All inspections: Home From Home - Care Quality Commission

About the service

Home from Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 10 older people. It is situated in the village of Newbold Verdon. At the time of our inspection there were eight people using the service.

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

Home from Home was homely and comfortable with a friendly atmosphere. A relative said, “It's a gem, a real gem and so homely. I can’t believe how happy [person] is here.” The premises were well-decorated, clean and fresh throughout.

Staff provided person-centred care and had an excellent knowledge of the people they supported. They knew their likes, dislikes and preferences and what they liked doing. People enjoyed daily activities and going out into the local community.

Staff were well-trained and provided people with safe care and support. They were caring and kind and enjoyed working at the home. A staff member said, “This is a lovely place to work because we really get to know our residents and they are such a lovely group of people.”

People’s healthcare needs were met. Staff worked closely with local GPs, district nurses and other healthcare professionals to ensure they had the care and support they needed. The food provided was wholesome and people said they enjoyed their meals.

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.

People had a say how the home was run. They attended regular meetings where they could share their views and completed quality surveys. If they made suggestions the registered manager and staff acted on these.

People said the registered manager and staff were open and friendly. Staff were well-supported and relatives welcomed at the home at any time. The registered manager oversaw the home and completed audits to check it continued to run well.

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 Good (based on an inspection on 18 April 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.

People continued to receive safe care. Suitable staff were recruited and there were enough staff to provide care and support to people to meet their needs. People were consistently protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely.

The care that people received continued to be effective. Staff had access to the support, supervision and training that they required to work effectively in their roles. People were supported to maintain good health and nutrition.

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

People have positive relationships with the staff who were providing their care and staff treated people with respect, kindness and dignity.

People had plans of care that were focused on them as individuals. This allowed staff to provide consistent support in line with people’s personal preferences. People and their relatives felt they could raise a concern. The provider had effective procedures to manage any complaints that they may receive.

The service had clear aims and objectives which were to provide a homely and friendly environment for people. The two registered managers were visible role models in the home. People, their relatives and staff told us that they felt confident that they can approach the registered managers and that they would listen. There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor and review the quality of the service that was provided.

Further information is detailed in the findings below.

We made an unannounced inspection of the service on 1 April 2015.

The service provides care for up to 10 people. The accommodation is on the ground and first floor, the upper floor is accessible using the stairs or a chair lift. Communal areas include a large lounge with a `quiet area’ and a dining area. At the time of our inspection eight people were using the service.

The service has two registered managers. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People were kept safe from abuse and avoidable harm because staff understood their responsibilities to report signs of abuse. Premises and equipment were safe. People’s care plans included regularly reviewed risk assessments of activities associated with their personal care. This meant staff had the most up to date information available to them about how to support people safely.

Enough suitably skilled and experienced staff were available to support people. The provider had robust recruitment procedures.

Staff trained in medicines management ensured that people had their medicines at the right time. The provider had safe arrangements for the storage and disposal of medicines.

People using the service were supported by staff that had the necessary skills and knowledge. Staff were supported through effective supervision and training. They understood people’s needs because they communicated effectively with people and they put their training into good practice.

Staff understood about the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They sought people’s consent before they provided care and support. Staff were aware of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and understood that no form of restraint could be used without proper legal authorisation.

People had choices of healthy nutritious food. People who required help with eating their food received the appropriate support. Staff monitored people’s nutrition and general health. People were supported to access health services when they needed them.

People told us that the way they were cared for made them feel they mattered. Staff developed caring relationships with people using the service. They were attentive to people’s needs and comfort. People told us they were involved as much as they wanted to be in discussions about their care. They felt listened to and the views were acted upon.

The provider promoted respectful and compassionate behaviour within the staff team.

People told us that staff treated them with dignity and respect. Staff supported people to be as independent as the wanted to be.

People received care and support that was centred on their individual needs. Staff cared for people in the ways that they wanted to be care for. People participated in activities that were important and meaningful to them and they received support to be able to do that. People were able to raise concerns if they had any.

People using the service and staff had opportunities to be involved in developing the service. Suggestions people had made were acted upon.

The provider had strong links with organisations in the local community which were used for the benefit of people using the service.

The provider had effective arrangements for monitoring the quality of the service.

People told us they were happy and satisfied with the care and support they received. People said staff listened and acted on their wishes. Throughout our inspection visit we saw staff ask people if they wanted help and assisted when given permission. One person explained that they preferred to keep their bedroom door locked which staff respected. Another person said: 'I'm very happy here. My family visit me and I'm always busy, but today is my day off' and 'I like to play dominoes. I don't cheat but always manage to win.'

Records showed people's care and health needs were met by the staff and health professionals. There was a choice of meals and drinks provided. People were regularly asked to about the meals and involved in planning the menu. One person said: 'I really look forward to my meals, especially the Sunday roast with roast potatoes.'

The service had equipment available to ensure people's care needs were met and their independence promoted. Staff were trained to use all the equipment, which were maintained and kept in good working order.

People were supported by staff who underwent a recruitment process, which included pre-employment checks to ensure they were suitably qualified. All staff received training to carry out their job role.

People had opportunities to make a comment or complaint about the service. Information about how to make a complaint was available to people. People said they were confident to raise concerns with the manager or staff.

People who used the service told us they were involved and their views were taken into account when the care plan was developed and how they liked to be cared for and supported. They told us they were satisfied with the quality of care and support received from the staff who respected their privacy and promoted their independence.

People told us they were asked about their views and experiences of the service. The comments received included 'I've got the best room, I get the daily newspaper, good food, my family visit regularly and I'm very satisfied, what more do I need'; 'If I need to see the doctor they arrange it' and 'the care is exceptional, I couldn't ask for anymore.'

During our site visit we saw people interacted with staff and other people who used the service. We saw people chose how they spent the day, some people socialised, or played cards whilst others preferred to read the newspaper or watch the television.

People told us they were well cared for and happy with the quality of service they received. People told us they were supported with their health needs and saw the GP when required. They told us 'you get what you pay for and what we get is wonderful' and 'it's a lovely family home.'

The visiting community nurse was complimentary about the standard of care people received and the staff that looked after them. They told us they always saw people looked happy and said 'you see them smiling' and they look happy.'

Archived: Home From Home

All Inspections

21 November 2019

During a routine inspection

18 April 2017

During a routine inspection

1 April 2015

During a routine inspection

17 May 2013

During a routine inspection

3 May 2012

During a routine inspection

7 February 2012

During a routine inspection