Archived: Homelands

Homelands is one of three locations at the same address owned by the provider. The service is part of the Oatleigh building and is situated on the first floor known as ‘Bond Street’. Some services and facilities such as activities, kitchen and laundry arrangements are shared between the locations as a community. Homelands has its own staff and operates independently, under the overall supervision and management control of the provider.

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

There were safeguarding procedures in place and the registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks had taken place before staff started work at the home. Staff were effectively deployed to meet people’s needs. People’s medicines were managed safely. There were effective systems in place for monitoring, investigating and learning from incidents and accidents. The service had procedures in place to reduce the risk of infections.

People’s care and support needs were assessed when they moved into the home. Risks to people had been assessed to ensure their needs were met safely. Staff were supported through induction, training and regular supervision. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people with their care needs. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and they had access to health care professionals when they needed them. The design of the premises was meeting people's needs. 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.

People and their relatives had been consulted about their care and support needs. People were offered a range of activities to support their need for social interaction and stimulation. Staff understood the importance of working within the principles of the Equality Act and supported people in meeting their diverse needs. There was a complaints procedure in place and people and their relatives said they were confident their complaints would be addressed. People had access to end of life care and support when it was required.

The registered manager and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to plan and deliver an effective service. The provider took people, their relatives, and professionals and staffs views into account through surveys. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and any learning was identified and acted on. Staff enjoyed working at the home and said they received good support from the registered manager and deputy manager.

Rating at last inspection.

The last rating for this service was good (published 28 March 2018).

Why we inspected

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

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.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC 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

At this inspection which was unannounced we found the service remained Good and they demonstrated they continued to meet the regulations and fundamental standards.

Homelands, provides residential care for up to 14 people many of whom are living with dementia. 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. It is one of three locations at the same address owned by the provider. The service is part of the Oatleigh building and is situated on the first floor known as ‘Bond Street’. Some services and facilities such as activities, kitchen and laundry arrangements are shared between the locations as a community. Homelands have its own staff and operates independently, under the overall supervision and management control of the provider. There were 10 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 service had appropriate adult's procedures in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and staff were aware of the action to take if they had any concerns. Risks to people had been assessed and identified risks were managed safely. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded appropriately. People were protected from the risk of infection. Accidents and incidents were recorded and acted on in a timely manner. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. The provider conducted appropriate recruitment checks before staff started work.

Staff were appropriately inducted into the service. Staff received training, supervision and appraisals so that they were effectively able to carry out their roles. The registered manager and staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and asking for people’s consent before they provided care. People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and had access to a range of healthcare professionals in order to maintain good health.

People told us staff were caring and respected their privacy, dignity and independence. People were involved in decisions about their care needs. People were supported to follow their interests and hobbies.

People’s needs were reviewed and monitored on a regular basis. Care plans were reflective of people's individual care needs and preferences and were reviewed on a regular basis. People knew about the service's complaints procedures and knew how to make a complaint. People's cultural needs and religious beliefs were recorded to ensure that staff took account of people's needs and wishes.

There were effective processes in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People’s feedback was sought through annual satisfaction surveys. Regular resident and staff meetings took place where people were provided with opportunities to provide feedback about the service. People and staff were complimentary about the registered manager and the service.

We found that the provider's recruitment process was now robust. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were carried out before staff started working at the service. References were also obtained from previous employers.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

The provider did not have effective recruitment procedures in place. We found that for most staff their criminal records checks had not been undertaken by their current employer. One staff member's application had been made but was in progress at the time of our inspection.

We found that people were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. People's care and support needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff understood people's care needs and knew how to protect them from risk and harm. We found staff criminal records checks had not been undertaken by their current employer. There was evidence that regular quality monitoring audits had taken place and learning from the audits and necessary changes were implemented.