The Grove Care Centre - Thurnscoe

The premises were clean and well maintained. Additional cleaning schedules had been introduced since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. For example, door handles and light switches were regularly cleaned throughout the day. Hand sanitiser was readily available on the premises, including the garden.

All staff had received recent training in infection control and prevention. Staff were seen to be following correct practice in this area.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

People’s experience of using this service: People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff knew how to recognise, and report abuse if required.

Risks associated with people’s care were identified and actions taken to minimise risks occurring. Accidents and incidents were monitored to ensure any trends and patterns were identified and addressed.

The service had sufficient staff available to meet people’s needs. There was a safe recruitment process in place.

People received personalised support from staff who knew them well. People’s likes, dislikes and social histories were recorded in their care records. This helped staff care for them in a personalised way.

Staff were competent, knowledgeable and skilled. They received regular training, supervisions and appraisals which supported them to conduct their roles effectively.

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 were happy with the food provided at The Grove. The service catered for people's special dietary requirements and staff monitored food and fluid intake levels of people who were assessed to be at risk.

People received person centred care which met their needs and took in to consideration their preferences.

A range of activities were provided for people living at The Grove which considered people’s interests and wishes.

The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place. Information about how to complain was displayed in the entrance to the home. People and their relatives knew how to complain if they needed to.

The provider and registered manager supported the staff and ensured people received appropriate care. Staff we spoke with felt supported by the registered manager and provider and felt valued. Audits were in place to identify areas which required attention and action plans were devised as needed. People told us the home was managed well and had confidence they could approach staff and management if they needed to.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 2 December 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. We plan to complete a further inspection in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated good. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

The Grove is a 28-bed home providing personal care for older people. The home is set out over two floors and has a combination of single rooms and double rooms, 26 of which have en-suite facilities.

There was 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.

Safeguarding alerts had been made when needed. Staff understood the procedure they needed to follow if they suspected abuse might be taking place.

Risk assessments were in place for people who needed them. They were specific to people's needs..

Emergency procedures were in place for staff to follow and personal emergency evacuation plans were in place for everyone. A robust procedure for recording fire drills was in place.

There were sufficient staff on duty. People told us there was enough staff on duty day and night to meet their needs.

Medicines were managed appropriately. The service had policies and procedures in place to ensure that medicines were handled safely. Medication administration records were completed to show when medicines had been administered.

Certificates were in place to ensure the safety of the service and equipment used. Maintenance and fire checks had been carried out regularly by the service.

Robust safe recruitment processes were in place.

Staff performance was monitored and recorded through a system of supervision and appraisal.

People were supported to maintain their health. People spoke positively about the nutrition and hydration provided at the service. Staff understood the procedure they needed to follow if people became at risk of malnutrition or dehydration. However some of the care plans had not been updated to reflect the persons changing needs.

Staff demonstrated good knowledge and understanding of the requirement of the Mental Capacity Act 2005and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard and knew what action they would take if they suspected a person lacked capacity.

Each person was involved with a range of health professionals and we saw records to confirm this. From speaking with staff we could see that they had a good relationship with the health professionals involved in people's care.

People spoke highly of the service and the staff. People told us they were treated with dignity and respect.

People, and where appropriate their relatives, were actively involved in care planning and decision making. This was evident in signed care plans. Information on advocacy was displayed within the home and was available should people need it.

Care plans detailed people's needs, wishes and preferences and where person-centred. People's life history was documented. However, some care plans had not been reviewed and updated when changes had occurred.

Activities were planned in advanced and displayed on a large notice board within the home. We saw that people participated in activities and people told us there were a range of activities on offer.

The registered provider had a clear process for handling complaints.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt supported by the registered manager. Staff told us they were confident any concerns would be dealt with appropriately. We could see from our observations and from speaking to people and staff that the registered manager had a visible presence at the service.

Quality assurance processes were in place. Records confirmed these were completed on a regular basis. However, the audits failed to identify areas where action needed to be taken.

Accidents and incidents were monitored to identify any patterns and appropriate action was taken to reduce risks.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. People's comments about the home included, 'I love it here', 'Some brilliant girls in here, they do their best for me', 'Everybody's very nice, I like it here', and 'It's lovely, everyone's so friendly, we've got everything we need.'

People were protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. People told us, 'They [staff] bend over backwards, I get allsorts salmon, scampi, I get to eat what's good for me for my health needs. I never feel hungry' and 'I have to have breakfast every morning at 7.00am and I get it.'

People were protected from the risk of infection because appropriate guidance had been followed.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. Staff had regular supervisions and access to further training relevant to their roles.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

People that we were unable to fully communicate with looked content and we observed positive interactions with staff and people living at the home.

Records checked showed that before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. Relatives we talked with told us, where people lacked capacity, they were also involved in these decisions.

We spoke with three relatives who were visiting the home and they confirmed that they were satisfied with the care provided.

We found that people's care and welfare needs were assessed and each person had a written plan of care that set out their identified needs and the actions required of staff to meet these.

We found that there were generally sufficient numbers of trained staff provided to meet people's needs.

We found that a complaints policy and procedure was in place. People had been provided with information on how to make a complaint. All of the people and their relatives spoken with said they had no complaints or concerns about the home.