Forest Home

People and relatives said staff were kind and that there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff also described working together to cover shifts.

“People and relatives told us staff were kind, and there were enough staff available to meet people's needs.” from the report

Changes in people's health were identified and managed. The home worked with the GP and district nurses, and people had equipment and support to reduce pressure ulcer risks.

“Relatives told us, and we saw in records and through our observations, that changes to people's health were identified and managed.” from the report

Inspectors saw staff being calm, friendly and attentive. People appeared comfortable with staff and there was a warm atmosphere.

“People received kind and compassionate care from staff who went calmly about their day attentive to people's needs.” from the report

People and relatives could raise concerns. The one complaint received in the previous year was investigated and the outcome satisfied the complainant.

“The manager treated all concerns and complaints seriously, investigated them and learned lessons from the results, sharing the learning with the whole team.” from the report

Medicine counts did not always match the records. Some staff treated regular pain relief as needed medicine, so inspectors could not be sure people received medicines as prescribed.

“People's medicines were not consistently and safely managed. This placed people at risk of harm.” from the report

The home's audits had not identified several problems found by inspectors. This included issues with medicines, infection control, mealtimes, dignity and care records.

“Systems and processes were ineffective and not sufficiently robust to maintain effective oversight of the service.” from the report

Care plans and risk assessments covered people's needs but did not explain clearly enough how staff should provide safe and consistent support. This led to different staff interpreting care plans differently.

“The care plans and risk assessments covered all areas of risk but lacked the detail of how staff were to promote people's safety and lacked sufficient detail to ensure consistent care and support could be delivered.” from the report

Some refresher training was overdue, and staff had not been trained about diabetes and Parkinson's disease. Safeguarding training was up to date for only 9 of 30 care staff at the inspection, although training had been booked for the others.

“Staff had not been trained about some health conditions, such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease.” from the report

Some recording language did not promote dignity. A person's choice to have wine with a meal was handled differently by different staff until the manager addressed it.

“It depended on which staff were on duty whether the person could enjoy a glass of wine with their lunch.” from the report

Some parts of the home were tired, and a lack of storage led to clutter. Inspectors also found a rusty shower chair that could no longer be cleaned properly, although it was removed during the inspection.

“The home lacked storage facilities and consequently easily became cluttered and therefore harder to maintain good IPC practice.” from the report