Archived: Croftwood

Updated 10 April 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 13 February and was unannounced.

The inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector 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. In this case, care of older people living with dementia.

Before our inspection visit we reviewed the information we held about Croftwood. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service. We also accessed the Provider Information Record (PIR) we received prior to our inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This provided us with information and numerical data about the operation of the service.

We carried out a Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a methodology we use to support us in understanding the experiences of people who are unable to provide feedback due to their cognitive or communication impairments.

We spoke to 13 people using the service, the chef, the senior carer, the registered manager, the area manager, regional manager, the maintenance person and three staff. We looked at the care plans for four people and other related records. We checked the recruitment files for three staff. We also looked at other documentation associated to the running of the service.

Updated 10 April 2018

This unannounced inspection of Croftwood took place on 13 February 2018.

At the last inspection in March 2015, the service was rated ‘Good’. We found during this inspection that the service remained ‘Good.’

Croftwood is a care home situated in Halton, Runcorn. Croftwood is registered to provider person care and accommodation under one contractual agreement and both were looked at during this inspection.

Staff were able to describe the course of action they would take if they felt anyone was at risk of harm or abuse this included ‘whistleblowing’ to external organisations. The registered manager had systems and processes in place to ensure that staff who worked at the service were recruited safely. Rotas showed there was enough staff at the home to support people safely. Risks were well assessed and information was updated as and when required. We were able to view these procedures and how they worked. We particularly looked at falls management as one person's records showed they had had a lot of falls in the last few months and we wanted assurances the provider was taking all reasonable to prevent falls from occurring. Practices relating to medication storage and administration were safe.

All newly appointed staff were enrolled on the Care Certificate. Records showed that all staff training was in date. There was a supervision schedule in place, and all staff had received up to date supervisions and most had undergone an annual appraisal, any due were booked in to take place.

We saw that where people could consent to decisions regarding their care and support this had been documented. We saw some example of where people lacked capacity, the appropriate best interest processes had been followed. The service was working in accordance with the Mental Capacity and DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty) and associated principles.

People we spoke with were complimentary about the staff, the registered manager and the service in general. People told us they liked the staff who supported them. Staff were able to give us examples of how they preserved dignity and privacy when providing care.

Complaints were well managed and documented in accordance with the provider’s complaints policy. The complaints policy contained contact details for the local authorities and commissioning groups.

Staff we spoke with demonstrated that they knew the people they supported well, and enjoyed the relationships they had built with people. Care plans contained information about people’s likes, dislikes, preferences, backgrounds and personalities.

Regular audits were taking place for different aspects of service delivery. Quality assurance systems were effective and measured service provision. Action plans were drawn up when areas of improvement were identified. Staff meetings and resident meetings took place.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.