Archived: Laureate Court

Updated 21 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

On the first day the inspection was carried out by an inspector, an assistant 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. On the second day the inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Laureate Court is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The home is divided into three units, over two floors, with access provided by passenger lift.

The service had a registered manager, who, along with the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited the service on 7 and 10 January 2020. We spoke with nine people and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, area manager, two nurses, care workers and an activity coordinator. We also spoke with three visiting health and social care professionals. As some people found verbal communication more difficult we observed the interaction between people and the staff who supported them in communal areas throughout the inspection visit.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including quality audits and improvement plans, accidents and incidents analysis and complaints records.

Updated 21 April 2020

About the service

Laureate Court provides residential and nursing care for up to 82 people who are living with dementia and other mental health problems. The home has three units; Byron and Shelly both provide nursing care and Keats which provides residential care. At the time of our inspection there were 57 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider had made improvements to ensure people's medicines and risks were better managed. The provider ensured safeguarding concerns were addressed effectively, which helped keep people safe. The provider had made improvements to make sure there were enough staff to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited safely. The home was clean overall, although there was further room for improvement in this area. The provider monitored and , analysed accidents and incidents and this helped prevent recurrences.

The provider had made significant improvements to the environment, which meant the home was a nicer place for people to live in and was better adapted to suit their needs. Overall, the service supported people to maintain a good diet and hydration, and to maintain good health. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff, received good induction, training, supervision and support to help them carry out their roles effectively.

Staff come across as very caring and committed. There was continuity of care and staff had a good knowledge of people's needs and preferences. People and those close to them were involved in formulating their care plans. The service promoted people’s rights and supported their cultural, spiritual and religious needs.

Staff assessed people’s needs and, overall, people’s care plan identified their individual needs well. Staff had a positive approach and knew how people expressed their feelings. Staff provided people with support to engage in activities and help them keeping links with and getting out into the community. We discussed further staff training around providing activities for people with advanced dementia and the registered manager addressed this straightaway. People's choices for their end of life care were recorded and reviewed. The registered manager dealt with any complaints in a fair and open way and used the information positively to improve the service.

The provider had made improvements in the audit used to monitor the safety and quality of service delivery and staff performance. However, these needed embedding into practice, and there remained room for further improvement. For, instance, some cleanliness and infection control audits needed to be strengthened. People, and those who were close to them, were regularly asked about their satisfaction with the service. It was evident the registered manager used people’s comments and ideas to develop and improve the service. It was also evident that the team worked well in partnership with other professionals to provide a service that met people’s needs.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (report published January 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. 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 the provider had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations. You can read the report from previous inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.