About the service Ridgewood Court Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 44 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 60 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives told us that the care and support they received was exceptional. They told us the atmosphere within the home was warm, friendly and pleasant; staff had a natural and everyday approach, respected people’s home and put them at ease. We saw many examples of staff interacting with people in a kind, caring and positive manner. Staff encouraged people to make decisions for themselves, encouraged them to take the lead and ensured that they gave people the time to do so. We saw one staff member giving a person a hug and offering them friendly reassurance. People told us they had great relationships with staff and often shared good humour. People were treated with dignity and their independence and autonomy was promoted in many ways. This all led to what people and their relatives described as an exceptional experience.
Staff were focused on people not on tasks and always considered the person. People’s privacy was respected. One visiting health professional told us, “They really think about people’s privacy; they are very respectful of the people who live here.” The registered manager told us, “As much as possible we want people to be leaders in their own care.” We saw many examples of this.
The service provided at the home and the environment was safe. Attention had been given to the design of the home to enhance people’s enjoyment and comfort. There was a kind, caring and open culture at the home where people, their relatives and staff told us they could raise any concerns and had confidence that they would be acted upon. Staff also received training in and were knowledgeable about safeguarding people from the risk of abuse.
There was a detailed and thorough assessment of people’s needs before they came to live at the home. People spoke very positively about this process. One person told us, “Coming to the home was a very smooth process. The manager and all the staff were very helpful, very personable.” Another person told us, “They even thought of things we haven’t even mentioned.”
Each person had an individualised care plan that was started with a thorough assessment of their needs and an agreed plan of how people were to be supported to meet these needs and remain safe. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported to plan their day to day lives, doing things that they enjoyed, were important to them and that they benefitted from. There was a weekly changing planner of activities and events both inside and out of the home that people could choose to get involved in including trying new activities that they may enjoy. One person’s family member told us, “There is so much for my mum to do that she loves.”
There was a positive culture within the home, all staff were relaxed during our inspection and eager to tell and show us what they were doing. Staff told us they felt well supported in their roles and were encouraged to learn and challenge the practices within the home.
We found the registered manager and the management team to be exceptionally open and candid during our inspection. There was a culture of listening and working in partnership with people and their relatives and of focusing on continuous improvement.
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us in April 2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on our inspection methodology. 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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk