We have considered all the evidence gathered during the inspection and used it to answer the five key questions we always ask; ' Is the service safe?
' Is the service effective?
' Is the service caring?
' Is the service responsive?
' Is the service well led?
This is a summary of what we found. The summary describes the records we looked at and what people who used the service, relatives and the staff told us.
Is the service safe?
At the time of our visit there were 10 people who lived at the home. We spoke with two people who both told us they felt safe. We also spoke with two relatives, they told us they were pleased with the standard of care and felt people living at the home were safe.
Each person's care file had risk assessments which covered areas of potential risk. When people were identified as being at risk, their plans showed the actions required to manage these risks.
Safeguarding procedures were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and we found staff understood their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding the people they supported.
Overall, we found there were enough skilled and experienced staff to ensure people received a consistent and safe level of support. The staff we spoke with told us there was always enough staff on duty to ensure people were kept safe. However, they said there were occasions when they felt there were not sufficient levels of staff on duty, such as when an incident occurred which required a number of staff to support with physical interventions. One staff member said '90% of the time staffing levels are fine, but there are occasions where I have thought we could have done with an extra staff member for that shift'.
The care records reviewed were accurate, relevant, complete and up to date. They were also stored securely to ensure confidentiality. We saw appropriate records were maintained in relation to the management of the service. All records were located promptly when requested.
Is the service effective?
The home had a good working relationship with other healthcare professionals and followed their guidance and advice. The input of other healthcare professionals involved in people's care and treatment was clearly recorded in their care plan.
Is the service caring?
Overall people said they were pleased with the standard of care provided. One person told us they had looked at several homes when deciding where their relative should live and Hawkstone House 'Stood head and shoulders above everywhere else; due to the genuinely caring and calm environment'.
We found the care staff we spoke with demonstrated a good knowledge of people's needs and were able to explain how individuals preferred their care and support to be delivered.
Is the service responsive?
Care records were reviewed and any changes made either when people's needs changed or as part of the six monthly review process. We saw evidence of this within the care records we reviewed.
Where people's needs changed and additional staff support was required we saw evidence the service put additional staff on duty to ensure people were kept safe.
Is the service well-led?
We saw there was a quality assurance monitoring system in place that was designed to continually monitor and identify shortfalls in the service and any non-compliance with the essential standards of quality and safety.