Archived: Lumb Valley Care Home

Lumb Valley Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 21 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 22 people. The home is located in the area of Lumb in Rossendale.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The registered manager had implemented infection prevention and control procedures which were understood and followed by the staff. All staff had completed training on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and participated in the weekly testing programme. We observed all staff were wearing appropriate PPE. Not all bedroom ensuites were equipped with soap, paper hand towels and a pedal bin. The provider ordered these items during the inspection.

There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Appropriate recruitment procedures ensured prospective staff were suitable to work in the home.

Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. There had been significant improvements to the premises since the last inspection. The provider was in the process of addressing some ongoing issues with the heating system on the ground floor. A plumber attended the home during our visit to check the boiler and the radiators. There were established arrangements for the ongoing maintenance of the home. Apart from the electrical safety certificate, all other safety certificates were up to date. The provider agreed to confirm when the electrical safety check had been completed.

The registered manager understood how to safeguard people from abuse and report any concerns. During our visit, the home was calm, and staff were well organised. We observed staff responded promptly to people’s needs.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 4 July 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this targeted inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities). The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.

We carried out an unannounced inspection of Lumb Valley Care Home on 4 and 5 June 2018.

At the last inspection in January 2016, we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

At the time of our inspection, the manager was not yet registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). However, following the inspection we were notified that the application to register the manager with CQC had been approved. 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.

Lumb Valley care home is registered to provide accommodation, personal care and support for 22 people. Lumb Valley care home is located in the area of Lumb in Rossendale. The accommodation consists of communal areas and single and twin-bedded rooms on three floors with stair lift access; there is a separate unit for people living with dementia. There are accessible gardens and safe patio areas and a small car park for visitors and staff. At time of the inspection there were 16 people accommodated in the home.

People were happy with the care they received and made positive comments about the staff. They told us they felt safe and happy in the home and were comfortable in the company of staff. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse.

The information in people's care plans was sufficiently detailed to ensure they were at the centre of their care. People's care and support was kept under review and they were involved in decisions about their care. Risks to people's health and safety had been identified, assessed and managed safely. Relevant health and social care professionals provided advice and support when people's needs changed.

The home was a clean and comfortable place for people to live in. Appropriate aids and adaptations had been provided to help maintain people's safety, independence and comfort. Further improvements to the home were planned.

A safe recruitment procedure was followed and arrangements were in place to make sure staff were trained and competent. People considered there were enough staff to support them. People received their medicines when they needed them. Staff administering medicines had received training and supervision to do this safely.

People had choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff respected people's diversity and promoted people's right to be free from discrimination. People's dignity and privacy was respected and upheld and staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible.

People had access to suitable activities. People were given a choice of meals and staff knew their likes and dislikes. People's nutritional needs were monitored and reviewed. People told us they were happy and knew how to raise their concerns and complaints; they were confident they would be listened to.

There were effective systems for assessing, monitoring and developing the quality of the service. People and their relatives were consulted around their care and support and their views were acted upon.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Lumb Valley care home is registered to provide accommodation, personal care and support for 22 people. Lumb Valley care home is located in the area of Lumb in Rossendale. The accommodation consists of single and twin-bedded rooms. Communal lounges and dining room are located on the ground floor. There is also a small car park for visitors and staff. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people accommodated at the home.

The service was last inspected in October 2013 and was found compliant in all areas inspected. At the time of this inspection there was a registered manager employed. 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.

The service had recently been awarded fifth place in the top 20 recommended care homes in North West England by the Care Home Awards 2015. The Top 20 Care Home Awards 2015 highlight the most recommended care homes in each region of the UK. The Awards are based on over 45,000 reviews received from residents, family and friends of residents during 2014.

Throughout this inspection we received positive feedback from people who used the service, visitors and community professionals. People expressed satisfaction with the service provided and spoke very highly of the staff that supported them. Comments included, “They are very caring here, staff get very passionate about the people they care for” and “I have nothing to complain about. I really like living here”.

We noted the service had robust processes and procedures in place to maintain a safe environment for people accessing the service and for staff and visitors. The service had detailed and up to date health and safety checks which covered areas such as electrical safety, use of stairs, use of bathrooms, workplace safety, gas supply and appliances.

We noted audits on equipment and furnishings were done on a monthly basis. These audits included bedrooms, lounge, stairs, garden area, stair lift and hoists. We saw the service had a robust fire procedure and each person living at the service had a personal evacuation plan. We noted the service was compliant in a recent fire safety audit carried out by the local fire service. However, we noted that bedroom doors were not numbered. Therefore, this could have an impact on the identification of people by the emergency services should they be called to the service at any time.

People using the service told us they felt safe living at the home. Visitors were also confident that their relatives were in a safe place. We noted robust safeguarding procedures were in place and staff showed a good understanding around recognising the signs of abuse. Staff had also undertaken safeguarding training.

At the time of inspection we found the service had adequate staffing levels. Staff told us they had adequate time to undertake the caring role effectively. People told us their needs were met appropriately and staff had time to sit with them. We observed a good level of staff interaction to support this.

We found the service had a good recruitment system in place. However we noted the service needed to make provisions for dates of employment to be documented throughout the application form. We found the service required all new staff to undertake a thorough twelve week induction process.

The service had processes in place for the appropriate administration of medication. Staff were adequately trained in medication administration. Medication was stored safely and in line with current guidance.

We saw the service had created detailed individual risk assessments for all people using the service. These risk assessments included diet and nutrition, pressure relief and mobility.

We saw detailed care plans, which gave clear information about the people's needs, wishes, feelings and health conditions. These were reviewed monthly and more often when needed by the registered manager.

We saw evidence of detailed training programmes for staff. All carers had a Level 2 or above NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) or were working towards a NVQ level 3 Diploma in care. All people spoken with were very positive about staff knowledge and skills and felt their needs were being met appropriately.

Staff spoken with were aware of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These provided legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions. The manager also demonstrated their knowledge about the process to follow should it be necessary to place any restrictions on a person who used the service in their best interests. At the time of inspection we found that no person using the service was subject to a DoLS.

We noted that people's nutritional requirements were being met and choice was offered at every meal time. We saw the food was freshly prepared and served at a suitable temperature.

We saw appropriate referrals had been made to dieticians and instructions were strictly followed in cases where people had known dietary requirements. One health care professional referred to the registered manager as, “Innovative” with health care referrals.

Over the two days of the inspection we noted positive staff interaction and engagement with people using the service. Staff addressed people in a respectful and caring manner. The service had a calm and warm atmosphere. We observed people enjoying each other’s company, singing, laughing and conversing.

We had positive feedback from people using the service, relatives and staff about the registered manager. People told us they were happy to approach management with any concerns or questions.

We found that suitable arrangements were in place for the safe keeping and handling of medicines.

We saw that the home was warm, well ventilated and generally well maintained. . One person said, 'I've got a nice bedroom and it's clean.'

We noted that recruitment procedures were thorough in order to protect people from the employment of unsuitable staff.

Complaints were taken seriously and investigated. People told us they felt confident to make a complaint should the need arise.

We found that staffing levels had been increased throughout the night and during the day in order to ensure the needs of people using the service were met.

We saw that a thorough induction programme was in place for new employees. The care workers on duty told us they felt supported by the manager and the increased staffing levels meant she had time for regular one to one supervision meetings with them.