25 October 2011
During an inspection in response to concerns
This review took place on 25 and 26 October 2011 during the transition period from Southern Cross OPCO Limited to Bondcare (Bromford) Limited.
Since our visit the registration process has been completed and Bondcare(Bromford) Limited are the registered provider for this location.
We spoke with five people who lived in the home and asked them about their experiences and they told us that staff cared for them well and that they felt safe. They felt confident that if they had any concerns they could raise them with the home manager
People told us that they were able to make decisions about where to spend their time, with some people choosing to spend time in communal areas and others preferring the privacy of their own room.
One person who was on a short term placement told us that they had been happy with the care they had received. They had been able to decide what they wanted to do and where they wanted to do it. They told us the meals served to them had been good and that they had never felt hungry.
When we walked around the home, it was a homely environment although some areas were showing signs of wear and tear. The manager had already identified areas within the home for improvement and was planning to discuss these with the new provider.
In addition to this there were plans to create communal space for people who lived on the first floor.
We saw that people were able to bring personal items into the home and some people had chosen to bring in personal items of furniture. Rooms had been personalised to reflect the specific preferences of people living in them.
During our visit we spoke with staff that provided activities and they explained how they supported people in the home and the type of activities on offer. These included: quizzes, bingo, listening to music, watching DVD s and participating in exercise sessions. In addition to this they arranged for people to come in and provide entertainment and music.
Three of the people who lived in the home told us that they would like to go on more trips away from the home but said that any trips proved costly to them.
Activities staff recognised that people in the home expressed a wish for more outings and said they were trying to accommodate this.
We saw meals beings served at lunchtime. Many people in the home took lunch in their rooms. We saw in some cases main courses, deserts and hot drinks were being served to people at the same time during lunch. Hot desserts were not always covered which meant they may be cold before a person was ready to eat it.
When we spoke to staff they showed a good understanding of the needs of people in their care and their individual preferences and staff were observed interacting with residents in a caring and sensitive manner.
When we asked people about staffing levels we received mixed responses. Everyone we spoke to said that staff were busy most of the time.
One person had been in the home on a short term placement and they told us that they couldn't fault the staff and that staff responded to their calls for assistance promptly and that they were not left waiting for long periods.
Another person said that staff were generally prompt when answering call bells but in their opinion there were less staff available during the afternoons and they often had to wait a long time for assistance. They said that most of the staff were very good to them although some staff were better than others.
During our visit we spoke with six staff. They reported that the needs of people living in the home had increased and this had impacted on the time they had available to them to spend time with people doing things other than direct personal care. Mealtimes were described as particularly busy.
We saw that the majority of people spent most of their time in the privacy of their own rooms which meant that people were spending long periods alone. Interactions with staff were mainly when personal care was being carried out or at mealtimes.
In people's care documentation we saw that staff sought medical advice when there was any unexpected deterioration in people's well being. Specialist support staff such as physiotherapists visited the home as necessary.
We saw evidence that family members or resident representatives were kept informed of changes in peoples well being and that they were able to attend care reviews when these took place.