The Laurels Residential Care Home

The Laurels Care Home is a is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 36 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people. People were accommodated in three units, two of which provided care and support to people living with Dementia.

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

We have made two recommendations about the current system in place for reviewing the management of cleaning materials and items that could be hazardous to people’s health and the appropriate storage of people’s personal effects.

People were happy with the care and support they received.

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 and staff always support this practice.

People felt safe using the service and received their medicines when they needed them. Safe recruitment practices were in place to help ensure that only suitable people were employed at the service.

People were able to voice their views and felt they were listened to. People had access to services and facilities that met their cultural needs both within the service and the local community.

People's needs and wishes were assessed prior to moving into the service. People received care and support from experienced staff who were supported in their role. People were offered a nutritious and balanced diet that met their needs and wishes. Systems were in place to ensure that people's healthcare needs were understood and met.

People were protected from abuse and the risk of abuse. People and their family members told us that the service was safe. Infection control practices were followed to minimise the risk of the spread of infection.

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 requires improvement (published 26 February 2019). The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

People’s experience of using this service: Consent was not always sought and recorded in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as capacity assessments did not always include a clear decision to be made and the best interest process was not always recorded. It was not clear if applications to deprive people of their liberty had been made for all people who required this. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

Staff files did not reflect all safe recruitment practices had been adhered to. We made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report.

A range of checks were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, but we found that these were not always effective. We made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report.

People felt safe living in The Laurels and relatives were confident that their family members received safe care. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff on duty, who were knowledgeable about safeguarding processes and how to raise any concerns they had. Risks to people had been assessed and measures put in place to reduce those risks.

The environment of the home had been adapted to meet people’s individual needs and a plan of further refurbishment was underway.

People were supported to live healthier lives and staff worked closely with health and social care professionals to achieve this. People told us they saw a doctor quickly when they were unwell and received their medicines when they needed them and we saw that they were managed safely.

Feedback regarding meals was mixed, but everyone told us they had enough to eat and drink. We saw people had choice regarding meals and staff were aware of people’s dietary needs and preferences.

People told us staff were kind and caring and treated them with respect. Care was provided in ways to protect people’s dignity and privacy and to promote their independence. Staff knew people they supported well, including their needs and individual preferences and care plans in place were detailed and person centred.

People knew how to raise any concerns they had regarding their care and felt confident any issues would be addressed.

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection under this registered provider.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on our methodology.

Enforcement: You can see what action we told the provider to take at the end of the full version of this report.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.