25 July 2019
During a routine inspection
Spencer House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 19 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 25 people.
People’s experience of using this service:
People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion. We saw staff listening to people, answering questions and taking an interest in what people were saying.
People were supported to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care and support. People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected and promoted. One person said, “I cannot fault it here, I am safe, happy and content living here.”
People were protected from abuse. Staff received regular safeguarding training, knew how to identify potential signs of abuse and knew how to report concerns. Risks to people and the environment were assessed and minimised. Risks associated with people’s care had been identified and appropriate risk assessments were in place.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the provider policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People’s needs were met by the adaptation, design and decoration of the service.
People had good relationships with staff, who were knowledgeable of their support needs, as well as likes, dislikes and interests. Staff were responsive to changes in people's health needs. If needed, they sought advice from relevant professionals.
There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs.
The registered manager recruited staff with relevant experience and the right attitude to work with people. New staff were given an induction and all staff received on-going training.
People’s needs were assessed, and their care was delivered in line with current legislation.
People felt included in planning their care. The care plans used were consistently reviewed and updated.
Care planning informed staff what people could do independently and what staff needed to do to support people.
People could involve relatives and others who were important to them when they chose the care they wanted.
People told us they were listened to by the management of the service.
Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and monitor their nutritional health. People had access to GP’s and their health and wellbeing was supported by prompt referrals and access to medical care if they became unwell.
Medicines were stored and managed safely. There were policies and procedures in place for the safe administration of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and competency checked.
People were protected by the prevention and control of infection.
People felt comfortable raising any complaints with staff and the registered manager.
People were asked for feedback about the service they received.
People said the registered manager was approachable and supportive.
Accidents and incidents were reported by staff in line with the provider’s policy, and the registered manager took steps to ensure that lessons were learned when things went wrong.
The provider and registered manager made sure they monitored the service in various ways to ensure they continued to provide a good quality service that maintained people’s safety.
The provider, registered manager and staff were working with a clear vision for the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
This service was rated, ‘Requires Improvement’ at the last inspection (published on 25 July 2018).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
At this inspection, we found the service met the characteristics of ‘Good’ in all key questions.
Why we inspected:
This was a comprehensive inspection scheduled based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service.