28 January 2016
During a routine inspection
The Heathers provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 53 older people in two units, the general nursing unit on the ground floor and the EMI unit on the upper floor. The EMI unit provides support for people living with more advanced dementia. At the time of the inspection, 46 people were using the service. There was a registered manager at the 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.
Improvements were needed to ensure risks to people's health and safety were managed on a consistent basis. People told us they received their medicines when they needed them but improvements were required to ensure medicines were recorded and administered as prescribed. Staff sought people’s consent before providing care but people’s capacity to make their own decisions was not always assessed when needed. Where people may lack capacity, it was not clear how they had been supported to make decisions in their best interests. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
Safeguarding procedures were in place to keep people safe from harm. People felt safe living at the home and if they had any concerns, they were confident these would be addressed quickly by the management team. Staff had been recruited using clear guidance and staff received training so they had the skills and knowledge to provide the support people needed. The service offered a choice of meals and people could decide where they wished to have their meals.
People were offered opportunities to join in group activities and were supported to follow their own interests. Staff knew people well and spent time chatting with people. Staff were kind and caring and provided emotional support and comfort when people were distressed. People told us the food was good at the home and they were supported and encouraged to eat and drink enough to maintain a healthy diet. People accessed the support of other health professionals to maintain their day to day health needs.
People and their relatives felt comfortable approaching the registered manager and staff with any concerns and were confident action would be taken. The registered manager investigated and monitored complaints and made improvements to the service where needed. Some improvements were needed to ensure the quality monitoring checks carried out by the registered manager were effective in maintaining and improving the care people received. People and their relatives were asked for their views on some aspects of the service and the provider was looking at other ways to gather feedback to drive continuous improvement.