Salford House

There was a strong and consistent provider and management team who were extremely motivated to improve and promote people’s overall health and wellbeing both at Salford House and with the wider community. It was clear from our observations; people had built positive friendships with people and staff. People were relaxed talking to us and they were very complimentary about what it was like to live at Salford House. The management team and staff went the extra mile to make sure, people and those significant to them, maintained important links.

People’s risks were included within their care plan and information of those risks helped staff manage people’s safety. We did see some improvements from our last inspection had been made around assessing people’s mental capacity. Whilst this was completed, better recording of those discussions and outcomes were still needed to further evidence how those decisions were reached. We saw staff provide people with opportunities to make regular choices about what they wanted to do, where they wanted to go and how they spent their time.

People received their medicines from trained staff. Medicines were stored safely and given to people when required. We recommended to the registered manager, improvements were required to ensure staff applied patch medicines to people’s skin on the correct part of their body within certain time frames. Before we left the inspection, the registered manager reminded staff what to do and the importance of administering medicines in line with manufacturer guidance.

The environment was maintained and refurbished when existing rooms became free and there were plans to improve some of the décor and for safety measures within the home. The home was clean and equipment was stored meaning communal areas remained free from unnecessary obstructions.

Staff told us they worked well as a team, communicated clearly, which helped them provide good care to people at the point they needed it. Staff knew people well and adapted their approach with the care they provided in line with people’s individual preferences. Staff and management spent time with people, understanding and knowing them well which meant they knew what was important to them and how they could enhance their lives further. People, relatives and staff were complimentary of how the home was managed and how accessible the management team were, including the provider. The provider had systems of quality assurance that helped them check, monitor and improve their service, including gathering people’s feedback. Some completed audits had not identified the improvements we found, for example with medicines. The registered manager agreed to review their audits to ensure they remained purposeful and relevant. The provider completed their own internal checks of the service to make sure improvements were undertaken when required.

Staff were confident to report any concerns to management, and they were positive they would be listened too. Where lessons were learnt, these were shared with staff across the home, as well as other homes owned by the provider. There were enough staff to support people and staff received training and had experience relevant to their roles and responsibilities. Safe recruitment checks made sure staff were suitable to care for people.