The inspection was unannounced and took place on 5 and 6 September 2016.Park Mount Care Home is a purpose built care home for older people. It is located in Macclesfield. The home has capacity to accommodate 40 people in single en-suite rooms over two floors and has one double room. It has two lounges, two dining rooms and a large garden which is accessible to residents and a chapel where regular services are conducted and all denominations are made welcome. Access between the floors is via a passenger lift and there is car parking to the front of the building.
The service was last inspected in May 2014 which was a responsive inspection following a concern around medication. We followed this up in August 2014 when we found the service to be compliant.
The home has 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. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people living in the home.
We found that people were provided with care that was safe, person centred, sensitive and compassionate. The home was managed and staffed by a consistent team of care assistants who were well supported.
We saw that the service had a safeguarding policy in place. This was designed to ensure that any safeguarding concerns that arose were dealt with openly and people were protected from possible harm. All the staff we spoke to confirmed that they were aware of the need to report any safeguarding concerns.
We looked at recruitment files for the most recently appointed staff members to check that effective recruitment procedures had been completed. We found that appropriate checks had been made to ensure that they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults.
We found that there were sufficient staff deployed to meet the needs of the people living in the home. The manager had identified the need to increase the staffing numbers and was taking action to address this.
The provider had their own induction training programme which was designed to ensure that any new staff members had the skills they needed to do their jobs effectively and competently. This resulted in staff having the skills and knowledge to carry out their jobs well and provide safe and effective care.
We asked staff members about training and they all confirmed that they received regular training throughout the year and that this was up to date and provided them with knowledge and skills to do their jobs effectively.
People had care plans which were personalised to their needs and wishes. Each care plan contained detailed information to assist support workers to provide care in a manner that respected the relevant person’s individual needs, promoting their personal preferences’.
People living in the home told us that the standard of care they received was good. Comments included, “You couldn’t have a nicer group of staff, nothing is ever too much trouble for them” and “They treat me well. I’m happy with how they look after me”. Relatives spoken with praised the staff team for the quality of care provided. They told us that they were confident that their relatives were safe and well cared for. One person told us, “I’m so happy he is here”.
The service had a range of policies and procedures which helped staff refer to good practice and included guidance on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This meant that staff were able to help and support people who had difficulty in making decisions and ensured that plans were put in place in the person’s best interests. We saw that applications had been made appropriately.
There was a flexible menu in place which provided a good variety of food to people using the service. People living there told us that the food was good and they had a wide variety of food choices as well as where they could eat their meal.
Staff members we spoke with were positive about how the home was being managed and felt that the managers were supportive and approachable.
There was an internal quality assurance system in place to review systems and help to ensure compliance with the regulations and to promote the welfare of the people who lived at the home. This included audits on care plans, medication and accidents.
The home was well-maintained and clean and provided a calm, relaxing atmosphere. There were a number of maintenance checks being carried out weekly and monthly. These included water temperatures as well as safety checks on the fire alarm system and emergency lighting. These were audited regularly.