People told us what it was like to live at this home and described how they were treated by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess whether older people living in care homes are treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs are met.The inspection team was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector joined by an Expert by Experience who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service, and a practising professional.
During our inspection of Strathmore House on 08 August 2012 we used a number of different methods to help us understand the experience of people living in the home. This was because some people were living with dementia, which meant that they were not able to tell us their experiences. For part of the inspection we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We spoke with a family member who told us, 'I can't speak highly enough about everyone. Staff have been wonderful with [my relative], absolutely marvellous.' Another family member told us that, 'The dementia and personal care is getting better'. A visiting professional said that the staff were, 'Very caring' and that they contacted health professionals for advice appropriately. One person told us that they were, 'Bored' and, 'Lonely'.
We observed staff providing care to people. In most instances staff provided care in an appropriate way but we did observe an example of poor moving and handling practice. We also observed some examples of staff not recognising the support that people needed which meant that their dignity was compromised. There were very few examples of people having access to meaningful activities, particularly those people living with dementia.
People told us they enjoyed their meals. One person said, 'The food's lovely ' no complaints at all.' People's nutritional needs were met. Staff, including the kitchen staff, had a good understanding of people's individual needs and how these should be met. They also understood how to recognise signs that someone was at risk from poor nutrition or hydration. Staff were less skilled at providing care to people who were living with dementia. Our observations concluded that there were not enough staff with the right skills to meet people's needs.