Portelet Manor Rest Home

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Since our previous inspection, the provider had worked to drive improvement in the service. Improvements had been made to how the provider assessed people’s mental capacity. The registered manager introduced new systems in place to ensure compliance. The service was no longer in breach of regulation relating to the need to give consent for provision of care and treatment.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People were relaxed and comfortable with staff. It was evident that staff were knowledgeable about each person and treated them as individuals. Relatives told us they felt involved in people’s care. Comments included, ''The home is very good, well connected with the surgery, the staff here get (my loved one's) antibiotics and make sure they are seen by the regular GP that visits if they need it, they call the GP in between the round visits too when needed.''

Staff and the registered manager demonstrated an awareness of people’s care and support needs. Staff told us they had read people’s care plans and risk assessments.

At our previous inspection we found mental capacity assessments were not always in place. Improvements had been made and the service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People had effective mental capacity assessments, and best interest documents were clear and up to date. People’s human rights were respected.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is used by our inspectors to capture the experiences of people who use services who may not be able to express this for themselves. During our onsite assessment we observed people having lunch, which was relaxed and friendly. People were given choice on where they wished to sit. People were given choices of various main meals and desserts. Relatives told us they felt involved in people's care. One relative told us, ''They are good for (my loved one), moments of interaction, ... they acknowledge (my loved one) and give them the reassurance.''

Staff demonstrated they are supporting people in line with their care plans. One staff member told us they were involved in creating and reviewing people's care plans.

People were referred to the speech and language therapist (SALT). SALT is the Speech and Language Therapy who provide assessment of swallowing or communication difficulties for people with medical, neurological and surgical conditions. SALT guidelines were clearly displayed in the kitchen. People’s nutrition needs were risk assessed.

Relatives and people we spoke with told us they felt involved in people’s care and treatment. Comments included, ''The carers are good, it is peaceful here.''

Staff told us they were involved in professional meetings with people's GPs and social workers.

External health care professionals told us they had seen improvements in the running of the home, including better engagement with people in terms of activities and respecting their wishes.

Care plans had information about people’s health conditions and were updated to reflect people’s changing needs. There was an effective system in place to check and record people's Lasting Powers of Attorney. This was an improvement since the previous inspection.

People were supported to improve and maintain their health. Staff had supported people to quit smoking if they wished. People who smoked, were always accompanied by staff when outside.

Staff told us they received appropriate training to support people with their health needs, including oral health training.

The registered manager held a residents meeting and encouraged people to discuss activities they liked and what type of activities they would like introduced in the service. People's choices and suggestions were taken into account when creating a new menu for the home.

Relatives told us that staff communicated with them on a regular basis and when there were changes to their loved ones' care needs. One relative told us, ''When (my loved one) was poorly, the registered manager was very kind and very helpful.''

The registered manager confirmed that some of the people living in the home had complex care needs and required specialised care. The registered manager told us the service worked closely with external healthcare professionals in order to support people with health conditions such as diabetes and pressure ulcers.

People’s care plans reflected their needs. Some of the people living in the home required additional support. The reviews of people’s additional care needs involved external healthcare professionals such as social workers and GPs as well as people’s relatives when possible. The provider ensured correct equipment was used to meet people's changing needs.

Clearly recorded assessments and best interest decisions were in place for people the service assessed as lacking mental capacity for certain decisions. We found the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and if needed, appropriate legal authorisations were requested to deprive a person of their liberty.

Staff were following people's documented wishes. Staff told us they understood how to support people who may lack capacity and had appropriate training to do so. People's right to decline care was understood. Staff told us they respected people's choices.

At the previous inspection we found that the evidence of Lasting Power of Attorney for people were not always checked. This meant the provider could not be assured those consulted about best interest decisions were legally appointed to support the person. At this assessment we found clear improvements had been made and the registered manager had implemented a robust recording system to ensure that the service had up to date information relating to people’s Lasting Power of Attorney. The information was easily accessible and kept up to date.