Hastings Residential Care Home

People's experience of using this service: People were complimentary about the caring nature of staff who they described as considerate and thoughtful when supporting them with their individual needs. Staff promoted people's right to make choices in every aspect of their lives and actively supported them to maintain their independence for as long as possible. People were supported with the utmost dignity and respect and end of life care was centred around each person being comfortable and pain free.

People's safety was promoted by staff who knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm and systems were used to learn from incidents. Risks to people from harm had been identified with action taken to promote people's safety without taking away their levels of independence. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and policies and systems supported this practice.

People who lived at the home and staff felt there were sufficient staff, so people did not have to wait for unreasonable amounts of time for staff to support them. This was an improvement made following our last comprehensive inspection.

The provider had strong recruitment procedures which the registered manager followed so people were not placed at avoidable harm by potential staff who were unsuitable to provide care. People were supported by skilled staff with the right knowledge and training which was reviewed on a regular basis to ensure staff competency in their roles. Staff practiced effectively to prevent and control infections and the management of people's medicines was safe.

People enjoyed the meals offered and told us they could have anything they wanted to eat or drink, at any time of day or night. Staff worked in close liaison with local health and social care services to ensure people had access to any specialist support they required. Continual improvements were made to the home environment and facilities to ensure these were suitable for people's needs. One project was to build an orangery in the garden for people to enjoy.

People's care and support met their needs and reflected their preferences. People had the opportunity to participate in a variety of fun and interesting things to do both on a one-to-one basis and in groups.

The registered manager was committed to continual improvements within the service. This included documenting additional care plans on the electronic system so staff continued to have all the guidance they required to successfully carry out their roles. There was a positive, open and empowering culture which was

led by the registered manager.

A range of effective quality checks were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided so people continued to receive quality care.