Archived: The Laurels

Updated 7 July 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 4 May 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was conducted by two inspectors.

When we were planning the inspection we looked at the information we already held about the provider. Providers are required to notify the Care Quality Commission about specific events and incidents that occur, including serious injuries to people receiving care and any safeguarding matters. We also used this information to help us to focus our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with five people who used the service and three relatives. We spoke with four members of staff, the deputy manager, the manager, four professionals and one commissioner. We carried out observations of how people were supported throughout the day to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk to us.

We also looked at two people’s care records, two staff files and at records maintained by the home about risk management, staffing, training and the quality of the service.

Updated 7 July 2016

The inspection took place on 4 May 2016 and was unannounced. During our last inspection, we found that the provider had breached the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in relation to safe care and treatment due to how risks were managed at the home. We found that improvements had been made so that risks were managed more effectively and the provider was meeting this regulatory requirement.

The Laurels is a residential care home that provides emergency care and short term breaks for up to 17 people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection, there were seven people using the service.

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. The manager running at the service at the time of our inspection was not registered, but was the registered manager of another similar home operated by the same provider. The manager was in the process of applying to become registered manager of the home.

We found that people using the service felt safe and that staff were informed of how to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns. Staff and relatives were comfortable raising concerns with the manager and felt confident that the manager promptly addressed concerns. Our last inspection had identified that the provider was in breach of a regulation relating to safe care and treatment, due to their processes around risk management. We found that the manager had made improvements to the risk management processes and communication at the home and that risks were managed effectively.

Staff were aware of how to respond to emergencies and we found that there were regular health and safety checks in place at the home. The manager had an informal staffing dependency tool in place and we saw that additional staff were brought in to meet people’s needs. The manager and staff told us that this system required improvement so that staff were always effectively deployed. Medicines were stored and administered safely at the home and we saw that there was an effective auditing process in place.

Staff had received training and on-going support to enable them to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff told us that they felt supported in their roles and a professional told us that staff were very engaged in training sessions and honest about their abilities and understanding.

People were supported to make decisions about their care and day-to-day lives and staff ensured that the legal rights of people were upheld and protected. The manager and staff promoted the importance of people having their voices heard and people were supported to make choices wherever possible.

People enjoyed their meals at the service and staff ensured that people’s preferences and nutritional needs in relation to their culture and religion were met. People had good access to healthcare services and staff were proactive in contacting relatives and healthcare professionals if people became unwell or if their needs changed.

People received support from staff who were caring and positive. Relatives and a professional told us that people were always keen to return to the home. People had the privacy they needed at the home and were encouraged to be independent.

Relatives told us that people received the care they needed and staff knew people’s needs and preferences. We found that there were not always enough activities for people to participate in at the home. In addition, people were not supported on a regular basis to become involved in activities or entertainment outside of the home that they found stimulating or enjoyable. People and relatives were involved in developing the care plans that staff updated as people’s needs changed.

Relatives told us that the manager and staff responded to complaints and concerns promptly. The manager had recently introduced feedback surveys for people to complete as they came to the end of their stay at the home.

People and relatives told us that they were happy with the way the home was run and that the manager was effective. Staff told us that they felt supported in their roles and we saw that the management team were involved in the day-to-day running of the home.

The provider and manager had systems in place for reviewing the quality of care at the home and took steps to ensure that people’s needs were being met. We found that the provider and manager had made improvements to the home in response to our last inspection and to on-going quality monitoring audits.