Primrose Court

At our last inspection we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Primrose Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is a purpose facility with accommodation in single rooms all of which have en-suite facilities. The home is not registered to provide nursing care.

Risks within the service were recorded, monitored and reviewed. The provider had a safeguarding policy in place and staff had an understanding of safeguarding matters. Sufficient staff were employed to support people’s personal care needs. Some people and relatives felt staff did not always have time to provide both personal care and engage in activities. Appropriate recruitment systems continued to be operated.

Medicines in the service continued to be managed and monitored appropriately. Staff had received training on the safe handling of medicines. The service was maintained in a clean and tidy manner.

People’s needs were assessed and care delivered in line with these needs. Staff had undertaken a range of training and had sufficient skills and experience to support people with individual care. People were supported with a healthy diet and specialist requirements were supported and catered for.

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. Family members were involved in decisions as much as practical. The environment was homely, warm and welcoming. People’s rooms were personalised.

People appeared happy and relaxed in staff company and we noted good relationships between staff and people who used the service. Relatives we spoke with praised the care and told us their relations were well looked after. Staff were committed to ensuring people received good quality and personal support. People were supported to make day to day decisions and were involved in care plan reviews. People’s privacy and dignity were respected and staff promoted and encouraged independence.

Care records contained information that supported staff to deliver care that met the individual’s needs, although the detail in plans could be variable. Care was reviewed and families were involved in these reviews. People were supported to access a range of events and activities. Concern was expressed about the provider’s move to a wellness model where all staff were involved in providing activities. The registered manager told us the new way of working would be reviewed. There had been one recent formal complaint about the service in addition to the concerns about activities.

People and families spoke positively about the registered manager who they felt was approachable and helpful. Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and supportive. They told us there was a good staff team at the service.

Regular audits and checks were in place to monitor the quality of the service. Records were well maintained and up to date. Daily records were regularly completed although tended to focus on care tasks rather than the individual. The service was meeting legal requirements by displaying the current quality rating and submitting notifications to the Commission.

Primrose Court is a purpose built care home registered to provide personal care and accommodation for up to 33 older people. At the time of inspection 32 people were living at the service. The service had a registered manager. 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.

We found people were cared for, or supported by, sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff. Robust recruitment procedures were in place to make sure suitable staff worked with people who used the service. Staff received the training and support required to meet people’s needs.

Staff understood people's needs and provided care and support accordingly. Staff had a good relationship and rapport with the people they supported. Staff knew how to respect people’s privacy and dignity.

Staff had a good understanding and knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were clear about the actions they would take to protect people they supported. People told us they felt safe with staff and we saw there were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the registered provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines safely.

Managers and staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). The care plans we looked at contained mental capacity assessments where appropriate.

Care plans were detailed and provided an accurate description of people's care and support needs. People were supported with their nutritional and hydration needs and had access to a range of healthcare services.

There were many opportunity for people to be involved in a varied and extensive amount of activities with involvement from the local school, church and sourced outside entertainers. The activity co-ordinator tailored their hours around the needs of the people so that activities and interests where provided throughout different times of the day. This meant people had varied and fulfilled lives and participated in activities which were personal to them

The service had good management and leadership. There was an effective system in place to respond to complaints and concerns. Effective systems were in place which ensured people received safe quality care. People had opportunity to comment on the quality of service and influence service delivery

We found people were treated with dignity and respect by friendly and attentive staff. People and their relatives had an opportunity to air their views in relation to their care and support.

We spoke with seven people who used the service. Everyone told us they were happy with the level of care received at the home. People told us they thought other residents were well cared for and that they had never seen anything that concerned them. People's comments included:

'I am happy here, well looked after, very good food.'

'The people who work here will do everything for you. It is well run and they look after you well.'

'Very pleased, cannot fault it at all.'

We found people's needs were assessed so that appropriate care was planned and delivered.

We found the home was clean and tidy and appropriate infection control arrangements were in place.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provision. This included seeking people's views and undertaking a range of audits.

We saw care plans were detailed and included different options where these were appropriate and this enabled people to make an informed choice.

People said they were involved in planning their care. They also said if they were to raise any concerns these would be listened to and addressed.

People were cared for in a clean, well maintained building. People were supported by suitably qualified and experienced staff. People were provided with information that would assist them if they needed to raise concerns or make a complaint.

We saw that people had a good rapport with staff and appeared to be comfortable and confident when interacting with them. People told us things like, 'I'm really happy here', and 'Staff are really good.'

The staff we spoke with told us there were clear lines of communication and accountability within the home and they were well supported throughout.

Relatives and visitors told us, "We chose Primrose Court in the first place as on our initial visit, it stood head and shoulders above the other homes we have seen and we have never moved from that position."