Archived: Downlands Park Care Home

Downlands Park Care Home provides nursing care and accommodation for up to 40 people. On the day of our inspection there were 35 older people at the home, some who were living with dementia. The home is spread over two floors with a passenger lift, communal lounges, dining room, activities room and gardens.

The home 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.

People told us they felt safe living at the home, staff were kind and caring and the care they received was good. One person told us “Yes I feel safe. There seems to be an abundance of staff, there is a call system in the room and the staff are so caring; they are always helpful”. Another person said “Always a smile from the staff. Such a happy place”. A relative told us “She [relative] feels safe, so we are happy. She says she is so happy to be here”.

People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it. Staff had access to guidance to help them identify abuse and respond in line with the providers policy and procedures if it occurred. One member of staff told us “Any concern I have I would report and record details. We have body maps to use if we notice any marks on a person’s body and this would be investigated”.

The provider had arrangements in place for the safe ordering, administration, storage and disposal of medicines. People were supported to get their medicine when they needed it. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health care services.

Staff supported people to eat and drink and they were given time to eat at their own pace. People’s nutritional needs were met and people reported that they had a good choice of food and drink. One person told us “There is plenty of food and of a pretty good quality. There is a phone in my room and you can ask for what you would like. I’ve used it, I asked for a cheese and pickle sandwich and they have done it for me. I also get fresh fruit when I want, they have got used to me now and they always put a couple of bananas in the basket in my room”. Staff were patient and polite, supported people to maintain their dignity and were respectful of their right to privacy. People had access to and could choose suitable leisure and social activities. One relative told us “My relative enjoys the activities, and they have music and films sometimes. There is a printed programme for the week that is left up in his room and also in the reception”.

Staff considered peoples capacity using the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as guidance. People’s capacity to make decisions had been assessed. Staff observed the key principles of the MCA in their day to day work checking with people that they were happy for them to undertake care tasks before they proceeded. The provider was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People’s individual needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support they required. People were consulted about their care to ensure wishes and preferences were met. Staff worked with other healthcare professionals to obtain specialist advice about people’s care and treatment.

People were encouraged to express their views and had completed surveys. Feedback received showed people were satisfied overall, and felt staff were friendly and helpful. People also said they felt listened to and any concerns or issues they raised were addressed. One person told us “If I had anything to say, I would say it. They do listen to me”.

Staff felt fully supported by management to undertake their roles. Staff were given training updates, supervision and development opportunities. For example staff were offered the opportunity to undertake additional training and development courses to increase their understanding of the needs of people. One member of staff told us “I am doing a level two Diploma in Health and Social Care and there is lots of support from the manager”.

There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere at the home. People, staff and relatives found the management team approachable and professional. One person told us “The manager and nurses are lovely. I can go to them anytime for anything. I have a phone in my room and can just call on them”. A relative told us “The way this place is, I feel that this is better than all the others I looked at”.

Staff told us that they felt the home was well run and that the management team were supportive and provided good communication. One member of staff told us “It is well led here there are supervisions and if we have any concerns with management we get support from area management”. Another member of staff said “There are regular staff meetings monthly and supervision, their door is always open”.

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We spoke with eight people using the service and five relatives .We also spoke with registered nurses, care staff, and the registered manager. We also looked at care plans and other documentation within the home. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask;

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found-

Is it safe?

We found during our inspection that people were safe because their rights and dignity had been respected. Staff had attended appropriate training to ensure they knew how and when to report safeguarding concerns.

People's needs had been assessed and care was delivered to them in line with their needs. Care plans were comprehensive, clear and informative and staff were aware of people's needs and how to meet them. People had the equipment they required to move around the home safely. Emergency arrangements were in place to ensure people could be evacuated safely and continue to be cared for if they could not return to the building.

Systems were in place to ensure medication was administered safely and according to people's needs. Policies and procedures were in place to make sure that unsafe practices were identified and people were protected. People told us they felt safe.

We saw that the home had systems in place to manage accidents and incidents, with evidence seen that there had been learning from previous incidents to prevent them reoccurring.

Is it effective?

We found during our inspection that the service was effective. Staff we spoke with were able to tell us about people who used the service and their individual needs. People were supported to maintain independence when possible. People, and their relatives, told us they were satisfied with the care they received and felt their needs had been met. Daily records of care showed people received the care they required which was in line with their care plan. Risks to people's health, safety and welfare were assessed and measures were put in place to mitigate these. Staff had designated duties to carry out on each shift and the staff we spoke with understood people's care and support needs. People told us they felt involved in decisions about their care and could raise any concerns that these would be listened to and addressed. Staff training needs were identified and staff completed training appropriate to their role. The people we spoke with said they were cared for by a consistent team of staff who were skilled, caring and experienced.

Is it caring?

The staff provided support with a caring, and friendly attitude. Staff were attentive to people's needs and fostered a friendly atmosphere in the home. People's preferences, interests and diverse needs had been recorded in the care plans we viewed. We saw staff interacting in a positive manner, speaking to people in a calm respectful manner at all times. We saw that people were encouraged to participate in activities and responded to warmly and with affection by staff throughout the day.

Is it responsive?

People's needs had been assessed before they moved into the home. People told us they regularly discussed their needs with their carer. We saw evidence that when people's needs had increased, the manager had made appropriate referrals to outside agencies. This enabled staff to take appropriate action when necessary because they were aware of people's needs. People knew how to complain. They told us they would talk with the manager if they had any concerns. People said they felt confident that their comments and concerns would be received positively and action would be taken

Is it well-led?

The service worked with other agencies and services to make sure people received care in a joined up way. People using the service, their relatives and health professionals had opportunity to give feedback about the service. Survey responses showed people were satisfied with the service. Arrangements were in place to audit records and check the quality of the care provided in the home. Improvements had been made as a result. This helped to ensure people received a good quality service at all times. Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff that we spoke with told us they felt supported and received appropriate training. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home.

People told us that staff always asked them before they provided any care or support and listened to their wishes. For example, one person told us 'They always listen to me and respect my wishes.'

Each person we spoke with was very positive about the care they received and told us that they were well looked after. People told us 'They are wonderful here' and 'Staff here are amazing.'

We found the home to be clean and tidy on the day of our visit and there were systems in place to monitor the cleaning of the home. People told us that they had 'No concerns' about the cleanliness of the home and 'It's always very clean.'

Staff told us that they were satisfied with the support and training they received from the provider. They told us that the manager had an open door policy and was 'Very supportive.'

We found that the home had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the care they provided. We noted that all audits and monitoring was accessible to staff and this was up to date.

We found that the provider had an effective complaints process in place. People told us they knew how to make a complaint if they needed to.