All inspections: The Stratfords Residential Home

We spoke with one person that used the service they told us that 'I'm looked after very well, and all the staff are very kind'. We spoke with a visiting relative and they told us that they were 'perfectly satisfied' with the care that their family member was receiving, and that 'the staff are always very helpful and friendly'.

We observed the staff interacting with people in a kind and caring way. Staff we spoke with were able to describe people's individual likes and dislikes, and we saw that people were offered choices in their day to day activities and requirements.

We looked at the care and treatment records of three people that used the service and we found that care records had been updated as people's requirements had changed.

We found that people were cared for by compassionate staff.

We spoke with three people who lived at The Stratfords Residential Home. One person told us that 'In my opinion everything is good' another person told us that they had been well looked after.

Some people were not able to talk to us because of their dementia, as part of our inspection we used our Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) tool. The SOFI observation tool helps us to capture the experiences of people using services with dementia. Using the SOFI tool we spent time observing how people with dementia were supported. We saw that staff worked at a relaxed pace and respond to people with warmth and affection. We saw that people were treated with dignity and respect.

We spoke with relatives and they told us 'it's excellent here; the members of staff are all really caring'. Another relative told us that their family member had improved since coming to stay at the Stratfords and that they were really pleased with the home.

We saw that people were receiving good care, but we were concerned that some people's records had not been updated when needs had changed. We were concerned that important documents such as the fire register had not been updated when new people had come to live at the home.

We saw that the manager had a system in place to supervise and support staff. We spoke with members of staff that were very knowledgeable about people's needs and we saw that staff interacted with people in a kind and caring way.

We reviewed the improvements the provider had made to staffing levels. We found that the provider had completed a calculation of the staffing levels at the home which included a needs assesment of each person living at the home. This was to make sure that there were enough staff on duty to meet the needs of people. We also found that extra staff were on duty during busy times of the day to make sure that people received quality care.

The provider had also made changes to the way they delivered staff training at the home so that there were enough staff on duty to look after the needs of the people. We also spoke with a member of staff and a volunteer working at the service and they told us that there were enough staff working at the home to look after people's needs.

We spoke with five people living at the home and they all told us they were happy living at the home and that the staff were caring and looked after them well.

One person told us; 'All the staff are in a meeting this morning, but they have just brought me a cup of tea!' They told us that they had been unwell recently, but that the staff had looked after them well and had contacted the doctor straight away. They also told us that they had a pleasant bedroom which their relative had helped to decorate and that they could go there if they wanted to have a rest or watch the television.

Another person told us that the care they received from the staff was 'brilliant', and that the staff always came to check if they needed anything. They also told us; 'The food is excellent, I have a good choice of what to eat and the cook is wonderful'. We spoke with four of the relatives that visited the home and three of them told us that they were happy with the level of care provided. They also told us the staff were approachable and communicated any problems about their relative with them straight away. One relative was not happy about the level of care at the home. They told us that sometimes there were not enough staff on duty to look after people properly, and they found it difficult to raise any concerns they had about their relative.

Some of the people living at the home had a diagnosis of dementia which made it difficult for them to tell us about their experiences and views of what it was like living at the home. In order to obtain information about these peoples' experiences of living at the home and assess how their needs were met by the staff, we spent time observing people's engagement, demeanour and body language.

We saw that the staff spoke with people in a respectful way and involved them in conversation and activities taking place in the home. We observed that the people enjoyed playing games with staff and were also supported to make choices about daily living.

We also observed how people were cared for during lunchtime; we saw that some people had to wait to eat their lunch until other people had finished because there were not enough staff to assist them.

People told us that that they are provided with a good standard of care and said they liked living at The Stratfords. They said that staff treat them with respect and dignity.

We were told that the food was of good quality and there was always a choice offered to them.

People felt their views were listened to and their choices were respected.

All people we spoke to commented positively about the staff. They told us they were always treated with kindness and consideration.

Staff told us that the training was good and the manager was approachable. They told us there was good team working and good support from the management of the home.

One person represented the views of many when they told us, 'This is a lovely home and the staff were very kind. They know how to care for me and I'm in the best place I could be.'

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: The Stratfords Residential Home

All Inspections

18 March 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

5 August 2013

During a routine inspection

During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made

31 May 2012

During a routine inspection

16 December 2010

During a routine inspection

Reports under our old system of regulation