This inspection took place on 13 May 2015 and was unannounced.
Pendene House is a care home that provides residential care for up to 17 people. The home specialises in caring for older people including those people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were nine people in residence.
A registered manager was in post. 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 were happy and told us that they felt safe. Staff were able to explain how they kept people safe from abuse, and knew what external authorities were available to report concerns on to. Staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities and were trained to look after people and protect them from harm and abuse.
Staff were recruited in accordance with the provider’s recruitment procedures that ensured staff were qualified and suitable to work at the home. We observed there to be sufficient staff available to meet people’s needs and worked in a co-ordinated manner.
People received their medicines when prescribed. The provider assured us that they would make the required improvements were needed to ensure medicines were stored or managed safely.
Staff received an appropriate induction and ongoing training for their job role. Staff had access to people’s care records and were knowledgeable about people’s needs that were important to them.
Staff communicated people’s dietary needs appropriately, which protected them from the risk of losing weight. People were provided with a choice of meals that met their dietary needs. The catering staff were provided with up to date information about people’s dietary needs.
People’s care and support needs had been assessed and people were involved in the development of their plan of care. People told us they were satisfied with the care provided.
People felt staff were kind and caring, and their privacy and dignity was respected in the delivery of care and their choice of lifestyle. Relatives we spoke with were also complimentary about the staff and the care offered to their relatives.
We observed staff speak to, and assist people in a kind, caring and compassionate way, and people told us that care workers were polite, respectful and protected their privacy. We saw that people’s dignity and privacy was respected which promoted their wellbeing.
Staff had a good understanding of people’s care needs, though some documents within the care plan document lacked detail and explanation. There was an absence of instruction on how staff should monitor and when necessary adjust pressure relieving equipment.
Relatives and people using the service told us that they had developed good relationships with staff.
People were involved in the review of their care plan, and when appropriate were happy for their relatives to be involved. We observed staff offered people everyday choices and respected their decisions.
People told us that they were able to pursue their hobbies and interests that was important to them. These included the opportunity to maintain contact with family and friends as visitors were welcome without undue restrictions.
Staff told us they had access to information about people’s care and support needs and what was important to people. Care staff were supported and trained to ensure their knowledge, skills and practice in the delivery of care was kept up to date. Staff knew they could make comments or raise concerns with the management team about the way the service was run.
The provider had developed opportunities for people to express their views about the service. These included the views and suggestions from people using the service, their relatives and health and social care professionals.
Staff sought appropriate medical advice and support from health care professionals. Care plans included the changes to peoples care and treatment, and people had access to regular health checks.
People were confident to raise any issues, concerns or to make complaints. People said they felt staff listened to them and responded appropriately.
People who used the service and their relatives spoke positively about the open culture and communication with the staff. We noted that the provider interacted politely with people and they responded well to him. When we spoke with the provider, it was clear he knew people and their relatives, with the depth of conversational knowledge.
The provider had a clear management structure within the home, which meant that the staff were aware who to contact out of hours. Care staff understood their roles and responsibilities and knew how to access support. Staff had access to people’s care plans and received regular updates about people’s care needs.
Staff were aware of the reporting procedure for faults and repairs and had access to external contractors for maintenance and to manage any emergency repairs.
There were systems in place for monitoring of the building and equipment which meant people lived in an environment which was regularly maintained.
The provider had quality assurance systems, which included internal audits and monitoring of person centred planning. However, those were not used consistently and any shortfalls identified were not always recorded to help the provider monitor the improvements needed.
We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.