The inspection took place on 15 March 2018 and was unannounced. This meant staff did not know we were visiting.We last inspected the service on 18 February 2016 and rated the service as Good. At this inspection we found the service had improved to Outstanding.
St John of God Care Services Lindisfarne [usually called Lindisfarne Court] care home provides accommodation with personal care for up to 13 people. The service provides care to people with learning disabilities, acquired brain injury and physical disabilities. At the time of this inspection there were 12 people living at the home, with one person in hospital.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff were exceptional in their caring approach to people using the service and in their support to people’s families. People and relatives we spoke with told us the staff team were dedicated and wanted the best for people they were caring for. Healthcare professionals told us of the "tireless work" the service undertook to ensure peoples' rights were upheld.
We were told of how the service had supported people, their families and other people living at the home in an extremely caring way when someone had passed away this year. The registered manager continued to involve and offer support to this person’s family by inviting them to events at the home and maintaining meaningful contact with them.
Staff went out of their way to promote dignity and respect for people. Staff took exceptional pride in ensuring people’s personal care was carried out to the highest standards. Even when people had no verbal communication and limited understanding, we witnessed staff asking permission and talking with people all the time about what they were assisting them with.
The service had used an innovative recruitment drive since our last inspection and we saw that the registered manager had built a strong and consistent staff team. The recruitment had fully involved people using the service through the whole process from being involved in flyers to advertise vacancies to informing candidates when they had been successful in post. Morale amongst the staff we spoke with was very high and people, families and the staff team spoke of the outstanding leadership by the registered manager.
The registered manager was a passionate advocate for people in terms of promoting their health and well-being with other statutory services. Many people at the service had very complex healthcare needs. We saw how they and the staff team provided person centred care for people not just whilst people were at home but also if due to health needs they required hospital services. Everyone at the service was committed to supporting people to uphold their wishes and to ensure they received the best possible care wherever they were.
The service had worked to develop excellent community links and increased community presence for people. Feedback we received from professionals was highly praising of the registered manager and staff team and demonstrated supportive joint working arrangements.
Staff and the management team understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults. People we spoke with and their families told us they felt safe at the home.
Where potential risks had been identified an assessment had been completed to keep people as safe as possible. Accidents and incidents were logged and investigated with appropriate action taken to help keep people safe. Health and safety checks were completed and procedures were in place to deal with emergency situations.
Medicines were managed safely and administered to people in a safe and caring way. We saw that people received their medicines at the correct times.
We found there were sufficient care staff deployed to provide people’s care in a timely manner. Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.
Staff received the support and training they required. Records confirmed training, supervisions and appraisals were up to date and forward planned. Staff told us they felt very supported by the management team at the service.
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 gave positive feedback about the meals they were served at the home. People received the support they needed with eating and drinking and people who had specialist dietary needs were closely monitored and supported by the staff team.
People’s needs were assessed before they came to live at the service by the management team and a transition plan put in place. Personalised care plans were then developed and regularly reviewed to support staff in caring for people the way they preferred.
The service had developed activities and worked with external organisations to provide people with access to social clubs and to access therapies to improve well-being.
The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place. People who used the service and family members were aware of how to make a complaint.