Archived: Place Court

We found that staff were knowledgeable about people's needs and provided appropriate care. People were supported with their personal appearance and everyone was smartly dressed. People were encouraged to retain their independence and we observed people undertaking household tasks and mobilising independently. There were times during the day when people were not supervised by staff and this increased the risk to people's safety. People's care records were reviewed regularly and risks to people's safety were documented and showed what actions staff had taken to reduce the risk. However we were not provided with a detailed analysis of how the provider monitored people's falls to see if there were any factors which increased people's risk.

Staffing levels were being maintained but we saw that outside agency staff were being used to cover some long term staff sickness. A recent staff recruitment drive had been successful so this situation was being rectified. Staff were well supported by an experienced manager and there was evidence of regular staff training, thorough induction programmes for new staff and one to one supervision. Staff were supported with their professional development and had the opportunities to take a lead role within the service.

We noted that social activities were provided by staff and not by someone specifically employed to do this. This meant the frequency of activities varied according to the care needs of people and were not provided every day. This meant we could not be assured people's social needs were always met.