About the service Stubby Leas Nursing Home is registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 48 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection there were 36 people living in the home.
The home operates as two separate units known as Cottage Unit and Main Unit; both units care for people living with dementia and some people experience mobility difficulties and make use of the separate lifts in each unit. The home provides bedroom accommodation on the ground and first floors of the home with ten bedrooms having en-suite toilet facilities; people in the other bedrooms have shared use of bathrooms and toilets conveniently located throughout the home.
The inspection was conducted over three separate days. The third day of the inspection was prompted by concerns received about a safeguarding incident. A decision was made for us to inspect and focus on interviewing night staff and to look at their supervision and support to examine those risks. This incident is subject to a possible criminal investigation. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. We found no evidence during this inspection that any people were at an ongoing risk of harm from this concern.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were cared for and supported by staff who had been safely recruited following robust recruitment practice. Vacancies had been covered by care staff from an agency who had received induction before commencing work in the home. Most of the agency staff undertook regular shifts in the home and had got to know people well. People received prompt care and support with enough numbers of staff on duty to ensure no one was left waiting for support. The home had been set out to operate as two units and ongoing maintenance ensured people were protected from risks related to unsafe premises.
Relatives spoke well about all aspects of the care and support provided in the home and regarded staff as kind, caring and attentive. They advised they felt confident people were being cared for by staff who were well trained, patient and skilled and felt comfortable leaving them to be cared for in the home.
People who lived at Stubby Leas received help to receive personalised support to engage in activities and interests which met their needs. The activities provided supported people to become involved things they found meaningful which in turn supported their well-being. Support was provided to ensure everyone had opportunities to find new interests, try out new activities and engage in activities they enjoyed alongside ensuring their physical care needs were met.
Staff valued people and their life experiences, and they knew people extremely well. They provided care individual to each person and their likes, dislikes and preferences were known and taken into consideration.
Medication was safely managed in the home and people received good skilled support to move safely around the home. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People received support with meals and drinks and staff attention ensured people ate and drank enough to maintain good health. Contact was made with external health care professionals whenever staff were concerned about a person’s health.
Staff were well trained and were supported to undertake training whilst working in the home. Systems and processes in the home were up to date and checks and audits were used to quality assure the support provided to people and ongoing adherence to regulations were consistently delivered to a high standard.
Staff and relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and advised they were approachable and committed to delivering care and support to a high standard. The registered manager was positive about providing good leadership and management through example. They knew people and their relatives well and addressed any issues promptly and with sensitivity.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published on 7 July 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up-
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as
per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk