Archived: The Limes Residential Home

Updated 2 September 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 16 August 2016 and was unannounced. It was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the information in the PIR and also looked at other information we held about the service before the inspection visit. At our last inspection of the service in August 2014 we did not identify any concerns with the care provided to people.

During this inspection we spoke with nine people who used the service, two visitors and five members of staff. The registered manager was not available on the day of the inspection but the deputy manager and provider were available. Throughout the inspection we observed care practices in communal areas and saw lunch being served in the dining room.

We looked at a number of records relating to individual care and the running of the home. These included two care and support plans, three staff recruitment files, records of medication administration and records relating to quality monitoring.

Updated 2 September 2016

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 16 August 2016.

The Limes Residential Home is registered to provide personal care and accommodation to up to 19 people. The home specialises in the care of older people. The home is arranged over four floors with a small passenger lift which is not able to accommodate a wheelchair. The home is therefore only suitable for people who have reasonable levels of mobility. At the time of this inspection there were 13 people living at the home.

The last inspection of the home was carried out in August 2014.No concerns were identified at that inspection.

There is 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.

People were very happy with the care and support they received at the home and with the staff who supported them. However we found that some improvements were needed to ensure there was on-going maintenance and redecoration to improve the environment for people.

People were at risk of not receiving care and support which was reflective of current good practice or legislation because many of the policies and procedures were out of date. We recommend the provider seeks advice and support to up-date and amend their policies and procedures.

People were extremely complimentary about the staff who supported them. Staff were kind and caring and welcomed visitors into the home. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure people received physical and social support. People had confidence in the staff and thought they were well trained. Staff were happy with the training they received and felt they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.

People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives and were involved in the planning of their care. People were supported to take part in activities at the home and to access community facilities.

Risks of abuse to people were minimised because there was a robust recruitment procedure and staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. People felt safe at the home. One person said “Safe as houses here. Nothing to worry about.”

People had access to healthcare professionals to meet their individual needs. One person said “They always get a doctor if you need one.” Medicines were administered safely by staff who had received training to carry out the task.

People thought the management in the home were open and approachable and said they would be comfortable to make a complaint if they were unhappy with any aspect of their care. When complaints were made these were investigated and responded to.

We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.