Laurel Care Home

People's experience of using this service: Staff training is developed and delivered around individual needs and learning styles. The provider had a pro-active, detailed training process that fully supported staff and actively encouraged their future professional development.

Laurel Care Home staffed above the core numbers of trained staff required. This ensured people received individual, person centred care and support at all times. Staff were themselves supported with a system of detailed, regular supervision and annual appraisals. Staff felt very well supported and commented positively on the range and quality of the training they received. Staff told us the training was "Excellent".

The service used innovative designs to adapt and improve the premises to enrich and benefit the lives of people living at Laurel Care Home. People were engaged and involved in design changes and their views were listened to and respected.

The service worked collaboratively with healthcare professionals and provided good end of life care. People experienced a comfortable, dignified and pain free death. There were members of staff with the specific skills to understand and meet the needs of people and their families in relation to emotional support and the practical assistance they needed at the end of the person's life. Staff were also supported by the service with empathy and understanding.

People and relatives consistently told us how they were treated with exceptional warmth, compassion and kindness. All staff told us they felt extremely well supported, valued and felt proud to work for Laurel Care Home. Many staff told us Laurel Care Home was the best home they had ever worked in. People and relatives gave high praise for all aspects of the service and the care and support that they received. One relative told us, "They care for everyone as if they are family. I can't fault them at all, they are simply amazing."

The service was very well-led. The registered manager demonstrated how their open and supportive management style and use of innovative schemes and ideas had sustained continual development and improvement throughout the service. They demonstrated ways of working that improved the outcomes for the people they supported. They were clear about their expectations relating to how the service should be provided and led by example. Staff felt extremely well supported and spoke highly of the registered manager and management team. Staff were passionate, committed and motivated to delivering quality person-centred care to people. Staff were proud of the service and morale was high within Laurel Care

Home.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding around the provider's safeguarding procedures and understood how to recognise potential signs of abuse. People and their relatives told us they felt very safe at Laurel Care Home.

People had detailed assessments completed for them which gave staff clear guidance to ensure people were cared and supported in ways they preferred.

People received personalised care and support in an individualised way, which was planned and delivered to meet their needs. Each person was respected as an individual, with their own social and cultural diversity, values and beliefs.

People's medicines were being managed safely, stored securely and administered by trained staff.

People were treated with respect, kindness and dignity by a staff team who showed genuine, warmth, compassion and commitment to provide people with the best levels of person centred care.

People and their relatives were fully involved in assessing and planning the care and support they received. People's ongoing health care needs were continually assessed and people were referred to health professionals when required.

The registered manager and staff team had built effective relationships with external health and social care organisations. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People and relatives knew how to make a complaint and felt confident they would be listened to if they needed to raise any concerns. People and relatives were encouraged to share their views about the service which were welcomed and acted upon.

There were a range of audits, policies and procedures in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and ensure a culture of continuous improvement and learning took place.

More information in Detailed Findings below.