Haviland House

Updated 31 March 2025

Dates of Assessment: 14 April to 24 April 2025. Haviland House is a nursing home providing support to people living with dementia. The service is divided into ‘households’ which is intended to meet people’s needs throughout their dementia journey.

We inspected this service due to some concerns relating to staffing levels and people’s choices regarding what time they were supported to get up in the morning. We found staffing levels met people’s needs and people told us they were given choices of when they were supported. Records and discussions with staff confirmed this.

The provider was previously in breach of legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. Improvements were found at this inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations. At our last inspection, we made a recommendation regarding how consent was sought if support was given in people’s best interests. The provider had made improvements and mental capacity assessments were now completed; subsequent best interests decisions were made with people’s legal representatives.

The service was now led by a committed registered manager and management team. Quality assurance processes now provided a thorough oversight of the service. The registered manager looked for opportunities to continually improve the service by analysing patterns from accident, incidents, feedback and audit outcomes. Staff were able to give suggestions and raise concerns and told us managers listened to them.

Risks to people’s health were now managed well, health conditions were now being monitored and concerns acted upon. Accidents and incidents were now followed up with referrals to relevant professionals. Improvements had been made to medicine management; however, we identified improvements were needed in respect of record keeping. The management team immediately acted upon our feedback.
Staff were safely recruited, regularly supervised and were given training opportunities to support them in their roles. Staff protected people from the risk of abuse by following the provider’s policies. The service was clean and staff used personal protective equipment appropriately. Equipment was regularly serviced and checks of the environment were completed to ensure the service was safe for people.
Health and social care professional involvement was sought and their advice was included in people’s care record. Staff provided feedback to professionals so treatment plans could be adapted for positive outcomes for people. People were able to access appointments in-house and externally.

People were supported by a staffing team who knew them well. Staff understood people’s communication methods which were documented in their care plans. People received person-centred care and engaged with a programme of activities including entertainment and events run by staff.

People and their relatives were involved in decisions about their support. People’s feedback was listened to, for example, regarding meal choices. People’s nutritional needs were met and their dietary requirements were known by staff.

People were supported by staff who treated them with compassion and respect. People’s independence was promoted through staff practices, the layout of the service and through continual choices being offered.

The system for responding to concerns or complaints worked well, the registered manager looked for trends and cascaded any lessons learnt to the staffing team.
 

Updated 31 March 2025

People were comfortable in staff’s presence and their relatives told us they felt their loved ones were safe at the service. Comments included, “Yes, I do feel it’s safe. Like [person] can’t get out. The staff are kind and gentle. [Person] is mobile with a walker. They have sight in one eye, without clarity and is at risk of losing balance. The corridors are wide enough and safe enough for [person] to get around. They have a bedside mat and an audio system at night.” (To prevent falls).

People said they were cared for by staff who were friendly, supportive and respected their boundaries. A person told us, “There's nothing to improve, it works well for me if you don't want to do something they don't push you to do it.” Another commented, “I really enjoy living here. I love my crocheting and knitting, although they will probably tell you I talk too much! They are all very nice and respond very quickly to things.” A relative said, “Lovely staff. I can’t fault them. The team leader on the floor is wonderful and will tell me about [person] and how they are. They (staff) love [person] and call them by their Christian name. They’re very friendly. [person] has their favourites.”

People were able to make day to day decisions. A relative said, “They are caring. [Person] is not stressed or frightened and is content with staff. [Person] does make choices like getting up early for breakfast. They are asked about what they would prefer.” A person told us, “I have settled in very well, there are lots of activities. I can talk to the staff if I am worried about anything. There is no pressure to get up or go to bed at certain times. Everyone is really helpful.”

People and their relatives told us they were involved in planning their care and were kept informed of any changes. A relative said, “I have a monthly report come through about [person’s] health, weight, any sores, appetite and mood. On top of that if I ring, I’ll get filled in. [Person] doesn’t like tablets and gets medicines in their drinks and this was discussed with me.”

People said they were happy with the food and choices available. A person told us, “I really enjoy the food.” People engaged with the activities and were consulted on what they wanted to. A visitor said, “[Person] has been playing the drums, they like that, and also they had someone from the church come in to do a service which [person] enjoyed. They allowed them to bring in things from home to make the room more personal too. They are very welcoming, efficient and we have no cause for concern.”

We received positive feedback about the running of the service, comments included, “The manager is really nice and personable. They go to the floors and wander round. They say hello, they are flexible. They let [person’s] own hairdresser use their salon. Yeah it is well managed because first and foremost you have a lead contact person who I know will answer my questions or get me the clinical person to talk to.” And, “Yes the manager chats with me and they are very friendly. They know everybody’s name. All the staff are personal. I think it’s well managed because it runs smoothly. It feels relaxed and like a family.”
Some people could not directly tell us about their experience. Throughout our visit we observed care that was respectful, caring, and supportive.