Golborne House Residential Care Home

Goldborne House Residential Care Home is a care home providing personal care to older people and people living with dementia. The service accommodates 45 people in one adapted building, over 2 floors. At the time of the inspection 35 people were using the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

The building was designed to meet the needs of the people receiving care. However, at the time of the inspection the provider was in the process of having the building redecorated. This meant we were unable to fully assess how dementia-friendly the environment was.

Risks to people's safety and wellbeing were assessed and reviewed by the registered manager. We saw evidence of actions being implemented to reduce identified risks to people’s safety.

Staff were trained to recognise potential risks and signs of abuse. Staffing levels were safe. The provider managed medicines safely. Staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately when supporting people.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to deliver care effectively. People's needs were assessed and reviewed regularly. Healthy lifestyles were promoted, and systems were in place to make sure people's health needs were met. Menu planning met people's dietary needs and considered individual and cultural preferences.

Staff knew how to communicate effectively with residents and were trained to meet people’s needs at the end of their lives. Activities were meaningful and supported social inclusion. Relatives were encouraged to visit and had access to care plans (known as life plans by the service) where appropriate.

People told us staff were polite and always asked before providing care and support. Life plans were personalised and showed the care and support people wanted and needed. People and relatives knew how to raise concerns and were confident these would be dealt with appropriately.

The provider ensured systems were in place to monitor the running of the service. Staff worked well in partnership with other agencies to deliver effective care. The registered manager audited care and support records, to assure themselves of quality. Lessons were learned when concerns were raised, and these outcomes were communicated to staff.

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 and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 5 September 2019).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and due to the length of time since the service was last inspected.

Recommendations

We have made recommendations about dementia-friendly environments.

Follow up

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

We found the following examples of good practice.

Robust procedures were in place for screening any professional visitors to the home. These included temperature checks, completion of a risk assessment and adherence to the NHS track and trace process, with the QR code available, should people prefer to use this rather than provide contact details.

A similarly robust process had been set up for supporting relatives to visit, when this was permitted. A visit room had been set up which could be accessed directly from outside to prevent unnecessary contact with the rest of the home. Controlled visits were being supported for people receiving palliative care. These had been risk assessed, with clear guidance in place for relatives to follow.

Regular communication with people and their relatives had occurred, to ensure everyone was aware of current policies and procedures, changes to practice and to evidence what had been going on within the home. A closed social media group which all relatives had joined, was a key part of this process.

The home had used isolation and cohorting of people effectively, to ensure care and support was provided safely, and people’s needs were met. A person centred approach had been used to ensure the impact on people having to isolate was monitored. We saw action had been taken when a change to their presentation or mood was noted. This included use of risk assessments, to enable people to access controlled areas of the home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

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

Golborne House is located in Golborne, Greater Manchester. The home is registered with the CQC to provide care for up to 40 older people. The home provides care to those with residential care needs, many of whom are living with a diagnosis of dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 37 people living at the home.

There was 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.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and we saw there were effective safeguarding processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were knowledgeable about the procedures relating to safeguarding and whistleblowing.

Safe recruitment checks were carried out and there were adequate numbers of staff to meet people’s needs safely.

Risks to people had been assessed and managed appropriately. There were also systems in place to check and maintain the safety and suitability of the premises.

Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines regularly and as prescribed.

Staff received an induction in to the service, regular training, supervision and an annual appraisal to support them in their role.

The staff obtained people’s consent before providing care. The registered manager and staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding people’s mental capacity and legislation.

People’s health care needs were assessed, reviewed and delivered in a way that promoted their wellbeing. People were encouraged to eat and drink well, and they were referred to healthcare professionals when required.

People who lived at the home were positive about the care provided. They were treated with kindness and compassion and they had been involved in the decisions about their care where possible. People were given respect and their privacy and dignity was maintained and their independence promoted.

There was a varied activities programme in place and people were supported to participate in activities based on their individual interests and preferences.

People knew how to make a complaint and these were responded to within the timescales in the provider’s policy. Staff felt able to raise concerns or issues with the registered manager.

There were effective systems in place to seek the views of people, their relatives and staff through satisfaction surveys and regular meetings. People and staff told us the registered manager was visible and we observed them engaging with people throughout the inspection.

Regular audits were completed by the registered manager and provider to check and maintain oversight of the quality of care provided.