Little Heaton Care Home

There were effective safeguarding systems in place. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and felt comfortable to raise concerns. There were sufficient staff to provide care and support to people promptly and attentively. Staff had been safely recruited. Medicines were generally well managed. However, we found minor discrepancies in some medicines documentation.

Staff had received appropriate training and supervision. People were provided with a balanced diet and had their weight monitored. People were helped to maintain their health, and referrals to specialist professionals for advice and support were made when required. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Improvements were needed to the environment to make it more suitable for people living with dementia.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. We identified an issue around the confidentiality of private information. This was dealt with immediately.

Whilst some checks and audits were regularly carried out by the registered manager and the provider's compliance and operations manager to monitor the quality and safety of the service, they had not identified the concerns we found during our inspection. However, they responded straight away and produced an action plan which described how they would make the required improvements. People, relatives and staff were complimentary about how the service was managed.