Archived: The Gardens Residential Home

The Gardens Residential Home can provide accommodation and personal care for 47 older people and people who live with dementia. There were 40 people living in the service at the time of our inspection most of whom were older people. The accommodation is a purpose built, two storey property. The service is divided into two units. On the ground floor the unit is called Aspen which is reserved for 11 people who live with dementia. On the first floor the unit is called Gardenside where 36 people can live.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff knew how to respond to any concerns that might arise so that people were kept safe from abuse including financial mistreatment. People had been helped to avoid the risk of accidents and medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.

Staff had received training and guidance and they knew how to support people in the right way including making sure that people were supported to promote their continence. People had been assisted to eat and drink enough and they had been supported to receive all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

Staff had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people when they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered manager had taken the necessary steps to ensure that people only received lawful care that respected their rights.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, promoted their dignity and respected confidential information.

People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and they had been given all of the assistance they needed including people who could become distressed. Some people wanted more opportunities to purse their hobbies and interests. There was a system for resolving complaints.

Quality checks had been completed to ensure that people received the facilities and services they needed. Good team work was promoted and staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns because the service was run in an open and inclusive way. People had benefited from staff acting upon good practice guidance.

Due to the complex needs of some of the people who lived at the home we also used a number of different ways to help us understand their experiences. For example, we spent time observing the care people received and we looked at a range of records kept in the home. The records we looked at included people's care files and information about how the home operated.

People we spoke with said they were happy living at the home. They made comments such as, 'I feel safe here', 'I have no worries, I get everything I need' and 'The staff are lovely, they can't do enough for you.'

People we spoke with also said they knew how to make a complaint if they needed to.

Throughout the day we saw staff supporting people in a dignified and respectful way. They also showed us that they knew about people's needs, likes and dislikes and supported people to have the care they wanted.

There was an effective system in place for the provider to monitor and assess the quality of services within the home. Records were kept up to date and in a secure way.