Archived: Madeline McKenna Court

The inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector.

The home was last inspected in August 2013 and was compliant in all areas.

Madeline McKenna Court is a residential care home providing accommodation for up to 23 people over the age of 65. It is run by Arena Options Limited and is situated in the Hough Green area of Widnes. The home is a single storey building with 23 single rooms with ensuite toilets.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Everyone we spoke with told us that they liked living at the home and felt safe and secure.

Staff were able to describe the course of action they would take if they felt someone was being harmed or was at risk of harm. Staff told us they would not hesitate to whistle blow to the registered manager, the local authority or CQC.

There was a procedure in place for recording and analysing incidents and accidents.

Rotas showed there were enough staff employed by the home to deliver a safe, consistent service. We observed people were not rushed, and people told us there was enough staff to assist them when they required it.

Medications were managed safely and administered correctly. Medication checks were regularly completed and there were systems and processes in place to report any concerns.

Robust pre-employment checks were completed on staff before they started working at the home to ensure they were suitable to support vulnerable people and had the skills required for this role.

The home was working in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and all DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) were in place for those who required them.

Consent was appropriately documented for people who were able to give their consent and we saw there was a procedure in place for ‘best interests’ decisions to help those who could not consent.

Staff were trained in accordance with the provider’s own training and development policy, and training certificates were stored in staff files.

People were supported to receive a balanced diet. Menus were varied and different dietary needs were taken into consideration.

When speaking with staff, and from our observations around the service, we could see highly personal and warm acts of kindness taking place between staff and people who lived at the home. Relatives we spoke with told us that the staff were skilled and thoughtful.

Care plans were personalised and very detailed, encompassing important information about each person so as to enable the staff to know them as an individual, and explain how their needs should be met. Relatives told us they were involved with and included in their family members’ care and support and that communication between themselves and the staff team was good. Relatives told us they felt their family member was valued highly and were listened to.

A process was in place for managing complaints and the home’s complaints procedure was available so people had access to this information.

People and relatives were complimentary about the registered manager and the senior care staff.

Systems were in place to monitor the standard of the service and drive forward improvements. This included a number of audits for different areas of practice and clear and transparent action plans when areas of improvement were identified by the audit process

'It's a nice home' and 'I'm happy here.'

Relatives were also positive and told us:

'They contact me straight away if we have problems' and 'My relative is happy and has never raised any concerns.'

We noted many examples of good care and communication by care staff. Staff interacted with people in a very positive manner and we noted they had a good rapport and relationship with the people they supported.

Staff advised that the dependency levels for people living at the service had reduced which enabled them to provide activities and support. Staff tried to organise an activity on an ad hoc basis when the needs of the people they supported allowed them to. Staff had devised an activities file that showed they had provided group activities on ten occasions since the 23rd July 13

When we visited Madeline McKenna Court residential care home we had the opportunity to observe the care that was being given to people living at the service. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. Everyone told us they thought the food was good with plenty on offer. We observed the lunch time meals being served which offered a three course meal including a roast chicken dinner. Staff offered various choices and support to help people enjoy this dining activity. Staff were observed to treat the people living at the service in a dignified and respectful manner.

We observed how busy staff were during our visit and noted no staff member had time to just sit and speak to people they were supporting. Staff described their frustrations where people's needs had changed over the years. They were concerned about staffing levels in the afternoon and evenings. Staff advised in their opinion if care activity hours were provided and staffing levels were increased in the afternoon and evening this would help to improve choices in the current care provided.