Care Home: The Vale

Annual service review Name of Service: The Vale The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 0 9 0 9 2 0 0 8 A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Wendy Mills Date of this annual service review: 0 4 0 9 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service Address of service: 191 Willington Street Maidstone Kent ME15 8ED 01622762332 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   sally@charinghealthcare.co.uk Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia Conditions of registration: Charing Vale Ltd Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 28 0 The maximum number of service users to be accommodated is 28. The registered person may provide the following category/ies of service only: Care home only - (PC) to service users of the following gender: Either Whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Dementia (DE). Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the No service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service The Vale is a registered care home for up to twenty eight people with failing mental capacity who have significant levels of dementia, sensory impairments and/or physical disabilities associated with advancing years. The home is a large detached property situated on the outskirts of the county town of Maidstone, Kent. There are good public transport links with a regular bus service into the town where there are two railway stations. The A20 is about half a mile away and Junction 7 of the M20 is approximately two miles away. 0 9 0 9 2 0 0 8 Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 The home has plenty of communal space with a lounge, dining area and quiet sitting room. Most bedroom accommodation is for single occupancy but there are some double rooms for those who wish to share. The garden is suitable for use by frail older people and has a concrete ramp to assist access by wheelchair users. There is some on site parking to the front of the home. The weekly fees for this home range between £425 and £550 and are dependent on the assessed neeeds of the individual and the type of room chosen. Additional charges are made for items such as hairdressing, chiropody and private telephones. Further information about this service can be obtained from the registered manager of the home. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last inspection. This included:The Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. A telephone call to the registered manager. Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints. The previous key inspection and the results of any other visits we have made to the service in the last twelve months. Relevant information from other organisations. What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The service returned the AQAA when we asked for it. This identified areas that have improved in the last year and other areas where further developments are planned. The AQAA provided good evidence that the views of the people who use this service and their supporters are sought and acted upon. For example, there is now more service user involvement in menu planning. The home has sound quality assurance systems. The registered provider has taken a more hands-on approach to reviewing quality over the past year and the area manager visits frequently to talk to residents, their supporters and staff as well as checking the progress of any environmental improvements. The AQAA confirmed that the home continues to give good health and personal care. The home has introduced a new care planing format and has increased service user involvement in care planning. A key worker system has also been introduced and there have been further developments in recoding life histories so that there is a good basis for decision making should there be a need to make decisions on behalf of a person with failing mental capacity. Families and other supporters of the service users have increased their involvement in the running of the home, inputting into care planning and working with the key workers There has been good progress in the way activities are organised. There is now a specific budget for activities that allows for more visiting entertainers and trips out. So far this year service users have been on a boat trip, had a visit to a garden centre and been on picnics. The home has recently held a garden party. Instead of having just one activities co-ordinator in the home there is now an activities team of five staff members who are overseen by the manager and deputy manager. Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 The home continues to be consistently managed. The area manager visits regularly and a new deputy manager has been appointed since the last inspection. This person is already providing very good support to the manager and also takes responsibility for ensuring all medication policies and procedures are adhered to rigidly. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? There will be no change to the inspection plan as a result of this Annual Service review. It should be noted that we can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people using the service. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a copy of the findings in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. 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