23 July 2018
During a routine inspection
Edinburgh House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Edinburgh House can accommodate up to 32 older people in one adapted building. The home has two floors accessed via stairs or a lift, five communal areas and a large garden where people could choose to spend their time. At the time of the inspection 26 people lived in the home.
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.
Records were not always available to demonstrate people’s needs were assessed before they moved into the home, to ensure their needs could be met. In addition, the documents used did not always have a holistic focus. People told us they were always asked for their permission before personal care was provided. Staff adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) but the records needed improvement. Risks associated with people’s needs and measures to reduce these were well known by staff but records did not provide sufficient guidance for staff who may not know the person they were supporting well.
The provider had introduced new governance systems which had identified areas for improvement. These had identified the same issues we found. The work to make these improvements had only just started at the time of our inspection and therefore needed more time for completion and to be fully embedded into practice.
There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were safely recruited although the registered manager’s records of this needed improvement. Staff understood their responsibility to safeguard people and had received training to do so. Medicines were managed safely. Improvements had been made to staff training and supervision although staff did not always receive training specific to people’s needs. We have made a recommendation about this. The home was clean, tidy and staff promoted good infection control management.
Staff knowledge of people was good and they provided person centred care. People were provided with appropriate mental and physical stimulation. People were treated with kindness and compassion. Observations reflected people were comfortable and relaxed in staff’s company. People were encouraged to be involved in their care and their independence was supported. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were supported to ensure they received adequate nutrition and hydration by staff who worked well as a team and supported access to appropriate healthcare services.
There was a process in place to deal with any complaints or concerns if they were raised. People told us they knew how to complain but had not needed to. The registered manager was accessible and operated an open-door policy. Staff were confident to raise concerns and felt listened to.
The provider was aware of the requirement to notify CQC of significant events that occurred in the home and this was happening.