Inspection on 05/10/06 for Bindon & Elmcroft Residential Homes

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

What the care home does well

The home has good admission procedures in place. Wherever possible the manager will visit the person to carry out an assessment of their needs and to give verbal and written information about the home. Prospective new residents and/or their relatives or representatives are encouraged to visit and get to know the home before any decision to move in is made. Following the initial assessment a care plan is drawn up by the home covering all areas of health, personal and social care needs. The plans contained a wide range of information and generally provide good instructions to staff about how residents want to be assisted. Medicines are stored securely by the home. Records of medicines received into the home, administered by staff, and unwanted medicines returned to the pharmacy were found to be entirely satisfactory. Staff who administer medicines have been appropriately trained. During the inspection there was good evidence to show that residents are treated with dignity and their privacy is respected. Residents are able to make choices about all aspects of their daily lives. An activities organiser is employed each weekday. A good range of activities is provided to suit most interests and abilities. These include outings, shopping trips, games, entertainments and sitting and talking to residents. Families and friends are encouraged to visit and staff always make them feel welcomed and involved. Relatives who were visiting the home at the time of the inspection expressed satisfaction with all aspects of the care and facilities provided. Two trained chefs are employed who, between them, provide an excellent range of nutritious meals to suit all individual tastes and dietary needs. The chefs talk to the residents each day about their likes and dislikes and have drawn up menus based on their knowledge of their nutritional needs and preferences. They are planning to introduce even greater choice to the menus in the near future. The standard of meals provided was highly praised by residents and relatives. Good complaints and protection procedures are in place. Records seen during the inspection showed that complaints, concerns and comments are received and acted upon positively, promptly and fairly. Staff have received training on the protection of vulnerable adults, and policies and procedures are in place covering all aspects of protection. Good procedures are in place to ensure residents` finances are safeguarded.. The home has been maintained, decorated and furnished to a good standard throughout. Residents are encouraged to bring items of furniture and personal effects in order to make their rooms feel homely. All areas of the home were found to be clean and free from any odours. Staffing levels are sufficient to meet the needs of the residents. Staff files seen during the inspection showed that good recruitment methods are used in order to safeguard residents. New staff have received a good level of induction training. The home is managed by Kate Summers, who is suitably qualified and experienced. There are systems are in place to regularly monitor and improve the quality of the facilities and services provided, including questionnaires and meetings. Records have been well maintained.

What has improved since the last inspection?

The home has recently employed a specialist in dementia care to carry out a review of the care, facilities and services provided for residents with dementia. They are currently considering the outcomes of this exercise and any recommendations made. There are good systems in place to seek the views of residents, relatives and staff. These include questionnaires, staff supervision and meetings. A maintenance person is employed to ensure the facilities are constantly in good order and to provide an ongoing programme of redecoration.

What the care home could do better:

While the care plans are comprehensive it is possible that sometimes staff do not read them on a daily basis due to the number of pages they cover. Kate Summers is considering ways of adapting the care plans to ensure staff have a straightforward and easy to follow set of instructions that explain how the resident wants to be assisted each day with all of their care needs. Some staff indicated they might still be unclear about the procedures that will be taken if concerns about abuse are raised. It is recommended that the home checks that all staff have fully understood the training they have received on the protection of vulnerable adults, and on the homes` policies and procedures including disciplinary procedures if abuse is suspected. Some staff that completed questionnaires before this inspection said the home would benefit from more hoists. However, there is a range of moving and handling equipment including mobile and fixed hoists provided. Kate Summers said she was unaware of any problems raised by staff due to lack of equipment. She agreed to talk to the staff team and find out what the specific problems are, and take action to improve the level of equipment if necessary. The number of staff who have achieved a recognised level of qualifications in care is below the level recommended. Seven more staff are about to undertake National Vocational Qualifications, but this will still leave the percentage of qualified staff well below 50%. It is recommended that systems are implemented to show what training each member of staff has received and to identify where there may be gaps in training needs, including any health and safety updates that may be overdue.