This inspection visit took place on 20 July 2016 and was unannounced.At the last inspection on 15 January 2014 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.
King Edward care home is located in the North Shore area of Blackpool. The service can accommodate a maximum of eleven people of whose primary care needs are those of persons who live with dementia. Accommodation is provided over two floors. There are nine single bedrooms and one shared bedroom, three of which provide en-suite facilities. The building has been adapted with a range of aids and adaptations in place to help people remain as independent possible. At the time of our inspection visit there were 11 people who lived at the home.
There was a registered manager in place. 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.
We found recruitment procedures were safe with appropriate checks undertaken before new staff members commenced their employment. Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed a structured induction training and development programme was in place.
Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.
Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support people who lived with dementia. We found staff were knowledgeable about the support needs of people in their care.
We found the registered manager had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.
The registered manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.
The environment was maintained, clean and hygienic when we visited. No offensive odours were observed by the inspector. People visiting the home commented on the good standards of hygiene in place. One person said, “Lovely clean home, never smells.”
We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide support people required. We saw staff members could undertake tasks supporting people without feeling rushed. One person visiting the home said, “The staff are always available, friendly and helpful when I visit [relative].”
We found equipment used by staff to support people had been maintained and serviced to ensure they were safe for use.
We found medication procedures at the home were safe. Staff responsible for the administration of medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. Medicines were safely kept with appropriate arrangements for storing in place.
People who were able told us they were happy with the variety and choice of meals available to them. We saw regular snacks and drinks were provided between meals to ensure people received adequate nutrition and hydration. One person we spoke with said, “The meals are lovely. I look forward to meal times.”
People told us they enjoyed the activities organised by the service. These were arranged both individually and in groups.
The service had a complaints procedure which was made available to people on their admission to the home. People we spoke with told us they were happy and had no complaints.
Care plans were organised and had identified the care and support people required. We found they were informative about care people had received. They had been kept under review and updated when necessary to reflect people’s changing needs.
We found people had access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs were met. One person visiting the home said, “They always keep me informed if [relative] has needed to see the doctor and the outcome of the visit.”
People visiting the home told us they were happy with their relatives care. One person said, “[Relative] is so well looked after. I cannot fault the staff they have a lovely caring attitude.”
The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included satisfaction surveys and care reviews. We found people were satisfied with the service they received.