About the service The Limes Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 34 people. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Assessments of people’s care needs were in place, for example for falls and pressure sores. Some care plans required further details to help support consistent care. The registered manager told us they would take action to update these.
People were given choices and control over their day-to-day decisions such as meals and personal care needs. However, some people needed a reminder that alternative meals or alternative times for personal care were available.
Safety monitoring processes were in place and people felt safe living at The Limes Residential Home. People received their medicines as prescribed from staff who knew people well. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they had been employed following recruitment checks to help ensure they were suitable to work in care. The environment was kept clean and measures were in place to reduce the risk of transmission from infections.
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 had the equipment they needed as detailed in their care assessments and the environment had been adapted to help meet people’s needs. Assessments helped to reduce discrimination as people’s equality and diversity needs were assessed and considered. Staff received regular training that was relevant to people’s needs.
People received enough to eat and drink and people at risk of malnutrion were supported to help ensure they had a good level of nutritional intake. Referrals to other agencies were made when needed and this helped people access the healthcare they needed.
People were cared for by staff who were caring and who involved people in their care and decision making. Staff took actions to promote people’s independence and respected their privacy and dignity. People’s religious needs were supported.
People participated in a variety of entertainments and activities as well as pursuing their own interests, such as reading the daily paper and seeing their visitors. Staff understood people’s ways of communicating well and people had opportunities to discuss any issues and have them resolved.
Where people needed care at the end of their lives, this was provided in partnership with the local district nurse team.
The registered manager worked in an open and transparent way and staff felt supported. Staff were clear on their roles. Checks and audits were in place to check on the quality and safety of services people received. The registered manager looked to continuously improve the service. People’s views were obtained in meetings and questionnaires and people were kept updated on things that happened in their home.
For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 29 August 2019).
At our last inspection we found breaches of the regulations in relation to the assessments for people’s capacity and decision making and submitting statutory notifications to CQC. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to tell us what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was now meeting this regulation.
Why we inspected
We carried out this inspection to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.