Archived: Warrens Hall Care Home

At our last inspection in January 2014 the provider was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.

Warrens Hall is registered to provide accommodation for up to 40 older people who require nursing or personal care. On the day of our inspection 40 people lived at the home.

There was 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 living in the home told us that they felt safe and that they were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff had been trained to recognise different types of abuse and were confident that if they raised any issues then the appropriate action would be taken.

We found that both the registered manager and the staff group knew the needs of the people living at the home and how to support them.

The provider had a suitable number of staff on duty with the skills, experience and training in order to meet people’s needs. Staff had access to a range of training to provide them with the level of skills and knowledge to deliver care safely and efficiently.

Medicines were stored and secured appropriately. People told us that they received their medicines on time and that staff responded to their needs in a timely manner.

Staff obtained consent from people before they provided care. The registered manager and staff all had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and were able to give a good account of what a Deprivation of Liberties Safeguard (DoLS) meant for people who were subject to them.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to keep them healthy and were offered choices at mealtimes. Staff were aware of people’s individual dietary needs and how to support people to maintain their independence. People were supported to access a variety of healthcare professionals to ensure their health care needs were met and were assisted to see their GP as and when required.

People living at the home and their relatives told us that they felt the staff were very kind and caring. People were supported to main relationships and develop new friendships. Relatives told us they found the registered manager and the staff group very welcoming and approachable.

Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and how people preferred to spend their day and what was important to them. People enjoyed taking part in a number of activities that were planned each week and were asked how they would like to spend their time.

People and their relatives told us that they had not had to raise any formal concerns or complaints but if they did, they knew who to speak to and were confident that they would be dealt with satisfactorily.

People living at the home, their relatives and staff alike, all thought that the home was well-led. They all spoke positively about the registered manager and the staff group.

There were a number of quality audits in place to assist the registered manager in assessing and reviewing the delivery of care in the home.

People's care and health needs were planned and met in a personalised way. All staff spoken with told us they had the information they needed to care for people safely.

Staff were clear about the action to take should they become aware of an allegation of abuse in the home. All four people spoken with told us they felt secure and knew who to tell if they had concerns and were confident that these would be acted upon.

Staff spoken with told us they felt supported by the manager, and had regular training opportunities. This meant staff had the skills to care for people safely.

There were systems in place to monitor how the home was run, and action taken where feedback from the people using the service would improve the service provided to them.

Records were well maintained clear and securely kept. One staff member told us, 'We have the information we need to support people living here and everything is locked away.

During our inspection we spoke with eight people who lived at the home, five relatives and eight staff to find out about the service provided. One person told us 'I think it is a good place'. Another person said 'They look after us well'.

As some people had complex needs and were not all able to tell us about the service they received we used different methods to help us understand their experiences, including observation. We observed good interactions between staff and people living there.

We saw that people were treated with respect and dignity. People's needs had been assessed by a range of health professionals including dieticians and the hospice at home team. This meant that people's health care needs had been monitored and met.

A varied diet and fluids were made available and were encouraged to prevent ill health.

We saw that medication systems were robust and that people had been given their medication as it had been prescribed by their doctor.

Recruitment processes ensured that staff employed were suitable and safe to work with the people living at the home which protected them from harm.

We saw that complaints processes were available for people to use if they had the need.