Archived: Downlands Park Care Home

Updated 14 December 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 is 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 15 November 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors 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. The expert-by-experience for this inspection was an expert in care for older people. The service was last inspected on 18 September 2014 and no concerns were identified.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what they do well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at this and other information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the service must inform us about. We contacted stakeholders, including health and social care professionals involved in the service for their feedback three health and social care professionals gave feedback regarding the service.

During the inspection we observed the support that people received in the communal lounges and dining room. We were also invited in to people’s individual rooms. We spoke to seven people, eight relatives, six care staff, an activity co-ordinator, a chef, two registered nurses, the registered manager, deputy manager and a relief home manager. We spent time observing how people were cared for and their interactions with staff and visitors in order to understand their experience. We also took time to observe how people and staff interacted at lunch time.

We reviewed five staff files, medication records, staff rotas, policies and procedures, health and safety files, compliments and complaints recording, incident and accident records, meeting minutes, training records and surveys undertaken by the service. We also looked at the menus and activity plans. We looked at six people’s individual records, these included care plans, risk assessments and daily notes. We pathway tracked some of these individual records to check that care planned was consistent with care delivered.

Updated 14 December 2016

The inspection took place on the 15 November 2016 and was unannounced.

Downlands Park Care Home provides nursing care and accommodation for up to 40 people. On the day of our inspection there were 35 older people at the home, some who were living with dementia. The home is spread over two floors with a passenger lift, communal lounges, dining room, activities room and gardens.

The home had a registered manager. 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 living at the home, staff were kind and caring and the care they received was good. One person told us “Yes I feel safe. There seems to be an abundance of staff, there is a call system in the room and the staff are so caring; they are always helpful”. Another person said “Always a smile from the staff. Such a happy place”. A relative told us “She [relative] feels safe, so we are happy. She says she is so happy to be here”.

People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it. Staff had access to guidance to help them identify abuse and respond in line with the providers policy and procedures if it occurred. One member of staff told us “Any concern I have I would report and record details. We have body maps to use if we notice any marks on a person’s body and this would be investigated”.

The provider had arrangements in place for the safe ordering, administration, storage and disposal of medicines. People were supported to get their medicine when they needed it. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health care services.

Staff supported people to eat and drink and they were given time to eat at their own pace. People’s nutritional needs were met and people reported that they had a good choice of food and drink. One person told us “There is plenty of food and of a pretty good quality. There is a phone in my room and you can ask for what you would like. I’ve used it, I asked for a cheese and pickle sandwich and they have done it for me. I also get fresh fruit when I want, they have got used to me now and they always put a couple of bananas in the basket in my room”. Staff were patient and polite, supported people to maintain their dignity and were respectful of their right to privacy. People had access to and could choose suitable leisure and social activities. One relative told us “My relative enjoys the activities, and they have music and films sometimes. There is a printed programme for the week that is left up in his room and also in the reception”.

Staff considered peoples capacity using the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as guidance. People’s capacity to make decisions had been assessed. Staff observed the key principles of the MCA in their day to day work checking with people that they were happy for them to undertake care tasks before they proceeded. The provider was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People’s individual needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support they required. People were consulted about their care to ensure wishes and preferences were met. Staff worked with other healthcare professionals to obtain specialist advice about people’s care and treatment.

People were encouraged to express their views and had completed surveys. Feedback received showed people were satisfied overall, and felt staff were friendly and helpful. People also said they felt listened to and any concerns or issues they raised were addressed. One person told us “If I had anything to say, I would say it. They do listen to me”.

Staff felt fully supported by management to undertake their roles. Staff were given training updates, supervision and development opportunities. For example staff were offered the opportunity to undertake additional training and development courses to increase their understanding of the needs of people. One member of staff told us “I am doing a level two Diploma in Health and Social Care and there is lots of support from the manager”.

There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere at the home. People, staff and relatives found the management team approachable and professional. One person told us “The manager and nurses are lovely. I can go to them anytime for anything. I have a phone in my room and can just call on them”. A relative told us “The way this place is, I feel that this is better than all the others I looked at”.

Staff told us that they felt the home was well run and that the management team were supportive and provided good communication. One member of staff told us “It is well led here there are supervisions and if we have any concerns with management we get support from area management”. Another member of staff said “There are regular staff meetings monthly and supervision, their door is always open”.