Sunningdale Nursing Home

Sunningdale Nursing Home is a nursing home located in the village of Rawdon to the North-West of Leeds. It provides accommodation and nursing for up to 35 older people. At the time of this inspection 28 people were living in the home. The home is an adapted building with accommodation spread over two floors.

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

Whilst most medicines were managed safely, some improvements were needed to ensure the application of topical medicines was clearly documented and staff’s competency to give medicines was regularly assessed. People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm and risks to people’s health and safety were assessed. We identified some concerns relating to staff deployment in the home, however, following the inspection the provider gave us assurance this was being addressed. The home was clean and the building was suitable for its intended purpose.

Staff had the right skills and knowledge to care for people and they received a range of training. The service worked effectively with a range of health professionals. People received a varied and appropriate diet. 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.

Staff were kind and caring and treated people well. Staff knew people well and had developed good relationships with them. People were listened to and treated fairly based on their individual needs.

People’s care needs were assessed and a range of care plans put in place. People’s care plans included information about people’s social needs including relationships and sexuality. The service was meeting people’s communication needs. An activities co-ordinator was employed who provided a range of activities for people. Complaints were appropriately managed and responded to.

There was a positive and person-centred culture within the home. Staff told us morale was generally good and they felt able to approach the registered manager. The service was committed to continuous improvement and acted positively on the areas of feedback we provided them with. People were listened to and helped shaped how the service operated.

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 22 August 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.

This inspection took place on 04 July 2017 and was unannounced. On the day of inspection 28 people lived in the home, almost all living with Dementia.

At the last comprehensive inspection on 05 August 2014 the registered provider met the requirements of the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014. The service was rated as good in all domains. During this inspection the overall rating of the service remained good.

Some people at Sunningdale had limited verbal communication and were unable to converse with us. However we spoke with seven people who lived at the home and observed staff interactions with people.

People told us staff were caring and helpful and they felt safe at Sunningdale Nursing home. They felt there were sufficient staff to care for them and said they did not have to wait long when they asked for assistance.

There were procedures in place to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. Staff were familiar with these and had received training in safeguarding adults. We saw risk assessments were in place which provided guidance for staff. These measures minimised risks to people.

Staff managed medicines safely. People told us they felt staff gave them their medicines correctly and when they needed them. We saw medicines were checked in, stored, given as prescribed and disposed of correctly.

Staff were recruited safety and given training to provide them with skills and knowledge to deliver safe care. Staff received regular support and supervision from senior staff.

People told us the home was always clean and tidy. Infection control practice was good. Records were available confirming the environment and equipment used complied with statutory requirements and was safe to use.

People were complimentary about the meals and told us they were given a choice of food and drinks.

We saw staff acted promptly to manage people’s health care needs and made appropriate referrals to other professionals.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care plans were personalised detailing how people wished to be supported. People who received support or where appropriate their relatives or advocates were involved in making decisions about their care.

We observed staff interaction and support given to people during the inspection visit. We saw they were patient and considerate and were attentive to people’s needs. A relative said, “We have been impressed to see the way all residents are treated.”

People able to talk with us said they knew how to complain if they needed to. They said staff listened to any concerns and took action to deal with any issues.

People told us the registered manager and staff team were approachable and supportive and listened to their views. Staff sought the views of people they supported through informal discussions and satisfaction surveys.

Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements.

Most staff had received training in consent and capacity and had a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to consent and capacity.

During our visit, we saw staff interacting with people in a positive, respectful and caring manner. People we spoke with and relatives told us they were consulted and involved decisions about how care was delivered however, we found that people's capacity and consent was not recorded properly.

People we spoke with were highly complimentary about the care which staff provided. One relative said, "The care here is absolutely wonderful, we visit several times a day. You can't fault them." Another told us, " The staff can't do enough for her. They look after her like I would like to look after her if I could."

People were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify and prevent abuse from happening.

There were systems in place to ensure the safe administration and storage of medicines.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs.

The home had effective systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of service people received.

We looked at comments sent to the home by relatives. Comments included "Thank you for the professional and supportive care given to my mother."

We observed that people were treated respectfully and that staff were attentive to maintaining the privacy and dignity of those they cared for. Detailed Care Plans were available for each resident and were used to ensure care was personalised.

We saw that residents' rooms, lounges and bathrooms were clean and the home had good infection control procedures. One resident told us that "My room is kept spotless."

The home had good procedures for the recruitment of new staff and maintained records of staff training and professional registration.

We saw records of management meetings and audits undertaken by the provider showing how the home monitored the quality of care and treatment through learning from incidents and acted upon advice from external specialists.