Archived: Lenore Care Home

This inspection took place on 13 and 14 April 2015 and was unannounced. A previous inspection undertaken in December 2013 found there were no breaches of legal requirements.

Lenore Care Home is the only location owned and run by Mr and Mrs Duchett and is based in Whitley Bay. It provides accommodation for up to 23 people with learning disabilities and/or mental health issues, who require assistance with personal care and support. There were 21 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

The home had a registered manager who had been registered since October 2010. 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.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and said staff treated them very well. There were effective security measures in place to ensure people were safe at the home. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding issues and said they would report any concerns to the manager or the local authority safeguarding team. The premises were maintained and safety checks undertaken on a regular basis. However, we found two windows where the appropriateness of window restrictors needed reviewing.

The registered manager told us staffing levels were regularly reviewed to support the individual needs of people living at the home. Additional staff were rostered to support activities or individual appointments, such as hospital visits. Proper recruitment procedures and checks were in place to ensure staff employed at the home had the correct skills and experience. People living at the home were able to input into the recruitment of new staff. We found some minor issues with medicines records, but saw they were administered safely.

Staff told us they were able to access a range of training and were supported to undertake additional training, if they requested it. Staff employed recently confirmed they had undertaken an induction process and shadowed experienced staff before fully taking on care duties. Staff told us they had access to regular supervision sessions and had an annual appraisal. The registered manager showed us new documentation designed to update and improve the staff development process.

People told us they enjoyed the food provided at the home and were able to request items to be included on the monthly menus. We observed fresh fruit was readily available around the home and people had access to adequate supplies of both hot and cold drinks.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. These safeguards aim to make sure people are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. The registered manager told us that no one at the home was subject to any restriction under the DoLS guidelines. Staff had a good understanding of how to support people to make choices. The registered manager told us there had been no recent best interest decision meetings.

Elements of the home had been adapted to promote people’s independence, with ground floor rooms for people who could not climb stairs. We noted that the decoration of the home was in need of refreshing in some areas. The registered manager confirmed a programme of refurbishment was in progress and some painting of rooms had already taken place and new carpets had been laid in rooms and on landings and stairs.

People told us they were happy with the care provided. We observed staff treated people with consideration and there were good relationships between staff and people living at the home. Staff had a good understanding of people’s individual needs, likes and dislikes. People had access to general practitioners, dentists and a range of other health professionals to help maintain their wellbeing. Specialist advice was sought, where necessary, and acted upon. People said they were treated with dignity and staff respected people’s individual preferences and decisions.

People had individualised care plans that were detailed and addressed their identified needs. Staff told us that people preferred to manage their own time rather than participate in organised activities, although people told us about a recent trip to Seahouses which they had enjoyed. Professionals we spoke with thought individual time and pursuits were more important in helping people develop life skills. People told us they would tell the staff or the registered manager if they had a complaint, but were happy with the care at the home. We noted that complaints were not always recorded in detail and that actions taken were not necessarily documented. The registered manager said she would address this.

The registered manager showed us records confirming regular checks and audits were carried out at the home. Questionnaires completed by people living at the home, and by staff, indicated a high level of satisfaction. Staff were positive about the leadership of the registered manager and felt well supported in their roles. Regular staff meetings took place to discuss the running of the service and the care needs of people. People told us they were also involved in meetings and could make suggestions and requests about activities, menus and the running of the service. People and staff all talked about the family atmosphere at the home.