Archived: David Gresham House

David Gresham House is a residential care home without nursing providing accommodation and personal care to 25 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 29 people in one adapted building.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were kept safe at David Gresham House by staff who well trained and experienced. Staff followed robust policies and procedures which ensured people were kept safe from avoidable harm. Staff were knowledgeable in how to report safeguarding concerns. The environment was kept safe and clean, and clear infection control practises were in place.

People were supported to keep a balanced diet, and where necessary were supported with taking their medicines by staff that completed regular competency checks. People had access to a range of activities that were organised by an activities co-ordinator and designed around people’s hobbies. People received care appropriate to their needs and risks were well managed and monitored.

People told us staff were kind and caring and this was seen through interactions during the inspection. Staff were seen to respect people’s privacy and maintained their dignity when providing support. Staff respected equality and diversity.

The registered manager and staff worked well with other professionals to ensure people received effective support. People had access to health and social care professionals and were supported to attend appointments where necessary.

There were quality assurance audits to ensure any trends or patterns were identified. Staff and the registered manager were aware of their responsibilities. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and all staff took part in regular supervision.

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.

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 this service was good (published 19 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

At the last inspection on 10 December 2014 the service was rated ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good.’

People continued to be kept safe because staff were knowledgeable about the processes to follow when they suspected abuse. Safe recruitment practices continued to be followed by the provider that ensured only suitable staff worked at the home. Risk assessments were in place to enable people to remain safe and they continued to provide guidance to staff about the risks and how to maintain people’s safety. Records of accidents and incidents were maintained and actions to help to prevent the re-occurrence of these had been implemented. There were sufficient numbers of staff to attend to the assessed needs of people. Medicines were managed and stored safely and people received their medicines on time and as prescribed by their GP.

Staff continued to receive training, regular supervision (one to one meeting) and annual appraisals that helped them to perform their duties. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) principals. There were no restrictions in place. Staff supported people to eat a variety of freshly prepared foods. People had access to all external healthcare professionals and their involvement was sought by staff to help maintain good health.

Staff showed kindness and compassion and people’s privacy and dignity were upheld. People were able to choose how they spent their spend time, could freely access all communal areas of the home and their personal care needs were attended to in private. People’s relatives and visitors were welcomed and there were no restrictions of times of visits.

Documentation that enabled staff to support people and to record the care they had received was up to date and continued to be regularly reviewed. People and their relatives were involved in the reviewing of their care. People took part in a variety of activities that interested them. A complaints procedure was available to people, relatives and visitors. Complaints received had been resolved in accordance with provider’s complaints policy.

The provider had an effective system in place to monitor the quality of care and treatment provided at the home. Staff were asked for their views about how the home was run during staff and daily handover meetings.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with individual care plans. People told us that they were involved in their care planning.

One person told us that they expressed their views about their care and support needs and that they were involved in decisions about changes in their care and treatment. At this inspection we looked at the care plans for three people. We saw that people's needs were assessed and that in each record we looked at the person themselves had made comments about their needs or care.

Systems had been put in place which evidenced that people's care plans were reviewed to ensure they were up to date. We found that care plans provided detailed information and guidance for staff to be able to meet people's needs. Care plans included risk assessments based on the persons emotional, social and health needs.

People were protected by the safeguarding procedures in place and staff were knowledgeable about these procedures.

The staff told us they felt they had the appropriate training and support to enable them to undertake safeguarding and whistle blowing if the occasion ever arose.

We saw people had access to the home's complaints procedure and they were confident their concerns and suggestions would be listened to and acted upon.

We found that the atmosphere of the home was extremaly relaxed warm and friendly.

We saw that staff treated people with respect and promoted their dignity.

Comments received from people using the service included "were supported to do things for ourselves and when we asked for help the staff were always willing to help", "I was so glad to move into the home, they look after us all very well and we are asked to let them know if there is anything they could do better and what we think of them" and "all the time if they had any feedback or comments that could improve the home". People told us that they had the opportunity to take part in meaningful activities and outings that they enjoyed. The food was of a good standard and "there was always lots of it".

Staff received a suitable range of training to ensure that they had the necessary skills to support the people who lived there.

People told us that their views about the home were regularly sought and taken into consideration in how the home was run.

You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.