This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 1 March 2016. We last inspected the service in October 2014 and found they were meeting the Regulations we looked at. White Rose court is a care home situated in Handsworth, a district of Sheffield. It is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 21 people. The service is near public transport and is in easy distance of shops and other amenities. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people living in the home.
The home had a registered manager. 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 we spoke with told us they felt safe living in the home and said staff were very good. We saw there were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable on safeguarding and were able to explain the procedures to follow should an allegation of abuse be made. Assessments identified risks to people and management plans to reduce the risks were in place to ensure people’s safety.
Medicines were stored safely and procedures were in place to ensure medicines were administered safely. However we found records were not always completed following procedures.
We found that staff we spoke with had an understanding of the legal requirements as required under the Mental Capacity Act (2005) Code of Practice. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets out how to act to support people who do not have the capacity to make some or all decisions about their care.
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards were only used when it was considered to be in the person’s best interest. This legislation is used to protect people who might not be able to make informed decisions on their own. The provider and the registered manager demonstrated a good awareness of their role in protecting people’s rights and recording decisions made in their best interest. They were also aware of the new requirements in relation to this legislation.
We found people were cared for, or supported by, sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Recruitment and selection procedures in place ensured the appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.
Suitable arrangements were in place and people were provided with a choice of healthy food and drink ensuring their nutritional needs were met. Mealtimes were a relaxed and enjoyable experience for people who used the service. Most people we spoke with told us they enjoyed the food and there was always a choice.
We saw interactions between staff and people living in the home were kind and respectful to people when they were supporting them. Staff were aware of the values of the service and knew how to respect people’s privacy and dignity. People spoke very highly of the staff and the care they received.
Activities were provided. We saw people were involved in activities on the day of our visit.
The manager told us they had received one complaint in the last twelve months. We saw this had been dealt with appropriately. People we spoke with did not raise any complaints or concerns about living at the home.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw copies of reports produced by the provider and the registered manager. The reports included any actions required and these were checked weekly to determine progress.