Archived: Langdale View

Langdale View provides nursing and personal care for up to 36 older people. Some of the people using the service are living with dementia. The service is located in Leicester and accommodation is provided over three floors with a lift for access. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager. This 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.

People told us they felt safe using the service and relatives told us staff knew how to keep people safe. Staff understood how to protect people from harm and what to do if they had concerns about their well-being.

Staff were aware of when people were at risk and took action to minimise the likelihood of them coming to harm. They encouraged people to use mobility aids and other adaptations to reduce the risk of fall and other accidents. Staff were vigilant and quick to intervene to help ensure people remained safe at all times.

There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs, talk with people, and support them to take part in activities. Records showed staff were safely recruited and suitable to work with people who use care services. People told us they received their medicines safely and on time.

The staff were knowledgeable and skilled and knew how to support people effectively. They had been trained in how to meet people’s general and specific needs. They sought medical and other advice for people where necessary, and worked closely with visiting healthcare professionals to ensure all people’s needs were met.

People told us they were happy with the food served and had plenty of choice as to what they ate. More staff had been made available at lunchtime to help ensure people could enjoy their meals in a calm and unhurried atmosphere. Drinks and snacks were available throughout the day and staff brought a well-stocked tea trolley round at intervals so people could choose what they wanted.

People made many positive comments about how kind and caring the staff were. We observed that although staff were busy and worked hard, they always found the time to talk with the people they supported. Staff encouraged people to take part in the service’s programme of group and one-to-one activities.

People said they thought the service was friendly and personalised and the managers and staff approachable and helpful. They told us they would feel comfortable raising concerns about the service if they needed to. Staff said they liked working at the service. They were supportive of each other and got on well with the people using the service, relatives and colleagues.

The registered manager and care manager worked closely together to ensure the service ran smoothly. They ensured people had opportunities to comment on the service and listened to them when they did. They carried out a system of audits and used the results of these to bring about ongoing improvements to the quality of the care and support provided.

We saw that people had opportunities to take part in recreational and social activities that met their individual needs and preferences. Each person had a plan of care for each identified need and risk assessments were completed with appropriate management plans in place. Staff had recorded important information about people's life history and preferences.

We saw that significant improvements had been made to infection prevention and control and to the premises. The outside courtyard areas had been tidied up and appropriate outdoor furniture was accessible to people who used the service. All windows had been risk assessed and action taken to minimise risk to people.

Staff had received the training they required and had opportunities to discuss their performance with their line manager.

We saw that the majority of areas in the home were clean and tidy. Some of the systems in place to manage the prevention and control of infection did not meet expected standards.

We have asked the provider to properly demonstrate that all window glazing identified as a risk of people falling through or against is of a sufficient standard of safety.

There was an ongoing programme of staff training and supervision. Staff had received appropriate induction training but had not received all the training they required to meet people's needs.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provision.