Highfield

Inspectors found that medicines were administered by trained staff whose competence was checked regularly. Protocols were in place for medicines given when needed.

“People were supported safely with their medicines. Staff were trained to administer medicines and had their competency to do so checked regularly.” from the report

People were supported to contact health professionals when needed. Professionals said staff listened to and followed their advice.

“Professionals who worked with staff spoke positively about how their advice was listened to and followed closely to help support people.” from the report

Although care was not consistently caring, inspectors saw staff speak calmly and kindly with people. People appeared happy and relaxed during these interactions.

“People were visibly happy and relaxed when being supported by staff and smiled and laughed with them.” from the report

Care plans gave a detailed overview of people's likes, dislikes and preferences. People and relatives were involved in discussions about care.

“People's care plans were personalised and detailed and gave a good overview of people's likes, dislikes, and preferences.” from the report

Complaints were responded to promptly and their outcomes were recorded. Inspectors also found that end-of-life plans were detailed and respected people's preferences.

“The registered manager responded in a timely manner to complaints and recorded the outcomes of these for future learning.” from the report

Some risks were not assessed or dealt with promptly. People could go for long periods without checks, and unclear records made it difficult to confirm that important care had happened.

“Some people were at risk because not all risks had been assessed in a timely manner.” from the report

Communal bathrooms and some bedrooms were visibly dirty. Inspectors said infection prevention and control measures were not effective.

“Several areas of the home were not clean and posed an infection risk to people and staff.” from the report

Staff deployment meant people could be left without conversation or meaningful activity for extended periods. This increased the risk of loneliness and boredom.

“People were not always supported in a person-centred way. Staff deployment meant people went for extended periods of time without interaction, increasing the risk of social isolation.” from the report

Staff supporting people with specific needs, including catheter care, did not always have certified or documented competence. Inspectors recommended that training and competence be reviewed.

“Staff were supporting people with specific care needs such as catheter care and did not have certified training in this.” from the report

Inspectors saw examples of people not being responded to and staff entering bedrooms without knocking. Staff were also unsure how to offer choices to people who did not communicate verbally.

“Staff did not always respect people's privacy and dignity.” from the report

Audits did not reliably identify problems with cleanliness, records, staffing, staff knowledge or people's social support. The report says the culture was not always positive.

“Systems and audits to monitor the quality of the service were not always effective and did not identify areas for improvements.” from the report