5 February 2016
During a routine inspection
There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 registered manager had also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR).The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
Crystal Court provided good care and support for the people that lived there. People we spoke with said they felt safe and they spoke positively about the care and support they received. Staff recruitment processes included carrying out appropriate checks to reduce the risk of employing unsuitable people.
Staff knew the correct procedures to follow if they considered someone was at risk of harm or abuse. They received appropriate safeguarding training and there were policies and procedures to support them in their role.
The service had systems in place for recording and analysing incidents and accidents so that action could be taken to reduce risk to people’s safety. Risk assessments were completed so that risks to people could be minimised whilst still supporting people to remain independent.
The home had safe systems in place to ensure people received their medication as prescribed; this included regular auditing by the home and the dispensing pharmacist. Staff were assessed for competency prior to administering medication and this was reassessed regularly.
Staff received appropriate training, supervision and support. Staff understood their roles and
responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure that people’s rights were protected when they were unable to make decisions.
There was a variety of choices available on the menus, snacks were freely available throughout the home and people were supported to have sufficient food and drinks to meet their dietary needs.
People had good access to health care services and the service was committed to working in partnership with healthcare professionals.
Staff were caring, kind and compassionate and cared for people in a manner that promoted their privacy and dignity. People felt listened to and had their views and choices respected.
People were involved in the decisions about their care and their care plans provided information on how to assist and support them in meeting their needs.
People were involved in activities they liked and these were linked to previous life experience, interests and hobbies. Visitors were made welcome to the home and people were supported to maintain relationships with their friends and relatives.
People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy and all the people we spoke with told us that they felt that they could talk with any of the staff if they had a concern or were worried about anything.
The provider actively sought the views of people using and visiting the service. They were asked to complete an annual survey and this enabled the provider to address any shortfalls and improve the service.
The service had a quality assurance system, and records showed that identified problems and opportunities to change things for the better had been addressed promptly. As a result we could see that the quality of the service was continuously improving.
Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home and the quality assurance systems in place. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service. They told us the registered manager was supportive and promoted positive team working.