Archived: Wetherby Manor

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of 'good' and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risk or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Wetherby Manor 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.

Wetherby Manor accommodates up to 75 older people, some of whom are living with dementia, others have nursing care or mental health needs. On the day of our inspection there were 68 people using the service. People who used the service and their relatives were complimentary about the standard of care.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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.

Staff and the provider went above and beyond to improve people’s day to day lives. People were supported to identify and meet their dreams. Other people tried new innovative ways of stimulation using state of the art technology to recreate memories. People told us and we observed they shared close relationships with staff and staff would spend their own time talking with people.

We found people had their dreams identified and the service worked with the person to make these dreams come true. We observed and people told us staff were exceptionally caring in their attitude and involved them in all decisions about their care.

The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service. Staff were supported to provide care to people who used the service through a range of mandatory training, supervision and appraisal. Staff said they felt supported by the registered manager.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible. 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. Activities were arranged for people who used the service based on their likes and interests and to help meet their social needs, in the home and within the local community.

Care records showed people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person-centred way and were reviewed regularly. Person-centred care is about ensuring the person is at the centre of any care or support and their individual wishes, needs and choices were considered.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities about safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults. People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs. People had access to healthcare services and received ongoing healthcare support. Appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe management and administration of medicines.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable to support the needs of the people who used the service. The provider had effective procedures in place for managing the maintenance of the premises and appropriate health and safety checks were carried out. Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and risk assessments were in place where required.

The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and their relatives were aware of how to make a complaint. The provider had a quality assurance process in place. People who used the service, relatives and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service through meetings and surveys.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Wetherby Manor is a modern large purpose built home, registered to accommodate up to 75 older people who require personal care and/or nursing. The service can support people who are living with dementia. The service is arranged over three floors which include a nursing unit, dementia unit and a residential unit. There is also an area which has independent living apartments where people can choose to receive support when they needed it. The service is close to all local amenities.

The home had 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.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were able to tell us about different types of abuse and were aware of action they should take if abuse was suspected.

Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed by staff and records of these assessments had been reviewed. Appropriate systems were in place for the management of medicines so people received their medicines safely.

Staff received supervision on a regular basis The registered manager had an action plan for all staff to have an appraisal in 2016. Staff had been trained and had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the people they cared for.

We saw there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs on the day of the visit. We found safe recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been made.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

There were positive interactions between people and staff. We saw staff treated people with dignity and respect. Staff were attentive, patient and interacted well with people. People told us they were happy and felt very well cared for.

We saw people were provided with a choice of healthy food and drinks. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals and services.

We saw people’s care plans were very person centred and written in a way to describe their care, and support needs well.

People’s independence was encouraged. We saw there was a plentiful supply of activities and outings. Staff encouraged and supported people to access activities within the community.

The registered provider had a system in place for responding to people’s concerns and complaints. People were regularly asked for their views.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw the views of the people using the service were regularly sought and used to make changes.

People who used the service said, 'I like it here, I never wanted to go into a home but this is home, I couldn't wish for anything better.' Another person told us, 'Absolutely lovely, I can cook my own meals if I want to', 'They have been so lovely towards my Husband, brilliant and still are' and 'I like it here, comfortable and feels good, staff are very friendly, approachable and I feel really cared for.'

A relative said, 'They are always tidying, I feel that my mother is safe here and I feel that she is valued as a person.' The home was very clean and had systems in place to reduce the risk of infection.

People who used the service told us there were always plenty of staff on duty and they felt able to approach staff when they wanted to. Both relatives we spoke with told us they felt staff listened to them. They told us they felt involved in decisions regarding their relatives care.

One person who used the service told us, 'They (staff) always treat me with great respect.'