Archived: Sunrise of Virginia Water

Sunrise of Virginia Water was a residential care home that was providing accommodation and personal care for up to 92 older people, some who may also be living with dementia. There were 75 people living in the home at the time of our inspection. The home was laid out over four floors, with one floor focused on independent living and a lower ground floor which provided specialist support to people living with dementia.

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

People and their relatives were very positive about the service and the care provided.

People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. People received their medicines regularly and systems were in place for the safe management of medicines.

Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence. Enough staff were available to meet people's needs and people told us when they needed assistance, staff responded promptly. The premises were clean, and staff followed infection control and prevention procedures.

The service continued to be effective. People's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people's care and support needs.

People's dignity, confidentiality and privacy were respected, and their independence was promoted. People's rights to make their own decisions were respected. 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 were encouraged to maintain a good diet and access health services when required. People had access to a wide range of activities and were supported to avoid social isolation.

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 31 January 2016).

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.

The inspection took place on 30 November 2016 and was unannounced.

The home had a registered manager. 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.

The service was last inspected on 4 February 2014, where we identified breaches in the regulations in relation to staffing and record keeping. Following that inspection, the provider wrote to us to tell us the action they had taken to address the concerns raised. This inspection found that the provider had made the improvements they told us they had and the previous requirements were therefore met. No new breaches of Regulations were identified as a result of this inspection.

Sunrise Virginia Water was well-led with good systems in place to provide support that was safe, effective, caring and responsive. The leadership team had fostered a positive and open culture where people, their representatives and staff were encouraged to express their ideas and thoughts. As such, the atmosphere within the service was relaxed, friendly and inclusive.

Each person was appropriately assessed and had an individualised plan of care which outlined how their needs would be met. People were involved at each stage of planning their care to ensure staff provided support in a way that met their needs, preferences and expectations.

There were systems in place to gain consent from people and staff understood the importance of involving people in their care and respecting their wishes. Not all staff however, were able to demonstrate they knew about the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and as the service provides support to a significant number of people living with dementia, this is an important area for the provider to further develop.

The service was well staffed by suitable and well trained individuals who were able to deliver support to people in a safe and effective way. Appropriate checks were undertaken when recruiting new staff to ensure only suitable staff were employed.

The service had overall good systems to identify and manage risks to people and to maintain the safety of the service as a whole. People were further protected from the risk of abuse or avoidable harm, because staff understood their role in safeguarding them.

Staff worked in partnership with other health care professionals to help keep people healthy and well. There were good systems in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.

The provision of plentiful good quality meals and drinks and the monitoring of people at risk meant that people received appropriate nutrition and hydration. Furthermore, mealtimes were a sociable occasion which people enjoyed.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Support was provided with compassion and wherever possible people’s independence was promoted. People had choice and control over their lives and staff respected their privacy. Visitors were welcomed into the home at all times and people were encouraged to lead their lives as they wished.

The service offered an extensive range of activities and was constantly striving for new ways of engaging people and providing them with opportunities which were meaningful and interesting to them.

The management team continuously reviewed and monitored the quality and safety of the service and responded openly and proactively to any feedback received.