The Meadowcroft Care Home

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This is the first inspection of this newly registered service and therefore we assessed all 6 quality statements from this key question. Based on the findings of this assessment, our rating for this key question is requires improvement. The inconsistent availability of advertised meal options breaches residents' independence, choice, and control over their daily lives and this was a breach of Regulation 9 Person centred Care (3)(b) (Designing care or treatment with a view to achieving service users' preferences and ensuring their needs are met) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We recommend the provider consider current guidance on ensuring the daily meals menus are kept up to date and always reflect the actual choice of food people can decide to eat and take action to update their practice accordingly. People were supported to have choice and control and make decisions about how their support was provided. They were encouraged and helped by staff to do as much as they could for themselves to maintain their independence. People were supported to understand their rights and how the service would make sure these were respected. People’s friends and families were free to visit them with no restrictions. People were encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities both at the service and in the community which helped support their independence, health and wellbeing.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People spoke positively about the care and support they or their family members received at the care home. One person told us, “The staff treat me well and I feel respected by them.” A relative added, “Staff are genuinely nice, respectful and kind. Staff listen and are caring in how they communicate with my [family member].”

Staff spoke about people in a respectful and positive manner. A member of staff told us, “I will always close the door and curtains if I am in their bedroom when I am providing any personal care to someone.”

Feedback from partners was consistently positive about the standard of care provided by staff working at the care home. Partner agencies had no concerns about how staff treated people living in the care home and said they always treated their clients with kindness and compassion.

People looked at ease and comfortable in the presence of staff. Staff interaction with people was characterised by warmth and kindness. We observed staff frequently sit and chat with people relaxing in the communal areas. We saw several instances of staff sitting next to people they were assisting to eat at mealtimes. This enabled staff to make good eye contact with the person they were supporting and to engage people in some meaningful conversations about what they were doing and the meal they were assisting them to eat.

People told us staff treated them as individuals and were familiar with their needs, preferences and daily routines. One person said, “The jug of juice the staff have brought me today is exactly how I prefer my drink to be mixed, so I'm quite pleased about that.” A relative added, “The care is person-centred as staff know exactly what my [family member] really needs and wants. For example, staff know my [family member] doesn’t like too much noise, so they always take him to a quieter area of the communal lounge where they can play the music they know he really enjoys.”

Staff understood people’s needs and wishes and treated them as individuals. For example, staff demonstrated a good understanding of what people they supported preferred to eat and drink, and what recreational activities they liked to engage in. A member of staff told us, “I always ask people how they would prefer their care to be provided and make sure I find out about their personal history before they came to the care home and what their interests and likes are.”

We observed staff provided people with the care and support they needed according to their individually assessed needs and wishes.

The provider had policies that put people at the centre of their care and treated them as individuals. People’s electronic care plans were up to date, personalised and contained detailed information about their unique strengths, likes and dislikes, and how they preferred staff to meet their care needs and wishes.

People living in the care home and their relatives told us the daily menus do not always reflect the meals people could choose from each day. On the first day of this assessment we saw the soup people were served was different from the choice advertised on that days lunch time menu. Despite the negative comments described above, most people told us they were generally satisfied with the informed choices they could make about how they lived their lives and how staff supported them in maintaining their independence. One person said, “I do feel involved in choosing the care I receive here and can decide what I wear and do every day.” A relative added, “Staff offer my [family member] a choice of clothing they might like to wear each day and food they would like to eat at mealtimes.” People also said staff supported them to do as much for themselves as they were willing and capable of doing so safely. One person told us, “Staff offer me support whenever I need it, but they also know I can do a lot of my own personal care, which they respect.”

Managers and staff confirmed the menus did not always reflect the meals people could choose to eat every day. The chef told us this had become an ongoing issue lately mainly because the food they ordered was not always delivered by the company who supplied the care home its food. We also observed a discussion between a member of the care staff team and the chef that confirmed the choice of meal one person had chosen to eat for their lunch was not available as advertised on that day’s menu. It was positively noted that the chef did discuss the issue with the person involved at the time of our visit who agreed to have an alternative lunchtime meal prepared specifically for them by the chef. The managers and staff understood people they supported should be able to make informed choices about how they lived their lives and decide what care staff provided them. A member of staff told us, “I regularly encourage and support one person who I know can safely walk around the care home independently without the need for any staff assistance providing they use their walking-stick.” Staff told us people’s care records gave them a good overview of peoples individualised care and support needs. This included information about people’s differing dependency levels, which made it clear what people were willing and capable of doing safely for themselves, and what tasks they would need additional staff support with.

We observed staff respect people’s right to make informed choices. For example, we saw staff ask people on numerous occasions what they would prefer to watch on television or if they would like to have their hair done by the vising hairdresser. We also saw staff support people to maintain their independent living skills. For example, people who were willing and capable of safely eating and drinking on their own or walking independently around the care home without the need for staff assistance were actively supported and encouraged to do so.

The provider had tailored care plans that documented their choices and these were regularly reviewed.

People told us staff helped them access external health care services and support when they needed it.

Staff demonstrated good awareness of peoples personal, health and social care conditions and how to respond to meet people’s immediate needs and prevent them becoming distressed or unwell, emotionally and physically.

We observed staff were always vigilant to respond to people's needs and to support people remained calm and comfortable.

Staff told us the managers helped them to feel happy and safe at work. Staff also told us they felt the care home was well-managed and they received all the support they needed from their line managers. The managers confirmed they spent time with staff discussing their conduct in the workplace.

Managers routinely used team meetings to remind staff about the provider’s underlying core values and principles.