The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Valley View Nursing Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3LT (01634) 409699

Provided and run by:
Dr & Mrs P P Jana

All Inspections

13 October 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out this inspection on the 13 October 2015, it was unannounced.

Valley View is a nursing home providing accommodation for up to 33 people, some of whom are living with dementia and require nursing and personal care. The accommodation is provided over two floors and is purpose built to cater for people who use wheelchairs and have difficulty moving around. There is a passenger lift to all floors. The home is located in a residential area of Rochester, Kent. At the time of the inspection, 29 people lived at the service.

The service had 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.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were available throughout the day, and responded quickly to people’s requests for help. Staff had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs, and attended regular training courses. Staff were supported by the registered manager and felt able to raise any concerns they had or to make suggestions to improve the service for people.

People demonstrated that they were happy at the service by smiling and chatting with staff who were supporting them and greeting the manager warmly. Staff interacted well with people, and supported them when they needed it.

Staff were recruited using procedures designed to protect people from unsuitable staff. Staff were trained to meet people’s needs. They met with the supervisor and discussed their work performance at one to one meetings and during annual appraisal, so they were supported to carry out their roles.

People were protected against the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe. Staff recognised the signs of abuse or neglect and what to look out for. Both the registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities to report any concerns and were confident in doing so.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The registered manager understood when an application should be made. They were aware of the Supreme Court Judgement which widened and clarified the definition of a deprivation of liberty. The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

There were risk assessments in place for the environment, and for each person who received care. Assessments identified people’s specific needs, and showed how risks could be minimised. There were systems in place to review accidents and incidents and make any relevant improvements as a result.

People and their relatives were involved in planning their own care, and staff supported them in making arrangements to meet their health needs. Nursing staff carried out on-going checks of people’s health needs, and contacted other health and social care professionals for support and advice.

Nursing staff managed and administered medicines for people. Medicines were administered, stored, and disposed of safely. People received their medicines as prescribed.

People were provided with a diet that met their needs and wishes. Menus offered variety and choice. People said they liked the food. Staff respected people and we saw several instances of a kindly touch or a joke and conversation as drinks or the lunch was served.

Staff encouraged people to undertake activities and supported them to become more independent. Staff spent time engaging people in conversations, and spoke to them politely and respectfully.

The providers and the registered manager investigated and responded to people’s complaints. People knew how to raise any concerns and relatives were confident that the registered manager dealt with them appropriately and resolved them where possible.

There were systems in place to obtain people’s views about the service. These included formal and informal meetings; events; questionnaires; and daily contact with the registered manager and staff.

The providers and registered manager regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained. The providers and registered manager understood the requirements of their registration with the Commission.

22 July 2013

During a routine inspection

People who we spoke with told us that they were happy with the care provided. They said, 'The staff are so polite, they'll do anything for you'. 'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm very happy with the activities, food and the treatment, everything really'. 'If you ask someone to do something for you here they do it straight away'.

We found that people or their representatives had been involved in decision making and giving their consent for care and treatment.

People were provided with appropriate care and support that met their needs.

People received the medication they needed at the time they needed it.

Robust recruitment and selection procedures meant that only suitable care and nursing staff were employed in the home.

There was an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

Overall we found this home had achieved compliance. We have made some comments that the provider may find useful to note.

31 December 2012

During a routine inspection

During our inspection in October 2012 we found that the service was not fully compliant. During this visit we followed up on the areas of non compliance by speaking to people who lived in the home, staff, the manager and the provider. We also looked at records and made observations. We found that the service had made improvements since our last inspection.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not always able to tell us their experiences. We observed how people interacted with care staff. We found evidence that people's privacy and dignity was protected, their safety, care and welfare needs were met and there were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs.

People who we spoke with told us they were happy living at Valley View. They said staff and the manager were very kind and caring. Some of their comments included. 'I like it here, there is always something to do.' 'Staff are very kind, they look after us well.' 'We are really pleased with the home, they do very well here.' 'The food is very good.'

1 October 2012

During a routine inspection

During our inspection in October 2011 we found that the service was not fully compliant. We followed up on the areas on non compliance by speaking to people who lived in the home, staff, the manager and the provider. We also looked at records and made observations. We found that the service had made improvements since our last inspection.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not always able to tell us their experiences. We observed how people interacted with care staff. We found evidence that people's privacy and dignity was not always protected and their safety and care and welfare needs were not always met.

People who we spoke with told us they were happy living at Valley View. They said staff and the manager were very kind and caring. Some of their comments included. 'It's really nice here, there is always something to do.' 'The staff are very good, they look after us as well as they can.' 'Staff are very busy and we sometimes have to wait for them to come and help us.' 'The food is lovely here, cook makes lovely cakes for tea, and birthday cakes.' 'It can be noisy here at night with buzzers going all the time.'

27 October 2011

During a routine inspection

Several of the people who used this service were able to tell us what they thought about the home. They said that they were generally well cared for and had a choice of what to do and what to eat. However, they told us that some staff took a long time to answer their buzzers and were impatient with them when giving personal care. One person said, 'Some of the staff are as good as gold but others doesn't seem to care at all. I don't think they should be doing the job'. These sentiments were echoed by several of the other people we spoke to. Comments included, 'Some staff are absolutely wonderful, nothing's too much trouble (for them) but others are uppity and give the impression that you're a nuisance'.

Two relatives and five of the peole who used this service told us that they sometimes had to wait unacceptably long times for thier buzzers to be answered and three people told us that some staff answered their buzzers, turned them off and went away and did not return for a long time, if at all. One person said, 'I first rang my buzzer at about 1.10pm and one of the not so nice carers came after about ten minutes. They switched the buzzer off and then did not come back. After forty minutes I was really desperate so I rang it again and luckily one of the nice carers came and saw to me but by that time I was upset and had lost my dignity'. Another person said, 'Sometimes they turn the buzzer off and don't come back at all'.

Most people said they had plenty to do. Some said that they liked to spend time in their rooms so they could choose the television programmes they wanted to watch. Others said that they chose to join in some of the activities but they didn't enjoy everything so spent time in their rooms writing letters and doing handicrafts. One person said, There are enough things to do, you can choose what you want to do and I think they provide something for everyone'.

The people we spoke with told us that the food was good and that they had plenty of choice. One person said, 'The food is very good. It's like eating in a restaurant every day. Another said, 'The breakfasts are really good, they give you a good choice and they're always nicely presented.'