Archived: Gracewell of Sway

Gracewell of Sway is a ‘care home’ providing personal and nursing care to 53 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 68 people some of whom may be living with dementia. Accommodation at the home is provided over three floors. There are large gardens and patio areas which provide a safe and secure private leisure area for people living at the home.

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

People felt safe living at Gracewell of Sway and were very much at the heart of the service. We received consistent positive feedback from people and their families as well as health professionals. Feedback we received told us that the service went above and beyond and were extremely experienced at looking after people living with dementia. People received excellent care that was based around their individual needs and that ensured care was personalised and responsive.

People received outstanding levels of care. Staff developed exceptionally positive and caring relationships with people and their families. Staff were highly motivated and demonstrated a commitment to providing the best quality care to people in an individualised and compassionate way. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained at all times.

The service was extremely responsive to people’s needs and wishes. People were able to choose what activities they took part in and suggest other activities they would like to complete. We were told about many positive activities people took part in that improved their wellbeing.

People received outstanding end of life care and people experienced a comfortable and dignified death. Staff participated in end of life care training and worked closely with the local hospice.

There was good oversight of medicines. Medicines administration records (MAR) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed.

People were cared for by a motivated and well-trained staff team, who always put people first. Staff had the specialist knowledge and skills required to meet people’s needs. The home allowed people to bring their pets and people and their families gained great comfort from interacting with their pets at the home.

People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

The home developed and promoted community involvement within the home. People, their families and staff took part in the many local community events.

Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at the service to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills. There were enough staff to keep people safe. There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies. Risks concerned with people’s health care and the environment were assessed and reduced as far as was practicable. The home was clean, and measures were in place for infection prevention and control.

People were supported with their nutritional needs. People received varied meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes.

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.

People were cared for by a motivated staff team, who always put people first. Staff received regular support and felt valued and listened to by management. Accidents and incidents were thoroughly investigated and learning from them shared amongst the team.

Positive links had been forged with local health and social care professionals to enhance the experience of people using the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 10/10/2018 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 12 April 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our inspection schedule.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.

We found the following examples of good practice:

• The service had appointed a dedicated COVID Co-Ordinator to deal with all the visitor bookings and testing of staff and visitors to ensure people were kept safe and that visitors had a point of contact for any queries or concerns.

• People were supported to keep in touch with families and visits were planned and well organised to reduce risk and avoid the potential spread of infection. The provider had converted a room and installed a full screen halfway across the room with separate access for people and their visitors. This room had a built-in microphone to aid communication.

• Cleaning staff had cleaning schedules, which they were required to complete which included evidence that high touch areas were regularly cleaned. Cleaning staff also had rotas to clean the visitors lounge before and after visitors had seen their family members.

• Staff were trained and knew how to immediately instigate full infection control measures to care for people with symptoms to avoid the virus spreading to other people and staff members. Arrangements were in place so staff could appropriately socially distance during breaks, handovers and meetings.