7 November 2023
During a routine inspection
Magnolia House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 96 people. The service provides support to older and younger adults, some of whom who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 65 people using the service.
People’s experience of the service and what we found:
The provider had systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff were trained and understood their roles in relation to safeguarding people and told us they felt able to report concerns. Risks posed to people were assessed and mitigated. Environmental risks were managed, and maintenance of the premises was in place. People and relatives told us they felt safe.
People were supported by enough staff. The service had a core staff team in place and people were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff were safely recruited. Medicines were safely managed. Systems were in place and allocated staff were champions to promote effective infection, prevention, and control. Staff were observed to be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and the service was visibly clean. Accidents and incidents were monitored, with lessons learned and action taken to mitigate risks to people.
Staff received an induction and ongoing training to ensure they were competent to support people. Supervisions were carried out regularly and covered a range of topics which were currently relevant to the service's needs. Staff worked closely with external agencies to meet people's needs. We saw various visiting healthcare professionals at the time of our inspection, and they told us the service worked well with them to ensure people's health needs were met.
People were offered a choice of meals and drinks and were involved in menu planning. Snacks were available to people throughout the day and people told us. Where people required support with meals, such as specialised diets, records were in place to guide staff about how to safely support and monitor people's dietary intake.
The service was designed to meet the needs of people living there, such as coloured doors and signage, which can be useful for people living with dementia. Some areas of the service required refurbishment. The provider had an ongoing refurbishment plan in place to improve the environmental decor.
Peoples needs and wishes were assessed and recorded in care plans. People and relatives told us they were offered choices. 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’s privacy, dignity and independence was respected. People were able to personalise their rooms, with some having access to a private ensuite bathroom. People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring. Staff were passionate about providing person centred support and promoting people's well-being. We observed staff treating people with kindness and compassion.
Visitors were welcomed into the home. An activity co-ordinator planned daily activities, this included musical entertainer’s, crafts, and puzzles.
The service had a warm and welcoming atmosphere. People, relatives, and staff told us the service was well led. Staff felt supported in their roles and told us the registered manager was always available and approachable.
The provider had governance systems in place and had regular oversight of the service. Various audits were undertaken by the registered manager and provider, to ensure ongoing monitoring of the safety and quality of the service. This included compliance audits by an internal and external quality compliance team.
Systems were in place to gain feedback from relatives and staff. Feedback was used to continuously improve outcomes for people. Complaints and concerns were effectively managed.
People and relatives were kept informed of key events and achievements through a newsletter. People were involved in regular meetings.
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 the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 11 December 2020.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow Up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.