Archived: Magnolia House

There is a registered manager at the home, but day to day care is overseen by a care manager who has a degree in dementia care.

We found that people's consent had been obtained for care and treatment provided to them by the service. We saw from care records that some people had agreed what was in their care plans and had signed them. We heard care workers asking people for their consent before undertaking tasks.

We looked at the care records for three of the people who lived in the home. The records showed that people's needs and risks had been identified and planned for. A range of risk assessments had been completed including those for pressure areas and moving and handling.

We saw that there was a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink available in sufficient quantities. For example on the day of our visit people had a choice at lunch time between omelette or liver and bacon. We saw that people were weighed regularly and their nutritional needs were assessed and planned for. For example some people required a high calorie or sugar free diet.

We found that there were appropriate measures in place for the storage and administration of medication. We saw that staff who administered medication had received appropriate training.

During this visit we spoke with three staff, the care manager and one person who lived at the home in private. We also spoke with a number of other staff and people who lived at the home in a group setting.

We saw that generally people experienced good quality of care that was respectful and dignified. However, our observations showed that during lunchtime this was somewhat compromised. This appeared to be due to the high number of people who needed support (between eight and nine) and the numbers of care staff on duty (four).

We found that there was a range of activities and entertainment available to people and people told us they enjoyed these.

Staff received good support from the care manager and there were training opportunities for them to keep up their skills and knowledge. Staff displayed a good knowledge of the needs of the people they cared for and told us they found care plans useful tools to keep them up to date.

Staff had received training in recognising and reporting abuse. People who lived at the home told us if they had any concerns they would talk to the manager.

A range of audits and checks were in place to ensure care records were kept up to date and the building was maintained safely.