The Callywhite Care Home

The Callywhite Care Home is a residential care home providing personal to 35 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 39 people. Some people were living with dementia. Care is provided over three floors. Communal rooms are available on each floor.

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

We found some improvements were required and people’s experience of care was not consistent throughout the home. People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. The arrangements to support people who needed help with decision making were not consistent. Some people were being deprived of their liberty to access their bedrooms however staff had not recognised this as a restriction or made the decision based on their best interest.

Some people, living with dementia, were not supported to eat the food they preferred. There was a lack of pictorial information to support people to recognise communal rooms.

Management processes were being reviewed. However, we found notifications were not always submitted, and some paperwork required review. The audit programme for quality monitoring had been extended.

There were a sufficient number of suitable recruited staff to meet people’s needs in a timely manner. Staff had access to training and support to improve their knowledge of care and enhance their skills. Staff were kind, considerate and reassuring to people.

There was an activity programme in place and people were supported to maintain the relationships which were important to them. People felt empowered to raise concerns directly to the manager and staff.

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 Good (published 28 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We have found evidence the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Effective and Well-Led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for the Callywhite Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

There was a registered manager at this service. 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.

People received care in a clean, safe and well maintained environment. Any equipment used for people’s care was routinely serviced and maintained up to date. Planning and contingency arrangements helped to ensure people’s safety in the event of a foreseeable emergency.

Staff understood and followed nationally recognised practice principles to help protect people from the risk of infection through cross contamination when they provided people’s care.

People’s medicines were safely managed. Known risks to people’s safety from their health condition or environment were assessed before they received care and regularly reviewed. This helped to consistently inform people’s care and related safety requirements, which staff understood and followed.

The provider’s arrangements for staff recruitment and deployment helped to ensure people were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff were visible, available and provided people with prompt care and assistance when needed.

Overall people and relatives were happy with the care and meals provided. Staff supported people to maintain their health and nutrition. This was done in consultation with external health professionals and staff followed their instructions for people’s care when required.

People received care from staff who mostly understood their health conditions and related personal care requirements. This was provided by staff who were well supervised and mostly received the training they needed to ensure this. Additional staff training and competency measures together with care planning improvements in progress helped to fully ensure this.

People were provided with care in line with legislation and guidance in relation to consent. People’s consent or appropriate authorisation for their care was obtained when required. This helped to ensure people’s rights and best interests.

People received care from staff who were kind and caring. Staff treated people with respect and ensured their dignity, comfort, rights and independence in their care.

People received individualised care from staff who knew them well. Staff knew people well and had established positive relationships with people and their relatives.

People and relatives were regularly informed and involved in home life and to help agree people’s care and daily living arrangements. Care planning improvements either planned or progress helped to further info people’s care in this way.

Staff took time and communicated with people in a way that was meaningful to them. Staff understood and followed what was important to people for their care and responded promptly when people needed assistance.

People were supported to engage in social and leisure activities of their choice, within and outside the home. Changes and improvements were made or planned from people’s views about this.

Environmental adaptations enabled people’s mobility, orientation and often their recognition within their surroundings when required. Aids and arrangements to enable people’s recognition and choice at mealtimes; and to promote relatives understanding of people’s experience of life with dementia, was either agreed or planned.

People were informed and confident to raise a concern or make a complaint if they needed to. The provider regularly took account of people’s views, comments and any complains about their care to help inform any improvements needed.

The service was well managed and run by a visible, approachable registered manager. People, relatives and staff were confident the management of the service.

Staff were motivated and enthusiastic to provide care in a way that ensure people’s rights and best interests. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and were informed and supported to raise any concerns they may have about people’s care if they needed to.

Management arrangements for the quality and safety of people’s care helped to ensure accountability and improvement when required.