Ridley Park

Ridley Park is a nursing home for up to 59 people. Most people using the service were older adults. Some people were living with the experience of dementia. At the time of our inspection 57 people were living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe, and staff followed safeguarding procedures to protect people from harm. Staff had received safeguarding training. However, there was a safeguarding investigation currently underway which indicated there was a lapse in some staff following the providers safeguarding policies and procedures, including the previous registered manager.

Medicines were generally well managed. We have made a recommendation to enhance procedures. Quality assurance checks were in place, and we have recommended the medicines audits are also reviewed as part of the evaluation.

There were enough staff and they had been recruited safely.

Staff had not always felt supported by the previous registered manager. Staff and people’s meetings had not always taken place as often as the provider required. Staff felt better supported by the current acting manager.

Risk assessments were in place to mitigate any harm to people. The service was well serviced and had emergency procedures in place should an untoward event occur.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 3 December 2021).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of medicines and safeguarding people. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed to good based on the findings of this inspection.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation in relation to medicines management.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ridley Park on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Ridley Park is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 59 older people with a range of healthcare needs. The service had 58 people residing. The accommodation is spread over three floors, with one floor used for hairdressing facilities, a ballroom, laundry and staff rooms.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

Ridley Park continued to provide an outstanding service with an extremely caring staff team. People were at the heart of the service. People and their relatives highly praised the support they had received with words such as “brilliant”, “superbly”, “extremely high standards” and highly motivated.”

A new registered manager had taken over since our last inspection and with the support of their deputy and senior management team continued to provide excellent support to the staff team in an entirely open and transparent way. Staff had been very well supported during the COVID-19 pandemic with all management dedicated to ensuring good staff mental health was maintained.

Equality and diversity were absolutely embedded within the service, including welcoming various religious faiths and embracing people’s individual spiritual beliefs. Extremely strong links with the local community were already in place, and this was being extended as COVID-19 restrictions eased and the government allowed.

Staff had a remarkable understanding of people. People were treated as individuals with any changing needs responded to very quickly. High quality, person centred care plans were in place. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic had impacted on all care homes. Ridley Park staff had been creative in engaging with people and supporting them to maintain social interactions and activities both within the service and outside.

The management team were extremely open and responsive to feedback and acted immediately on any areas raised for potential improvement. There was already a very strong governance system in place, and this was going to be further reviewed and enhanced as needed.

People received a good variety of food and plenty fluids. Staff followed good infection control measures, including close monitoring of visitors. Management had high expectations of its domestic staff and other staff who kept the service very clean and tidy.

People told us they felt safe. Staff had assessed risks to people and followed good practices to keep people as safe as possible. Staff had received training to safeguard people from abuse.

Enough staff were in place to support people. Robust recruitment procedures were followed, and staff had been employed recently to fill any gaps.

Medicines were generally managed well. We found some recording issues, but this had no impact on people, and we have made a recommendation.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 23 April 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Ridley Park is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 59 people with a range of healthcare needs. The service was full. The accommodation is primarily over two floors with the third floor being used for hairdressing, laundry and a ballroom.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

Extensive feedback confirmed the service was entirely person-centred, and staff made sure people and their relatives were at the heart of it. This was driven by the exceptional leadership of the registered manager and her team.

People were extremely well-cared for. Staff had an extensive knowledge of people and their preferences. There were multiple examples of staff going the extra mile. A relative said, “In the settling in period the staff have been outstanding in their approach; they have been unfailingly patient, encouraging, friendly and helpful in all respects.”

There was a well-established staff team, most of whom had worked at the service for many years. The whole team were exceedingly enthusiastic and passionate about the service they provided. Staff were very proud to work at Ridley Park and were highly skilled and motivated. A relative told us, (and this was echoed throughout communications), “It is our genuine family reflection of what is a fantastic care home in every respect; we cannot fault Ridley Park at all, and we are just delighted that (person) has such a wonderful and caring environment to spend the remainder of their life.” A staff member said, “I can honestly say that Ridley Park is a fantastic place to work and I have never had a better working experience.”

People’s lives had been enhanced through positive outcomes. Staff were excellent at anticipating and understanding people's needs. Collaborative working and excellent communication with external professionals was in place.

