14 November 2014
During a routine inspection
Edensor Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 50 older people who require 24 hour support and care. Some people living in the home have dementia.
There were 41 people living in the service when we inspected on 14 November 2014. This was an unannounced inspection.
A registered manager was in post. 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.
People and their relatives told us that the service was a safe place to live. There were procedures in place which advised staff about how to safeguard the people who used the service from abuse. Staff understood the various types of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to so they were appropriately investigated and action taken.
There were procedures and processes in place to guide staff on how to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included checks on the environment and risk assessments which identified how the risks to people were minimised.
There were appropriate arrangements in place to ensure people’s medicines were obtained, stored and administered safely.
There were enough staff who were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people. People and their relatives told us that the staff were available when they needed them.
Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner.
People, or their representatives, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People’s care plans had been tailored to the individual and contained information about how they communicated and their ability to make decisions. The service was up to date with recent changes to the law regarding the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and at the time of the inspection they were working with the local authority to make sure people’s legal rights were protected.
People were supported to see, when needed, health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.
People spoke highly about the quality of the food and the choices available. Their nutritional needs were being assessed and met. Where concerns were identified about a person’s food intake, or ability to swallow, appropriate referrals had been made for specialist advice and support.
A complaints procedure was in place. Everyone we asked said they would be comfortable to raise any concerns with the staff, manager or provider. People confirmed that where they had made comments about the service they had been kept informed of the changes made and their concerns were acted upon promptly.
People, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the management of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The service identified shortfalls in the service provision and took actions to address them.