Archived: Upton Grange

We found that people were asked for consent and the provider acted in accordance with people’s wishes. People who use the service received care in a way that met their needs and preferences.

We found the environment in the home to be clean, safe and well maintained. The people we spoke with told us they felt the home was clean and tidy and they felt safe. One person told us they were happy with the way the staff managed a recent outbreak at the home.

The people we spoke with told us the staff were helpful, nice and always did what was asked of them. They also told us they had no concerns about the care they received and were confident they could speak to the registered manager if they had any concerns.

We found that people were cared for by staff that had been through the appropriate recruitment checks. There was an effective complaints system available, in case anyone wished to raise a complaint.

At this inspection we looked at the care records of five people who used the service. We found that how the service recorded and reviewed people’s care needs had improved. However further work was needed to ensure the systems in place to audit care records was robust and identified issues of consistency in how information was recorded.

We spoke with two healthcare professionals who raised no issues of concern about how people were cared for and supported.

We observed people who used the service being involved in a range of activities during our visit including being entertained by a professional entertainer, going on an outing and preparing for a party. We observed members of the staff team supporting people in a respectful and supportive manner.

We observed care workers supporting people in a professional and supportive manner. People we spoke with made the following comments:

“I feel very lucky that I found this place, I am very happy here.”

“The staff are lovely and very kind, if I’m not well they always get the doctor for me.”

We spoke with one relative who told us told us they were very involved in how their relative was supported.

We observed care workers supporting people at a meal time. Care workers were respectful toward people who used the service and supported some people to eat their meal. We spoke with three people who told us they enjoyed the meals provided and were always offered an alternative if they did not like the meals offered. The dining areas were pleasantly decorated and the tables had been set prior to the next meal with tablecloths, napkins and cruet sets.

We were shown around the home and saw that all areas were pleasantly decorated and furnished and appeared clean and well-maintained. All parts of the building were warm.

We looked at the healthcare and nutritional care plans and risk assessments of four people. The level of detailed information held in these records varied and there was no consistency to how care workers recorded information.