Archived: Vrandavan Care Home

Updated 21 October 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 7 September 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Our expert by experience for this inspection had experience of using health and social care services. The inspector and the expert-by-experience spoke with people in their first language, which was not English.

The inspector returned on 8 September 2016 announced, to complete the inspection.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. Due to technical problems a PIR was not available and we took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose. A statement of purpose is a document which includes a set of information about the service and the support people can expect to receive. We looked at the notifications sent to us. Notifications are changes, events of incidents that affect people’s health and safety that provider’s must tell us about. We contacted commissioners for health and social care responsible for the funding of some people’s care that use the service and asked them for their views.

We spoke with 11 people who used the service, seven visiting relatives, and a visiting health care professional. We also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI), which is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who used the service. We used SOFI to observe people in the lounge during the morning and at the lunch time meal service.

We spoke with the registered manager, a care manager, a senior carer and four care staff involved in the care provided to people and the handy person. We also spoke with the registered provider who was visiting the service at the time of our inspection visit.

We looked at the records of five people, which included their risk assessments, care plans and medicine records. We also looked at the recruitment files of three members of staff, training records and a range of policies and procedures, maintenance and complaints records and a range of quality audits to see how the provider monitored the quality of service provided.

Updated 21 October 2016

This inspection took place on 7 September and was unannounced. We returned on the 8 September 2016 announced, to complete the inspection.

Vrandavan Care Home is a care home that provides residential care for up to 16 people. The service specialises in caring for Gujarati Asian Elders whose first language is Gujarati. The accommodation is over two floors, accessible by using the lift and stairs. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people in residence.

A registered manager was 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.

People told us they felt safe and protected from harm. The provider had taken steps to minimise the risk of abuse and staff understood their responsibility in protecting people from the risk of harm.

People’s care needs were assessed including risks to their health and safety. Care plans were updated and centred on people’s needs, which included the measures to help promote their safety and independence. Care plans provided staff with clear guidance about people’s needs which were monitored and reviewed regularly.

People told us staff that looked after them well. People’s safety was assured by the provider’s staff recruitment procedures and the training provided. People’s needs were taken into account to ensure there were sufficient numbers of staff to promote their safety and wellbeing.

People lived in an environment that was safe and comfortable and had access to a secure garden, which people could use safely.

People received their medicines at the right times. There was clear guidance for staff to follow and the systems to store, manage and administer medicines safely were safe. People had access to health support and referrals were made to relevant health care professionals where there were concerns about people’s health.

People were provided with a choice of traditional Guajarati vegetarian meals in line with preferences and dietary needs.

Staff were trained, supported and had their work appraised to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to support people. The management team and staff had a good understanding of the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s consent had been obtained and recorded.

Vrandavan Care Home had a warm and a happy atmosphere. People were supported by kind and caring staff and we saw many positive interactions between staff, the people using the service, and relatives, who were involved in communal life and could observe their faith at the service. People told us staff were respectful in their approach and promoted their dignity and independence.

People were involved and made decisions about their care and support needs. Care plans were focused on the person and incorporated advice from health and social care professionals. People were supported to maintain their independence and take part in hobbies, activities that were of interest to them and observe their faith. People’s care needs were reviewed and took account of people’s wishes and choices.

People told us if they had any concerns or complaints they would tell the registered manager. The views and opinions of people who used the service, their relatives and staff were sought in a number of ways including meetings and surveys. Staff felt supported by the management team and understood their role and what was expected of them in providing quality care to people who used the service.

People were confident in how the service was managed and the abilities of the management team to ensure the service provided was effective. The provider had systems to monitor and assure people who resided at Vrandavan Care Home that they received a quality care service that was consistent and met people’s individual needs.