27 July 2011
During a routine inspection
People thought staff were very helpful and spent a lot of time with them and they were supported to access other health and social care services they needed.
Visitors considered staff were very caring to people in the home and were friendly and accommodating when they visited. They told us, their relatives had the support they needed for their health, personal and social needs. Comments included, 'She is well cared for. It is upsetting she doesn't always recognise me but the staff are very good and I can talk to them about any concern I might have.' Relatives also reported people were always clean and looked cared for.
People who may not be aware of their rights are given the right support and represented in their best interest. There were arrangements in place to safeguard people, but these were not always followed in practice. As a result people in the dementia unit were not always safe from harm.
Visitors to the home said the home was kept clean and people told us they liked their bedrooms and were able to furnish them with them with their own belongings and possessions. People in the dementia room were not given an option to keep their doors locked in order to protect themselves and their possessions. This was because staff did not have a master key to open doors from the outside in an emergency and people were not assessed to use the opening mechanism or provided with a familiar handle that overrides the lock from inside.
People told us the staff team were very good. They could talk to them if they had any problem or query. Staff were kept very busy but always had time to see to their needs.