17 and 19 November 2014
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 17 and 19 November 2014 and was unannounced.
Littlefair Care Home is registered to provide accommodation with personal care and support for up to 41 older people. At the time of this inspection there were 36 people living at the home. Everybody needed some form of help with mobility; one person was cared for in bed. Five people were identified as living with dementia.
A registered manager was in post when we visited. 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. During our inspection the manager was present, as was a representative of the provider. They made themselves available to us so we were able to ask questions about the service and to share our findings with them.
People and their relatives said that they felt safe, free from harm and would speak to staff if they were worried or unhappy about anything. They told us that the manager was approachable.
People told us that they were happy with care they received. We found that people received care and support that they needed to meet their individual needs.
Staff understood their role in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant that, where people did not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves, the manager and her staff knew what to do to ensure people’s human rights had been maintained. They confirmed they had received training in these areas. People’s representatives had been involved in decision making processes when people lacked capacity to consent and DoLS applications had been made to ensure people were safe from harm and their human rights were upheld.
People said that the food at the home was good. There was evidence of people being offered choices in relation to food and drink. Where necessary, people were given help to eat their meal safely and with dignity.
We heard staff speaking kindly to people and they were able to explain how they developed positive caring relationships with people.
People said they were happy and comfortable with their rooms and we saw that they were attractively decorated with some personal touches including photographs and memorabilia.
People, their relatives and staff told us that there were enough staff on duty to support people at the times they wanted or needed.