Archived: Richmondwood Residential Care Home

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 9 and 10 October 2017.

There was a registered manager 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.

At the last inspection in August 2015 the service was rated as Good. At this inspection the rating remained Good.

Staff had been trained in safeguarding adults and were knowledgeable about how to refer any concerns of abuse.

Risks to people’s health, delivery of their care and the physical environment, had been assessed to make sure that the service was as safely as possible .

Accidents and incidents were monitored and audited to see if there were any trends where action could make systems and care delivery safer.

The home employed sufficient staff to meet people’s needs.

Robust recruitment procedures were followed to make sure competent and suitable staff were employed to work at the home. The home had a full complement of staff at the time of inspection.

Medicines were managed safely.

The staff or team were well-trained and there were systems in place to make sure staff received update training when required.

The home was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, with appropriate referrals to the local authority for people deprived of their liberty.

People’s consent was gained for how they were cared for and supported.

Staff were supported through one to one supervision and annual appraisals.

People were provided with a good standard of food and their nutritional needs met.

People were positive about the staff team and the standards of care provided in the home. People felt their privacy and dignity were respected.

Care planning was effective and up to date, making sure people’s needs were met.

The home provided a full programme of activities to keep people meaningfully occupied.

The home had a well-publicised complaints policy.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided to people.

There was good leadership of the home and a positive ethos and culture.

We saw evidence of training in a wide range of subjects related to the health and welfare of people in staff folders. The manager had a system which ensured staff undertook training when it was due.

People's care plans referred to staff training. For example, we saw moving and handling records which stated all staff who were supporting people to move must be trained and competent to undertake the function in ways that ensured people's safety and comfort. This meant the provider was linking staff training directly to people's care and support needs.

We found the home offered a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. People living at Richmondwood were very positive about living there. People told us they enjoyed living there and the staff were very friendly. Some of the comments we received included ' 'I like the staff, they help me with everything I need', and 'I can't fault it here, the staff are lovely, I have company and the food is great'.

We saw that staff interacted with people when they were supporting them. We saw that staff were respectful and maintained people's dignity and privacy. For example checking how people would like their personal care provided and knocking on people's doors before entering their rooms.

We saw that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. We saw that plans were developed with people and they expressed their needs and wishes in relation to how they received their care. We saw evidence that families contributed to care plans.

People using the service were protected from abuse because they were supported by staff that had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding adults. Staff told us they would contact the manager or the local safeguarding team if they had concerns.