Archived: Meadowside

Updated 16 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was an unannounced inspection and took place on 23 November 2017.

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and two experts-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before our inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the home which included statutory notifications and safeguarding alerts.

We spoke with 18 people who use the service and six relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, the chef and seven care support staff. After the inspection we got feedback from four health care professionals who worked closely with the service.

During our inspection we observed how the staff supported and interacted with people who use the service. We also looked at 13 people’s care records, nine staff files, a range of audits, the complaints log, and minutes for residents meetings, staff supervision and training records, and a number of policies and procedures for the service.

Updated 16 January 2018

This inspection took place on 23 November 2017 and was unannounced. At our last inspection in October 2015 the service was rated as good.

Meadowside is a care home for older people. The home has 68 beds split into six flats on three floors; each floor has its own dining area and lounge. On the day we inspected there were 65 people living in the home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had 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.

People were positive about the service and the staff who supported them. People told us they liked the staff and that they were treated with dignity and kindness.

Staff treated people with respect and as individuals with different needs and preferences. Relatives we spoke with said they felt welcome at any time in the home. They felt involved in care planning and were confident that their comments and concerns would be acted upon. The care records contained information about how to provide support, what the person liked, disliked and their preferences and interests.

The staff demonstrated a good knowledge of people’s care needs, significant people and events in their lives, and their daily routines and preferences.

Staff understood the provider’s safeguarding procedures and could explain how they would protect people and who to contact if they had any concerns.

Risk assessments were in place for a number of areas and were regularly updated, and staff had a good knowledge and understanding of many health conditions.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff to care for the number of people living at the home.

Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

Medicines were managed safely. Staff had received relevant training and regular medicine audits were taking place.

People were satisfied with the food provided at the home and the support they received in relation to nutrition and hydration.

There was an open and transparent culture and encouragement for people to provide feedback. The provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service. People told us they were aware of how to make a complaint and were confident they could express any concerns and these would be addressed.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff told us they really enjoyed working for the organisation and spoke very positively about the culture and management of the service. Staff told us that they were encouraged to openly discuss any issues.

People, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals spoke highly of the registered manager; they found her to be dedicated, approachable and supportive. The registered manager understood their responsibilities and ensured people, relatives and staff felt able to contribute to the development of the service. Staff were supported to be valued members of the organisation. The continued development of the skills and performance of the staff was integral to the success of the service.

The provider’s governance framework ensured quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements were understood and managed. There was good use of online monitoring tools in support of this.