Archived: Gracewell of Maids Moreton

Gracewell of Maids Moreton is a care home with nursing and dementia support. It provides a light and welcoming environment to up to 60 older people living with a physical disability or dementia. Accommodation is spread over two floors. People have access to multiple seating areas. A bistro area on the ground floor was a focal point of the home. People were observed to routinely walk around the well-maintained gardens.

This service has a dual registration which means there are two registered providers jointly managing the regulated activities at this single location. The providers are Maids Moreton Operations Limited and Gracewell Healthcare Limited. This means the service is subject to one inspection visit however the report is published on our website twice, under each provider.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People benefited from living in a care home which provided exceptional effective, caring and well-led care and support.

There were strong links with the community and the home was an integral part of the local area, acting as a meeting place for many organisations. The home had developed excellent support networks for people, their relatives and the local residents. A number of support groups regularly met at the home, including a dementia and Parkinson’s group.

People received effective support which met their individual needs. A holistic assessment was carried out which considered people’s cultural, religious and lifestyle histories. Staff had been supported to develop their skills in communicating with people and ‘unlocking’ their personality. The service worked with a nationally recognised occupational therapist specialising in dementia care. Feedback from them to the service included “Thank you very much for sending these completed care practice reflection tools and your own reflections in the email below. It is great to see the final project of the Advanced Level Dementia Care Course being so effective in your service.”

The provider had used Gracewell of Maids Moreton to pilot a new care model, which due to the success at the service was being cascaded across all the provider's locations. The care model was about how the service deployed staff to ensure it really did provide person-centred care.

Without exception people were routinely treated with dignity and respect. Staff navigated around the home to ensure everyone was acknowledged, valued and included in decisions about their care. People were truly partners in their care. Comments from people included “I think the staff here are marvellous” and “All of the staff have been exemplary in their friendliness, professionalism and caring attitude.” People were supported to have a positive and enriching life and were encouraged to live life to the full. The registered manager had categorised the work they did. For instance, ‘live with purpose’, and live with involvement’ described two initiatives which involved engagement with the local conservation group to commemorate the anniversary of World War One.

People routinely told us they were safe living at the home. One person told us “I do feel safe living here, if I was still living in my own home I would not feel so secure.” Another person said, “Oh yes I feel perfectly safe here.” One relative told us their family member who was aged over 100 had “Started to live again since moving into the home.” Another relative told us “[Name of person] quality of life improved within days of her moving in to the Gracewell and has continued to improve and astound us all.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported support this practice.

The provider invested in staff training and encouraged projects to be undertaken at the home. A falls project completed by the deputy manager had been chosen to be showcased at the national clinical awards. The project looked at how falls were managed within the home and the links they had with good hydration levels and hospital admission as well as weight loss. Results clearly demonstrated by looking at all health factors affecting a person staff were more educated and falls in the home reduced significantly. The deputy manager has been nominated for the national care awards due to their commitment, drive and ambitions to provide the best possible care and support to people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 07 March 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

This was the first inspection for the service since a change in the registered provider. Gracewell at Maids Moreton is a care home for adults some of who have a physical disability or frailty and may have a diagnosis of dementia. It is registered to provide accommodation for 60 people. At the time of our inspection 58 people lived at the home. The homes’ accommodation was split into three distinct areas. Residential, nursing and dementia care. On the ground floor the home benefitted from a Bistro area, which was a focal meeting point for people.

The service had 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.

The service people received was outstanding. The feedback we received from relatives was overwhelmingly positive. This was supported by comments from people and staff. Comments included “Everyone take the time to ensure that mum is healthy, happy and feels safe and feels cared for, in fact she feels very spoilt,” “The staff always engage positively with residents and are sensitive to their moods and needs” and “Having experienced a number of homes I can certainly say the service provided at Maids Moreton Hall is outstanding.”

People were supported to be safe, as staff had received training on how to recognise abuse. Staff were knowledgeable about what they would do if a concern was raised.

People were supported by staff who had been recruited through a robust process and who were supported in their role after being appointed.

Potential risks to people had been assessed and appropriate action put in place to help prevent harm to people. The home supported people to take calculated risks and this helped people achieve their chosen aspirations.

Incidents and accidents were reported, trends were analysed and action was swiftly taken to prevent another occurrence.

People and relatives told us they had good access to healthcare, this was supported by a local GP, who praised the staff for their knowledge of people and how they responded to any changes in people’s health. The GP told us “I have booked my bed; I would have no hesitation in recommending the home.”

People were supported by staff that really cared about providing a high quality service. Comments from staff included, “I love the most working with the residents and trying my best to make their life better,” “It always makes your job worthwhile seeing the happiness you can bring to people with just the simplest of things” and “I specifically enjoy working in reminiscence.” This was supported by what relatives told us. One relative told us “Not a day goes by I don’t thank you in my head for all the caring, kindness and patience, attention and personal care she receives; we are so lucky that she is with you all.”

People were supported to maintain important relationship and roles within their family. We received so many stories of how the home had supported people to attend weddings, birthday parties and engage in activities they used to do. One relative commented after their family member was supported to attend a family celebration, “That, almost more than anything, has meant so much to her whole family.”

People were encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities. The home had a dedicated activity co-coordinator who was keen to develop their skills and have a positive impact on providing meaningful activities for people. The home was an integral part of the local area and people enjoyed activities in the local area. For instance, some people attended a bridge club.

There was an experienced registered manager in post, who firmly upheld the core values of the organisation. There was a clear management structure in place. Staff and relatives told us the management team were approachable and available. Comments from relatives included, “Thanks to you for your compassion towards your residents and patients, your care for relatives and your very significant leadership that ensures such an extraordinary culture of compassion.”

There was a clear commitment from all staff to provide an exceptional service. This had been recognised by relatives and the provider. The registered manager had received two awards in 2016 and the home was the runner up in the National Care Awards for care home of the year in 2015.