There was a wide variety of individual and communal activities available to promote people's well-being overseen by two dedicated activity coordinators. One relative commented, “The range of activities on offer for residents is brilliant.” People were also given opportunities to connect with the community, including partnership working with local schools and colleges and visiting various venues.

Equality and diversity was truly embedded throughout the service, including promoting various faiths. Staff were extremely flexible and adaptive to meet people’s needs or choices. People and their relatives were fully and consistently involved and supported in decision making. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Comments about the management team were overwhelmingly positive. The management team were very visible throughout the home and there was an open-door policy with people, their relatives and staff very confident about approaching them. The management took on board any areas raised as potential for further improvement to ensure the service continued to excel.

There was a strong and effective governance system in place which was regularly reviewed. A complaints procedure was in place and accessible, although comments made indicated that no-one had cause to complain. People and their relatives’ views were valued, and the provider highly encouraged this through a variety of ways.

People felt safe being supported by staff. Staff understood risks to people and how to help reduce them. Systems were in place to safeguard people. There was enough staff to support people at the service and this was constantly reviewed.

Medicines were generally managed well. Systems were in place for the safe storage, administration and recording of medicines. People received a good range of food and refreshments to meet their needs.

The home was extremely clean and tidy and had a homely, welcoming environment.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 19 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

We last inspected Ridley Park Care Home in June 2015. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the legal requirements in force at the time.

Ridley Park Care Home is a 59 bed care home that provides personal and nursing care to older people, including people who live with dementia or a dementia related condition. At the time of inspection there were 54 people living there.

A registered manager was in post. 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.

People said they were safe and staff were kind and approachable. There were sufficient staff to provide safe and individual care to people. People were protected as staff had received training about safeguarding and knew how to respond to any allegation of abuse. When new staff were appointed, thorough vetting checks were carried out to make sure they were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

Staff knew the people they were supporting well. Care was provided with kindness but people’s privacy and dignity were not always respected. We have made a recommendation that staff receive training to make them more aware of person-centred care and personhood.

The environment was well designed to help people who lived with dementia to be aware of their surroundings and to remain involved. There was a good standard of hygiene and the home was well decorated and maintained.

People had access to health care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Staff followed advice given by professionals to make sure people received the care they needed.

Menus showed people received a varied and balanced diet to meet their nutritional needs. However, we received mixed comments about the food and have made a recommendation that people in the home should be consulted and involved in the menu compilation.

Risk assessments were in place and they accurately identified current risks to the person as well as ways for staff to minimise or appropriately manage those risks. Staff knew the needs of the people they supported to provide individual care. Records were in place that reflected the care that staff provided. Systems were in place for people to receive their medicines in a safe way.

Appropriate training was provided and staff were supervised and supported. People were able to make choices about aspects of their daily lives. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible, the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

A complaints procedure was available. People told us they would feel confident to speak to staff about any concerns if they needed to. The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.

People had the opportunity to give their views about the service. There was regular consultation with people and/ or family members and their views were used to improve the service. People had access to an advocate if required.

Staff and relatives said the management team were approachable. Communication was effective to ensure staff and relatives were kept up to date about any changes in people’s care and support needs and the running of the service.

People and relatives informed us that consent was always obtained before care and treatment were carried out. Where people did not have the capacity to consent; the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements.

People and relatives were complimentary about the care and treatment provided at the home. One person said, 'My mum loves it here'Mum's care is reviewed weekly and any changes are discussed. She has been out to Alnwick Gardens, Beamish [museum] and the Metro Centre.' We considered that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan.

People informed us that they felt safe at the home. We concluded that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Appropriate pre-employment checks were undertaken before staff began work.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

Relationships between staff and people were good and there was a relaxed atmosphere. People told us that staff respected their privacy and dignity.

Individual records were detailed and provided clear information about the care and support provided.

Systems were in place to ensure the home was well maintained and clean. These reduced the risk and spread of infection.

Staff were supported by an effective management team. Training was provided to ensure staff had the skills to meet people's needs.

Quality monitoring systems were in place and these took account of people's views about the service.