10 September 2018
During a routine inspection
Gable Court can accommodate 50 older adults who may have dementia in a purpose built three storey building. At the time of this inspection, 50 people were using the service.
This inspection took place on 10, 11 and 13 September 2018. The inspection was unannounced. This was the first inspection since the service was registered under the provider HC-One Oval Limited in December 2017.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
Staff were knowledgeable about reporting safeguarding concerns and whistleblowing. People had risk assessments carried out to mitigate the risks of harm they may face. Building safety checks were carried out in line with building safety requirements. Recruitment checks were carried out before new staff began working at the service. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. There were systems in place to manage medicines safely. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. The provider used accidents and incidents to make improvements to the service.
People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service to ensure the right care could be provided. Staff were supported with regular supervisions, annual appraisal and training opportunities to help them to carry out their role effectively. The provider had communication systems in place for staff to be updated on people’s well-being and changes in care needs. People were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and to maintain their health. Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the need to obtain verbal consent before delivering care. However, the provider did not have a system to document people’s consent to receiving care and treatment.
Staff described how they developed caring relationships with people. The provider had a system in place where each person had a named nurse and care worker who had overall responsibility for the person’s care. People and their relatives were involved in decisions about the care. There was a ‘resident of the day’ system where each person had a day dedicated to them to make them feel special. Staff were knowledgeable about equality and diversity. People were supported to maintain their independence and their privacy and dignity was promoted.
Care plans were personalised, contained people’s preferences and were reviewed monthly. Staff understood how to deliver personalised care. People were offered a variety of activities and their communication needs were met. Complaints and compliments were recorded and used to improve the service. People’s end of life care wishes were only recorded when they were nearing the end of their life and were not captured as part of future care planning.
People, relatives and staff gave positive feedback about the management of the service. The provider obtained feedback from people using the service and relatives through regular meetings. Meetings with people using the service and relatives were used to update people on service development and for improvement suggestions. The provider had various quality assurance systems in place to identify areas of improvement. The home worked in partnership with other agencies to improve the service provided.
We have made two recommendations about working within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and future care planning.