Archived: Mary's Home

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service and staff told us.

Is the service safe?

People told us that the care staff treated them well and they felt safe. Comments included 'I feel safe as houses, I know I am', 'I've got no concerns' and 'It's alright."

We saw the home environment could be improved for people using the service. Some areas required repair or re-decoration to make sure that people were provided with safe, comfortable and well maintained accommodation. A compliance action has been set for this and the provider must tell us how they plan to improve .

Is the service effective?

Care plans were found to be up to date addressing identified risks and individual needs. We saw that staff had access to the training and supervision that helped them to support people effectively

Is the service caring?

People using the service told us that staff treated them with respect and they were happy living at the home. One person told us 'The environment may not be up to standard of other homes but they are very kind'. Other comments included 'The staff are polite and respectful' and 'They're good."

Is the service responsive?

People using the service said that they felt able to raise concerns or complaints and were confident that these would be acted upon. Improved accessible information about how to raise concerns or complaints could be displayed for the benefit of people using the service.

We saw that meetings for people using the service had taken place regularly with minutes kept. The provider may find it useful to note that specific measurable actions were not routinely being recorded making it difficult to track outcomes from these meetings.

Is the service well-led?

Mary's Home was placed into Law of Property Act (LPA) Receivership in early 2012 with the service being up for sale whilst being run by a third party management company appointed by the Receivers. The home has a registered manager in post who remains responsible for ensuring that the service meets the required standards.

All of the people we spoke with described the service as their 'home'. One person told us 'I have my own key to the home so I can come and go when I please'. Another person told us 'it's homely here and my room is very nice'.

We found people's individual care and support needs had been assessed and support plans were in place to meet identified needs. We saw people were asked for and gave their consent to care where they were able to. We saw people using the service had been involved in developing their care plans and had been able to state their preferences and choices about how they lived their lives.

Staff had received regular training to refresh their skills and knowledge and had received support in identifying training needs in different aspects of care. Staff members demonstrated an understanding of the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and how to raise concerns. The provider undertook frequent checks to monitor the quality of the service and care provided.