Golden Sands

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. We found responsive had improved to outstanding. This was because the service had gone the extra mile to ensure people’s individual wishes and activities which were important to them, were met. This included trying new things and finding innovative ways of keeping people stimulated. It also included having additional staff available to ensure people got out and about into the local community. Staff went the extra mile to ensure people’s hobbies, interests and enjoyment were met to a high standard.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

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Why the service is rated Good

People received safe and effective care form staff who understood their needs and wishes.

Staff had good training and support to do their job effectively. There were always sufficient staff for the number and needs of people living at the service.

Robust recruitments processes ensured only staff who were suitable to work with vulnerable people were employed. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and when and who they should report any concerns to.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People received their medicines on time and safely. We have made one recommendation to help improve practice in recording of medicines.

People said they were happy and staff were caring, kind and compassionate towards their needs. One person said, “As soon as you walk in the door everything is done for you, nothing is too much trouble.” Another said “The (staff) are all lovely, I cannot fault them. Nothing is too much trouble.” One healthcare professional commented “The staff always seem to show a great deal of caring towards their residents. It’s a real home from home here.”

The service was clean and adapted to suit people’s needs. Audits and checks ensured quality monitoring of the records, environment and care and support being delivered.

Care and support was well planned and person centred. Staff knew people well, including what was important to them to ensure their comfort and safety.

The management approach was open and inclusive. There were and a range of ways used to gain the views of people, relatives and staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

There is a registered manager in place who has worked at the service for several years. 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,their families and visitors were extremely positive about the care and support provided by staff at Golden Sands. Comments included ‘‘Staff are all very helpful and very caring.’’ One relative said ‘‘We couldn’t believe how caring the staff are here. It’s like a family.’’

There were enough staff with the right skills, training and support to meet the number and needs of people living at the service. Staff said they felt valued and were encouraged to contribute to how the service was run and how care and support was being delivered. Staff understood people’s needs and knew what their preferred routines and wishes were. This helped them to plan care in a person centred way.

Staff understood how to ensure people’s human rights were protected and people were continually offered choice throughout their day. They worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act to ensure people’s capacity was assessed and monitored. Where people lacked capacity, any decisions were considered with people who were important to the person as part of a best interest decision. Staff were able to describe how they gained people’s consent and how they worked in a way to ensure people were offered choice in their everyday lives.

The home was cleaned and decorated to a high standard and homely features made it welcoming. Systems were used to ensure the environment was kept clean and safe with audits being completed on all aspects of the building and equipment.

There was an activities person who strived hard to ensure people were engaged in meaningful activities throughout the weekdays. This included sing-alongs, quizzes, flower arranging, visits from various animals including Exmoor Zoo as well as regular paid entertainers and visits form community groups such as local school children and local choirs.

Medicines were well managed and kept secure. People received their medicines in a timely way and where errors were noted, staff acted quickly to ensure people were not at risk. People were offered pain relief and received their medicines on time.

Care and support was planned to ensure that risks were assessed and monitored. People’s choices and preferences were included within care plans to ensure staff understood how to assist people in way they preferred and wishes met. People were protected from harm because staff were only recruited once they had all the checks in place to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff understood what may constitute abuse and how and to whom they should report any concerns.

People were offered a variety of meals and snacks to ensure good health. Where people were at risk of losing weight due to their health condition, staff monitored what people ate closely. Some people were on supplementary drinks prescribed by the GP. Additional snacks and higher calorie foods were also offered.

People, visitors and staff were all able to voice any concerns or suggestions to help improve the quality of the service provide at Golden Sands. The registered provider worked hands on within the home and spent time talking with people, their visitors and with staff to ensure their views were heard. Quality assurance systems included audits on the environment and documentation relating to people’s daily care and support.

We had longer conversations with six people. We spoke with a visiting health care professional. The majority of people living in the home were able to voice their opinions and tell us what it was like to live at 'Golden Sands'. For those that were unable to do this, we observed them indirectly to help us understand what life was like in the home.

The home had a warm, friendly and homely atmosphere.

Each person had a plan of care suitable to their needs. The home had a wide and varied activities programme each day by a dedicated member of staff.

We saw that people living at the home were very comfortable and at ease with all the staff. Comments included "the girls are ever so good", "staff are good" and "it's (the home) lovely".

People were very complimentary of the food and comments included "nobody could not like the food", "you can have what you like!" and "the food is perfect".

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place which ensured that all staff were recruited appropriately.

People knew how to make a complaint and they they would feel comfortable informing the manager about any concerns they had. Comments included "there is nothing to complain about here", "they see to all your needs" and "I feel very safe here".