12 March 2018
During a routine inspection
Highfield Residential Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The care home accommodates up to 15 people in one adapted building and provides care to older people some of whom are living with dementia, and or physical or sensory disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people living 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.
At our previous inspection of this home in August 2016 we found improvements were needed in three of the five key questions. At this inspection we found that the provider had made improvements so that people received care that met their needs.
People said they felt safe and staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse or harm and how to report this. Staff knew the risks people faced in relation to their health conditions and how to support people with these. People were complimentary about the availability of staff and the provider practiced safe recruitment with the required checks carried out before staff started work.
People received their medicines on time from staff who had been trained to administer these safely. There were processes in place to ensure the premises and equipment were regularly checked and to manage the prevention and control of infection. The manager reviewed accidents and falls to ensure people had the right support to keep them safe.
Staff had effective support, supervision and training to develop the skills needed to care for people effectively. People told us they enjoyed the meals and we saw staff offered people hot and cold drinks throughout the day. People were supported to access health professionals when they needed. Staff supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. The provider was improving the premises and facilities. To ensure these were suitable to meet the needs of the people who used the service further consideration of signage and colour schemes to help people orientate themselves was needed.
People were very complimentary about the caring approach of staff. They said they were kind and considerate. We observed caring and friendly relationships between people and staff. We saw people’s dignity and privacy was respected and they were supported to express their views about the care they received. There were examples of a compassionate response to people’s emotional needs.
People told us they had choices and made decisions about their care needs and that staff respected these. People were particularly complementary about the social opportunities available to them. They had access to a range of community based activities of their choosing, with access enhanced by use of the provider’s mini bus. Staffing was planned so that people had one to one support with their social events. People's care was centred on them and they had been involved in this process. There was clear system in place to manage complaints which were investigated and responded to.
The management of the home had improved with a full management team now in place. People spoke very positively about the management style being open and friendly. The registered manager had improved their oversight of the service and was carrying out regular checks to ensure people experienced good outcomes. Quality assurance audits needed some minor strengthening to ensure the provider was looking at all aspects of the service. There were links with other agencies to gain advice and share best practices to improve the quality of care to people. People’s views on the service were sought and staff were confident the provider’s improvement to the service would continue such as the extension currently being built.