This inspection took place on 15 and 16 November 2018 and was unannounced. At the last comprehensive inspection of the service on 25 September 2017 we found the service was not always well led. Quality assurance systems were not as effective as they needed to be and this impacted on different aspects of the service. This included fire safety, medicines management, dementia friendly environments and choices at meal times. This was a breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. During this inspection we checked to see what improvements had been made. We found the home had taken the necessary action to meet the regulation.
Greenlands Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Greenland’s Residential Home is registered to provide care for up to 28 people, with accommodation in single or shared bedrooms over three floors. It is situated in Bolton, Greater Manchester. At the time of the inspection there were 24 people living in the home.
There were two registered managers 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.
At this inspection we found that there had been improvements to the service. An action plan had been put in place after the last inspection. Medication was now well managed with no concerns and fire safety systems and procedures were safe. The lunch time experience was now more positive and people were provided with choices. Confidential information was no longer displayed on the notice board.
We have made three recommendations to support further improvement. We have made a recommendation about making the home more dementia friendly. Accessing further guidance will support further progress in this area. We have made a recommendation about the Equality and Diversity Act 2010 and we have made a recommendation about the promotion of independent advocacy services.
Systems were in place to ensure sufficient number of staff were provided. Relevant information and checks were obtained when recruiting new staff. This helped to protect people from the appointment of unsuitable staff.
Staff were aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and risks to people's safety were assessed with guidance on how to minimise the risks. The service also had a whistleblowing policy and staff reported feeling able to report poor practice if required.
Systems were in place to monitor the safety of equipment and all other required checks were up to date, including fire safety and gas safety checks. The home was clean and staff had received training and understood their infection control responsibilities.
All the people we spoke to reported feeling safe and family and visiting professionals did not raise any concerns.
People’s needs were assessed before admission and a support plan was put in place to meet these needs. This was reviewed and updated monthly.
Relevant authorisations were in place where people were being deprived of their liberty. Care records show that capacity and consent had been considered when planning people’s care and support.
Staff felt supported in their roles and were provided with an appropriate induction to prepare them for the role. Opportunities for staff training and development were provided helping to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills needed to meet the specific needs of people safely and effectively.
The service worked closely with other agencies to provide the care that people needed. Positive feedback was received during the inspection from five health care professionals about the support offered by staff so that people’s needs were met.
The homes environment was homely and improvements had been made since the last inspection. The registered managers plan to make further improvements including people’s bedrooms.
The accessible information standard was met. People were routinely assessed to ascertain what their communication preferences or abilities were.
The home was caring and we observed positive interactions between staff and residents and feedback from both residents and relatives reported that staff were caring. People were encouraged to be independent and they were treated with dignity and respect.
Regular activities were in place including monthly in-house entertainment and monthly trips out. People were also supported to maintain links with the local community.
The home was responsive to feedback that they received from people and their families. This included surveys and resident’s meetings.
The home had an end of life policy that provided guidance to staff and the home actively involved family as much as possible.
The home had responded positively to the improvements that were required from the last inspection and staff reported that they received good support from the registered managers.