Bymead House

People and relatives generally said they felt safe. Staff had safeguarding training, and concerns were recorded, reported and investigated.

“People thought the service was safe” from the report

The home completed required recruitment checks and inspectors found enough staff to respond to people during the inspection.

“Sufficient staff had been deployed to meet people's needs in a timely way.” from the report

The premises were clean, with no unpleasant smells during the inspection. Infection prevention arrangements were judged to be effective.

“The premises were very clean and there were no malodours at any time during our inspection.” from the report

People could choose when to get up, where to eat and whether to join activities. Care was provided in line with their preferences.

“They were given choices, could get up when they wished, eat where they wanted and attend activities or opt out.” from the report

Accidents and incidents were reviewed each month to look for patterns and reduce future risks. Learning was shared with staff.

“This enabled them to identify patterns and new areas of risk that could be reduced.” from the report

Not all staff had received one-to-one supervision, and staff did not always find the sessions effective. The provider was asked to review best practice and improve this support.

“Since commencing in post, the registered manager had not completed 1-to-1 supervision sessions with all staff members.” from the report

Some medicines arrived without clear use-by dates, temperature records were incomplete and some care plans and risk assessments were unfinished. The home made changes during the inspection and received a recommendation to review its procedures.

“Some care plans and risk assessments needed to be completed, these included protocols for PRN or 'as and when' medicines” from the report

Some confidential files were kept in unlocked cabinets or on shelves in a room used by an agency worker. The provider was asked to review how records are stored.

“Some files in both the cabinet and on the shelves contained confidential information.” from the report

Some people enjoyed the food, while others said the quality was inconsistent. One relative described food as the biggest issue, although weights were monitored.

“We had mixed feedback about meals at Bymead House, some people loved the food, others were less positive” from the report

On one occasion, a pre-admission assessment had not been checked by clinical staff. A person also spent longer than planned at hospital without food or drink after transport arrangements failed.

“On occasion, this had not happened, which could potentially lead to inappropriate admissions.” from the report