Green Gables

Updated 10 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Green Gables is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration, previous inspection reports and notifications of any serious incidents the provider had sent us. We contacted the commissioning local authority to seek their views. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the provider, registered manager, deputy manager, two senior care workers, two care workers and the cook. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 10 January 2020

About the service

Green Gables is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 17 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 18 people. The premises were built over two floors, with all the communal areas located on the ground floor.

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

People were supported receive their medicines. However, where people were prescribed medicated creams, staff did not always record they had given these on the medicine administration record and we have made a recommendation about this.

Procedures were in place to help protect people from the risk of abuse and staff understood their responsibility with regard to safeguarding people. Risk assessments were in place which provided guidance about how to support people in a safe way. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment practices were in place. The service sought to learn lessons when accidents and incidents occurred. Steps had been taken to protect people from the risk of infection.

People’s needs were assessed before they commenced using the service to ensure those needs could be met. Staff received training and supervision to support them in carrying out their role effectively. The design and layout of the building was suitable for the people using it. People had a choice of what they ate and drank. The service worked with other agencies and professionals to support people’s health care needs. 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 this practice.

People told us staff were kind and caring and treated them respectfully. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, dignity and independence. The provider sought to meet people’s needs in relation to equality and diversity.

Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s needs. People and their relatives were involved in developing these plans. People had access to a range of social and leisure activities and we saw people enjoying these on the day of our inspection. Complaints procedures were in place. Steps had been taken to make communication with people accessible to them. The service worked with people to meet their end of life care needs.

Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place to help drive improvements at the service. Some of these included seeking the views of people who used the service and others. The service had links with other agencies to help develop best practice.

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 3 May 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.