The Laurels

The Laurels is a residential home providing personal care and accommodation to 21 people. The service specialises in support for older people. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people using the service.

The home is set across two floors. There are communal areas such as a dining room and lounge on the ground floor. There is access to a garden area to the rear of the home.

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

People received person centred care and support by caring staff who knew them well. There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

The service had not fully protected people from the risks from hot surfaces. Action was taken promptly to address this.

The home was well staffed. Staff were consistent and quick to respond to people’s care and support needs. Staff were recruited safely following the providers procedures and received training to support people appropriately.

People were happy living at the home. There was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Staff worked well as a team.

The home was clean and tidy. Infection prevention control measures were in place. People’s medicines were managed and administered safely. Regular checks on the environment and fire safety systems were conducted.

The home was engaged with the local community. Feedback was obtained from people, relatives and staff to meet people’s needs and develop the service. Systems to communicate effectively with staff and relevant others were in place.

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.

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 August 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Laurels on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

The Laurels 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 care home is registered to accommodate up to 21 people. It specialises in providing care and support to older people. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people living at the home.

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.

The home was well led by a registered manager and provider who were open and approachable. They were committed to continually monitoring standards and improving the service offered to people.

People and staff were very positive about the changes that had taken place since the new provider had taken on the running of the home. People felt listened to and their suggestions were put into practice where practicable.

People were cared for by staff who were kind and compassionate. People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. One person told us, “I feel well looked after and definitely safe.”

Staff carried out assessments of people’s individual needs and created care plans to show how people would be supported to maintain their independence. Care plans gave information about people’s likes, dislikes and lifestyle choices to make sure staff were able to provide person centred care.

People’s health and well-being was monitored and staff supported people to see health care professionals according to their individual needs.

People had their nutritional needs assessed and met. People were happy with the food provided and told us there was always choices of meals. People were able to choose where they ate their meals. The majority of people ate in the dining room which made mealtimes a pleasant sociable occasion.

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.

Staff respected people’s choices and supported their independence. People were able to make choices about their day to day lives and staff respected people as individuals. Where people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves staff acted in a way that respected their legal rights.

There was a programme of activities and entertainment which people could choose to join in with if they wished to. One person told us, “There’s plenty going on.” Another person said, “No I don’t join in, but that’s my choice.”