Archived: Signature at Southbourne

Signature of Southbourne is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 104 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with a dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 58 people using the service.

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

People and their families described the care as safe. Staff had undertaken safeguarding training and understood their role in recognising and reporting concerns of abuse or poor practice. People had their risks assessed, monitored and reviewed and staff followed the actions needed to minimise risk whilst respecting people’s rights and freedoms. Recruitment processes ensured staff were suitable to work with older people. Staffing levels were responsive to people’s changing needs. People had their medicines managed safely. Infection, prevention and control measures were in line with the latest best practice guidance.

People received care from staff that had completed an induction and had on-going training and support ensuring they carried out their roles effectively. People’s eating and drinking needs were understood and met. Staff had good working relationships with health professionals ensuring positive outcomes for people. Records showed us people had opportunities to see community services such as dentist, chiropodists, opticians and audiologists. The environment met the physical and social needs of people.

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.

Staff were described as kind, caring and fun. Staff knew people well and understood their communication needs ensuring people were involved in decisions about their day to day lives. People had their privacy, dignity and independence respected.

People received person centered care that reflected their assessed care needs and lifestyle choices. People had opportunities to follow hobbies and interests, join in a range of social activities and enjoy private time with family and friends. A range of cultural events were celebrated. People retained links with places of worship important to them. A complaints process was in place which people and their families felt if they needed to use they would be listened to and actions taken. People had an opportunity to discuss their end of life wishes. Staff worked with GP’s to ensure people at the end of their lives had medicines and health interventions in place to keep them comfortable.

The culture of the home was open, honest, friendly and welcoming. Staff felt empowered to speak out, felt part of a team and spoke positively about their roles and the people they supported. Leadership was visible and focused on person centred care. Quality assurance processes were robust and effective at ensuring people received safe care and had positive outcomes. Partnerships with other agencies supported collaborative working, innovation and keeping up to date with best practice.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 9 August 2022 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 6 August 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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, which will help inform when we next inspect.