the service and ensure suitable improvements took place where this was necessary.

During this visit we met with six people who lived in the house and three visiting relatives. We met with the registered manager and spoke with three other staff on duty. We toured the premises, visiting six bedrooms, three bathrooms and the laundry.

One person said, 'The staff are lovely, wonderful'. Another person said, 'The staff know what I need and I get help when I need it.' We found that the home continued to provide good, person centred care for people, working well with health care professionals. People told us they were pleased with the staff and the care they received.

The bedrooms that we saw were clean. The baths and toilets were clean. However, cracks and rough surfaces in the walls and floors of bathrooms and the laundry were dirty. This meant that people were at risk of cross infection.

Everybody we spoke to told us that they liked living at the home. One person told us that 'It's very good here I can do what I want' another person told us 'I like living here'.

We saw that people's plans of care reflected individual needs and were personalised. A visiting relative told us "I am happy with the care, mum is happy and that means a lot." Another person said "I really like it here, the food is good and I have made new friends.'

We visited 13 bedrooms, a dining room, 3 bathrooms, the lounge and the laundry. We saw that area were not so clean and some rooms were being used for the storage of equipment for use in the home.

People told us that they were aware of the complaints system. One person said 'I would speak to the staff if I was unhappy.'

People told us they were satisfied with their life at Sandhurst. One person said, 'The staff are very good, the food is very good. I can't grumble at all.' Another person told us that they were very pleased they had moved to Sandhurst, people were very nice and they had made friends here.

We saw that staff knew people well and understood how to meet their individual needs. Health and social care professionals who spoke with us said they had confidence in the staff's ability to provide reliable care for people with health care needs and to manage well the care of people with dementia.

We looked at the arrangements in place to administer medicines for people and found that they were satisfactory. We saw that the registered manager had systems for checking the quality and safety of the service.

Work was on-going to maintain the building. We found further work was needed to make the premises entirely safe and suitable for the people living in the home.