Archived: Littledene House

Littledene House provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 14 people, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people living in the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service has a registered manager. 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 were supported by staff who were skilled and knowledgeable in their roles. The staff team was highly motivated to improve people’s everyday experiences and outcomes.

Staff learnt different languages in order to overcome obstacles in communication and provided the people they supported with an outstanding care experience.

People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted. People and relatives were involved in decisions about the care and support they received.

People were protected from avoidable harm or abuse. Risks to each person had been assessed and managed appropriately. The service followed safe recruitment procedures and there were sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff to keep people safe and meet their needs.

There were safe systems for the management of people’s medicines and they received their medicines regularly and on time.

People are 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.

People’s nutritional needs were met and they were supported to have enough to eat and drink. They were seen by their doctors or other health care professionals when required.

People had their care needs assessed, reviewed and delivered in a way that mattered to them. They were supported to pursue their social interests and hobbies and to participate in activities provided at the home.

There was an effective complaints procedure in place.

There were systems in place to seek the views of people, their relatives and other stakeholders. Regular checks and audits relating to the quality of service delivery were carried out.

The atmosphere was calm, we observed good positive interaction between staff and people using the service. We saw people participating in varied activities. The home looked visibly clean and there were no mal odours.

We spoke with relatives of three people who used the service, and they told us that they were very happy with the care provided. They told us that the manager and staff understood and were able to meet the needs of people who used the service. One relative said this meant they could go on holiday without worrying.

We spoke with two people who used the service, who said they got the care they needed and felt safe. We saw and heard positive interactions between staff and people who used the service. People who used the service were relaxed in the presence of staff and routines were flexible. For example, one person asked for soup in the middle of the afternoon and then later scrambled egg. This was provided without question by staff, which demonstrated their understanding of the importance of individualised care.

The provider was also the manager and worked full time in the home. We saw that they were very involved with overseeing and checking the care provided on a day to day basis. This meant that there was good oversight of the safety and welfare of people who used the service. However, recruitment checks were not sufficiently robust to guard against employing unsuitable staff.