All inspections: Waterloo House Care Home

The purpose of this inspection, which we carried out as desk based review, was to assess whether or not improvements had been made following our inspection visit to the service.

At that inspection visit we found that prescribed medication for pain relief for a person was not available.

Arrangements were in place to report medicine errors, however any investigations and learning points from these errors were not always followed through. We could not be sure that appropriate measures were in place to ensure medication errors did not occur again.

Following a request for information, the provider forwarded us documented evidence that action had been taken to address these issues. We found that the correct action was taken by the provider to ensure that people were supported with their medication safely.

We visited Waterloo House on 27 June 2012. Our visit was unannounced which meant no one who lived or worked there knew we were coming.

During our visit to the home we watched to see what life was like for people who were living at Waterloo House. We spent time talking with six people who live at the home, three visiting relatives and five members of staff. We also spoke with the manager, deputy manager and area manager for Alpha Health Care Limited. We looked at some of the records kept to support staff in providing the correct care and also at medicines and management records.

People that use the service at Waterloo House have dementia and therefore not everyone was able to tell us about their experiences. To help us to understand the experiences people have we used our SOFI (Short Observational Framework for Inspection) tool. SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We saw that staff knew people at the home well and spoke with them in a friendly, respectful way. Throughout the day we noticed that staff were prompt to come to people who were upset or restless and spoke with them using a calm, reassuring tone of voice. We observed that people sought out the company of members of staff and it was evident from people's body language and facial expression that they were comfortable with them.

The people we spoke with were positive about their experiences of living at the home and the care they received. People told us that they were 'very happy here" and 'I am looked after very well, thank you.'

The relatives we met told us they were happy with the quality of the care their family members received. They spoke highly of the staff and described them as kind and caring. One person said, 'I am more than satisfied with the care my relative receives here. I am here most days and I am always made welcome by the staff.'

Staff were motivated, caring and positive about working in the home They demonstrated a sound understanding of the needs of the people they were supporting. Staff spoken with told us that they received regular supervision to monitor their care practices and had access to training which kept their skills up to date.

We spoke with six people who use the service and a person who was visiting a relative on the day of the visit. People who live at Waterloo House told us that they were happy with the care and support in the home and staff treated them with respect. The staff team were always available and responded promptly to any areas of concern or changes to the support they required. Staff listened to people and spent time with them, talking and carrying out activities, as well as providing care.

The home was clean and tidy with no unpleasant smells. People and a visitor told us that the home always smells fresh and clean.

Comments from people who use the service about the standards of care and support and their experiences included:

'The staff are always there if you need them, they can never do enough.'

'They are wonderful, nothing is too much trouble.'

'They always come to you, when you call.'

'I have a lovely room, it's cleaned every day.'

A staff member told us, "I enjoy coming to work and feel I am given the training to do my job."

A visitor commented; 'I have always found the staff to be kind and caring towards the residents, I am always made welcome when I visit and other members of the family say the same.'

'The home is always clean and tidy when I visit, I have never noticed any unpleasant smells.'

'My mum's room always looks nice."

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: Waterloo House Care Home

All Inspections

During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made

27 June 2012

During a routine inspection

29, 30 December 2010

During an inspection in response to concerns

Reports under our old system of regulation