Archived: Ravenscroft Care Home

Ravenscroft Care Home (Ravenscroft) is a small, family run, residential care home. It is located just outside Carlisle city centre and is a short walk from local amenities. The building is a large Victorian property and is suitable to provide accommodation for people needing help with personal care and support. It does not have a lift but some of the accommodation is provided at ground floor level and is appropriate for people who may have difficulty in climbing stairs.

There was a registered manager in place who was also the registered owner. 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 the last inspection on 07 March 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

We spoke with both people who lived in the home and they indicated to us that they felt safe and "very happy" living there. Family members we spoke with told us their relatives were safe and happy living at Ravenscroft.

We found that people living at Ravenscroft were well supported to have good and regular contact with their families. This was recognised as a matter of great importance to the registered manager and people who lived there. We saw that people were well supported and cared for and were clearly relaxed and comfortable in their home where they lived as valued family members.

Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. The registered manager had completed training in adult protection.

The registered manager and her husband provided care, support and guidance for the two people who lived at Ravenscroft. No staff had been recruited for many years.

We looked around the building and found it had been well maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place for people to live. We found equipment had been serviced and maintained as required.

We found that medicines were managed well and in line with people's needs and prescriptions.

We observed, during the inspection, visit warm and friendly interactions between the registered manager and people who lived at the home. We saw the registered manager was able to communicate well with the people they supported even though verbal communication was limited.

Health care needs were met by visits from the GP and the district nursing service. Consultant psychiatric advice was accessed when this was necessary.

People's nutritional and dietary needs were met and healthy eating was promoted.

The care and support plans contained appropriate and up to date information to meet the different health and care needs of the people who lived in Ravenscroft. People were involved in planning how they were supported and in deciding their lifestyles and activities.

There was a complaints procedure in place but relatives told us they had no complaints at all about the service provided.

The service was well managed and maintained and up to date records related to the running of the home and all health and safety checks were kept. This ensured a safe, well run environment for the people who lived there.

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Ravenscroft Care Home (Ravenscroft) is a small, family run, residential care home. It is located just outside Carlisle city centre and is a short walk from local amenities. The building is a large Victorian property and is suitable to provide accommodation for people needing help with personal care and support. It does not have a lift but some of the accommodation is provided at ground floor level for people who may have difficulty in climbing stairs.

The provider is also the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the time of our inspection there were three people living in Ravenscroft. We were able to spend time with all of them during our visit. Two of them had limited verbal communication and one was able to express themselves verbally very well.

The registered manager and the other members of staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities to keep vulnerable people free from harm and the threat of abuse.

We saw that peoples personal finances were dealt with in an appropriate way with suitable records kept.

We found that medicines were managed well and in line with peoples’ prescriptions.

We observed warm and friendly interactions between the staff and people who lived in Ravenscroft Care Home. We saw that staff were able to communicate well with the people they supported.

We looked at the assessed needs as recorded in the care plans and also the dependency levels of the people who lived in the home and saw these were well managed by the registered manager.

People were encouraged to eat a healthy diet but could also choose their favourite food.

Healthcare needs were met through peoples’ doctors, district nurses and consultants where necessary. Dental, optical and chiropody services were accessed when required.

People had been assessed prior to their admittance to the home. Each person had an up to date care and support plan that gave staff sufficient information to provide an appropriate level of care.

People knew how to make their concerns known both verbally and by other means and were confident that any concerns raised would be listened to and dealt with in a timely manner.

There was an open culture in the home with the staff team supporting people who lived in Ravenscroft care home to live as fulfilling a life as possible.

The manager told us that she worked closely with the relatives of people who used the service, and that she facilitated regular family contact at Ravenscroft. This was confirmed in our discussions with the relatives we spoke to.

We saw that staff treated people with dignity and respect.

We found that before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider had acted in accordance with their wishes. Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements.

We found that there were good systems in place for the involvement of other health or social care professionals in the care and welfare of the people who lived at Ravenscroft.

We found that people's views were important and listened to, and there was an effective complaints system in place.